“They Will Hear My Voice”: A Biblical Theology Of The Necessity And Sufficiency Of Scripture -- By: Nicholas G. Piotrowski
Journal: Southern Baptist Journal of Theology
Volume: SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022)
Article: “They Will Hear My Voice”: A Biblical Theology Of The Necessity And Sufficiency Of Scripture
Author: Nicholas G. Piotrowski
SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022) p. 10
“They Will Hear My Voice”: A Biblical Theology Of The Necessity And Sufficiency Of Scripture
With Brady New
Nicholas G. Piotrowski is the President of Indianapolis Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana. He earned his PhD from Wheaton College in Biblical Theology with a New Testament focus. His published works include Matthew’s New David at the End of Exile (NovTSup 170: Brill, 2016) and In All the Scriptures: The Three Contexts of Biblical Hermeneutics (IVP Academic, 2021).
Brady New is the Pastor of First Baptist Church of Edwardsport, Indiana. He earned his MDiv from Indianapolis Theological Seminary, Indianapolis, Indiana.
“I heard thee in the Garden, and, of thy voice
Afraid…”
“My voice thou oft has heard, and has not feared,
But still rejoiced; how is it now become
So dreadful to thee?...”
John Milton, Paradise Lost X.116–121
Rightly have biblical theologians underscored Genesis 3:15. It is the first word of redemption.1 It is the promise that a descendent of Eve will reverse the effects of the serpent’s deception. In no small part that means restoring humanity to the place of rest, to the arboreal temple that was the Garden of Eden.2 Jared M. August summarizes the shape of this redemption well as a retrieval of Edenic life in three ways: (1) the destruction of evil, (2) the restoration of creation, and (3) the renewal of God’s presence among humanity.3 This article seeks to add a fourth element: the expectation that
SBJT 26:2 (Summer 2022) p. 11
the serpent-crushing “Seed of the Woman” will renew humanity’s ability to hear the voice of the Lord. Just as the fall was precipitated by not heeding God’s word, obeying God’s word will serve as both the means and the end of salvation.
To make this case, we begin with Genesis 3 and track the biblical-theological theme of the Old Covenant office of the prophet, particularly through the combination of the words “hear” (שָׁמַע; šāmaʿ) and “voice” (קוֹל; qôl) across the Old Testament (OT), to the end of understanding the summative nature of Jesus Christ’s calling as the prophet par excellence.4 We conclude in
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