Date

5-23-2025

Department

Rawlings School of Divinity

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Bible Exposition (PhD)

Chair

Timothy Rucker

Keywords

Seed of the Woman, Son of David, Son of Abraham, God’s Redemptive Plan, Gentile Integration, Messianic Hope, Redemption, Redemption Narrative, Jews and Gentiles, Gentile Women in Messianic Lineage, Judah and Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Boaz, David and Bathsheba, Gentile Foremothers of Jesus, Divine Salvation, Yahweh’s Sovereignty, Church and Mission, Great Commission, Universal Salvation, Fullness of Time

Disciplines

Christianity | Religion

Abstract

This dissertation examines and reconstructs the progression of God’s redemptive plan for humanity, exploring its inception from an oracular promise in Genesis and investigating how it unfolds through various promises, covenants, and prophecies culminating in Jesus, the Messiah, identified as the seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15b), Son of David, Son Abraham (Matt. 1:1). Central to this exploration is the theological significance of key biblical figures and historical events while tracing the development of the promise of redemption from Genesis to the New Testament. One can suitably underscore the universal scope of God’s covenant to extend blessings to all nations through the lineage of Abraham upon a thorough understanding of the incorporation of Gentiles into the salvation narrative. In this context, the research delves into the roles of Gentile women such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba and highlights their momentous contributions to preserving and advancing the messianic lineage.

Although numerous scholarly works have examined various facets of this subject from diverse perspectives, this dissertation contends that there is a deficiency in systematically exploring the development of God’s plan of redemption from inception to fulfillment. What is missing is the pattern from which the story of God’s universal redemption develops and how it unfolds through unexpected channels and various providential occurrences to climax at an appointed time in human history. This study presents this development as a cohesive and continuous narrative that spans from Genesis in the Old Testament to the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Thus, through a systematic combination of historical, theological, and literary analysis of the biblical text, this research offers a nuanced perspective on the progression of God’s program of redemption, reflecting his sovereignty and desire to save humanity. This study has endeavored to demonstrate the progression of God’s redemptive plan as a serial narrative involving Jews and Gentiles. Yahweh mercifully devises the plan, progressively discloses it, and directly intervenes to guide and safeguard its course throughout human history while sovereignly advancing it toward the advent of Christ, whose church now stands as a witness and a symbol of God’s grace for all people.

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