Canon, Covenant, and Christology

All Scripture is God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16). From Paul's epistles, one can confidently affirm the divine inspiration of Scripture. However, going back to Jesus and the Gospels, such an explicit approach is difficult to find.

Matthew Barrett argues that Jesus and the apostles have a doctrine of Scripture as compelling as Paul or Peter, but it will only be discovered if the Gospel is read within its own canonical horizon and covenantal context. The nature of Scripture presupposed by Jesus and the Gospel writers is powerfully manifested when their words are read within the Old Testament promise-fulfillment pattern.

Nothing demonstrates the divine origin, divine authorial intent, and trustworthiness of Scripture more than the gospel of Jesus Christ. In the coming of the Son of God, the Word has become flesh, announcing to both Jews and Gentiles that the covenant promises that Yahweh made through the Law and the Prophets have been fulfilled in the person and work of Christ.

'Matthew Barrett...unfolds an interesting and stimulating vision that will undoubtedly be taken up and developed by many pastors and theologians. Jesus himself unites the old and new covenants. He fulfills the Scriptures, but he does so effectively only by being obedient to them. The dynamic sheds new light not only on Christ but also on the Scriptures themselves' (D. A. Carson).

ISBN: 9786280103235