God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment: A Biblical Theology

by James M. Hamilton Jr.

In Exodus 34 Moses asks to see God’s glory, and God reveals himself as a God who is merciful and just. James Hamilton Jr. contends that from this passage comes a biblical theology that unites the meta-narrative of Scripture under one central God’s glory in salvation through judgment. Hamilton begins in the Old Testament by showing that Israel was saved through God’s judgment on the Egyptians and the Caananites. God was glorified through both his judgment and mercy, accorded in salvation to Israel. The New Testament unfolds the ultimate display of God’s glory in justice and mercy, as it was God’s righteous judgment shown on the cross that brought us salvation. God’s glory in salvation through judgment will be shown at the end of time, when Christ returns to judge his enemies and save all who have called on his name. Hamilton moves through the Bible book by book, showing that there is one theological center to the whole Bible. The volume’s systematic method and scope make it a unique resource for pastors, professors, and students.

Genres: Theology, Christian, Biblical Studies, Christianity, Nonfiction, Reference, Biblical

640 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

James M. Hamilton Jr. (PhD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is professor of biblical theology at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and preaching pastor at Kenwood Baptist Church. He is the author of God's Glory in Salvation through Judgment and the Revelation volume in the Preaching the Word commentary series.

Reviews

[Micah Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I think God's glory in salvation through judgment is a helpful way of thinking through the Bible's meganarrative and meganarrative; however I think there are some unresolved issues. Firstly, Hamilton insists upon there being one and only one center of BT. He suggests that anyone who acknowledges multiple centers is engaging in theological relativism, even seeming to imply that close theological allies like Kostenberger fall into that category. Yet Hamilton's thesis is not one center but four centers: God, glory, salvation, and judgment. Secondly, Hamilton defines each of those elements so broadly or variously that anything can be made to fit the definition. His thesis is so broad as to become unfalsifiable. This tendency toward overgeneralization expresses itself again in his bizarre insistence that everything ever written is a chiasm. The chiasms are nearly all the products of broad generalization, not specific textual detail.

The strength of this book is the wealth of exegetical information it provides. It's a helpful resource for understanding the books of the Bible.

[Brian Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm giving this book five stars for ambition and usefulness in terms of content. Hamilton's thesis is the central theme of the Bible - and therefore the central theme of all reality - is God's glory in salvation through judgment. Many people would say the center of theology is God's glory. But Hamilton doesn't think that is precise enough. God is most glorified by saving, but he only saves through judging. So, God saved Noah and his family through the judgment on the world in the flood. There are numerous Old Testament examples. But all of these point to the real salvation through judgment, when Jesus bore the righteous judgment of God on the cross to save his people. In the end, God will glorified as he consummates the salvation of his people and judges unbelievers.

Hamilton succeeds at proving his thesis but he brings in so much content that the focus of the thesis is often lost. Perhaps this is due to immaturity, but he seems intent on showing off how much he has researched, just as he seems to show off his facility with Hebrew and Greek. If the book were shortened a bit, the thesis would have been sharper. But then some other helpful biblical theological ruminations would have been lost. And so it goes.

One thing I felt was a bit of a stretch was how he tried to prove that the center of each of the sixty-six books of the Bible is God's glory in salvation through judgment. That seems to be a stretch when it comes to a book like Ruth, and I don't think it is necessary to have the central theme of the Bible be, in an explicit sense, the central theme of each book.

[Lawson Hembree · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too often, Christians spend so much time studying individual portions of Scripture that they unconsciously neglect to treat the Bible as a book with a central theme. Approaching Scripture from a macro perspective is called biblical theology. In God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment, Hamilton posits that the theme woven throughout the entire Bible is that God mercifully saves His chosen people through the exercise of His righteous judgment, and in doing so brings glory to Himself. Dr. Hamilton goes book by book through Scripture to demonstrate how it all points to this overarching narrative with the culmination of the narrative being the cross of Christ. The best way to use this book in my opinion is to use the Bible reading plan that pairs God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgement with a daily Scripture reading. By the end of the year, you’ll have read all the way through both, gaining a deeper appreciation for the Bible itself as well as the indescribable creativity and sovereignty of the Author.

