How can I grow in my understanding of biblical theology?
- Study the Scriptures thematically. While you should study all of Scripture both deeply and broadly, it can be especially helpful to read through the Scriptures in order to trace themes that run throughout the Bible. If you study how themes like creation and new creation, Sabbath rest, kingship, covenant, and God’s dwelling place with his people develop throughout Scripture you will gain a panoramic view of the glory of God and the wonder of salvation.
- Adopt the New Testament’s attitude toward the Old Testament. As you study the New Testament, pay close attention to how it fulfills, clarifies, amplifies, and sometimes replaces something in the Old Testament. As you do you will come to understand the unity of Scripture, the unity of God’s saving purposes throughout history, and the multifaceted richness of the saving work of Christ.
- Study the Old Testament with Jesus and the New Testament in view. As you read the Old Testament ask questions like, “Where does this passage fit in the timeline of redemptive history? How does this passage point to Jesus? How does this passage form the foundation for what Christians believe? What New Testament passages shed light on these questions?”
- Study the books of prophecy in the Old Testament. The Old Testament books of prophecy contain some of the Bible’s richest teaching on the life, ministry, and supremacy of Jesus Christ. They also deepen our knowledge of God and point toward the consummation of God’s saving work.
- Read a good book on biblical theology. Start with Graeme Goldsworhthy’s The Goldsworthy Trilogy or Vaughan Roberts’s God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible.
