Union with the Resurrected Christ: Eschatological New Creation and New Testament Biblical Theology

by Gregory K. Beale

Union with Christ is an important theological and practical concept that has received considerable attention in recent years. But not much consideration has been given to this union and its benefits in light of Jesus's resurrection and ascension.

In this follow-up to his bestselling A New Testament Biblical Theology , G. K. Beale summarizes and expands on that work with an eye to fleshing out the theology and theological implications of the resurrection and ascension. Beale explains that Christ's resurrection-ascension place him as the beginning of the eschatological fulfillment of the new creational kingdom. Specifically, Christ is the fulfillment of a cluster of 19 Old Testament end-time expectations, which Beale pictures as facets of a diamond that represent the resurrection-ascension. These eschatological realities attributed to Christ are imprinted on believers through dynamic union or identification with him. Through careful exegesis, Beale draws out important practical applications for everyday Christian living in the overlap of the old creation and the new.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies

576 pages, Hardcover

First published April 25, 2023

About the author

G. K. Beale (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is the coeditor of the Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament and the author of numerous books, including A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New.

Reviews

[Christopher Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply excellent. It is encouraging, thought provoking, and extremely well argued. Beale is a master of showing how the New Testament authors used and alluded to the Old Testament. The more I see how the Old Testament is in the New Testament, the more I see how Jesus brings about the fulfillment of God’s new-creational and resurrection promises in the Old Testament. This truly is one of the best theology books I have ever read. I highly recommend.

[Noah Lykins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stellar exegetical and thematic insights. Nicely condensed, countless goodies from Beale’s NTBT. Never seen a book pull so much from the LXX.

Connections between OT AND NT, fantastic.

The beloved resurrection diamond graphic - kinda cheesy, not sure this contributed much for me as a reader.

[Richard LaLonde · Rating 5 out of 5]

The new creation is not limited to a future period. It’s here now! Beale’s exegetical walkthrough edifies the reader by highlighting many realities in Scripture that showcase the new creation as not just something we have to wait for but something we get to presently experience through regeneration. Inaugural new creation is here, and it’s not a place. It is a kingdom of priests, the church. Consummated new creation is something we can look forward to, but instead of doing newspaper exegesis and following the most popular trends in evangelical circles, we should be focusing on our union in Christ and advancing the kingdom and new creation by proclaiming the Gospel. We get to share in Christ’s dominion which is far superior than the dominion mandate Adam was given. Adam had a bride, and they were to be fruitful and multiple with the earth being subservient to its Adamic king. Christ gave us an upgrade. No longer do we need to look forward or backward to a prototype, but we are to partake in the Great Commission as the bride of new Adam, being fruitful and multiplying through sharing the Gospel which brings about rebirth. This book is a wonderful reminder that the new covenant people are a new creation in Christ.

[Logan Almy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beale is a masterful biblical theologian, synthesizing OT themes with their fulfillment in the person and work of Christ. As the title suggests, union with Christ is the organizing principle of the book, especially as it relates the resurrection of Christ and the corporate solidarity of His people in that event. Beale is characteristically verbose, sometimes clouding the simplicity of his argument with too many words. His exegesis is mostly compelling and certainly supportive of his overall thesis. Two weak points are his exegesis of Romans 7 and 1 John 3. Following Moo, he understands Romans 7 as a description of Paul's experience as an unbeliever. His explanation here is unpersuasive in my opinion and will not convince anyone to abandon the Augustinian view of the text. Also, departing from John Murray's take that 1 John 3 describes definitive sanctification (the regenerate cannot continue in continual, habitual unrepentant sin), Beale understands 1 John 3 to say that the regenerate simply cannot commit the sin of apostasy ("the sin leading to death" in chapter 5). Beale included application sections which contain some food for thought. However, these sections are brief and underdeveloped. The highlight of the book is his treatment of the exile and restoration as it relates to the resurrection of Christ. I anticipate reading and re-reading that chapter in days to come.

[Ryan Storch · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his book Union with the Resurrected Christ, G.K. Beale extensively describes the benefits of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection applied to the believer. In quintessential Beale fashion, this book is expansive. He is aware of conversations on Union (i.e., Constantine Campbell’s massive contribution). While it is necessary to read through the book from start to finish, this book is a tremendous resource to the teacher of God’s word to turn to as a profoundly valuable to unlocking and gaining clarity regarding the teaching of the New Testament.

