Who is the God of the gospel?
Robert W. Jenson’s way of answering this question, according to Scott Swain, hinges on the nature of the relationship between God in himself and the redemptive events through which God becomes our God.
Swain first locates Jenson’s pursuit of a relentlessly “evangelical” understanding of God in the broader history of trinitarian theology after Karl Barth, before carefully and sympathetically unpacking Jenson’s doctrine of the Trinity. For Jenson, one of today’s most prominent theologians, the answer to the question, “Who is the God of the gospel?” may be summarized as, “The one who raised Jesus from the dead.” Swain then offers a constructive evaluation of Jenson’s account of the mutually constitutive character of God’s intrinsic identity and saving acts.
Although critical of many of Jenson’s trinitarian reinterpretations, Swain remains attentive to Jenson’s concerns and insights. In the process, Swain sheds new light on what it means for the ecumenical trinitarian tradition to advocate a truly evangelical doctrine of the Trinity in the wake of the twentieth-century recasting of the identity of the God of the gospel.
“Christian doctrine matters for Christian living. This is one of the most important growth points of the Christian life,” writes Sinclair B. Ferguson. From this starting point, The Christian Life expounds such key biblical themes as grace, faith, repentance, new birth and assurance with clarity and contagious enthusiasm. “Christian doctrines are life-shaping,” explains the author, “because they show us the God we worship. Widely used and appreciated since its first appearance, The Christian Life not only expounds the teaching of Scripture, but outlines its meaning for practical Christian living. It is, as J.I. Packer writes in his preface, theology that is “practical, applying Bible teaching with insight and wisdom to the condition of plain people. Christian beginners will get the benefit and the Lord’s older sheep, grown tough and stringy maybe, will find themselves edified and perhaps tenderized too.”
There is perhaps no Christian virtue more undervalued than intentionality. Although we know God calls us to be set apart as followers of Jesus Christ, that is, to march to a different drummer, we find ourselves not at all very different from the world around us. Living Intentionally before God is a summons to redeem the quality of being intentional—of being purposeful—in all areas of our lives as we seek to live before the Audience of One.
Christ-Centered Biblical Counseling is a comprehensive guide that will equip God’s people to use biblical truth to change lives. More than that, this book will increase people’s confidence in the sufficiency and relevancy of God’s Word to address real-life issues in a multitude of counseling situations. Readers of this book will:
- Understand clearly why they should embrace biblical counseling
- Be encouraged to trust God’s Word to provide rich insight for living in the midst of even the most difficult challenges
- Enjoy the relevant, pastoral, and theological teaching they have come to appreciate from such noted authors as James MacDonald, John Piper, Mark Dever, and Elyse Fitzpatrick
The 28 chapters blend theological wisdom and practical expertise. The first half of the book emphasizes a practical theology of biblical counseling; the second half highlights a practical methodology of biblical counseling.
Though accessible to all Christians, the book will especially appeal to pastors and church leaders, counseling practitioners, students, and educators.
This collection of essays integrates scholarly and scriptural interpretations, Eastern Orthodox biblical scholarship, together with biblical interpretations throughout church history. Unlike the Western interpretations that read Romans in terms of theological anthropology, the Greek Fathers do not presuppose such a concept and therefore each of the articles in this volume invites Western scholars and students to re-read Paul’s letter with new eyes: with a greater sensitivity to the nuances of the Greek text; with an openness to envision what Paul is saying from very different theological and hermeneutical perspectives; and with the awareness that the Greek Fathers addressed particular contextual issues of their time.
Has the Old Testament Psalter been purposefully arranged? Does this arrangement convey an overall message? This book enters into the growing discussion regarding the canonical arrangement of the Psalms by examining Book IV (Pss 90-106) and considering the book’s overall theological and thematic message within the literary context of the Psalter.
This book contends that Psalms 90-106 were purposely arranged as a rejoinder to the previous three books, in response to the rise and fall of Davidic kingship charted in Books I-III, and examines how Psalms 90-106 may have been purposely organized as a collection. The theological and thematic emphases that dominate the book are also considered, offering a holistic understanding for what has happened to Israel in the exile and why. In particular, this study focuses on the employment of the three key figures of Moses, King YHWH and David in Book IV. These psalmic, literary voices each speak to the crisis of exile in their own way and this study highlights how each voice addresses different aspects related to Israel’s exile. Book IV is intended to re-align the post-exilic audience s worshipping response to their position as the covenant people of God after exile. Thus, this study seeks to provide further reason for seeing a broad editorial hand behind the final redaction of the Psalter.
Only one hermeneutical text published prior to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis can be held up reasonably to its measure of quality and the exhaustive nature of the research that produced this immense work. That singular collection worthy of comparison is its counterpart, the New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, edited by Colin Brown. This 5 volume addition to that acclaimed work, though intimidating in the achievement it embodies, is intended for serious Old Testament and exegetical study by men and women of all walks of life — both academics and pastors, students and laypersons. Volume one contains a Guide to Old Testament Theology and Exegesis in which ten essays have been compiled to thoroughly explain proper hermeneutics and interpretation, as well as guidelines for using this source material. Volumes one through four contain the Lexicon of the Old Testament, all words found in the text ordered by Hebrew alphabetization for easy reference, and coupled with a Goodrick / Kohlenberger cross-referencing number to be used in conjunction with Strong’s numbering system. The relationship of each word in different contexts and languages is also explained, including alternative words, and the particulars of their semantic domain. All this information is, of course, complete with bibliography. Volume four also begins the Topical Dictionary. Therein can be found articles on the theology of each Old Testament book individually, as well as discussion of biblical concepts, people, places, events, and literary pieces, all information that is cross-referenced to the preceding Hebraic Lexicon. Finally, volume five contains a series of indexes: Hebrew Index, Scripture Index, Subject Index, and an index of Semantic Fields. Taken as a whole, the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis is an unparalleled accomplishment in the field of biblical hermeneutics.
