Book review: The Age of Promise
Randy Robison is the son of his famous father James Robison, yet he does not seem to be stunted while growing up in his shadow. Serving the body of Christ through TV, book writing and co-authoring, this son is carrying on a strong tradition gained in his family.
The Age of Promise is an excellent book clearly explaining the differences and advantages of living under the new covenant versus the old. Each of the 10 chapters following the Introduction explore one aspect of the Old Testament through the lens of the New Testament and should provide every believer with encouragement.
Though this book may be offensive to some who hold a strong view of Israel and the special status of those of Jewish heritage, I don’t believe Robison was intentionally trying to be controversial in his book. The goal of the work was to encourage New Testament believers to enjoy their special status as beloved children of God.
There is a difference between the old and new covenants and that is the focus of the book. As the writer of Hebrews often states, those of us living under the new covenant have better promises made with a better mediator – Jesus! See Hebrews 8:6 for this example.
Robison includes many points in his writing that force the reader to pause and think deeply. For example:
- “It’s a beautiful stubbornness that declares God’s rule regardless of the outcome.”
- “If someone is practicing iniquity, that person needs to check his spiritual birth certificate, because when John says, ‘No one who is born of God sins,’ that’s what he is talking about.”
- “Personal opinions about the law have created the broad spectrum of modern interpretations that color Christianity.”
- “External pressure may modify behavior, but an internal transformation achieves genuine change.”
- “We’re all defective. We need to send ourselves back to our Maker for repair.”
- “In fact, judgment, which simply means ‘the act of deciding a case,’ gives us cause for hope, celebration, and immense gratitude.”
- “It’s one thing to serve our King in the hope of obtaining entrance into his kingdom. It’s quite another to enter his kingdom and then serve him. Which would you rather do?”
- “What is going on with God’s view of death? Clearly, he doesn’t see things the way we do.”
- “Death, then, is necessary to free the perfected spirit from the imperfect body.”
Those should be sufficient to make my case.
I would recommend this book for every believer to be encouraged in their daily walk and living under the terms of the new covenant. We can learn a great deal by viewing our lives through the lens of how much has changed from those in the Old Testament, and this book shows this truth clearly.
The book was provided free in exchange for an honest review.
 | Dr. Jeff Klick serves as the senior pastor of Hope Family Fellowship, an age-integrated church he planted in 1993. In addition, he is an instructor with The Institute of Church Management and is on the board of The Council for Gospel Legacy Churches. Learn More » |
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