Photo by Lyla Dietz
JACKSON–John Oswalt, visiting distinguished professor of Old Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary, spoke at Union University about God’s covenant with the Israelites and how it helped them learn about God’s character.
“If you remember nothing else from these four hours, remember this: obedience to the covenant is not the way to God, but it defines the walk with God,” Oswalt said.
Oswalt was the plenary speaker at Union’s 13th annual Bible Conference presented by the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies, which took place March 21-22. The theme of Oswalt’s teachings was “The Bible and Holiness: How Scripture Works Transformation in Our Lives.” He spoke in four sessions expounding on this idea with the second session exploring “How the Israelites Learned about God’s Character.”
Oswalt talked about the covenants that God made with Noah and Abram before discussing the Sinai Covenant that God made with the Israelites after he brought them out of Egypt. He emphasized that having a law code in the covenant with God changes the reason for obedience from one of fear of consequences to one of a desire to please God because he has redeemed his people.
“Suddenly ethics is no longer a civic thing, it’s a religious thing,” Oswalt said, “and ethics now become absolute.”
Oswalt went on to speak about Exodus 19 in which God prepares the Israelites to accept the covenant intellectually, volitionally and affectively. He also gave a breakdown of the chapters in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers that outline the covenant between God and the Israelites.
“So, why does God deliver us from the bondage of sin and its consequences of eternal separation from him through Jesus?” Oswalt asked. “Because he wants to walk with us. Deliverance is not the end. Deliverance is the means to the end, and the end, an eternity-long walk with [God].”
Nicholas Bitterling, Union’s transfer coordinator and international enrollment counselor in undergraduate admissions, was in attendance and enjoyed how Oswalt dove into the nature of God.
“I think that the most valuable thing he’s said this weekend so far is how he stressed the dichotomy of God’s personal nature as well as his transcendent nature,” Bitterling said. “The fact that he is above everything but at the same time he deeply cares for us.”
Two other sessions, led by Michael McEwen, pastor of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Trenton, Tenn., Justin Wainscott, associate dean of the School of Theology and Missions, and David King, senior pastor of Concord Baptist Church in Chattanooga, Tenn., addressed how pastors can preach Christ from the Old Testament and how laypeople can read the Bible well for understanding and teaching.
The conference also included four parallel sessions on interpreting and applying the Bible, which were taught by Mark Catlin, Mark Dubis and Matt Albanese, professors in Union’s School of Theology and Missions, and King.
Part of Union’s Scripture Reading Marathon 2025 also took place during the conference as this six-day event lasted from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 11-13 and March 18-20. Dozens of volunteers read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation during this event on the Great Lawn, which speaks to the heart of Union University as a whole.
“It says that the Scripture is the center of who we are,” said Ray Van Neste, dean of Union’s School of Theology and Missions and vice president for university ministries. “We want to conform everything we do to the Scripture. The integration of faith and learning can sound abstract. What we mean by ‘the faith’ is ‘all that the Bible says.’ We are always seeking, however imperfectly, to root everything we do in the Scriptures, to have everything we do be shaped by the Scriptures.”
