Exploring the Gospel through the Aaronic Blessing
“The LORD bless you and keep you; the LORD make his face to shine upon you,” (Numbers 6:24–25). For centuries, Christians have read these words and received them as a blessing. But have they deeply considered the meaning behind them? What does it mean for God’s face to shine upon his people?
Faces are often referred to as the window to the soul, displaying emotion and providing relational clarity between individuals. This theme of faces reverberates throughout Scripture, first appearing with Adam and Eve and notably surfacing in the Aaronic benediction in Numbers 6.
The Lord Bless You and Keep You explores this benediction to discover the important connection between a person’s face and the face of God―finding that through faces, God shines the light of the gospel upon his people and offers his grace, goodness, and blessing to those who believe in him.
- Examines a Common Biblical Passage: Explores the context, meaning, and purpose of the Aaronic benediction
- Perfect for Laypeople and Church Leaders Alike: Use this book to explore how the Aaronic benediction impacts worship in day-to-day life and within the church
- Interactive: Reflection questions provide an opportunity for discussion in small groups and meditation for individuals
- Offers Insight for Corporate Worship: Pastors and church leaders explore how the Aaronic benediction impacts corporate worship
Atheists often level charges at the God of the Bible as being angry and hateful. They claim that God condones genocide, that He is a cruel and oppressive megalomaniac, but this doesn’t seem to match what Christians claim about Him being a God of love. How can a God who provides and saves also wipe out entire nations?
Dr. Richard Belcher’s addition to the Big Ten series addresses these commonly asked questions. He begins by laying out how God created humanity in His own image, but we chose to reject Him. Our very sense that things are not fair points to the perfect justice of God. Dr. Belcher shows that God’s justice, including expressions of anger against wrongdoing, is compatible with His love and goodness.
Dr. Belcher then tackles specific texts in the Bible that seem to promote genocide and oppression and shows how the God of the Old Testament is the same loving, generous, gracious God that we meet in the person of Jesus Christ.
An excellent read for any who struggle to answer questions about the character of God and for those looking to bolster their faith in the God of the Bible.
Most of the Bible’s verses that occur in Aramaic are in Ezra and Daniel, a linguistic occurrence that developed as a result of Israel’s exile in Babylon. Totaling 269 verses, Aramaic is key language students of the Old Testament will need to master.
Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Second Edition by Dr. Miles V. Van Pelt is designed for students who are already familiar with biblical Hebrew and now want to obtain a working knowledge of biblical Aramaic in a single semester. Thus, the grammar is designed for scholars or comparative linguistic analysis, but for all students who wish to faithfully study, teach, and preach the Old Testament.
Modeled on Dr. Miles Van Pelt’s bestselling Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Basics of Biblical Aramaic, Second Edition includes:
- Thorough explanation of Aramaic’s grammatical conventions
- Chapter exercises
- A complete lexicon of Aramaic words found in the Bible
- An annotated text of all 269 Bible verses originally written in Aramaic
In the second edition the grammar features:
- Two-color scheme for the Aramaic text
- A complete update to secondary sources
- Expanded and revised annotations of the biblical texts in Aramaic
When we’re standing at the gravesite, death gives little closure and leaves many questions unanswered. Despite the common claim that “dying is just a natural part of life,“ people seem to avoid this unsettling subject more than ever. Yet the Bible doesn’t shy away from the reality of death. God’s Word has the answers we need to face the grave with confidence in our risen Redeemer.
In this book, Dr. Guy Waters provides the Bible’s answers to essential questions about death, dying, and what comes after this life. Here is balm for the grieving, counsel for caretakers, and guidance to help God’s people rest in Christ’s victory as we come to life’s final battle.
Bestselling Author Dr. Kevin DeYoung Offers Hope for Those Who Feel Like Christianity Has Become Hopelessly Crushing and Complex
The apostle Paul described the Christian life as a race, but to many believers it feels more like a punishing obstacle course. Fearing they’ll never be able to do enough or give enough or be enough, they see themselves as spiritual failures. But Scripture offers good news: even in ordinary life, Christians can be faithful, fruitful, and pleasing to God.
