I can’t put this one off any longer—if I could, I promise you I would. I’m out of my league here, but I’ve got nothing else to write about. And I really need to write something about this.
In the Fullness of Time: An Introduction to the Biblical Theology of Acts and Paul
by Richard B. Gaffin Jr.
DETAILS:
Publisher: Crossway
Publication Date: May 3, 2022
Format: Hardcover
Length: 419 pg.
Read Date: September 4-December 25, 2022
What’s In the Fullness of Time About?
First, let’s look at what was on the Publisher’s Website:
An Exegetical Study of the Book of Acts and Pauline Theology
Christians often skip a crucial starting point when studying the apostle Paul: the foundations of his deeply nuanced theology. Some studies on the book of Acts attempt to touch on every major theme in Paul’s letters, making them difficult to understand or prone to leaving out important nuances. Christians need a biblical, theological, and exegetically grounded framework to thoroughly understand Paul’s theology.
In this book, Richard B. Gaffin Jr. gives readers an accessible introduction to Acts and Paul. Building on a lifetime of study, Gaffin teaches on topics including the redemptive-historical significance of Pentecost; eschatology; and the fulfillment of redemptive history in the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Fullness of Time is an exegetical “textbook” for pastors, students, and lay leaders seeking to learn more about Acts and Paul from a Reformed and evangelical perspective.
- Explores the Foundations of Paul’s Theology: Offers a nuanced look at the core of Paul’s thinking
- Wide-Ranging Audience: A valuable study for pastors, theology students, and lay leaders
- Thorough Yet Accessible: An in-depth look at Pauline theology that’s accessible to readers
After reading the book, however, I’d offer a tweak or two to that description. For example, I’d add to that “for pastors, students, and lay leaders” lay people in general (or just swap out “leaders” for “people”).
Also, I’m not sure I’d include eschatology alongside those other topics. It seemed to me (on first read, anyway) that this was a book about Eschatology as presented by/understood through the New Testament—with a focus on understanding Pentecost and the fulfillment of redemption (and a couple of other topics) in light of that eschatology. That may seem like splitting hairs, and really, I’m guessing the good people at Crossway understand the book a bit better than I do. Still, I didn’t get the impression that the book thought of those ideas as equal (unlike the description).
The chapters in this book came from lecture notes for the class that Gaffin taught for years on Paul and Acts—a class I’ve heard several people mention over the years, and really wish I could’ve taken. Getting that material in written form is a blessing I didn’t expect and was more than happy to receive.
The Centrality of Eschatology
In Chapter 2, Gaffin writes:
for much Christian theology and preaching seeking to be faithful to the Bible as God’s inscripturated word, the rediscovery of eschatology can be seen as having a corrective significance that has resulted in laying hold of biblical teaching in a way that has not been fully appreciated in the past.
For instance, in a standard volume on systematic theology, “Eschatology” is the last chapter. More significantly, coming at the end of the volume, eschatology tends to be defined exclusively in terms of the “last things” having to do with what is still future for the church—Christ’s return and matters concomitant with his return, perhaps including as well some treatment of what occurs at death and the so-called intermediate state. Even more significantly, very often little, if any, attention is given to the relationship with what has preceded, to the integral connection between the future hope of the church and its present life and the practical relevance of the former for the latter.
What has become more and more clear is that in an overall presentation of biblical teaching, eschatology is not properly compartmentalized at the end. In particular, the New Testament teaches, as our own work will show, what is often termed a “realized eschatology.” Biblical eschatology is to be defined in terms of the first as well as the second coming of Christ. New Testament eschatology has a dual focus. In that respect it is elliptical, defined by two foci, present and future, the proverbial already-not-yet.
It’s this dual focus that characterizes so much of this book, and grounds the arguments Gaffin puts forth.
The Exegetical Portions
Throughout the book, Gaffin offers a lengthier exegesis of a particular passage as either a foundation for a chapter’s position or to show how something from earlier in a chapter is worked out through Paul or Luke’s work. These are the best parts of this book.
Period. It’s not even close.
For example, he uses a little more than two pages to exegete Philippians 2:12-13 while considering the indicative and imperative in Paul. I don’t remember a better example of writing leading to doxology recently.
I get—between this being based on the course, where he only had so much time and the design of the book—that he couldn’t have given us similar treatment for several more passages that he touched upon. But man, I wish he had. But that brushes up on the next section, so I guess it’s time to transition.
Could Use A Little More
In addition to wanting more exegetical portions, there’s something else I could use more of.
I think that despite the length of the book, it should’ve been longer—too much needs to be fleshed out a little more. Not much, but almost every point could be expressed more fully. More than once, Gaffin does a better job of clarifying what he’s not addressing or not saying than he does in making it clear what he is trying to say.
So, what did I think about In the Fullness of Time?
I read a chapter (or just a half of one) a week for a few months to carefully work through the book—and I’m sure I need to do the same (or slower) once or twice more to really get a handle on Gaffin’s arguments. But what I got this time around was about as good as anyone could ask for.
Reading this felt like I was sitting in a lecture hall featuring my favorite professor—in a strange way. I felt like I was a beginning student—almost like looking at some of these passages for the first time. Yet, while reading I simultaneously felt like I was understanding texts with a depth I’m not accustomed to. Reading Gaffin you’re frequently running into thinking more subtle and profound than a lot of what you’ve encountered previously—and that’s certainly the case here. Still, I thought this work was a bit easier to work through than some of his shorter works.
For me, this is the kind of work that you want to read alongside one or more others, so you can pause and talk things through from time to time—just to make sure everyone is understanding everything. Or at least you’re stupified with company.
Anyway, I don’t think I have anything else to say at this point—maybe on the eventual reread, I’ll be able to say something more substantive than this. Basically, you want to read this, wrestle with it, study it, and do it again.
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