[Ashley Hoss · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a long read, but so incredibly eye opening. I definitely recommend getting a hard copy and having a notebook handy. This book was saturated with scripture and gave a thorough support for the amillennial eschatological position. I honestly may need to reread in order to fully soak it in, but I very much recommend this book for those who are well studied in the faith and ready to grow.

[Joshua Schwisow · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rich in-depth exploration of union with Christ in the New Testament. Beale is especially strong on OT background and shows the harmony of inspired Scripture. The application sections are helpful though some of them could be more developed I think. This should be a useful reference resource for various passages.

[Samuel Laflèche · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book! A must read!
Helps us understand christian living in the perspective of the blessings we receive being in union with our glorified Christ.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Worth going through slowly, chewing on it, re-reading chapters and keeping handy to review.

[Ron Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m not an academic, so this work was a challenge. I highly recommend reading Beale’s New Testament Biblical Theology, as this work is something of a sequel. One of the most beneficial threads of this work is the understanding of union with Jesus as He is today as opposed to thinking of Him as He was when He walked among us. Even just the depth of biblical insight with terms like union, kenosis, glory, eschatology, et al were so beneficial.

The book did grow wearisome at times. So often the footnotes were like mini-excursuses and they came so frequently that reading them would make it hard to maintain the train of thought. I appreciated the attempts at application, but they weren’t the strength of the work. The thorough grasp of the Scripture was literally marvelous. It’s challenging, inspiring, thought-provoking and enlightening. It’s so worth the work required.

[Jona Ruiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a very edifying read. It helped me to understand better how our (believers) union with Christ infiltrates every aspect of our walk. Christ truly receives all glory in salvation, sanctification and glorification of his people. I would encourage anyone who wants to see and know more of the glory of Christ to read this book, while diving into the Scriptures to study what it means to be in Christ and Christ in us.

Colossians 3:11
Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

[Jim Ritchhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr. Beale does it again. Outstanding, well researched, very enlightening book. 500+ pages of our union with Christ. I've read a number of Dr. Beales books and have enjoyed everyone one of them. They have changed my walk with Christ and they way I read scripture. I would highly recommend this book.

[Alex McEwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my dog park read this spring and summer. I enjoyed the easy to follow argument structure and the incredibly devotional content. This is probably Beale’s most approachable work to the lay person and probably the single most devotional work of his I have ever read.

My one single qualm would be that it felt like a rehashing of his work in NT Biblical Theology.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does being united with the resurrected Christ mean for your life? In Union with the Resurrected Christ, G. K. Beale presents an Eschatological New Creation and New Testament Biblical Theology. In 17 chapters and over 550 pages, this book is a serious study of what it means to be raised with Christ. It is thorough with the Scriptures and filled with insight.


Biblical Theology

Part 1, consisting of only 2 chapters, presents the biblical-theological storyline related to resurrection, new creation, and union with Christ. Beale looks at the phrase “latter days” to describe an inaugurated eschatology as well as an “already and not yet” eschatology. I was most surprised to learn that resurrection in the New Testament, especially in Paul’s writings, is related to the new creation and the role of kingship. These ideas were first shown in Beale’s book, A New Testament Biblical Theology. The goal of this present book is to show in more depth that Christ’s resurrection and ascension — as well as our union with him — is the generative source of most of Paul’s important concepts and doctrines. It is a tremendous task, and Beale excels beautifully.

Part 2 makes up the rest of the book, where Beale examines the reality and benefits of fulfillment in Christ’s life, death, and especially resurrection as the beginning of the eschatological new-creation kingdom. Beale likens these realities and benefits as facets of a diamond — being different aspects of our union with Christ. They are listed as follows: Return from exile, True Israel, Last Adam, Regeneration, Righteousness, Wisdom, Justification, Missiology, Ecclesiology, Glorification, Sanctification, King - priest, Tribulation, Redemption, Resurrection, Spirit/pneumatology, Temple, Image of God, Son Of God/Sonship.


The Last Adam, the Son of God, and True Israel

I was most interested to learn how the resurrected Christ is revealed to be the last Adam, the son of God, and true Israel. He is a corporate representative for his people, enabling them to gain Adamic sonship and become true Israel. The study on what it means for Jesus to be called the Son of Man was especially enlightening. It made me proud to know that as I am united with him in the resurrection, Christ represents me in every sense of the word.

