W. J. Dumbrell

Nicodemus appears to be unaware that the personal work of the Spirit has always been essential for inclusion within God's covenant. The Holy Spirit is the life of Christ in his church ... A new covenant missionary would be inept without the filling of the Spirit in addition to the general work of the Spirit in regeneration ... Holy Spirit charisms are necessary for the church to minister as the body of Christ. The Spirit is the means of the establishment of the world church as the new covenant people of God ... The Pentecost language miracle indicated the world domain of the gospel. God has planned something better than rich cultural/ religious traditions which have no power to save, namely, membership in the new covenant and the blessing of spiritual union with Christ the life-giving Spirit. - from the text of The Biblical Spirit

Revelation offers a new way of viewing the world... When humans reject the divine order they misuse creation and thereby break the covenant with creation. The results of the breach of covenant include disease, suffering, famine and deprivation... Revelation is the unfolding of the significance of the cross through the witness of Jesus given by those who belong to him... The death, resurrection and ascension of the witnesses (the church) identify them as the covenant people of God re-acting the full ministry of Jesus... To each church the message is the same: believers can only enter the new Jerusalem by faithfulness unto death... Evil, conquered by the cross, will finally be eliminated from human experience. New covenant believers will therefore experience the divine purpose and provision of life in a new Eden. --from William Dumbrell's New Covenant Commentary

Covenant Theology. From Noah to David, successive covenants are seen in the Old Testament as expressions of divine purpose. The argument for and against the close relation of these ""terms of agreement"" between humankind and God have, for the past fifty years, been at the heart of biblical studies. Old Testament scholar W. J. Dumbrell reaffirms one facet of this study--the theory of covenant--in Covenant and Creation. Where many have since tried to refute or seriously modify this covenant model, Dumbrell finds it at the core of Reformed doctrine. Covenant and Creation traces the background and content of each biblical covenant beginning with Noah and God after the flood, Abraham (the creation of Israel and its people), Mt. Sinai and Moses (the creation of the Law), and David (the creation of the monarchy). And what of the New Covenant? The effects of the Babylonian exile and the connecting themes in the books of Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Isaiah are evaluated. The epilogue delves into theological implications of the postexilic period in Israel's history, and further developments by the major exilic prophets. Readers will find this a summary most helpful in understanding New Covenant theology that emerged in the early Christian era.

In this updated, new edition of an established work, William Dumbrell offers a complete overview of the Old Testament while discerning what each of its books says about God - his character, nature, and work in history.