I appreciate the copy Zondervan sent of Dr. Jonathan Lunde’s new book, Following Jesus, The Servant King: A Biblical Theology of Covenantal Discipleship. They do so without the expectation for a positive review. Amazon carries the book as well. For other reviews, see the blog tour page.
I had the privilege of meeting Dr. Lunde at the Atlanta meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society’s national conference last November. So I looked forward to reviewing this book. Lunde has a good spirit about him and demonstrates a genuine care for and intimacy with Scripture.
Those elements certainly show through in his book. I thought it was very helpful. Lunde discloses his purpose for the book in the introductory chapter. He makes attempts to reiterate his original purpose throughout the text of the book. Another scholar who has done this well is Tom Holland in his Contours of Pauline Theology. I enjoyed Lunde’s ability to keep the discussion focused.
So what was the focus? It is on the continuity between the attributes of being a king and a servant. Lunde attempts to settled some of the tensions between those roles by answering the What, Why, and How question regarding our role in answering the call to follow after Jesus. Lunde does this through a covenantal approach to understanding biblical theology.
One thing to mention about covenantalists is that they don’t take the position that the only way to see continuity in the Scripture is through covenants. But rather covenants as one way in understanding the messages of the Bible. For those who are not familiar with covenantal theology this book is a strong place to start. Lunde higlights the major covenants and deals with their interplay in a clear way. Although not exhaustive, his coverage of the popularly accepted covenantal themes lays a strong foundation.
Lund then continues to isolate each of the questions (What, Why, How) and deal with them in-depth. What does it look like to be a disciple and what is demanded? Lunde answers by showing that a covenant begins with the grace of the one offering or initiating the covenant. We accept God’s covenant by grace and answer back with love in living out the covenant’s stipulations.
Why is it necessary to obey if Jesus’ grace covers all my sins? Lunde answers by showing that in many ways Jesus heightened the requirements of the Law. Jesus did this by raising the bar of love toward God and love towards our neighbors. Jesus said all the Law is hinged on our steadfast focus to loving God. If we love Him, we wont’ be focused on satisfying some rule, but in continuing a relationship that includes behavior conducive to the love we claim that we have for Him.
How do we answer this call when Jesus said his burden is light? Lunde shows the many ways in which the Law set down patterns of behavior. When we establish a pattern of lifestyle that reflects God’s work and his involvement in our lives, we enable Jesus to be present in the lives of his disciples. That makes the burdens light. Lunde takes an already-not-yet approach to the coming of the kingdom of Christ. Paul Schultz has pointed this out beautifully.
Lunde goes into far more detail and supports his conclusions with Scripture. Some bloggers such as Chris Blackstone have rightly commented on the richness of Lunde’s text. I want to be clear again that Lunde focuses on a discussion of the covenants as a way to pull out some very helpful themes on discipleship. It is not meant to include other dimensions of discipleship in the early church. Lunde’s text. is certainly complex in areas.
For these reasons, I also recommend Lunde’s work as a text for Spiritual Formation, or introductory Covenantal Theology. But this is not only helpful in an academic setting. I think this would serve as a good resource for independent learning just the same. It lays the groundwork for a Biblical Theology by way of a perspective of the covenants.
Lunde gives a terrific outline to what is involved in discipleship. His approach here on blending the roles of king and servant was rewarding and helpful to me. At his conclusion, Lunde gives practical ways in which we may live as informed servants and grace inspired kings. Lunde’s work is well worth your investment of time and money. This is also a resource that will pay dividends for quite some time. I will certainly be referring to it in the future. Highly recommended. Enjoy.
