Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments

by John S. Feinberg (Contributor), John A. Sproule (Afterword), Sam Storms (Afterword)

Evangelicals agree that the Bible is God's inerrant word. But we sometimes differ on how to relate the messages of the Old and New Testaments. Without a basic understanding of this crucial matter, it is difficult to know how to use the Testaments to formulate either doctrine or practice. For Was Israel the OT Church―are OT promises to God's national people fulfilled in the church today? Or, is Mosaic Law binding on believers now―are twentieth-century Christians to obey the Ten Commandments, including sabbath observance? In this book, thirteen noted evangelical theologians discuss, fairly but clearly, the continuity/discontinuity debate in regard to six basic theological systems, hermeneutics, salvation, the Law of God, the people of God, and kingdom promises. Covering much more than the differences between Covenant Theology and Dispensationalism, this work of distinguished evangelical scholarship will fuel much profitable study and discussion.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity, Old Testament

416 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1988

About the author

John S. Feinberg (PhD, University of Chicago) is department chair and professor of biblical and systematic theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He is the author of Ethics for a Brave New World (with Paul D. Feinberg) and is general editor of Crossway’s Foundations of Evangelical Theology series.

Reviews

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book first in 1993 when a friend and I read it together and then discussed it. We were trying to make sense of how different denominations arrived at differing and sometimes contradictory views on the Christian church, Israel, promises in the Old Testament to Israel, etc. This book was the first book to open my eyes to the various theological " scaffolding" systems that are used to make sense of the many and mighty themes found in the Bible.

I recommend this book very highly. While written by theologians for other theologians (they routinely include Greek words as the basis of discussion points), it is not inaccessible. Difficult, yes, but not impossible. The premise of the book is to take theologians on two different sides of a point, and then let them discuss the same issue from their various perspectives. Dispensational theologians on one hand, and Covenant theologians on the other side respectfully and meaningfully discuss how the Old Testament relates to the New Testament.

What impressed me most in a quick re-read before I handed it off to another young friend who is interested in understanding different theological perspectives, was that these men are genuinely "gentlemanly" and respectful. The volume is dedicated to Dr. S. Lewis johnson, a mighty man of God, a theologian and gentleman of the highest calibre. ( http://www.theopedia.com/S._Lewis_Joh...) I knew and respected Dr. Johnson very greatly. I read this book years before I would meet Dr. Johnson, and it was only after his death in 2004 that I came across this book again and realized that it had been dedicated to him. The men who wrote and edited this book were all taught by Dr. Johnson. That they agree and disagree with such kindness is a credit I think to Dr. Johnson's example of how we are to love our Christian brothers, even when we may disagree with them on certain points of theology!

[Michael Boling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scripture is comprised of 66 books divided into two halves. The front of the book as it is sometimes called outlines the coming of Jesus and the back of the book discusses the impact of his life and his return with both halves revealing God’s salvation history plan. The question of how both sections of Scripture interact and relate to one another including what portions remain valid for today’s believer is an important conversation, one that if not viewed properly can seriously hamper how the understanding of Scripture in part and as a whole. The contributors to Continuity and Discontinuity: Perspectives on the Relationship Between the Old and New Testaments attempt to provide a proper overview of how to understand the flow and purpose of Scripture.

Make no mistake about it, this is a heavy book with some very deep theological subject contained throughout the various essays. With that said, I appreciated what each contributor presented. John Feinberg notes in the preface the issue of how one applies continuity and discontinuity when interpreting Scripture has a massive impact on topics such as the body of Christ and the relationship between law and grace. Many theological missteps have taken place over the years due to an improper understanding of such issues.

This collection of essays is divided into seven sections: 1) Historical Perspective; 2) Theological Systems and the Testaments; 3) Hermeneutics and the Testaments; 4) Salvation and the Testaments; 5) The Law and the Testaments; 6) The People of God and the Testaments; and 7) Kingdom Promises and the Testaments. Each and every one of these topics and the perspective one takes in engaging them is vital to a proper approach to Scripture. Whether one holds to a Covenant Theological perspective, Dispensational understanding, some point in between or something completely different, at some point the individual will have to answer for example “what do I do with portions of the Law of Moses”?

