The Indelible Image: The Theological and Ethical World of the New Testament, Vol. 1: The Individual Witnesses by Ben Witherington

Ben Witherington is one of those rare theologians who, while solidly ‘orthodox’, is refreshingly adventurous, tackling huge ranges of subjects, and even (gently) treading on some toes (such as his paper exploring the possibility of Larazus being the ‘beloved’ disciple).

This is shown with this first of two volumes, The Indelible Image: The Theological And Ethical Thought World Of The New Testament. Remarkably this 800 page book is really an introduction to the second volume (which I have not yet read).

Witherington lays the ground work in his thesis that New Testament Theology cannot be separated from New Testament Ethics. Indeed, they are irrevocably intertwined. Here in volume 1, he demonstrates how each of the New Testament figures  and authors did their ‘theologizing and ethicizing’. Volume 2 will examine the subject from the perspective of the whole New Testament.

In a nut shell, Witherington argues that God wants his moral and spiritual character (and behavior) replicated in his people. Witherington writes:

The goal [of salvation, knowing God] is that the indelible and perfect character of God be indelibly stamped on his creatures such that God’s image is perfectly reflected in those creatures.

Theology and ethics should NEVER have been separated and this is the underlining point of the whole book. The words repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand meant a change in moral and spiritual behavior. Two of the many challenging and insightful statements in this book, for me at least, were;

Both [Jesus and Paul] believed that the new eschatological situation called for, demanded and through the Spirit enabled one to behave according a higher standard of ethics than even Moses or the Pharisees could have endorsed… (pg 272)

And…..

One must go through all three tenses of salvation – I have been saved, I am being saved and I will be saved – in order to enter the dominion.

Salvation is an ongoing process; new birth, progressive sanctification and finally glorification. Witherington argues that this process is not perfect or complete until it has reached its terminus.

Witherington hits you between the eyes demanding us to wrestle with and realize that it is not acceptable to just be theological – theological thinking, for it to be TRULY theological must involve the ethical – belief, without any doubt, demands change in our behavior and character. Such a change is done primarily through the power of the spirit, but also with our cooperation and participation.

A hallmark of Witherington is that his books are steeped in scholarship and yet he is wonderfully readable. But this is a big book.  It is thorough. At 800 pages there are only seven chapters, and so patience is required in reading. Read steadily, and carefully, knowing that you will in this book for quite a while – it is not one to be skimmed.

I HIGHLY recommend this work.

J I Packer, Martin Lloyd-Jones, Carl Trueman and Iain Murray

I have enjoyed reading and listening to Martin Lloyd-Jones for many years. i have enjoyed JI Packer’s books. I have enjoyed Iain Murray’s works and I enjoy reading Carl Trueman. How ironic that they have all come together in conflict!

Trueman’s recent contribution to J. I. Packer and the Evangelical Future: The Impact of His Life and Thought has caused a series of responses between Murray and Trueman. Why? Because Trueman’s chapter in the book honoring the life and ministry of Packer focuses heavily upon 1966 when  Lloyd-Jones made his plea to evangelicals to leave mixed denominations to form a new gathering, and Packer (and John Stott) refused. For Trueman, this was a disastrous time for British conservative evangelicalism, from which it is only now recovering. His criticism of Lloyd-Jones is that the call was unrealistic because Lloyd-Jones had no ecclesiology. Trueman writes:

Lloyd-Jones appears  to be offering little more than an evangelical, anti-Roman form of the very  doctrinal indifferentism he rightly saw as the poison of 1960s mainstream  ecumenism, albeit with a central hardcore of very, very basic evangelical doctrines   and a strong intuitive knowledge of who and what should be kept out  as illegitimate.

Trueman also suggests that Lloyd-Jones had meet, in Packer, a theological equal and that this threatened Lloyd-Jones. Again Trueman writes:

Davies  argues that Lloyd-Jones could not stand competition and could not bear not  to be in overall control, and he provides various highly suggestive anecdotes as  examples of this tendency. Given this, a split with Packer was always a likely  outcome: after all, Packer was the only man within Lloyd-Jones’s orbit who  could pose a serious challenge to his leadership because of both his intellect  and, crucially, his grasp of the history and theology of the Reformed tradition.

Murray has responded to this heavily in the most recent Banner of Truth Trust magazine. He has dismissed Trueman’s analysis as being false and a misrepresentation of the facts. Trueman has responded on the Reformation21 blog to Murray.

Having read both articles and the book chapter, I think Trueman and Murray have much to say and contribute about a very interesting part of British evangelicalism and two great British churchmen. Murray seems to have been upset at Trueman’s criticism of Lloyd-Jones, although I think the criticism has some teeth. Trueman also criticizes Packer – especially for not leaving the Anglican Church and taking the leadership of the evangelical wing of the church.

Of course, both Lloyd-Jones and Packer had / have faults – big ones. They were fallen, sinful human beings But both were / are great men of God, saved and redeemed by the grace of God, and both who gave their lives to declaring Jesus Christ as Lord of all – and both spent their lives  imploring people to give their lives to Jesus.

In the midst of historical reflection, disagreements, misrepresentations, lets not lose sight of the fact that the wider Church is richer because of the ministries of these men and we are fortunate to have their writings as an encouragement to us.