[Nate Claiborne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful in getting the big picture story of the Bible, loved the charts. But, presses to hard to find the center explicit in every book, which makes for rough reading of the wisdom literature.

[Colin Fast · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dang.

[Caleb Purdy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamilton's biblical theology is well worth the time and effort to work through. I found it to be personally helpful to read through a summary of each of the books of the Bible and see how God's glory is demonstrated in different but unified ways.

While I would land on the side that says there is probably not one single "center" for the Bible's theology, I found Hamilton's argument to be the most compelling that I have read so far. And even if you don't think that there can be one "center" to the Bible's theology, this book is helpful to promote looking at the Bible with a wider scope.

[Collin Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamilton argues that the center of biblical theology is Gods glory in salvation through judgement. He then defends through every book of the Bible how the center holds. Hamilton articulates his thesis well and shows that he is indeed a scholarly student of the Word.

I was convinced of his argument and was blessed by reading this work. I am excited to study under him at Southern.

[Todd Miles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jim Hamilton's "God's Glory in Salvation Through Judgment: A Biblical Theology" is a book of extraordinary magnitude. His contribution to the recent rise of biblical theology as a significant theological and hermeneutical disicpline is most welcome because he argues for a specific center to biblical theology. In so doing, Hamilton provides commentary on every book of the Bible, demonstrating that the ultimate focus of each author in each book was God's glory in salvation through judgment. This is no mean task. Hamilton walks the reader through each book of the Bible, demonstrating from the literary strategy of each author, that each book is organized around and for the aforementioned theme.

The book probably best serves, as Hamilton acknowledges, as a commentary resource. His attention to detail is remarkable and Hamilton, himself a New Testament scholar, proves himself just as comfortable in the Old Testament as the New. The reader is given a detailed summary of each book. By way of bonus, the numerous charts and tables that Hamilton has created are worth the price of the book alone. As a one volume commentary on the entire Bible, this book is a difficult resource to beat.

When considering the magnitude of Hamilton's enterprise, it would be easy to nitpick about points here and there. Let me offer two minor frustrations that I experienced as I read the book. First, it was not always clear to me what Hamilton meant by "Salvation through judgment." At times he argued for salvation by means of judgment; at others it seemed to be salvation from judgment; while at other points the issue was salvation in the midst of, or endurance through the judgment. These appear to be very different things. Second, I would have appreciated more thought on how the theme of "God's glory in salvation through judgment" was developed across all of the contours of redemptive history, climaxing in the person of Jesus. Given that there was a definite progress to revelation as redemptive history moved along, one would expect the theme to also be progressively developed. A demonstration of that theme development would have been very helpful, perhaps by discussing more of the intertextual and intercanonical ties.

Again, these are small frustrations given the resource that Hamilton has provided. It is always refreshing not to have to guess where an author stands with regard to his submission to the authority of Scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hamilton makes that abundantly clear from cover to cover. He is to be commended for his contribution to the ministry of the gospel. I, for one, am better off for it.

[Noah R Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

8.5/10.

Biblical theology at its finest. Dr. Hamilton's giftings in the realm of typology are par none and all readers will benefit greatly from this thorough masterpiece. Functionally, it can be used as summative commentary on the entire Bible; as you’ll notice the scripture index references just about every other verse! I am more in awe of the Triune God of the Bible after reading this work and will continue to use it as a resource for years to come.

The thesis that the center of the biblical metanarrative is "God’s glory in salvation through judgment" is mostly convincing and eases many apparent tensions within the various redemptive movements. If you’re like me after completing it wondering, "what do I do with all this?" the final chapter helpfully moves this biblical center into its implications on practical ministry. Immensely helpful.

