GOD DWELLS AMONG US
Expanding Eden to the Ends of the Earth
By G.K. Beale and Mitchell Kim
IVP. 208 pages. £11.99
ISBN 978 1 783 591 919
This is a book with an unusual history. It began as Greg Beale’s book The Temple and the Church’s Mission. Mitchell Kim then used Beale’s book as the basis for a seven-week sermon series. The sermon series has now been reworked as God Dwells Among Us by Beale and Kim!
Why this book? As the authors write it is their hope ‘that the biblical-theological heft of the original will be combined with practical insight to spark a greater zeal and passion for mission by God’s people in the world.’
Beginning with the idea of Eden as God’s temple, the book develops the theme of the temple from the Fall, through the various eras of redemption history, until the final consummation, when the whole cosmos will be the temple of the Lord.
Theologically rich
The book is short and pacey but it is nonetheless theologically rich. It simply brims with biblical insights which bring familiar passages and themes to life. It not only captures the excitement of biblical theology done well, it also captures the exhilaration of God’s great plan of salvation in its cosmic scope.
Having traced the main theme, the book has two interesting chapters at the end. In the first of these the authors demonstrate how they have developed the framework for the preceding chapters, anticipating the objection ‘why haven’t I seen this before?’. The final chapter then seeks to work out some practical implications of this theology of temple and mission with exhortations to sacrifice, study God’s Word and pray.
This book will be appreciated by anyone who wants to read their Bible more profitably. For some it will, no doubt, serve as an inspirational introduction to the whole idea of biblical theology. For pastors who want to enrich their preaching there is much to be gleaned from this book. For those who want to go deeper there are 30 pages of endnotes.
The final chapter notes that the ‘tragedy of the ubiquitous presence of God’s Word in our homes and our (smart) phones is that we have failed to hide it in our hearts’. This is a book that will not only help us to understand God’s Word but will increase our hunger for that Word.
