Abstract
Nijay K. Gupta has authored a substantial corpus of both popular and academic works, including commentaries and scholarly articles. This book, 15 New Testament Words of Life, represents Gupta’s most accessible work on New Testament theology. Gupta addresses the intended readership of this book: ‘this book is not for the ivory tower. It is for Christians who are interested in what the New Testament has to say about God, God’s people, God’s world, and a great big, beautiful gospel mission that can make all the difference’ (p. xviii). However, the objective of this book is not merely to provide a straightforward understanding of New Testament theology for all Christians, including laypeople. Rather, it presents an ‘exercise in New Testament Theology’ (p. xv). Gupta elucidates the significance of this exercise in New Testament: ‘To me that means the New Testament writers shared common beliefs about God and his world, and they wanted to shape the imaginations, identities, communities, virtues, and behaviors of their readers, the church, to conform to the gospel of Jesus Christ’ (p. xv).
This practical New Testament theology is structured around 15 keywords: righteousness, gospel, forgiveness, life, the cross, faith, grace, fellowship, hope, salvation, peace, religion, holiness, love, and witness. The keywords carefully selected by Gupta are paired with the focal text, forming a chapter that flows from Matthew to Revelation in accordance with the sequence of the Bible. To illustrate, the keyword ‘righteousness’ is associated with Matthew (chapter 1), ‘the gospel’ with Mark (chapter 2), and ‘witness’ with the book of Revelation (chapter 15) as the focal text. In certain instances, a single keyword may signify two distinct books. For instance, the concept of forgiveness is associated with Luke-Acts, the cross with 1-2 Corinthians, and faith with Romans and Galatians. However, as the focal text has been selected as the primary case study for a single keyword, the connection between the keyword and the focal text is not absolute. In other words, Matthew cannot be explained by a single keyword of righteousness. Rather, it is only the primary example chosen to illustrate righteousness in the New Testament as a whole. Consequently, the books of the New Testament that are not linked to keywords are not problematic (e.g., Colossians, Philemon, 2 Peter, 2 John, 3 John, and Judas).
Each chapter is comprised of four (or five) sections: The Old Testament background of the keyword (and, in relevant cases, the Greek-Roman background), the focal text, the other New Testament voices, and the practical application for today. This multifaceted composition reflects Gupta’s emphasis on the importance of understanding words within context (p. xvi). In particular, Gupta interprets theological words in light of three contexts: canonical context, literary context, and historical context (p. xvii). Gupta’s analysis examines the usage of a New Testament keywords in the foundational context of the Old Testament (canonical context), in the wider Greco-Roman context (historical context), in the focal text (literary context), and in various contexts of other New Testament books (canonical context). In this way, Gupta attempts to elucidate the three-dimensional meaning of the word more vividly by considering the multidimensional contexts of the New Testament keywords in this book. Ultimately, in the section dealing with application for today, Gupta applies the vivid meaning that has been confirmed through this multidimensional analysis to the present life. This enables the theological keyword to become a living word (in his expression ‘word of life’), rather than a dead concept.
What, then, are the distinctive features or merits of this book? First, this book represents a distinctive approach to the field of New Testament theology. In this book, Gupta focuses on New Testament theology as it relates to words. At first glance, the book may seem to be a mere word study; however, it is much more than that. The fifteen keywords from Gupta’s New Testament theology are not only connected to individual books of the New Testament, but also to the entire New Testament, the Old Testament, and the Greco-Roman background. Gupta offers a different (and as he hoped ‘complementary’) approach to New Testament theology through the use of these pivotal keywords (p. xvi). Second, the book is exemplary in its ability to convey New Testament theology in an effective manner. He considers the various contexts of the word and conveys its meaning by appropriately combining a range of theological materials, contemporary cultural resources, and examples drawn from his personal experience. His explanation is presented in a clear and engaging manner. Third, this book presents New Testament theology for real life. The majority of books on New Testament theology are designed with the objective of presenting a central theme or keyword that encapsulates New Testament theology. In other words, the overarching theme can be defined as the telos (i.e., end or goal) of New Testament theology. However, in this book, the themes (i.e., the keywords) serve as a starting point, and the telos is the real life. For Gupta, the application is not merely a perfunctory addition at the conclusion of a comprehensive theoretical analysis. Instead, it is a comprehensive and meticulous undertaking. Gupta, for instance, in chapter 11, after discussing peace in the context of the Old Testament, the focal text (Hebrews), and other New Testament texts, presents a peace theology for social media, which is one of the most significant issues in its application today. Finally, this book offers a list of suggested readings related to the keyword (i.e., key theme) at the end of each chapter. The list excludes works of an excessively academic nature, which would serve only to confirm Gupta’s already evident thoughtfulness. Readers with an interest in the subject may therefore enrich their understanding of it through the recommended books, whether they are laymen or pastors. The only regret is that, as it is primarily focused on real-life situations and intended for a Christian audience, including laypeople, it would have benefitted from the inclusion of questions or materials for small group discussion at the end of each chapter, as well as additional explanations of the books on the list. If this were the case, the small group of laypeople referenced in this book would have been instrumental in providing a more nuanced and detailed application (but I think Gupta is already kind enough to readers).
In essence, this book presents a New Testament theology for real life, elucidating 15 pivotal keywords that underpin the New Testament. The book is accessible to a diverse readership, including pastors and seminarians, as well as laypeople. It offers an engaging and straightforward introduction to New Testament theology, facilitating comprehension of the core concepts. As a meticulous professional scholar, Gupta endeavours to comprehend the meaning by scrutinizing a multitude of contexts and applying it to the present life in detail. Moreover, as a benevolent guide, he facilitates readers’ comprehensive understanding and application of the themes of New Testament theology through excellent illustrations. Consequently, this book serves as an excellent introductory resource for laypeople and seminarians seeking to gain a fundamental understanding of New Testament theology. It also provides a valuable source of insight and inspiration for those engaged in teaching New Testament theology at the academic level.