Report on Dick Gaffin’s visit

Published on 11th December 2009

A Day with Dick Gaffin
It is always a delight for a theological college to welcome a renowned, experienced scholar to share their knowledge and wisdom concerning a particular subject of great importance to the church. Should that delight bring with it a whole day of cancelled lectures then it is easy to imagine the anticipation surrounding such an event, particularly for those students who would normally have Greek first thing on a Friday! Such was the case on 6 November 2009 as students and staff at WEST, along with local church leaders, gathered to hear Dr Richard B Gaffin, Jr, the distinguished Professor of Biblical and Systematic Theology Emeritus at Westminster Theological Seminary.

The theme for the day was Biblical Theology, the discipline of tracing the unfolding story of redemption through the whole Bible. In three clear and well-informed sessions, Dr. Gaffin directed our thoughts with great precision to the relationship between “Biblical” and “Systematic” Theology and also to the role that Biblical Theology plays in our interpretation of the New Testament in the light of the Old, focusing in particular on the themes of understanding Christ from the Old Testament and the resurrection in the theology of Paul. 
 
Biblical Theology and Systematic Theology
The day began with Dr. Gaffin proposing the thesis that Biblical Theology is the indispensible servant of Systematic Theology. This proposal was based on detailed discussion on the interplay between the two disciplines. Our hearts and minds were drawn to the wonder of the nature of God’s self-revelation as we considered the redemptive-historical nature of this revelation: God’s speech unfolding alongside his actions.

The nature and the methods of Systematic Theology were examined, bearing in mind that the context of any systematic theological expression is always a redemptive-historical one. Systematic Theologies must always be non-speculative and tightly exegetical. Dr. Gaffin drew on John Murray’s comment that “Biblical Theology prevents Systematic Theology from a tendency to abstraction,” especially from its historical context. Hence Biblical Theology is the indispensible servant in the theologizing process. If Biblical Theology is the epic drama of God’s redemption, then Systematic Theology is the plot analysis.
 
Biblical Theology and Hermeneutics
The middle part of the day was centered upon Luke 24:44-49, the famous conversation between the risen Christ and the disciples on the road to Emmaus. The question of how exactly the Old Testament reveals Christ was explored, focusing on the ways in which the Old Testament speaks of the fact that, “…the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” (Luke 24:46-47)

This triad of death, resurrection and church (worldwide gospel preaching) was shown to be the centre that unifies the Lord’s teaching from the Old Testament concerning himself. This is taken up by the apostles’ preaching in the book of Acts with their focus on the death and the resurrection of Jesus and their call to repentance and faith in him.
With regards to the Old Testament revealing Christ, Dr. Gaffin highlighted the importance of asserting that the Old Testament scriptures are definitely about Christ. The Law, the Prophets and the Psalms all speak of him. In answering the question, “Is Christ in every sentence of the Old Testament?” we were encouraged to distinguish between a reductionist, atomistic answer and a redemptive-historical one. It is true that Christ may not be revealed clearly in every sentence of the Old Testament, but every sentence is part of a wider redemptive-historical context, with all its twists and turns, that does indeed clearly point to Christ and to salvation in his name. 
   
Biblical Theology and the Resurrection
To round off the day we were treated to some reflection on the resurrection in the theology of Paul, a theme that Dr. Gaffin has done a great deal of work to both explain and create awareness of through his seminal work “Resurrection and Redemption: A Study in Paul’s Soteriology” (P&R, 1987).

Topics that were covered included the unity between the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of believers, and also the believer’s resurrection as a present reality. Themes from the New Testament that have their origin in the Old were highlighted to support these vital areas of understanding such as Christ being the “first fruits” of a larger resurrection harvest (1 Cor 15:20) and Christ as the “firstborn” from among the dead (Col 1:18). It was refreshing and encouraging to be reminded of our union with Christ in his resurrection, not to mention his death, and how central this union is to our salvation.

Throughout the day Dr. Gaffin spoke with great clarity and exactness and answered questions thoroughly and charitably. It is rare to find a scholar who attempts to combine the disciplines of Biblical and Systematic Theology in their work, let alone one who does so with such clarity and usefulness. It was a joy for those who attended to benefit from such a man in the brief time that we shared together.

Andrew McKenna
MA Student, Wales Evangelical School of Theology