Sojourner #075: The Message of the New Testament

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)

Book Review: The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept

Mark Dever’s The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept is an overview of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, but it is far more than a survey. It is a call to see the Scriptures as one story and to understand our lives within that story. The Old Testament ended with promises still waiting for fulfillment: Israel longed for a true King, a deliverer who would restore fellowship with God and set the world right. The New Testament begins with the announcement that the time has come, God has acted in Jesus Christ.

Every page of Dever’s book drives home this reality: the promises of God are not abstract hopes, but fulfilled certainties in the person and work of Christ. As Paul writes, “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him” (2 Cor. 1:20).

Dever first preached these messages as 28 sermons at Capitol Hill Baptist Church, and that origin shows in their tone. They are deeply theological without being academic, accessible without being shallow, and pastoral without being sentimental. His aim is to serve the church, helping believers see both the whole forest of the New Testament and the individual trees that make it up.

The structure itself reflects the storyline of Scripture. In Part 1, The Truth About Jesus, the gospels and Acts show us Christ’s identity and mission: Matthew presents Him as the Son of David, the long-awaited King (2 Sam. 7:12–13; Matt. 1:1); Mark as the Son of Man, who came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45); Luke as the Son of Adam, the Savior for all humanity (“the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost”; Luke 19:10); John as the eternal Son of God (“these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name”; John 20:31). Acts proclaims Him as the risen Lord who sends His Spirit to empower the mission of the church to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Part 2, Key Ideas for the Times, traces the letters of Paul and others as they unfold the meaning of Christ’s work for the church’s life. Romans announces that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). Galatians insists that salvation is by faith, not works of the law (Gal. 2:16). Ephesians celebrates the riches of God’s grace: “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Philippians calls us to the humility of Christ, who “emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7). The pastoral letters emphasize godly leadership and perseverance in truth (2 Tim. 2:2; Titus 1:9). Philemon embodies the gospel’s power of forgiveness and reconciliation (Philem. 16).

Part 3, Living in the Real World, covers Hebrews through Revelation, showing what it means to persevere in faith and live in hope. Hebrews urges us to “hold fast our confession” because Christ is the better priest and sacrifice (Heb. 4:14). James reminds us that “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). Peter prepares us for suffering, assuring us that trials refine our faith (1 Pet. 1:6–7). John urges believers to walk in truth and love (2 John 3–6). Jude exhorts us to “contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3). Revelation fixes our eyes on the promise that Christ will return and make all things new: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man” (Rev. 21:3).

What emerges from these chapters is not simply information about biblical books, but a unified vision of the God who keeps His promises. The New Testament is not a collection of writings loosely tied together; it is one announcement: God has acted in Christ, and His promises stand forever.

Our editor-in-chief has been using this book in preparation for a teaching series through Luke’s Gospel in his own local church. What has been most striking is how Dever helps us see Luke not only as history but as proclamation, the Spirit-inspired declaration that God’s covenant promises have come to pass in Jesus.

When we see Scripture as one story, we are freed from treating the Bible as a grab-bag of verses and instead are drawn into the mission of God, from Genesis to Revelation.

The endorsements surrounding this book are fitting. J. I. Packer called it “vigorous, juicy, engaging, life-centered, God-honoring.” Albert Mohler praised its ability to see the New Testament not as isolated writings but as one unified book grounding the church in truth. Ligon Duncan noted that Dever models how to preach entire biblical books in one sermon with doctrinal clarity and pastoral urgency. Thomas Schreiner, in the foreword, reminds us that these sermons are not just to inform but to change lives, that as we read the Bible, we meet God Himself.

The strength of The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept is its ability to combine breadth and depth. Too often, pastors and teachers lose sight of the big picture by getting lost in details, or flatten the details in pursuit of themes. Dever avoids both errors. He shows us the forest without neglecting the trees, always reminding us that the God who spoke long ago is the same God who speaks now in Christ (Heb. 1:1–2).

This book will serve pastors looking for a model of overview preaching, teachers seeking clarity on the structure and theology of each book, and lay readers who want to grasp the New Testament as a unified whole. More importantly, it will remind all of us that the Bible is not primarily about us but about God and His faithfulness. We live in an age of distraction and doubt; what the church most needs is confidence in God’s Word. This book helps strengthen that confidence.

We gladly commend The Message of the New Testament: Promises Kept to you. Read it devotionally, use it in your teaching, bring it into your small groups, and let it fuel your witness. For in these pages you will see afresh that from Genesis to Revelation, God is keeping His promises, and His mission continues through His people until the day Christ returns. “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it” (1 Thess. 5:24).

Verdict: A serious, faithful, and deeply useful overview of the New Testament that equips the church for discipleship and mission by showing that in Christ, all of God’s promises are kept.

We received this book in exchange for an honest review, and it is a privilege to commend it to our readers.

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