# “Taking a canonical line to the cross” by Jeremy M. Kimble and Ched Spellman

- Link: https://tollelege.net/2021/07/07/taking-a-canonical-line-to-the-cross-by-jeremy-m-kimble-and-ched-spellman/
- Published: 2021-07-07T12:00:39-05:00
- Author: tollelege

“For the biblical theologian, the role of the reader is never to _make_ a path to
Christ, but always to _follow_ the path to Christ that the biblical authors have
laid down. This route requires patience, but only the patience necessary to get 
you to the text.

Once you are there, your journey awaits. There you will find the biblical author
waiting, by the Spirit revealing God in Christ to you. The grand storyline of the
Bible and its network of covenant promises and expectations find their end in Christ.

This path is long and winding, but will lead you to your destination. This line 
is not as the crow flies, but is the one where the cross lies. Taking a canonical
line to the cross may not be straight or fast, but it’s true.

The discipline of biblical theology aims to navigate this balance of unity and diversity.
The gospel of Jesus Christ is to be proclaimed from all of the Scriptures.

The gospel according to Genesis will have a different shape, tone, and feel than
the gospel according to Galatians.

This sensitivity to the details of the biblical texts, the theological developments
of the biblical storyline, and the unity of God’s work in the divine plan of redemption
will ably equip us to reckon with the gospel wherever we might find ourselves in
our travels to and fro across the literary landscape of the biblical canon.”

–Jeremy M. Kimble and Ched Spellman, [_Invitation to Biblical Theology: Exploring the Shape, Storyline, and Themes of Scripture, Invitation to Theological Studies Series_](https://amzn.to/2SSciA7)(
Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2020), 101–102.

More on [Biblical Theology](https://tollelege.net/category/biblical-theology/)