Book Review

Promises Kept: The Message of the New Testament

by Mark Dever

In a day when preaching is anemic at best and dead at worst, here is a book that underscores preaching. Thankfully, Dever is among the few in our day who recognize and emphasize the primacy of true expository preaching.

I call this book, “New Testament Survey from the Pulpit” (Dever also has one on the Old Testament: Promises Made: The Message of the Old Testament; see my similar review). It’s actually comprised of sermons that present an overview of the NT based upon the fulfillment of the promises of the OT.

While there is an absolutely essential need for verse-by-verse exposition (personally, when complete I will have spent over three and a half years expositing one of my passions, the Epistle to the Ephesians), Dever’s approach here is valid and valuable. It’s essential that God’s people know what Scripture as a whole is about. And instead of a more academic approach that one would find in a Bible college or seminary, he surveys historical context, organization, and Theology of each book in an exhortative way.

In Ephesians, for example, he first introduces the book and then tells us four things this book presents. First, “What God Has Done: United Us in Grace (1-3).” In this framework, God elects, unites, and is gracious. Second, “What We Must Do: Live Out Our Unity (4-6).” We do this by living a life worthy of our calling, building others up, making the most of every opportunity (although I think this a bad translation of what 5:16 actually says), standing to the end, and resting in God’s sovereignty. Third, “What We Must Not Do: Partner With Darkness (5:3-14). Fourth, “Why God Has Done This,” which is four-fold: for the praise of His glorious grace, for showing His grace, for displaying His wisdom to all creation, and to Him be glory in the Church and in Christ forever. A couple of the thirteen “Questions for Reflection” are: “Do we have a right to election or salvation? If not, is God unfair to those he does not elect? Explain.” and, “If God is completely sovereign, why should we pray?”

The chief shortcoming I find is often ignoring difficult passages and issues. In contrast, in the book introductions in his study Bible, John MacArthur has a section for each book called “Interpretive Challenges.” Something similar in Dever’s expositions would have been most valuable. A minor issue also is Dever’s Covenant Theology showing itself on occasion, but that can easily be overlooked by balancing it with other sources.

All in all, I really like this book and highly recommend it to both those in the pulpit and the pew.

Dr. J. D. Watson

Pastor-Teacher

Grace Bible Church

Meeker, CO

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