I do feel it's a stretch to assert this center not only for the Bible as a whole, or even each redemptive movement, but to every book of the Bible too. While I could follow the reasoning and believe they can fit within and serve the purpose of the biblical center, I am still unconvinced that the "center holds" for the likes of Song of Songs, Ruth, etc without playing interpretive Twister. I also felt that "salvation through judgment" was often applied too broadly and these interpretations made it seemingly unfalsifiable.

[Lindsay John Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my full review where I engage more deeply with pros/cons of this book see this link:
http://mydigitalseminary.com/gods-glo...

Here is an excerpt of my conclusion:

God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment would be a wonderful resource when studying or teaching through a Bible book, particularly because of the literary flow and the tables and charts that Hamilton provides.

Perhaps surprisingly, this book would be equally excellent to supplement personal (‘devotional’) Bible reading. This book really came to life when I started reading it slowly and regularly alongside my morning Bible reading. I read a portion of the Bible, and then Hamilton’s comments on that section; this was a rich time of seeing new things in the Scripture that I had started sooner!

I would recommend this book not only to pastors/teachers but also any readers of the Word. Hamilton’s clear writing allows any to reach the fruits of his work.

Whether one takes Hamilton’s thesis as ‘the centre’ or merely ‘central’, it is a theme that many Christians neglect to see; thankfully this book seeks to set this right. I remember my vision of God being exponentially transformed by reading Johnathan Edwards’ The End for Which God Created the World, and I believe Hamilton’s book will have the same effect on others.

[Many thanks to Lindsay Tully and Crossway Publishers for providing a review copy of this book!]

[Philip Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stunning amount of work is contained in this book. I would recommend all those who preach or teach the Bible in any capacity to get it and work slowly through it. Hamilton really shows how all the variety of scripture pulls in one clear direction.

[Becky Pliego · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent in content, though it feels a bit slow (repetitive) at times. I will definitely use it as a reference book in the future.

I highly recommend it to those interested in digging deeper into Biblical Theology.

[Craig Hurst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biblical theology is a discipline that is long overdue for biblically-based scholarly attention in a more public, accepted and permeating manner. It has been long been established that The Biblical Theology Movement as spearheaded by Brevard S. Childs in the ‘40′s – ‘60′s did not accomplish what it set out to do in reaction to the source and form criticism of liberal theology. Until the last 10-15 years, biblical theology as a discipline had been almost lying dormant in terms of having a major influence within the broader theological world. No doubt there have been a number of major biblical theology works that have had a significant and timeless influence upon the Christian world. Authors like Geerhardus Vos, William VanGemeren, Daniel Fuller, Walter Kaiser, Graeme Goldsworthy and Charles H. H. Scobie have made classic contributions to the cause. Regardless of how ling these works have been around one wonders if they have had the impact they and others might have hoped for.

One wonders if the work done by biblical theologians within the past 10-15 years is signaling the rise of a new biblical theology movement. One that will take Scripture seriously as we have it and not as some might assume it to be or wish it was. Not just biblical theology in regards to the whole canon but applying that same method to its various sub themes.

With God’s Glory in Salvation Through Judgment, James Hamilton Jr. makes a significant contribution to the growing number of books seeking to tackle the daunting task of canonical biblical theology. Hamilton sees biblical theology as concerning itself “with what the Bible meant for the purpose of understanding what the Bible means (p. 45).” Thus, the purpose of biblical theology

is to sharpen our understanding of the theology contained in the Bible itself through an inductive, salvation-historical examination of the Bible’s themes and the relationships between those themes in their canonical context and literary form (p. 47).

From this purpose we see Hamilton’s binocular-like view for doing biblical theology. The first lens looks at the canon itself. “I will interpret the Protestant canon, and the Old Testament will be interpreted in light of the ordering of the books in the Hebrew Bible (p. 44).” This falls in line with how biblical theology has traditionally been done. After all, the word “biblical” in this context implies that one is dealing with the whole cannon. The second lens in Hamilton’s binocular view is literary. Of the two features of Hamilton’s approach, this seems to be the most unique. Hamilton explains, “I will seek to interpret books and sections of books in light of their inherent literary features and structures as we have them in the canon (p. 44).” This literary emphasis is clearly seen throughout the entire book and on almost every page. Hamilton proves himself page after page at being very adept at picking out the inherent literary features of the text both within verses, chapters, individual books, groups of books (i.e. Pentateuch) and both testaments together.

