Large parts of the Bible are unfamiliar territory for many people. We're not sure what to make of them, still less how to live by them. From Creation To New Creation gives us a route map. By tracing the unfolding promises of God, it enables us to make sense of the Bible story. The result is a book that not only shows us how to understand the Bible as a whole, but also how it continues to speak to people in the twenty-first century.
Dr Tim Chester is involved in The Crowded House, a church planting initiative in Sheffield, UK. He was previously Research & Policy Director for Tearfund UK, and has been published widely on prayer, mission, social issues and theology. He is married to Helen and has two daughters.
This was a simple read and a good book to help understand the Old Testament with the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in the New. After you complete the first chapter (a good overview), the next couple of chapters are set for one to understand the four major promises of God woven throughout the Old Testament. To think well about these promises and being fulfilled in Christ is a good practice to use as one reads and teaches through the Old Testament.
A helpful overview following themes of garden (promised land), Kingdom/King, salvation, a God who dwells and blessing to nations from Genesis to Revelation. Accessible to all and shows the unified story of the bible.
I loved seeing the overarching narrative that this book reveals about Scripture. Very helpful in looking for specific narratives in any book of the Bible.
Starting at the beginning, Chester follows God’s story through the Scripture, revealing how He has been determined to fulfill His promises. All of these promises find their ultimate fulfillment in Christ, and Chester demonstrates this clearly as he highlights key moments in Scripture that point to God’s ongoing work. Chester’s writing flows easily and encourages the reader to continue. More importantly, his teaching is solidly grounded in Scripture itself. The result is easy to highly recommend.
I really appreciate how Tim Chester presents a unified picture of Scripture as a cohesive history of God's redemptive purpose. Very well done. That said, he clearly holds to a covenantal perspective with respect to Israel and the church.
Very good summary of the Bible and how it is all tied together by God's promises, people, kingdom, and blessing. There is clearly a lot of good serious scholar work behind it. But this is a very accessible book that simply summarizes the unity of the Bible around the Gospel.
This book is well written for the neophyte to biblical theology. It’s an OK overview but way too basic for graduate work. Too much time spent rehashing the basic old testament stories.