What makes this book outstanding are the application sections at the end of each chapter. For example, Beale connects the mission of Jesus with that of his followers. Believers are to suffer for the sake of righteousness just like Jesus. They are commissioned to be a light to the nations. The church has taken on the descriptions of true Israel, and we live this out in the united with Christ reality of the Christian life.


Life Your Life Raised with Christ

Academic and impressive, this book is a comprehensive examination and sweeping survey of what it means to be resurrected with Christ. It is deeply theological, yet explicitly worshipful in nature. To dwell on what it means to be united with Christ was good for my soul, and I come away refreshed to live my life raised with Christ.


I received a media copy of Union with the Resurrected Christ and this is my honest review.

[Dennis Nicholson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Review from Eleutheria, Liberty Divinity Journal (vol. 7, no. 2)

G. K. Beale received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1981, is professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary and is author of A New Testament Biblical Theology: The Unfolding of the Old Testament in the New. The thesis of this book, Beale writes, "is that Christ's resurrection and ascension place him as the beginning of the eschatological fulfillment of the new-creational kingdom" (1). The main point of the book is to expound on the idea that we are united to Christ in circumcision, death and resurrection through everything that has, is, and will happen to us (5). The book functions as a systematic and biblical theology of this resurrection union. Part 1 of the book, "The Biblical-Theological Storyline Related to Resurrection, New Creation, and Union with Christ," provides the foundation. Part 2 of the book, "The Reality and Benefits of Fulfillment in Christ's Life, Death, and Especially Resurrection as the Beginning of the Eschatological New Creational Kingdom," is the main contributory content. He concludes the book by quoting Calvin and stating that the benefits the Father bestowed on Christ were not for his own private use but to enrich our lives (514). The target audience is serious Christian readers, whether they be graduate students, teachers, or church laity.

[Joshua Chretien · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a masterful blend of academically thorough and insightfully practical. I was unaware going into this read that this book is a sequel to Beale's "New Testament Biblical Theology," but I found it stood well on its own, so this was not an issue. This book offers an expansive analysis of various Scriptures, and is a great example of exegetical theology. "Application" sections towards the end of each chapter also help connect the arguments to implications for the Christian life. The length may make it a challenge to fully absorb the information on the first read, but the central thesis of the eschatological new-creational kingdom that Christ's resurrection has brought about still shines through.

[Ken Peters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt like a long hard hike through a huge and challenging and beautiful region that Beale has painstakingly mapped out for us. And not feeling overly fit for the journey (academically, that is), there were times when I wondered if I had the capacity to endure. But I kept discovering such amazing truths along the way that I was motivated to carry on. Yet because the journey of reading this book was so long, I've forgotten many details of what I learned along the way despite the many markers I left in the margins of the trails I traveled on for those 500+ pages. That's why I consider this a book to go back to, to travel certain trails again, and to soak in the beauty of the truths to be explored. Honestly, it wore me out, but I'm so glad I read it.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this sequel to his magnum opus, A New Testament Biblical Theology, Beale focuses on roughly ten aspects of union with the resurrected Christ such as Israel, Last Adam, glory, and other themes. In typically Beale fashion, he provides a biblical-theological synthesis of the various themes covered in the pages of the book and demonstrates the depth and breadth of the believer's union with Christ. While written with an eye to a broader audience, this book will undoubtedly find its voice in scholarly discourse.

[Erik Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe 3.5 stars. The gold was tarnished by too many words and excessive repetition. I was disappointed (and a bit shocked) to encounter large chunks (3 long paragraphs spanning a page and a half) duplicated verbatim in different sections. And this happened twice. Maybe these were copy/pasted from the prequel to this book and he didn’t realize he already used them?!? Regardless it bugged me as a reader.

[kim byrd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great work

This work is one of the best books I've ever read. It opened up scriptures that I thought I understood but had only touched the surface. Every christian should read this work.

[Nick Roark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb

[Aaron J. Gregas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent.

[Matthew Bonzon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good. Not as much of a true follow-up to A New Testament Biblical Theology than I expected, but nonetheless, this a well argued and helpful work.
I might critique Beale of over-realizing some concepts/types.