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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