I found the entirety of this book to be quite helpful and informative; however, I seemed to find myself spending a great deal of time in the section on the Law and the Testaments. This has been a subject matter of great interest to me of late as there seems to be a vast misunderstanding of what God’s Law is and to what extent the believer has been set free from “the law”. There are those who view the full nature of the Law as being nailed to the cross with the New Testament believer falling completely under the umbrella of grace with no further need for the Law. Others take a different tact, feeling that God’s Law remains in place except of course for the sacrificial system which was abrogated by the cross.

The exegesis provided by Douglas Moo on this subject was quite good in my opinion, especially his statement that the fulfillment of Matthew 5:17 “means that Jesus’ new, eschatological demands do not constitute an abandonment of the law but express that which the law was all along intended to anticipate.” Some point to Paul’s writings as an indication of freedom from the law with love being the primary driver for the New Testament believer, specifically what is termed the “law of love”. Is that really what Paul declared? Moo astutely comments “The love command, taught by Jesus himself, represents the ultimate aim and purpose of the law.” To the accusation that abandonment of the law results in antinomianism, Moo reminds the reader that is not entirely true. God’s law remains the goal and the ultimate standard of holiness for all believers. Portions of the Law of Moses, which were a shadow of something better, most notably the sacrificial system, have ceased given the cross was the perfect and final sacrifice. I do disagree that the Sabbath command has ceased, something Moo alludes to in his closing comments given that was a creation ordinance further elaborated at Mount Sinai, but other than that small comment, Moo’s comments on the statements of Jesus and the writings of Paul and how they are to be understood when it comes to the continuity and discontinuity of the law in the life of believers today were well presented and biblically sound.

This is just one of many examples I could have provided that can be found throughout this excellent book. While not an easy or quick read given the breadth and depth of material discussed, this nevertheless is a collection of essays that needs to be read. I know I will refer to many sections in this book in my continued studies on this very topic and I highly recommend this book to all believers as an important source of reference material as they further their own studies on how to best understand the grand flow of Scripture and its application to their life.

I received this book for free from Crossway Books for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Rafael Sales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mais um para a minha caminhada nos meus estudos sobre Interpretação Bíblica!

Um dos assuntos de maior importância dentro da Interpretação Bíblica é a questão da Continuidade ou Descontinuidade do AT para com o NT (ou você versa), esse tema possui um longo histórico de debates e esse livro tem por função trazer duas perspectivas para o debate de temas específicos, tais como: Salvação, Lei, Promessas futuras e outros.

O intérprete bíblico deve ter sempre claro para si a maneira como ele vê ambos os testamentos, pois só assim ele pode entregar uma interpretação coerente e honesta. Digna de uma boa teologia bíblica.

Esse livro me surpreendeu de uma maneira muito positiva, pois pensava que encontraria um livro antigo (foi lançado em 1988) e que em vários pontos já não serviria para o debate atual, mas estava completamente errado, pois o livro é extremamente atual, com considerações precisas e autores formidáveis (particularmente gostei dos ensaios do Moo, do Saucy e do Kaiser Jr.). Ainda tenho um longo caminho pela frente para estudar e entender as perspectivas, mas este livro foi mais do uma simples pavimentação do caminho, esse livro foi uma base estrutural para refletir sobre o assunto.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good, though a little dated. Moo's chapter is the best.

[Benedict Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a consciously Evangelical take on how the OT and NT relate to each other. The two major theological traditions represented in this collection of academic essays are Reformed (or Covenantal) and Dispensational.

The book is structured as a debate with scholars from both perspectives offering their take on the six issues it covers: 1) Theological systems and the Testaments (this functions as an introduction to the key principles of both theological perspectives), 2) Hermeneutics and the Testaments, 3) Salvation and the Testaments, 4) The Law and the Testaments, 5) The people of God and the Testaments and 6) Kingdom promises and the Testaments.

