'Redemptive-Historical' Method - Description

From Tim Keller

A BASIC DESCRIPTION OF THE APPROACH

"1. DISCERNING THE 'SALVATION STORY-LINE'

'Biblical theology' or the RHM posits that "it is the nature of biblical revelation that it tells a story rather than sets out tuneless principles in the abstract. If we allow the Bible to tell its own story, we find a coherent and meaningful whole”. The central story of the Bible is the story of redemption of salvation (thus the term 'redemptive-historical' method). The story is how 1) God initiates a saving work that we cannot do for ourselves 2) in order to a) create a new people for himself out of lost humanity and b) a new creation out of a marred and broken world. To do this takes justice and power on God's part, but also love and mercy. Only in Jesus Christ is it ultimately revealed how God's holiness and love can work together for saving purposes. Then, In him, all the themes--God's initiating grace, his redeeming provision, his presence with his covenant people. His renewing kingdom, and all others--come to a climax and fulfillment in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. There is no part of the Bible nor text of the Bible that does not participate in these longitudinal 'salvation' themes.

The pre-fall and fall accounts (Genesis 1-3) show us the world as God designed it to be and the reasons it has fallen from its original design. Thus this part of the Bible shows us why salvation in Christ is needed, and what that future restoration will look like.

The post-fall narratives (Genesis 4- 1) show the inadequacy of human effort or God's judgment alone to bring about renewal of the world. God's design for creation seems thwarted by human sin. The story-line and plot of the Bible goes dark very quickly. There is little hope.

The patriarchal narratives, however, show us hope. We see God beginning to intervene in the world's life. Some protagonists (besides God) appear--Abraham, Joseph, etc. We see the embryonic shape of his saving purposes: his sovereign, free grace, his intention to create a new humanity--a new people for himself, the necessity and nature of faith, the promise of a land, of blessing, of God's presence, of mission, and of a future Messiah. It is obvious that the protagonists relate to God through faith and grace, not works--but much the redeeming provision is cryptic and unclear. Why can God continually forgive and work with and be present with people that he should destroy? Why doesn't he destroy them as he did in the accounts of the Flood and of Babel? The Biblical story plot 'thickens'.

The exodus and the giving of the law clarify both how radically gracious God is (since the deliverance from Egypt happens before the giving of the law) and yet how inexorable the law and justice and righteousness of God are. God gives both the law and the sacrificial system as a pointer to the substitutionary atonement which will be his redemptive provision. The tabernacle now makes God's presence among his people a permanent thing. The law (as well as the wisdom literature) reveals God's interest in justice in the world and his desire for a people who are distinct in every respect--a truly 'new humanity1--who will be a light attracting the nations. The nature of the coming kingdom is clarified and focused also in the history of the leaders of Israel. Despite times of decline (the judges) there are times of rising hope that the saving purposes of God will be fulfilled and the world will turn back to God. These hopes climax in the career of David.

But the post-David prophetic period makes clear that God's grace, redemption. covenant, the promise of a land and a kingdom will not be fulfilled by physical Israel or its human prophets, priests. heroes and kings. The decline of Israel brings us the prophets who 'move the story line' along in two ways. Negatively, they expound and develop the great longitudinal saving themes by way of critique of Israel. As they castigate and condemn the rebellious nation in ‘covenant lawsuit’ they provide greater insight into the mission of the people of God in the world, the social and personal righteousness God is ‘after’ in His people, and also the twin mistakes of licentiousness and self-righteousness /legalism. Positively, the prophets begin to (more clearly than ever) point ahead to how God will fulfill all his promises in eschatological fullness in the future. The first major prophets Elijah and Elisha have a remarkable ministry of unprecedented 'signs and wonders'. Under their hands, 'the blind see. the lame walk. The dead raised, and good news is preached to the poor.' These are signs of the powerful restoration the kingdom will bring. A final rebuilt temple, an ultimate return from exile, a consummate and perfect kingdom--are all now in view.

The ministry of Jesus in the gospels shows us how Jesus is the fulfillment and climax of all the longitudinal themes of God's salvation. In him all the 'plot tensions' are resolved. (How can God's promises be conditional--upon our obedience. yet unconditional--upon his grace?) In him all the protagonists of history are re-capitulated and succeed where they previously failed. In his life-story we have the world-salvation story re-told. We have darkness, a light and promise. A rising hope which is dashed on Good Friday, and then an unlooked for victory out of defeat.) Finally, the primacy of grace always present in the former ages, is now crystal clear in the ministry of Christ. His ethical example to us is secondary and based on his saving work for us. We are not saved through our imitation of him. But (ironically) in his substitutionary 'imitation' and representation of US.

The church now lives in the "overlap" of the ages between the first and second comings of Christ. So the 'story of salvation' is not over, despite its climax in Christ. There is an intensification and progression of all the longitudinal themes now and yet an incompleteness for the kingdom of God is 'already' but 'not yet'. So on the one hand, the Christian community itself is now God's temple--we have the Holy Spirit and presence of God. The mission of the people of God as a light to all the nations is now overt rather than implicit. The people of God are now multi-national, multi-ethnic. Much of the wisdom (from the wisdom literature) and the righteousness (from the law) can now characterize us as individuals and a community through the power of the Spirit. But, on the other hand our ethical and life-paradigm now is the cross. In the church age the kingdom moves ahead through loss and poverty and rejection and service and weakness.

The new heavens and new earth are the ultimate end of God's redemptive work in Christ. The RHM helps us see that the goal of God's work in Christ is not escape from the world but the renewal of the whole world. Heaven will re-unite with the earth and the whole world will become a giant holy-of-ho1ies.

Summary: It is Jesus that makes all these stories one story. Only when we understand all the previous stories and pointers (types) do we realize the richness and fullness of who Christ is. But on the other hand, only when we understand him (anti-type) do we understand what the pointers and all the other stories were about. We cannot fully understand one without the other. So for example, when in John 3 Jesus says he is like the serpent lifted up in the wilderness he puts the Serpent-in-the-wilderness into the Big Story. Yes. the purpose of the comparison is that the serpent incident sheds light on how Jesus saves us (e.g. it only takes a look, he is made like and treated like the sin that is killing us. etc.)--but on the other hand it means that we can't understand the incident of the serpent without realizing that it points us to Christ. Jesus shows us that the Bible is not an interesting set of isolated stories, each story telling us something different about how to live. Rather, Jesus unifies all the chapters into one story."