Quotes from James M. Hamilton Jr.

In the old covenant God faithfully remained with His people, accompanying them in a pillar of fire and cloud, then dwelling among them in the tabernacle and the temple. Under the new covenant, the only temple is the believing community itself, and God dwells not only among the community corporately (Matt 18:20; 1 Cor 3:16; 2 Cor 6:16), but also in each member individually (John 14:17; Rom 8:9–11; 1 Cor 6:19). This is the overarching thesis this book seeks to establish.

The Bible is more to be admired than the Louvre Museum, and the Gospel of John is perhaps its Mona Lisa.

God's righteousness condemns every attempt to be justified by works.

We are to save ourselves for the Bridegroom, as a bride saves herself for her husband.

If you're not a believer in Jesus, who looks after you? Who will come for you? To whom are you joined? Do you have a family? If you will repent of your sin and trust in Jesus, you can be part of the family of God.

The indwelling of the Spirit is God's favorable presence abiding with those who enjoy His merciful establishment of a covenant relationship. John Frame explains, "God is not merely present in the world; he is covenantally present. He is with his creatures to bless and to judge them in accordance with the terms of his covenant.

Churches that do not discipline jeopardize the lives of those who, like Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10), disregard God's instructions as they approach him and risk being consumed by an outburst of his holiness (cf. 1 Cor. 11:27–32).

If old covenant believers were regenerated by the Spirit, what is new about the new interiority promised in Jer 31:31–34? The newness does not consist in the Spirit's regenerating ministry of enabling people to hear God's word and believe. What is new is the indwelling ministry of the Spirit and the spiritualized view of the temple.

Unfortunately, it is more difficult to get on a city bus than it is to join most Southern Baptist churches. This circumstance makes church discipline all but impossible. History shows us that things have not always been this way.

When we see a later author present a repetition of an earlier pattern, which was informed by a promise, as readers we begin to sense that we are dealing with a sequence of events (a type, pattern, or schema) that the biblical authors saw to be significant, even if they were puzzled by it

The transformation the church needs is the kind that results from beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18–4:6). This glory of God is a saving and judging glory—an aroma of life to those being saved and death to those perishing (2 Cor. 2:15–16), and this saving and judging glory is at the center of biblical theology.

Amos calls Israel to seek Yahweh, the roaring lion, and live.

to know God is to perceive his worship-inspiring holiness and love, severity and kindness, righteousness and mercy.

God judges all human pride and presumption based on worldly estimations of beauty, and he hears the humble who cry to him.

If biblical theology is a way to get into another world, the world inhabited by the biblical authors, you have a right to understand my intentions. My hope is that you cross the bridge into their thought-world and never come back. I hope you will breathe the air of the Bible's world, recognize it as the real Narnia, and never want to leave.

God's mercy often comes folded into his justice.

Yahweh is mighty to save, whether the saved desire his salvation or not.

Israel has forsaken Yahweh for a man who cannot find his father's donkeys.

The transformation the church needs is the kind that results from beholding the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Cor. 3:18–4:6).

if we will listen carefully to the Bible, it will proclaim to us the glory of God. If we do not hear this, the problem is with us, not the Bible.

Jesus exhaustively receives the wrath of God.

The cross uniquely displays that both Jesus and the Father are committed to justice and mercy, even unto death.

The love of Jesus upholds justice and extends mercy.

it is righteous for God to seek his own glory. He is God and has no other gods before himself.