Hamilton believes that the Bible has a center and that if we listen to Scripture we will hear it tell us what that center is. Hamilton further believes that the Bible has a center because “the Bible has a coherent story” and therefore “it is valid to explore what that story’s main point is (p. 39).” As the title of the book indicates, Hamilton believes the Bible communicates to us that its central theological message is the “glory of God in salvation through judgment (p. 41).” This central message “is the ultimate reason the Bible gives to explain what God has done (p. 48).” Throughout the book (and all 66 books of the Bible for that matter) Hamilton shows how this central idea is repeated over and over again as it is woven into the very fabric of the canon, each book and the thought of each biblical author.

Though Hamilton unashamedly puts forth what he believes to be the center of biblical theology, he is not blind or ignorant of the fact that others have previously put forth other proposed centers. In light of this, Hamilton seeks to show the willing listener and ardent skeptic to the proposition of a definite theological center, how he and/or how one arrives at this theological center of the Bible. Hamilton states,

The center of biblical theology will be the theme that is prevalent, even pervasive, in all parts of the Bible. This theme will be the most demonstrable centerpiece of theology contained in the Bible itself, because this theme will be what the biblical authors resort to when they give ultimate explanations for why things are they way they are at any point in the Bible’s story (p. 49).

For Hamilton, the overarching story or metanarrative of Scripture is the four-fold sequence of creation, fall, redemption and restoration. He sees this sequence not merely as an overarching grid to understand the big story of Scripture but as something that “is repeated again and again in the Bible” (p. 49).” For example, he sees this in the life of Israel as God creates them as a nation, the nation falls at Mt. Sinai, “they are redeemed by God’s mercy, and, in a sense, is restored through the second set of stone tablets (p. 49).” This pattern is repeated so much throughout the Bible that it leads Hamilton to conclude that “within the grand drama that goes from creation to consummation there are many such “plays within the play (p. 49).”

After having briefly surveyed many proposed centers of biblical theology (p. 53-56), Hamilton explains what the phrase “God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment” means. First, the display of God’s glory is the ultimate message and purpose of Scripture and thus biblical theology. God’s glory is

the weight of the majestic goodness of who God is, and the resulting name, or reputation, that he gains from his revelation of himself as Creator, Sustainer, Judge, and Redeemer, perfect in justice and mercy, loving-kindness and truth (p. 56).

Secondly and thirdly, God responds to the fallen state of mankind in salvation through judgment. These two themes or acts are to be viewed together and as working in tandem with each other. “Salvation always comes through judgment” and “everyone who gets saved is saved through judgment (p. 57-58).” The two are inseparable acts of God and reveal inseparable aspects of God – God is both a Savior and Judge of man and sin.

It is not realistic to do a book by book overview of how Hamilton brings to surface his proposed biblical center. It is possible to summarize the canonical structure that Hamilton moves through in his quest to prove his proposed biblical center.

In dealing with the Old Testament, Hamilton follows the lead of Stephen Dempster and addresses the books as laid out in the Tanak. Thus he follows the three-fold outline of the Law, the Prophets and the Writings (see also Luke 24:44). This method walks the reader through the historical narrative first as seen in the Torah and the Former Prophets which covers Genesis to Kings. Next, we examine the commentary on that story line in the Latter Prophets as covered from Isaiah through Malachi. This commentary continues through part of the Writings from Psalms to Ecclesiastes. Finally, picking up with Esther and ending with Chronicles, the narrative story line continues (see Table 1.3 on pg. 61).

The New Testament is approached in similar fashion again following after Dempster. The Gospels through Acts provide the introductory narrative material. The narrative is followed by commentary on the Letters (Romans through 3 John). Finally, the narrative is picked back up in Revelation.