Impossible Christianity reassures readers that they don’t need to feel a collective sense of guilt for sins in the past and solve every societal problem in the present. Through biblical wisdom and engaging personal stories, Dr. Kevin DeYoung challenges the misconception that we need 40 hours in the day just to be good Christians. By reflecting on what Jesus actually taught about Christian discipleship, readers will be newly encouraged to pursue single-minded devotion to God and find lasting joy in a life of sincere and simple obedience.
- By Bestselling Writer Dr. Kevin DeYoung: Author of books including The Biggest Story; Just Do Something; and Crazy Busy
- Applicable: Written in a conversational tone, this book addresses Christian life issues including guilt, corporate responsibility, personal disciplines, assurance of salvation, and righteousness
- Offers Strength for Weary Christians: Helps believers answer the question, Can we please God and live a happy life in this anxious age?
Applied expository Bible-study guide to 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
We’ve been saved by Jesus… so what’s next? How do we discern good teaching from bad, what does it look like to grow in holiness, and what should our expectations be for the future? Find answers to those questions in the warm, instructive letters Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church.
Pastor and professor Ligon Duncan unpacks these two letters verse by verse, teaching us about Christ’s future return and showing us what it means to live in the light of that, whether we’re new Christians, seasoned ministers of the gospel, or somewhere in between. Along the way we see why Scripture is so important; learn to find reasons for thankfulness; clarify our beliefs about death, judgment, and eternity; and witness Paul’s deeply pastoral attitude toward his readers.
This accessible, absorbing expository guide is less academic and more applied than a traditional commentary. This makes it a great resource for personal devotion, as well as useful for leading small-group studies or for sermon preparation.
Union with Christ is an important theological and practical concept that has received considerable attention in recent years. But not much consideration has been given to this union and its benefits in light of Jesus’s resurrection and ascension.
In this follow-up to his monumental A New Testament Biblical Theology, G.K. Beale summarizes and expands on that work with an eye to fleshing out the theological implications of the resurrection and ascension. Beale explains that Christ’s resurrection and ascension place him as the beginning of the eschatological fulfillment of the new creational kingdom. Specifically, Christ is the fulfillment of a cluster of nineteen Old Testament end-time expectations. These eschatological realities attributed to Christ are imprinted on believers through their dynamic union and identification with him. Through careful exegesis, Beale explores these facets and deliberately draws out important practical applications for everyday Christian living in the overlap of the old creation and the new.
Students of the New Testament will benefit from this important contribution to New Testament theology.
What is Christian Doctrine? This Companion guides students and scholars through the key issues in the contemporary practice of Christian theology. Including twenty-one essays, specially commissioned from an international team of leading theologians, the volume outlines the central features of Christian doctrinal claims and examines leading methods and theological movements. The first part of the book explores the ten most important topics in Christian doctrine, offering a nuanced historical analysis, as well as charting pathways for further development. In the second part, essays address the most significant movements that are reshaping approaches to multiple topics across disciplinary, as well as denominational and ecclesiastical, borders. Incorporating cutting-edge biblical and historical scholarship in theological argument, this Companion serves as an accessible and engaging introduction to the main themes of Christian doctrine. It will also guide theologians through a growing literature that is increasingly diverse and pluriform.
What can we do to ensure that we do not distort, dilute, or diminish the truths surrounding Christ’s birth? The simplest answer is to meditate upon the scriptural accounts of Christ’s birth―examine every detail so we can insulate our hearts from the world’s efforts to silence the gospel as well as our own tendencies to forget the reason for the season. This small reflection is a collection of 15 years of preaching with the singular message of not losing sight of the real meaning of the birth of Christ. The Birth of Christ is applicable both during the Christmas season and throughout the year for every Christian to refocus upon Christ―the reason for the season.
The Gospel of Luke is a wonderfully detailed account of the ministry and miracles of Jesus Christ. What many readers don’t realize is that Luke, who was likely a Gentile, wrote his Gospel with a thorough knowledge of the Old Testament—pointing to Jesus’s life, ministry, and death as the culmination of Old Testament expectations and prophecy.
In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, Benjamin L. Gladd explains the dominant biblical-theological themes in the Gospel of Luke, including the defeat of evil, peace in heaven and earth, the incorporation of the nations, and the kingdom of God. This resource is perfect for those looking to dig deeper into studying the interconnectedness of Scripture.
