Dr. Oswalt has written commentaries on the books of Isaiah and Exodus so I was not suprised that he had so much to teach me, but this is no dry textbook. Every page is saturated with reminders that God invites us to walk in intimate fellowship with Him. This book could easily be called a primer on sanctification because every question you've ever had about it is answered clearly and winsomely.
Here's an excerpt from October 27: Do we need the Old Testament? Many people today, including some prominent preachers, say no, but they are wrong. We do need the Old Testament. Why? The answer is pretty simple; we need the Old Testament to understand the New Testament correctly. The two testaments complement each other. Each one is incomplete without the other. For instance, it is very easy to make the God of the New Testament just a kindly grandfather who will let you get away with anything. On the other hand, it is very easy to make the Old Testament God a terrifying ogre who will strike you dead if you cross Him. Neither view is correct.... We need both testaments to get an adequate picture of God. For example, the Cross is the answer, but what is the question? Why did Jesus die? If you only know the New Testament, you may well say that it is, "How can our sins be forgiven so we can go to heaven?" But that is wrong. The question the Cross is answering is the Old Testament one: "How can a holy God take up residence in a sinful person?" Does God want to forgive our sins? of course. But that is the begining of the story of redemption, not the end. (p. 318)
Dr. John Oswalt makes the Scriptures come alive with his insightful commentary. A really wonderful devotional book!
No comments:
Post a Comment