Customer Reviews

New Covenant Theology

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This book will make those who adhere to covenant theology or classical dispensationism re-examine their own theological systems. Wells and Zaspel do an excellent job challenging us to read the Scriptures in the light of proper exegesis without being so influenced by our creeds, historic attachments, and denominational affiliations. All the major issues pertinent to New Covenant Theology are examined. The book outlines New Covenant Theology very well and gives sound arguments for its plausibility. The book includes discussions on NCT in general, the Mosaic Law, the Sermon on the Mount, the relationship between the covenants, and hermeneutics. Some very strong essays include Zaspel's chapters on the varied interpretations of the Sermon on the Mount (Chapter 5) and the Sabbath (Chapter 13), and Wells' essays on creeds and how they effect our interpretation (Chapter 15) and the relationship between the covenants (Appendix 2). While still being within the circle of traditional Protestantism, these two authors stepped up one level by writing this book. Excellent book for the laity and seminarian on understanding this "new" system that is gaining popularity within evangelical Protestantism.

This book should be read by all who have an interest in the importance of the two major covenants. Though the authors have intended to answer the critics of what is developing into a theology of the new covenant they have also kindly provided to this reader a better understanding of the basic differences between covenant theology and new covenant theology. After reading this book I will never approach the comunion table and drink of the blessed cup thinking that in some way that the blood of Christ is the blood of the covenant engraved upon stones. How could a good many commentators within the ranks of covenant theology lead us to believe that our Messiah is merely a new administrator (as was Moses) to the same over arching covenant with two administrations? The book is not without its faults. Much more attention needs to be given to texts such as Isaiah 42:6 and 49:8. Messiah is much more than just a mediator. He is the Word made flesh. Perhaps in the next book by Tom Wells and Fred Zaspel?

This is a book every Christian should read. It makes you think about what the New Testament tells us about Jesus, and what he says about himself. It shows clearly how Jesus is above all who came before him. Over and over, he says and does the things that only God does. Thus it would be an excellent book for a person who is unsure of Christ's divinity.

The book also makes you think about the relationship of the Old Testament to the New, and the Christian's relation to Old Testament [and New Testament] teaching. Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament law, or only "the law of Christ?" What does the NT mean by "the law of Christ?" These are issues all Christians must consider.

The book provides a penetrating overview of the Gospel of Matthew, showing how Matthew's aim is to present Jesus as the One who fulfills all the promises of the Old Testament. This helpful introduction to Matthew is followed up by informative exegesis of Matthew 5:17-20, which is a key passage in our understanding of the Christian's relationship to the law, the Old Testament and Christ.

New Covenant Theology aims to be a middle ground between the Covenant Theology of Christians of Reformed persuasion and the Dispensational Theology which is subscribed to by Christians of both Reformed and Arminian points of view.

You will definitely be inspired by reading this book, whether or not you agree with the authors' conclusions.

This book by Wells and Zaspel is indeed an excellent book on the growing New Covenant Theology paradigm. It outlines and attempts to show from Scripture the rightness of its position, which is claimed to be the natural teaching of the text of Scripture when interpreted in context.

Upon examining the arguments for New Covenant Theology as outlined here (and also in Reisinger's book Tablets of Stone), NCT appears to be the child of Biblical Theology with its idea of progressive revelation, and depends on it for its substance. While Biblical Theology is indeed important, the over-reliance on Biblical Theology at the expense of Systematic Theology creates theological problems and logical contradictions within the system. One such example of a logical contradiction is the teaching of OT believers being not part of the Church (p. 52), yet part of the Church (p. 63). A theological problem found in NCT is that OT believers are not saved by the Gospel (p. 31), but if so then they cannot be saved by God's grace through Christ's atonement for all believers either (Rom. 1: 16), not to mention that this explicitly contradicts Gal. 3:8

Since the topic of study is that of the biblical metanarrative and transcendental truth, the revelation of biblical truth in history (Biblical Theology) cannot be used to derive transcendental biblical truth (Systematic Theology). The outworking of God's truth in time is definitely important, but such cannot be used to infer anything about transcendental truths of God. NCT oversteps the boundary of Biblical Theology by making Biblical Theology the framework for understanding metanarrative truths when it is not designed to do so. Rather, metanarrative truths are to be attained through Systematic Theology done through logical inference from all of Scripture (Tota Scriptura), with the role of Biblical Theology limited to the HOW of its outworking in redemptive history. It must also be said here that is is regrettable that this overemphasis on Biblical Theology with its teaching of the logical priority of Jesus' teaching, while true, is unwittingly used to undermine the authority of Scriptures by pitting the physically uttered teachings of the Incarnate logos against the revelatory logos or the entirety of [written] Scripture, and thus make the "red letters" in the Bible to be of much higher authority and "more inspired" than the normal black letters of the rest of Scripture.