The Messianic Theology of the New Testament
Overview
One of the earliest Christian confessions—that Jesus is Messiah and Lord—has long been recognized throughout the New Testament. Joshua Jipp shows that the New Testament is in fact centered around this foundational messianic claim, and each of its primary compositions is a unique creative expansion of this common thread. Having made this argument about the Pauline epistles in his previous book Christ Is King: Paul’s Royal Ideology, Jipp works methodically through the New Testament to show how the authors proclaim Jesus as the incarnate, crucified, and enthroned messiah of God.
In the second section of this book, Jipp moves beyond exegesis toward larger theological questions, such as those of Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology, revealing the practical value of reading the Bible with an eye to its messianic vision. The Messianic Theology of the New Testament functions as an excellent introductory text, honoring the vigorous pluralism of the New Testament books while still addressing the obvious question: what makes these twenty-seven different compositions one unified testament?
- Provides a helpful introduction to the unity of the New Testament
- Explores the practical value of reading the Bible with an eye to its messianic vision
- Examines theological themes including Christology, soteriology, ecclesiology, and eschatology
Part One: The Messianic Testimony of the New Testament
- The Son of David Who Saves His People from Their Sins: The Gospel of Matthew
- The Powerful, Humiliated Son of God and the Kingdom of God: The Gospel of Mark
- The Powerful, Humiliated Son of God and the Kingdom of God: The Gospel of Mark
- The Kingdom and the Glory of the Messiah: The Gospel of John
- The Messianic Christology of the Apostle Paul: The State of the Discussion and a Few Themes
- Participating in the Rule of the Messianic King (Part I): Romans, 1–2 Corinthians, and Philippians
- Participating in the Messianic Rule of the Messianic King (Part II): Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Timothy
- The Suffering and Enthronement of the Messianic Son of God as Foundation for Humanity’s Salvation: Hebrews and 1 Peter
- Sharing in the Battle of the Triumphant Lamb: The Book of Revelation
Part Two: A Messianic Theology of the New Testament
- Scripture: Messianic Exegesis and Christology
- Christology: The Messianic Life and Acts of Jesus
- Soteriology: Participating in the Saving Reign of the Messiah
- Politics, Power, and Eschatology: Christians as Subjects of a Good and Righteous King
Top Highlights
“The central argument of this book is that the messianic identity of Jesus of Nazareth is not only the presupposition for, but is also the primary (though certainly not exclusive) content of, New Testament theology.8 I invite the reader to explore with me the question: How much of the NT’s Christology can be understood as messianic discourse?” (Page 3)
“I suggest that one significant aspect of Jesus’s saving his people from their sins consists in Jesus’s death providing the payment that ransoms Israel out of their debt-bondage to sin. Jesus saves his people from their sins/debts by offering true obedience to God the Father and by laying down his life to deliver his people.” (Page 29)
“In what follows, I argue that Matthew presents Jesus as God’s royal Son who enacts God’s rule and saves his people by means of: (1) delivering his people from their sins; (2) authoritatively teaching, interpreting, and obeying God’s Torah; (3) enacting merciful and compassionate royal justice through his deeds; and (4) inviting and enabling his disciples to share in his messianic rule and pattern of life.” (Page 22)
“I want to suggest that one primary and unifying thread of the NT consists in their being creative expansions upon the earliest ‘Christian’ confessions: ‘Jesus is the Messiah’ and ‘Jesus is Lord.’” (Page 6)
“Thus, in a highly condensed form, Matthew retells Israel’s history in such a way that God’s scriptural promises for a just and righteous Davidic ruler over God’s people appear frustrated as a result of the wickedness and sin of Israel’s kings. For Matthew’s Gospel, exile marks the failure and end of kingship in Israel.” (Page 23)
- Title: The Messianic Theology of the New Testament
- Author: Joshua W. Jipp
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Publication Date: 2020
- Pages: 480
- Resource Type: Introduction
- Topic: New Testament
Dr. Joshua Jipp has taught New Testament in a variety of settings, including as a teaching fellow at TEDS, before joining the faculty at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He enjoys baseball, basketball, hiking outdoors, and spending time with his wife, Amber, and their two sons. His most recent scholarly work includes Paul’s Areopagus Speech of Acts 17:16–34 as Both Critique and Propaganda in theJournal of Biblical Literature, and Divine Visitations and Hospitality to Strangers in Luke–Acts: An Interpretation of the Malta Episode in Acts 28:1–10 (Brill). He’s currently working on a book on Pauline Christology for Fortress Press and the Two Horizons Commentary on the Acts of the Apostles for Eerdmans.
