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Systematic Theology by Robert Letham

 


Systematic Theology by Robert Letham

In the arena of systematic theology, Dr. Robert Letham is a seasoned traveler and a practitioner who combines vast historical knowledge with a careful sense of how the Bible speaks to all matters of theology.  His new Systematic Theology is a lifetime of work that comes in at a whopping 1,074 pages.  Rather then being a dry tome of old rehashed terrain, Dr. Letham posits each section around something central to the Doctrine of God, giving us clarity on who the focus is of our inquiry. 

One of the great reliefs to find in the book was Letham’s insistence that we begin with the Trinity.  Although the Trinity is not explicit in the Old Testament, it still is there in its latent form. However, in many instances there is an overwhelming view towards the Trinity in the first testament.  Letham writes, “The Spirit of God is mentioned nearly four hundred times in the Old Testament. Generally, the Spirit is seen as the power of God at work, but mostly as little more than a divine attribute. Sometimes poetic parallelism implies that the Spirit of God is identical to Yahweh (Ps. 139:7), but there is little hint of the Spirit as a distinct person. Rather, the Spirit is God’s divine power or breath,7 “God’s manifest and powerful activity in the world.”8 (71).  There is a bit of reluctance on his part to see a fully orbed doctrine of the Holy Spirit as God developed as in the NT, yet the function  and nature of the Spirit is nonetheless key to understanding’s God’s work in the life of Israel.  Drawing on the work of B.B. Warfield, Letham surmises that the while the Spirit was at work in the OT, there was a special endowment of the Spirit on his apostles and among Jews and Gentiles in the NT.  He writes, “However, what is new in the New Testament are the miraculous endowments of the apostles and the Spirit’s worldwide mission, promised in the Old Testament but only now realized.” (72)  Dr. Letham commits to seeing the entire Bible as a Trinitarian book, clearer and fuller in the NT but also evident in the OT.  This is important because if we start our theological on the right foot then all other conceptual categories will fall into step.

Secondly, Dr. Letham’s perceptive understanding and elucidation of church history is second to none, especially given that systematic theologies rarely deal so in depth with the matter of how the church’s history and doctrine connect.   One example of this is how he look at the narrative in Genesis 1-2 under the rubric of a covenant.  Able teachers such as John Murray and James Torrance made the point that the Adamic narrative does not include a covenant, for it looks more like a legal arrangement and it is not indicative of the special grace God gives to his people (352-353). The history of the church has wrestled with how to understand the Adamic epoch as being akin to other covenants in the Bible but having its own distinctives.  Working with the WCF and the biblical witness, Dr. Letham draws out the sense that there is very much a covenant of life here in the early chapters of Genesis due to both God’s condescension or accommodation to voluntarily commit himself to Adam in relationship, giving him a mandate and bestowing upon him the benefits of his benevolent grace. 

The last key to seeing this book as a treasure trove of wisdom and solid biblical teaching is Letham’s expansive use of sources.  From the Puritans to the Westminster Assembly, from Calvin to the Torrance brothers, Letham is right at home in the whole trajectory of thinkers in the Christian tradition.  While maintaining a solid Reformed perspective, Dr. Letham also carefully combs through the early church witness concerning such issues as the origin of sin and of angels.  He writes referencing John of Damascus concerning unrepentant angels, “No repentance is possible for them, but they are kept in chains awaiting judgment (370).  This is truly a book of a great teacher with a lifetime of learning and teaching behind him.

Thanks to Crossway for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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