The book of Ruth has been called an ancient ‘biblical Cinderella story’ in which Ruth finds her prince: a rags-to-riches fairy tale. It is a wonderful short story. Many people throughout the ages have been touched by the sweetness and kindness so evident in the episode. Yet, as Peter Barnes observes, though the author does not push too much Boaz as a type of Christ, there is much of Christ in the commentary. John Currid looks at key themes within the book: the cost of obedience, the sovereignty of God, faithful living and redemption. The background is laid out – in the time of the Judges – as a time of degeneracy in the history of Israel. The focus then moves to one family within Israel, their move to Moab, the sadnesses there, the return home and God’s wonderful working to turn bitterness into joy. The author uses his great knowledge of Hebrew to enhance the reader’s understanding of the book.
No true Christian wants to keep on sinning. Yet the battle seems unwinnable. For every slain opponent two more emerge from the shadows. And to make matters worse, an endless stream of pundits are on hand with conflicting combat tactics: ‘Try harder. Do more.’ ‘It’s a matter of mind over matter.’ ‘Imitate Christ. Ask, What would Jesus Do?’ ‘Take a break. Even if you yield to every known sin, you’re still a winner because Christ has forgiven everything.’
In the Bible we find a more coherent and realistic approach to growing in holiness. Victory over sin does not come to the spiritual sluggard. Effort is essential. Even so, self-transformation is not possible. ‘Sanctification is by faith alone in Christ alone.’ The gospel is not just for day one of the Christian life; it’s for the whole journey.
How do we grow in holiness? We grow through the word of God and prayer and sacraments. This book will help us find the benefits of growing in Christ for which there is no substitute.
Justification is not a relic of the past – it has direct relevance to us as Christians today. We often struggle with the thought of justification because of human pride; “I can’t be that bad” and so justification is often undermined, wrongly presented or just plain ignored. Scripture though, is brutally clear: we have a real problem – the prospect of our lives marred by wrong-doing being laid out before an almighty God who is pure and will not forever let wrong go unpunished. We can’t earn our way out of our predicament – as this is just “rubbish” according to the apostle Paul. We need something else, someone who can take the hit we so richly deserve – leaving us to be declared innocent instead.
This volume addresses many of the questions surrounding Paul and his social relations, including how to define and analyze such relations, their relationship to Paul’s historical and social context, how Paul related to numerous friends and foes, and the implications for understanding Paul’s letters as well as his theology.
Genesis provides us with a foundation for correctly understanding the world. Within Genesis, the character and the role of human beings within the world God has created is revealed. In reading Genesis we find on every occasion, in his dealings with mankind, God steps in by his grace and demonstrates that he is in control.
This concise guide by a leading New Testament scholar helps readers understand how to better study the multitude of Old Testament references in the New Testament. G. K. Beale, coeditor of the bestselling Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, focuses on the “how to” of interpreting the New Testament use of the Old Testament, providing students and pastors with many of the insights and categories necessary for them to do their own exegesis. Brief enough to be accessible yet thorough enough to be useful, this handbook will be a trusted guide for all students of the Bible.
Biblical Hebrew: A Compact Guide offers a one-stop guide for those who have taken first-year Hebrew to refresh the memory on language forms, grammar, and word meanings. Students who are in second-year Hebrew courses can use this reference resource to assist them in the identification of words in the biblical text and the way they are used in sentences.
Ultimately, this inexpensive reference gives the most important information on biblical Hebrew grammar.
The Bible teaches us that Christians are those who believe in Christ. But what does true saving faith look like? Is it a blind leap in the dark? Is it knowing about God? Does it translate into something that those around us can see? How much faith is enough?
Here Christian faith is examined from biblical, theological, and historical perspectives. Its aspects of intellect, relationship, trust, works, and maturity are explored to answer these questions and to show us what faith truly is.
Basics of the Faith booklets introduce readers to basic Reformed doctrine and practice. On issues of church government and practice they reflect that framework–otherwise they are suitable for all church situations.
The investigation of union with Christ and justification has been dominated by the figure of John Calvin. Calvin’s influence, however, has been exaggerated in our own day. Theologians within the Early Modern Reformed tradition contributed to the development of these doctrines and did not view Calvin as the normative theologian of the tradition. John V. Fesko, therefore, goes beyond Calvin and explores union with Christ and justification in the Reformation, Early Orthodox, and High Orthodox periods of the Reformed tradition and covers lesser known but equally important figures such as Juan de Valdes, Peter Martyr Vermigli, Girolamo Zanchi, William Perkins, John Owen, Francis Turretin, and Herman Witsius. The study also covers theologians that either lie outside or transgress the Reformed tradition, such as Martin Luther, Philip Melanchthon, Faustus Socinus, Jacob Arminius, and Richard Baxter. By treating this diverse body of figures the study reveals areas of agreement and diversity on these two doctrines. The author demonstrates that among the diverse formulations, all surveyed Reformed theologians accord justification priority over sanctification within the broader rubric of union with Christ. Fesko shows that Reformed theologians affirm both union with Christ and the golden chain of salvation, ideas that moderns find incompatible. In sum, rather than reading an individual theologian isolated from his context, this study provides a contextual reading of union with Christ and justification in the Early Modern Reformed context.
