Irresistible: Reclaiming the New that Jesus Unleashed for the World by Andy Stanley has generated a great deal of discussion concerning Andy’s views on the Bible. Let me first address the elephant in the room – Andy believes in the inerrancy of the Scriptures, the Old and New Testaments. He differentiates between the Old and New Testaments however,  “The Old Testament is great for inspiration, but not application” (p. 166). How can he make this statement? He appeals to numerous New Testament passages indicating that the New Testament has replaced the Old as the writer of Hebrews makes this bold statement,

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

The word “obsolete” refers to that which is old and about to be abrogated. Why is Andy making such a distinction between the Old and New Testaments? His motive is apologetics. He has observed that many people have been told that the foundation of their faith is the Bible. The problem is when they encounter an atheist who points out apparent contradictions in the Bible, then the foundation of their faith is shaken. The sad reality is that although many people have a Bible, they do not make the time nor do they have the inclination to read and study the Bible. Christianity is seen as just another religion and is therefore resistible.

What was the reason why the early Church was so irresistible? It wasn’t because their faith was on New Testament because the New Testament was not yet written. “Inspired Scriptures predated what we refer to as The Bible by two hundred-plus years” (p. 302).

The early Church was irresistible because of an event – the resurrection. “We don’t believe because of a book; we believe because of the event that inspired the book. The event, not the record of the event, is what birthed the ‘church.’ To say it a different way, the Bible did not create Christianity. Christianity created the Bible. The Christian faith existed for decades before there was a Bible. Faith in Jesus existed for decades before the Bible as well. But not before the resurrection” (p. 294). The resurrection was a life-changing event for the early disciples.

Andy makes several excellent points throughout the book, however he overstates his case as he writes, ” . . . we shouldn’t be surprised to discover Paul never leverages the old covenant as the basis for Christian behavior” (p. 209). Paul does use the old covenant to bolster his argument for Christian behavior in several places (e.g. Ephesians 6:1, “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.” and Paul’s justification is presented in the following verses, Ephesians 6:2-3. He quotes Exodus 20:12, which is the fifth commandment of Moses, as the rationale for their obedience.)

Andy appears to be influenced by a strong dispensational perspective which emphasizes a discontinuity between the Old and New Testaments, whereas covenant theology emphasizes the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. Regardless of your theological persuasion, you will find a Irresistible a stimulating and engaging book that will help you make your faith irresistible.

RickAssociate Pastor – Discipleship.  The Church at LifePark

Professor of Discipleship, Columbia International University

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