From chapters 2-7 the major sections of the canon are addressed and the biblical center of God’s glory in salvation through judgment is brought to light page by page. There is an introduction to each major section with a one-sentence summary of each book in that section. Then each book of the Bible is worked through with concluding summary. The book is structured such that one can read through it in its entirety as you would any other book. It is also written and constructed in such a way that as you read through a different book of the Bible on your own, you can read the relevant section on that book of the Bible and not feel like you are jumping in the middle of a story or argument that you have no context for. These two approaches are the intended strategies of reading this book (p. 29-30).

Throughout the book Hamilton repeatedly uses the phrase God’s glory in salvation through judgment. This is probably unavoidable, but nonetheless becomes tiresome at times. The reader may find it a struggle to track with the argument when it comes to the Minor Prophets as the discussion is scant compared to the rest of the books. While the reader will appreciate the many literary nuances Hamilton brings to light, there are times when one wonders if things are being stretched just to make them fit. Thankfully, there are a number of these instances when the author recognizes the possible stretch. I felt the discussion from Genesis to Acts and on Revelation to be the most fruitful and engaging. I found it to be less so from Romans to 3 John though Hamilton does stay on course throughout the entire book.

I highly recommend this book as a good way to work through the Bible in order to grasp the overall story line. It will also aid the reader in gaining a better understanding of the purpose for each book in the canon. Hamilton not only seeks to prove his proposed biblical center but he also weaves many sub themes throughout the book like creation, rest, the garden, the seed of Satan and of God/Christ, the temple and how Christ ultimately fulfills and brings to close in the NT, now and in the future what was promised and anticipated in the OT. This is a great whole Bible tool and book study reading companion from the Bible college student to the seasoned pastor and teacher. I would suggest that a new believer read through the Bible on their own first and then use this volume as a companion the next time through.

[Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn’t fully convinced by Hamilton’s main thesis. I think there are too many biblical books (e.g. Song of Songs, Ruth, Philemon) whose thematic “center” doesn’t appear to be “God’s glory in salvation through judgment,” and I agree with I. Howard Marshall’s point that an “end goal” of a book is not necessarily the same as its “central theme.” Nevertheless, I REALLY enjoyed reading this book. It may not be the central theme of the biblical story, but Hamilton does a wonderful job tracing “God’s glory in salvation through judgment” through the canon from beginning to end (the appendices are really helpful in this regard as well). He makes numerous fascinating observations about the biblical books and passages he discusses (especially Old Testament narratives and instances of intertextuality). I will definitely return to it as a reference volume when studying or teaching through a given biblical book.

[Austin Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are wanting to see how biblical theology carries book to book, this will be a great resource! Hamilton connects in the broad and specific the theme of glory, salvation and judgement. Best read with an open Bible with the corresponding texts.

[Parker Goforth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal resource. Compelling and helpful. I would give it 4.8 stars if I could, because the commitment to arguing for the central theme of the Bible (yes, I understand that’s the purpose of the whole book) leads to repetitive and less engaging writing at times.

[Trent Arney · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title says it all

[Levi Friesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great as a reference resource to return to.

[Micah Sharp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is easily five stars. While I have some minor quibbles in presentation, his thesis is throughly convincing.
Hamilton makes what seems to be the best possible case for a Biblical Theological center of the Canon (so long as one allows for a center). God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgement ticks all the boxes:
* Long and detailed enough to be meaning (more than just God or Redemption or Covenant)
* Concise and precise enough to not be convoluted
* Finds it’s basis in a specific text which Scripture itself holds as important ie Ex 34
* I would have liked to have seen a text like Psalm 110 (so widely quoted by NT as it is) to have thrown around a bit more weight. Maybe this would even mean giving each testament even a slight narrowing of their BT centers from simply GGiStJ
* Accounts for Genesis 3:15
* Can account for both the broad sweeps of the canon all the way down to obscure small passages (my litmus test is usually the bridegroom of blood text in Exodus)
* Relevant to Gen 1-2 and Rev 21-22

Is God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgement the Biblical Theological center of all Scripture? I think yes. Or at least it is stronger claim with a greater argument than any other I’m aware of or can imagine.
Is God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgement the Biblical Theological center of each individual book? Possibly; I think, as he does for some books, that a statement of how each book develops this larger idea in its own terms would have more convincing than too firm of a commitment to his key vocabulary.

