Book Review: Old Made New by Greg Lanier

If you have accompanied the blog for a while, you may have noted that 2021 was a year in which we sought to understand how the Son reveals the Father. In other words, we looked at how Jesus revealed or uncovered God in the Old testament. The studies that came from last year naturally came to mind when I saw the description of this book and I was quite excited to see how the book would inform my on-going revisions of last year’s work.

Old Made New

Old Made New: A Guide to the New Testament Use of the Old Testament is a gem of a little book (the last half is notes and references, so it really is half the pages represented to read). Lanier presents a simple, approachable system to review the links from the New Testament to the Old Testament. He sets out a simple form, dare I say, a ‘printable’, to consider each cross reference that we may find as we read the New Testament. There are no hunts for ‘original meaning’ or any complex theological issues presented. It is a straightforward way for anyone to see how the old and new texts are connected.

Simple three-step process

Lanier’s three step process allows for the need to seek not only direct passage references, but also inferences and allusions; it also encourages checking the surrounding text and not limiting the reader to only direct quotes. It was fascinating to see how often the author also noted how the New Testament writers may have quoted from the Greek rather than the Jewish texts and that explains minor variances in quotations. The use of numerous examples over three chapters also helps flesh out the three-step process presented in the first chapter.

Threads from Old to New Testament

Greg Lanier then considers broad topics of the gospel, Christ, and the church as topics which are addressed in the New Testament, but with their basis in the Old Testament. I think we all expect Christ to be in prophecies of the Old Testament, but indeed all three topics are found throughout the Old and New. I found it very encouraging to see how the threads of these topics connect from the beginning to the end of the Bible. It was thrilling to again see how the Bible is one complete story and not just two separate covenants. It was also very intriguing to see how the Old Testament informs many of the New Testament teachings.

5 stars to Old Made New

This approachable book which leads readers on the journey to discover the Bible themselves is a welcome addition to any bookshelf. It engages readers without being academic at all (despite all the end notes and appendices). For those who want to read the Bible for themselves and discover the joys of the connections between the Old and New Testaments, this is the perfect book. A well-deserved 5 stars.