Author: Flowers, Leighton
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Rick Shrader‘s Review:
This is the second book I’ve read by Leighton Flowers. Flowers call himslef a “provisionist” meaning that he holds that God’s provision for salvation is valid for every human being. I agree with that as it is called unlimited atonement. This book is basically a study of Romans 9-11 from that point of view. Flowers is unique in understanding that the “call” of God was upon Israel to give the gospel to the world. God “chose” individual Israelites to be those messengers. Most of them failed and God (in Romans 9-11) is in the business of calling the world to salvation by converted Israelites within the church. Flowers also proposes that God hardened Israel on purpose so that they would not accept Christ as their Messiah. If they had, He would not have been crucified (1 Cor. 2:8) and God knew that couldn’t happen. Flowers called this the “Messianic Secret.” Hardening can come directly through God or, in individual cases, through prolonged rebellion to God. As a side note, I was concerned how much Flowers quoted N.T. Wright. Though I am familiar with Wright’s “New Perspective on Paul,” I have not read enough of him to know whether Flowers follows that thinking or to what degreee if any.