Book Review: The Lamb of God, by Robert L. Reymond

(Reviewed by Nathan Pitchford)
Synopsis: The Lamb of God, by Robert Reymond, is an admirable attempt, everywhere edifying, to trace, not the thread, but the “thick cable” which runs from Genesis to Revelation, and binds together all of scriptures in one unified story. Reymond’s well-supported conclusion is that the Lamb-work of Christ is that thick cable; and that the scriptures are nothing but an ever-increasing unveiling of this Lamb-work in all of its rich significance.

Our Bible opens with the prophecy of a Seed of the woman, who would destroy the Serpent (Genesis 3:15); it closes with a description of Jesus Christ, the woman’s seed, riding forth to destroy the devil (Revelation 19:11-20:15). These two parallel passages, the first promise and final accomplishment of one great event, bind together all of scriptures into one unified story of the suffering yet victorious Lamb of God, Jesus Christ. Beginning with this basic premise, Reymond traces the theme of the Lamb-work of Christ throughout the scriptures. In the opening pages of the Bible, the Lamb is prophesied, symbolized, and typified; throughout the Prophets, the Lamb is depicted much more extensively as the personal and almighty Immanuel, at once the suffering servant and the eternal God. In the New Testament, the Lamb is identified, crucified, and raised victorious – and in the final book of our Bible, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, the Lamb is displayed in all his glory.

Those who desire a unified overview of the central message of the bible could scarcely do better than to begin with this book. It is brief enough to be unintimidating to the least ambitious reader; it is simple enough to be adequately absorbed by the new Christian who has little or no background in biblical teaching; and it is meaty enough to be profitable for all believers. Throughout the volume, Reymond has a knack for limiting his discussion to that which is truly central to the gospel-message of the scriptures, and for leaving peripheral truths and doctrines, however interesting they may be, to be dealt with in other works and studies. The result is a volume that is amazingly dense with vital information – both brief and substantial.

Although Reymond is writing a general overview, he is not averse to jumping into careful and detailed exegeses of key passages pertaining to the advancing revelation of the Lamb-work of Christ. Notable in this respect is his admirable treatment of many of the overtly Messianic passages in Isaiah. His explanation of the identification and relevance of the virgin’s child in Isaiah seven is an especially compelling interpretation of a passage that is as difficult as it is monumental in the Old Testament doctrine of Christ. The two chapters which deal with Isaiah alone are a gold mine of scholarly and devotional information.

Finally, Reymond concludes with a chapter that revels in the matchless truth of the gospel, and the staggering gift of Christ, as the great High Priest who offered himself willingly as a sacrifice for sin, to bring us to God. Evangelical, devotional, scriptural, and heartfelt, it is a fitting conclusion to a remarkable little treatise

Available at Monergism Books