The essays are quite academic with extensive references and quotations from other scholars, thus it is quite comprehensive as it covers the major differences between the Covenantal and Dispensational schools.

Personally, I found the articles written from a discontinuity (Dispensational) perspective more interesting. Perhaps this is because I was brought up in a Reformed framework and was familiar with the continuity arguments. I especially found Paul Feinberg's essay 'Hermeneutics of Discontinuity' and Douglas Moo's 'The Law of Moses or the Law of Christ' illuminating as they both state their methodologies in a clear way with examples of those principles in action.

Walter Kaiser, Jr.'s 'Kingdom Promises as Spiritual and National' also proved thought-provoking as he offered a 'non-traditional' discontinuity position.

Overall, the book wasn't an easy read as I stopped reading at certain points because I felt (at the time of reading) that some of the essays were written in quite a dry manner. Nevertheless, it still proved fruitful as it challenged many of my views about both Covenantal and Dispensational approaches to theologies. Reading this book will definitely help one identify the nuances of each camp, which should raise questions about how the reader approaches some of the big themes of the Bible.

Being a Southeast Asian Christian, the issue of the Church's relationship to Israel isn't a hot-button topic, so this book does illustrate that the lessons and implications Christians draw from the Bible are (somewhat) shaped by their cultural, political, geographical and historical contexts. It did provide food for thought and I would recommend this as a serious reading to get an overview of both Covenantal and Dispensational approaches.

[Susanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feinberg takes on no small task in presenting his reader with an explanation of the views of continuity and discontinuity in scripture. In many ways, I found this book to be a helpful tool for understanding the perspective of the “other side.” At the same time, I can’t say I think Feinberg entirely succeeded in his task. I see two major shortcomings in this work:

1. Feinberg divides every chapter into two subsections: an essay from the view of continuity and an essay from the view of discontinuity. In reality, a spectrum of views exist between continuity and discontinuity, and Feinberg gives no indication of where each of his writers fit in this spectrum. Labeling each writer as simply “for” continuity or “for” discontinuity is reductionistic and may confuse the reader.

2. It seems that the essays in this book were not written in response to one another, but independently collected. I wish Feinberg would’ve taken the former approach, again to avoid confusion. Because each essay is independently written, the writers often seem to be talking past one another. For example, a pro-continuity writer may make 3 points against discontinuity in a certain subject area. In the following section, the pro-discontinuity writer may make 3 defenses for discontinuity, none of them addressing the former writer’s points.

I’d be interested to read Benjamin Merkle’s “Discontinuity to Continuity: A Survey of Dispensational and Covenantal Theologies” to see how it compares with this work.

[Terrence O'Hare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a challenging book to read because the question of continuity and discontinuity is quite complex. Not only that, “continuity” and “discontinuity” mean different things and carry different implications to different writers. While the book is 30 years old, I don’t believe there is any significant change in how the interpretive systems of covenant theology and dispensationalism address the question. So, if you are interested in hearing “both sides” then this is great place to start. Yet even then, the contributors do not represent the full spectrum of viewpoints within conservative Christianity. My interest was focused on the law and eventually on the Sabbath (and I wrote an extensive review exploring these matters elsewhere), but concerning the book as a whole, you risk spending considerable time in analysis if you really study what the authors are saying. Finally, I thought that the book would have been more definitive if terms were defined beforehand or if specific questions were designed to demonstrate interpretive differences of key verses.

[RT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic book overall. As with most books like this—a collection of essays form various authors and positions—it is unbalanced. While some chapters prove most insightful and well argued keeping with the subject, others either were convoluted and disorganized, or simply did not faithfully addressed the assigned subject. An example of this would be the Continuity/Covenantal chapter on salvation. Instead of actually writing on and presented that positions understanding of Scripture’s continuity of salvation from OT to NT, the author took most of the time to present his understanding that kingdom is the main theme of Scripture by simply walking through a historical survey of the Bible. Had this been helpfully tied to the subject of salvation in a meaningful way, such a focus could be overlooked.

