Creed, Confession, and Cooperation
Southwestern Journal of Theology
Volume 67, No. 2 - Spring 2025
Editor: Malcolm B. Yarnell III
By Andreas J. Köstenberger. Grand Rapids: Kregel Academic, 2025, 246 pp., $19.99.
An expert in Johannine literature, Andreas J. Köstenberger has written, edited, or translated over sixty books. He is research professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University as well as theologian-in-residence at Fellowship Raleigh.
Introducing Jesus is “an abridgment and adaptation” (11) of Köstenberger’s Jesus of the Gospels, and the present volume is a major, purposeful departure from his typical academic style. Aimed at high school or college age Christians as well as non-believers, this book avoids technical jargon and omits critical issues such as the Synoptic Problem or the need to harmonize Gospel accounts that appear to be incongruous but actually fit together well. He presents Jesus from the four vantage points of the canonical Gospels. He demonstrates they are not four competing Gospels. Rather, they are a fourfold account of the same Gospel (17–20). He guides the reader through each Gospel in their canonical order: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (20). In doing so, their themes and emphases are more visible than if one reads them in a Gospel harmony, which puts their accounts side by side (19).
Meeting His Unique Purposes. Köstenberger hits the mark for his three primary purposes of this book. First, he aims the book at young readers. Thus, this book is much different from his scholarly writings: (1) it has shorter sentences, (2) it avoids most theological terms, like “intercalation” (88) and “chiasm” (206), (3) it uses first-person plural to connect with the reader, and (4) its language is informal, with many contractions (e.g., “I’ve,” “I’ll,” “I’d,” “I’m,” 14; “it’ll,” 76–77) and exclamation points (e.g., 94–96, 209–11)! He even uses some folksy paraphrases of the biblical text, such as, “Jesus in effect replies, ‘You ain’t seen nothin’ yet’” (210).
Second, this book is evangelistic (14) and effectively presents the winsome picture of Jesus from the fourfold Gospel. Köstenberger returns from time to time to C. S. Lewis’s famous saying that Jesus was either a liar, lunatic, or Lord, making a clear case for the latter (15–16, 20, 61) and encouraging the reader to follow Christ (21, 132, 242).
Third, the book fits well in its purpose for use in a teaching setting. The fourteen chapters divide neatly into fourteen lessons (11). The four discussion questions and a thoughtful vignette at the end of each chapter can aid a group discussion of the material (e.g., 20–21, 33, 46). There are also helpful applications throughout the chapters, showing the importance for the reader “to find our place in his story” (20, italics in the original, see also 33, 51). Good figures of speech aid his communication, such as saying Jesus attracted demons to him like a magnet (100) or two Lukan themes relating “like two pearls on a string” (192). He also offers helpful teaching materials on his website (11).
This book includes helpful charts, such as the one listing Jesus’s seven signs in John (211), his resurrection appearances (196–98), and outlines of the four Gospels (245–46). From time to time, Köstenberger shares his personal testimony or a personal anecdote as proof that he has experienced what he writes about (13–14, 199). These stories no doubt help the reader connect with the author.
A Few Corrections. Köstenberger is usually careful to stay within one Gospel as he works through the text. He occasionally mentions a clarifying point from another Gospel (e.g., 79, 92, 123). However, at times he does not mention the connection. For instance, no Gospel by itself mentions the man who came to Jesus was a “rich young ruler” (113, 180)—that description comes from putting together the accounts in the Synoptic Gospels.
Köstenberger allegorizes the three gifts of the magi without mentioning the text does not necessarily have the meanings he attaches to the gifts (29). He mentions ten disciples died a martyr’s death, but church history does not confirm that claim (151). Also, there seems to be an inconsistency in the capitalization of the four “Gospels” (15–17). If there is a pattern, this reviewer is not able to comprehend it. Finally, the parenthetical statement about “David” equaling “fourteen” at the end of point #7 should follow point #6, which explains the three divisions of fourteen names in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus (27).
This book is an excellent choice for a Christian young person or a lay person of any age who wants to dig deeper into the four Gospels. It would work well for a group study in a church or small group setting. It also works well to present the gospel message to a non-believer through an examination of the story that is so important that God presents it through four reliable witnesses—four vantage points to help the reader understand Jesus, message, atonement, and offer of salvation. This book can also help biblical scholars by reminding them that one should not let critical issues or theological conundrums overshadow or crowd out the clear, unencumbered message of the Gospels.