The First Chapters uncovers the origins of the first paragraph or chapter divisions in copies of the Christian Scriptures. Its focal point is the magnificent, fourth-century Codex Vaticanus (Vat.gr. 1209; B 03), perhaps the single most significant ancient manuscript of the Bible, and the oldest material witness to what may be the earliest set of numbered chapter divisions of the Bible. The First Chapters tells the history of textual division, starting from when copies of Greek literary works used virtually no spaces, marks, or other graphic techniques to assist the reader. It explores the origins of other numbering systems, like the better-known Eusebian Canons, but its theme is the first set of numbered chapters in Codex Vaticanus, what nineteenth-century textual critic Samuel P. Tregelles labelled the Capitulatio Vaticana. It demonstrates that these numbers were not, as most have claimed, late additions to the codex but belonged integrally to its original production. The First Chapters then breaks new ground by showing that the Capitulatio Vaticana has real precursors in some much earlier manuscripts. It thus casts light on a long, continuous tradition of scribally-placed, visual guides to the reading and interpreting of Scriptural books. Finally, The First Chapters exposes abundant new evidence that this early system for marking the sense-divisions of Scripture has played a much greater role in the history of exegesis than has previously been imaginable.
Are churches looking for the wrong kind of leaders? The last decade has witnessed a rising number of churches wrecked by spiritual abuse–harsh, heavy-handed, domineering behavior from those in a position of spiritual authority. And high-profile cases are only a small portion of this widespread problem. Behind the scenes are many more cases of spiritual abuse that we will never hear about. Victims suffer in silence, not knowing where to turn.
Of course, most pastors and leaders are godly, wonderful people who don’t abuse their sheep. They shepherd their flocks gently and patiently. But we can’t ignore the growing number who do not. We have tolerated and even celebrated the kind of leaders Jesus warned us against.
We need gentle shepherds now more than ever, and in Bully Pulpit, seminary president and biblical scholar Michael J. Kruger offers a unique perspective for both church leaders and church members on the problem of spiritual abuse, how to spot it, and how to handle it in the church.
Traditional semantic description of Ancient Greek prepositions has struggled to synthesize the varied and seemingly arbitrary uses into something other than a disparate, sometimes overlapping list of senses. The Cognitive Linguistic approach of prototype theory holds that the meanings of a preposition are better explained as a semantic network of related senses that radially extend from a primary, spatial sense. These radial extensions arise from contextual factors that affect the metaphorical representation of the spatial scene that is profiled. Building upon the Cognitive Linguistic descriptions of Bortone (2009) and Luraghi (2009), linguists, biblical scholars, and Greek lexicographers apply these developments to offer more in-depth descriptions of select postclassical Greek prepositions and consider the exegetical and lexicographical implications of these findings. This volume will be of interest to those studying or researching the Greek of the New Testament seeking more linguistically-informed description of prepositional semantics, particularly with a focus on the exegetical implications of choice among seemingly similar prepositions in Greek and the challenges of potentially mismatched translation into English.
Discover the rich theology of Neo-Calvinism.
Abraham Kuyper and Herman Bavinck sparked a theological tradition in the Netherlands that came to be known as Neo-Calvinism. While studies in Neo-Calvinism have focused primarily on its political and philosophical insights, its theology has received less attention.
In Neo-Calvinism: A Theological Introduction, Cory C. Brock and N. Gray Sutanto present the unique dogmatic contributions of the tradition. Each chapter focuses on a distinct theological aspect, such as revelation, creation, salvation, and ecclesiology. Neo-Calvinism produced rich theological work that yields promise for contemporary dogmatics. This book invites readers into this rich theological trajectory.
Healthy doctrines of justification and regeneration have always been essential to the Christian’s faith and knowledge of God. In the context of 18th century Great Britain and its American Colonies, few treatments were as highly regarded as John Witherspoon’s An Essay on Justification and A Practical Treatise on Regeneration, both reprinted in this volume. Providing a careful summary of Witherspoon’s life and thought, Kevin DeYoung’s introduction and notes are an invaluable guide to these classic works. Justification and Regeneration is both milk and solid food for the Christian–an incisive study of the converted person’s standing before God, along with a pastoral exploration of the power of that conversion.