Quite frankly, anyone who desires to study and arrive at convictions concerning the relationship between the Testaments and any subject of eschatology would serve themselves well to honestly interact with each essay.

As an overall evaluation of the positions, their hermeneutics and methodology is quite evident. While the Continuity/Covenantal camp typically argues from a conceptual and systematic approach by simply providing proof texts for their argument, the Discontinuity/Dispensational camp typically maintained a presentation by actually offering an exegesis from various texts and maintain a consistent hermeneutic (even across each of this camp’s authors).

Having read this book carefully and honestly engaging with different positions and interpretations I came away with a stronger conviction of my position within each topic.

I would love to see an updated version with modern scholarship and discussion.

[Joel Opificius · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit outdated, since all materials on progressive dispensationalism (PD) and progressive covenantalism were published after this work. Yet, this work remains to be a helpful resource for navigating significant issues in the relationship between the OT and NT. I particularly found this book helpful in understanding some of the history of dispensational and covenantal thought in the various subjects. Though any works on PD were not published until the early 90s, you can see some of the ideas of PD in seed form in this work (on both sides of the conversation).

[Abel Saraiva · Rating 5 out of 5]

O livro é extremamente rico pela diversidade de ensaístas, mostrando as suas posições teológicas para assuntos semelhantes. Num tom de respeito mútuo, parece-me que as palavras do editor na conclusão são o freio para todos os que estudam e pensam teologia: "Homens piedosos defendendo as mesmas doutrinas fundamentais podem discordar uns dos outros, em assuntos como este e ainda permanecerem dentro do campo da ortodoxia."

[Eli · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays from both sides of the evangelical spectrum. Very informative regarding Covenantalism and Dispensationalism; I would recommend it to any student who wants to seriously grapple with these issues. I thought the Dispensational writers made by far the better case, though Fred Klooster's essay on soteriology was very good.

[Doug Adamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A helpful collection of writings on issues and questions concerning the relationship between the Old and New Testament. As in any collection by a group of writers, some are better argued and written than others.

[Nate Weis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag- some really good essays, some not so good. A word of warning – don’t buy the Kindle edition. It was horribly edited with typos on nearly every page. Some were significant enough to make it difficult to determine the authors meaning.

[David J. Shoop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent review of important topics to both covenant scholars (continuationists) and dispensational scholars(discontinuationists)

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

helpful but not necessarily the best articulations of either perspectives that I've seen. At times it seemed like the authors were talking past each other

[Zachary Horn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Very helpful in many sections, dragged a little in others. Conversation is a little dated--would like to see an updated version with contributions from Wellum and Bock.

[David Bruyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting to read covenantal and dispensational theologians side-by-side. The writing quality is uneven, some are lucid and lively, others very dreary and pedantic.

[Eliaquim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reunindo alguns dos maiores eruditos protestantes para tratarem do mesmo tema simultaneamente, é o livro perfeito para quem está em dúvida entre o Dispensacionalismo e o Aliancismo.

[Michael Dionne]

Challenging but necessary reading if you want to engage with the discussion about dispensationalism at a high level. Amazing this book got published, I can't see that happening today.

[L. R. Bouligny Bouligny · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are struggling with the different views of the church and how it relates to Israel, this is a must read. Covenant theology and Dispensationalism are tricky terms, since Covenant theologians believe in dispensations, and Dispensationalists believe in covenants. A more descriptive terminology would be Continuity vs. Discontinuity.

This book is very scholarly, and it looks at this debate from a theological and historical perspective. Great insights into the debate, and deals with specific OT verses and how they are to be understood in light of the NT.

An excellent read, very thought provoking and somewhat conclusive, I believe.


LB

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent!

[Anthony Lawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very intriguing book.