Book Review: The Unity of the Bible

The following sentence alone persuaded me to purchase and read Daniel Fuller's The Unity of the Bible, "No book besides the Bible has had a greater influence on my life than Daniel Fuller's Unity of the Bible." Penned by John Piper, this recommendation convinced me that reading this work was a worthwhile investment of my time. I'm neither the most prolific nor the speediest reader I know, so plowing into this 460 page work was a lengthy endeavor for me. I really enjoyed this book, though, it taught me much, and it's very clear to see how it influenced Piper's theology and teaching.

In sum, this book is basically a primer on biblical theology, covering the storyline of the entire Bible and its unifying themes. Having focused almost exclusively on systematic theology during my seminary years, the study of which I thoroughly enjoy, this was a really refreshing way to view Scripture as the one unified book that it is. The book is divided into four parts: 1) The Value of the Inquiry (for the unity of the Bible); 2) The Foundations of Redemptive History; 3) Israel, The Lesson Book for the Nations; and 4) The Gospel Goes to the World.

The first part is "The Value of the Inquiry (for the unity of the Bible)." This introductory part lays the groundwork for viewing scripture as an integrated whole by giving evidence for the Bible's unity through the Old and New Testament canons. It then defines some of the essential elements for formulating a biblical worldview and contrasts that with the works-based worldviews of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Islam. Thus, this section clearly reveals that all of the Bible teaches salvation by God's grace through faith in Jesus Christ from beginning to end.

The second part is "The Foundations of Redemptive History." In this section, Fuller more fully explores the account of the Fall of man and the entrance of sin into humanity in the book of Genesis. This is followed by a look at the nature of God, including His being a Trinity, his work of creation, and his purpose for humanity. Then, Fuller looks at the reason for justness of an eternal hell, followed by an exploration of the riches of God's mercy from the cross of Jesus (my favorite chapter), and God's promise to protect the seed of his chosen people.

The third part is "Israel, the Lesson Book for the Nations." This section looks at the life of Abraham, the purpose of the Old Testament Law, and the Kingdom of God in the Old Testament. One of Fuller's main points is that as in the New Testament, God's chosen people are reconciled to Himself by faith in God, which is evidenced by consequential works of obedience. Such a message of eternal salvation is directly opposed to a hopeless and non-biblical perspective that salvation is achieved through faith, supplemented by necessary obedience and works, the sum of which might earn one a righteous standing before God.

The fourth part is "The Gospel Goes to the World." This last part of the book examines the Kingdom of God during the life of Christ and the early church, in our current world, and in the future. A key point in this section is that Jesus Christ desires to save all people around the world whom he has elected, regardless of race, lineage, or geographical location. Fuller completes this section by discussing the future conversion of those Jews alive at the time of Christ's return.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this book:

On the canonization of the Bible during the early church, "Such decisions singling out those documents that 'teach the truth' were not made in some church council attended by representatives from church districts scattered far and wide, as is sometimes claimed. Instead they were made informally at the grass-roots level, by small groups of Christians networked with each other in household churches located mostly around the eastern half of the Mediterranean," (62).

"God's ultimate purpose (in creation) is to increase his joy by sharing the blessing of the Trinity in creation. And while it constitutes a desirable goal that he took steps to attain, it is also his free act in that he finds so much joy just in transmitting his blessings to those who appreciate them that he wants nothing more," (136).

"Significantly, the first of the two steps involved in submitting to God's purpose corresponds to his necessary work of being a truly glorious God as a Trinity; the second parallels his free work of extending the goodness of his glory throughout the world he created. First, then we want to delight ourselves in God, looking to him to satisfy our need-love. Then we want to increase our joy by exercising benevolent love to all other people," (139).

"(Jesus) had no sweet frame o mind, like many martyrs, to help him endure his physical agony; rather, his most extreme anguish was that God was treating him like a sinner. His Father had forsaken him and had become his enemy, pouring out the full force of his wrath upon his Son," (213).

"Another way in which Jesus' resurrection is vital for the forgiveness of sins is made clear in Romans 4:24-25: 'God will credit righteousness--for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.' This passage implies that we could not be confident that Jesus had paid the penalty for our sins unless he had risen from the dead. Had he remained in the tomb, the conclusion would have been that he must be punished eternally like all other people who have 'sinned and [fallen] short of the glory of God' (3:23). But because he was raised, we know that we can be justified, or accounted righteous, before God," (216).

A note I wrote in the margin on p. 218: To help us understand the enormity of God's love for us, we must ask, "How valuable was God's love for His only Son, who he sent to die for us?" When we understand the enormity of God's love for his Son, then we can begin to understand the enormity of his love for us.

I really enjoyed Fuller's The Unity of the Bible, and it helped me understand better that the One and Only God is the author of all the Bible, that He is the creator of all things for His Glory, and that we can be saved into a relationship with Him only by faith in the grace he offers us through the life, death, resurrection, and exaltation of Jesus Christ. While this book definitely has much theological depth to it, I found myself often reading it as devotional reading. If you have not read a basic primer on biblical theology, this is the book for you!

Fuller, Daniel P. The Unity of the Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1992.