How similar to are Judgement and Salvation Reformed categories of Law and Gospel? Certainly they share a two beat nature as well as some logical and narrative similarities. Hamilton’s proposal seem both more native to Scripture (esp already extant in OT) and more broadly encompassing than Law and Gospel however. A study of how Hamilton’s concept interacts with other classic formulations would be very interesting.

I also found this book encouraging deeper contemplation of the things of God and fruitful for some systematic questions. I think it goes a long way towards answering why God allowed sin to enter the world ie why things have happened as they have. Rather than the Arminian answer of simply free will or the too simple version of a Calvinist answer I’d mostly accepted of it being for God’s glory, “God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment” introduces exactly the right level of clarity and complexity to that answer. God has allowed all to transpire that has so that He would be glorified in the particular way He so desires, in Salvation through Judgement. I find this much satisfying than either of the alternatives.

A few minor shortcomings:
* I love me a good chiasm but this guy just kind look anywhere without finding one. I appreciate it but I think he occasionally overlooks other possible patterns in favor of his preference, especially parallel panels.
* Writings, esp Wisdom, needs the hope of salvation to be added to the fear of judgement that leads to salvation and glorifying Yahweh. Simply judgment or the fear of it is insufficient, as in the flood.
* Fails to fully explore the implications of the restorative side of justice/judgement. Does recognize some in Job (303).
* Hamilton is unnecessarily strict in some of his authorship views especially regarding Ecclesiastes, where he comes on way too strong. Though his insistence upon authentic authorship and trusting primary sources over German higher critics in regards to the New Testament is spot on.
* He, at times, allows for too positive a reading of some negative or mixed characters portrayals, such as calling David after sinning with Bathsheba as triumphant in his suffering or reading Ezra and Nehemiah positively.
* There are moments I think Hamilton’s argument could have improved by dipping further into the typology he regularly engages with elsewhere. Some sections feel more like summaries or analysis than engaging in Biblical Theology. By referring more often to the salvation and the judgement moments in both Testaments as paradigmatic for lesser scenes he could have offered more robust commentary in some of the drier passages.
* I would have loved a chart somewhere in the book that lays out how each book and even larger canonical section in just a sentence or two not only participates in the BT center presented but also develops it uniquely.
* The chart on Messianic Woes should come with an explanatory paragraph.

Hamilton uses the best possible preposition, the multivalent “through”, to express the relationship of Salvation and Judgement. As in the Exodus, Salvation is the literal path of dry land through the waters of Judgement. At the Cross the judgement of death is the means through which salvation come to those who believe. The other thing that works so well with the key phrase “God’s Glory in Salvation through Judgment” is that it is shows within itself some degree of progression or narrative. Within a proper Biblical Theological system the distillation of a narrative, especially here the meta-narrative, mustn’t be completely devoid of narrative. This maintains much more narrativity than a center like Christ or Kingdom of God does.

In the end, I am thoroughly convinced of his thesis, that this is the center of both the theology of all Scripture and of each of its parts, however I found at times that he did not always argue or present it in the best way in some details.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned so much from this book and was greatly challenged by it. The message is important, but also sobering. On the down side, the book is dry in parts, overly lengthy and somewhat repetitive.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading this over a year as part of my bible reading plan was a great pleasure and immense help to understand the cohesiveness and unity of the scriptures.

[Benjamin Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book. Glad I read it, glad I’m done reading it.
Its thesis largely obtains, but partially because he is willing to define its terms broadly enough to apply it quite extensively. One reviewer called it unfalsifiable and he wasn’t totally wrong.
One of the highlights of the book is it’s extensive summaries/surveys of each book of the Bible. One of the best ways to read it (as Hamilton says) is alongside a sequential reading of the Bible, almost functioning like introductions in a study Bible. Still, the level of depth is inconsistent: why is the section on Hebrews as long as the section on James?

