Synopsis: As the subtitle indicates, Graeme Goldsworthy’s According to Plan is an introduction to the hermeneutical and theological (interpretive and doctrinal) discipline known as “biblical theology.” Over and against systematic theology, which approaches the Bible with a-temporal, whole-Bible questions such as “What is God?” or “How are people saved?”, biblical theology seeks both to approach and then apply canonical texts based upon their place in the historical unfolding of God’s covenantal revelation. Biblical theology is built upon the conviction that the Bible is essentially a story, or rather, that it is the story – one grand, sweeping and authoritative meta-narrative that serves to order and determine all the other individual and corporate narratives that crowd our daily lives. Though the Bible certainly contains propositional truth, it is not a textbook of the spiritual. It is rather the historical unfolding of God’s eternal plan to glorify himself and renew creation through the salvation of fallen, guilty people. Essential then to understanding any one part of the Bible is understanding how it relates to the rest the Bible. This relation is not merely doctrinal, it is redemptive historical.

As Goldsworthy writes in chapter one:

Biblical theology examines the development of the biblical story from the OT to the New, and seeks to uncover the interrelationships between the two parts. Prophecy, law, narrative, wisdom saying or apocalyptic vision are all related to the coming of Jesus Christ in some discernable way. Biblical theology is a methodical approach to showing these relationships so that the OT can be understood as Christian Scripture (23).
The book itself is divided into four parts: Why, How, What and Where. The third section is, by Goldsworthy’s own admission, the most important portion of the book. In seventeen short, action-packed chapters, Goldsworthy traces the Bible’s storyline from creation to the New Jerusalem, noting and detailing a number of principle themes such as God’s sovereignty (especially in creation, election, redemption and recreation), atonement (partially penal, substitutionary atonement), kingdom, land, people and revelation (God’s word as law and promise, both written and incarnate).

At just over 200 pages, According to Plan is compact, concise and straightforward. Written in plain and unfettered prose, Goldsworthy guides his reader ably through both the disciple and practice of biblical theology. A perfect place for beginners to start and a welcomed edition to any library, According to Plan serves is reader well, offering them a challenging yet manageable introduction to this foundational interpretive skill.