In summary, it is an impressive and important book that deals squarely with the Biblical text. It’s a useful tool to have in one’s library, but roughly equal to the sum of its parts.

[Rui Cadima · Rating 4 out of 5]

A stretching read but a worthwhile one!

As I read the book, I found myself thinking that Hamilton was stretching his point at times: to me, there seemed to be moments when he tries to fit the theme of God's glory in salvation through judgement into the text.
I think this comes from his use of the word judgement: any kind of rejection is seen as judgement by Hamilton. So, when Paul (for example) tells Christians what to do, he is judging worldly practices. And by judging those practices, he saves his readers. That, for Hamilton, is an example of salvation through judgement.

I'm not entirely persuaded by that. In my opinion, the word judgement is mostly used in the Bible in two ways: as condemnation for those who reject Christ and as the actual eschatological moment of judgement when God will judge every single person and decide their fate. To my knowledge, the Bible wouldn't call what Paul did an act of judgement.

But, despite all the stretching, it really is a fantastic read. Hamilton gives very helpful comments on every book of the Bible and even highlighted certain connections I had never seen. I particularly enjoyed his bit about God's self-glorification.

However, I would caution those who, like myself, plan to read this from cover to cover. Be prepared for long stretches of text with a lot of ideas going your way! I was reading 40 pages a day and I found it to be somewhat overwhelming. Might be worth reading it book by book or reading particular sections as you need.

4 stars - a great book!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent thesis, though perhaps a bit overdone at points. Still, if only the Biblical book summaries were more succinct, I would quickly give this four stars. If the book were much less, my stars would be much more.

I think the problem is that the book tries to do two things at the same time. It argues a thesis (here summaries would be more helpful), it teases out the thesis at length in each book of the Bible (acting more like a reference book). I appreciate both. I know I will use it as a reference tool in the future. Even so, incorporating a reference work into an argument will make case slog along.

[Erik Spohr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton provides the reader with a compelling argument that a consistent theme from Genesis to Revelation is "God's glory in salvation through judgement". With so many books on Biblical Theology, this is one of my favorites.

[Andres Valencia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Podra no ser el ultimo libro de teologia biblica de metanarrativa, pero sin duda vale cada minuto el leerlo, aunque no me gusto que al frase de su titulo este cada dos o tres parrafos como tratando de decir "si ves esto prueba mi punto", es un magnifico libro para leer la Biblia como un todo

[Marina]

Not sure how to rate this book - I am so glad I ‘read’ it, even though so much of it went over my head. It will be such a wonderful resource to have in reading the Bible.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hamilton gives an excellent overview of the entire Bible, making insightful connections throughout. He argues that the central theme of the Bible is salvation occurring through judgment toward the end of God’s glory. While I think this theme is central to Scripture, I’m not fully convinced that it is the one and only center of Scripture.

[Jarred Edgecombe · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a day when many churches pass over the more difficult passages of scripture and, instead, only preach the happy ones, Hamilton's book was refreshing. In speaking of the need for renewal in the church he states:

"The transformation the church needs is the kind that results from beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ. This glory of God is a saving and judging glory - an aroma of life to those being saved and death to those perishing, and this saving and judging glory is at the center of biblical theology. If there is to be a renewal, it will be a renewal that grows out of the blazing center that is the glory of God in the face of Christ. This saving and judging glory, I contend, is the center of biblical theology."

He suggests that one not read the book cover-to-cover, but rather use it as a reference to see how the theme is developed in the books of the Bible that one is studying. I would agree with that. While the book is thorough, it is also difficult to read through as one would other books.

I would recommend the book to pastors preaching through books of the Bible for guidance on how the theme is developed in each book.

[Kenneth Cheong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hamilton gives a balanced view of God's salvation plan which is refreshing and sound. Recommended.