Köstenberger, Benjamin L. Merkle, and Robert L. Plummer have produced an ideal resource enabling students to improve their skills so they may properly read, exegete, and apply the Greek New Testament. Designed for those with a basic knowledge of Greek, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek is a user-friendly textbook for intermediate Greek courses at the college or seminary level. In fifteen chapters, students learn Greek grammar and how to interpret the New Testament in a way that is accessible—and even fun. Also included are chapters on the Greek language and textual criticism, verbal aspect, sentence diagramming and discourse analysis, word studies, and continuing with Greek. Unique features include:Practical examples illustrating how knowing the content of a given chapter can guide proper interpretation of Scripture.Practice sentences and vocabulary lists, including all the words that occur fifteen times or more in the New Testament.Selected texts from every New Testament author for students to translate along with detailed reading notes to guide interpretation of each text.Summary charts to help students review material, serving as a handy study guide and quick reference tool.

    Giving increased attention to issues related to gender, race, and class, the book introduces the Old Testament both as a witness of ancient Israel and as a witness to the church and synagogue through the generations of those who have passed these texts on as Scripture.

    Don't wait--transform your prayer life today. Includes a practical 21-day devotional.

    To read Romans front to back was what Paul certainly intended. But to read Romans forward may have kept the full message of Romans from being perceived. Reading forward has led readers to classify Romans as abstract and systematic theology, as a letter unstained by real pastoral concerns.But what if a different strategy were adopted? Could it be that the secret to understanding the relationship between theology and life, the key to unlocking Romans, is to begin at the letter's end? Scot McKnight does exactly this in Reading Romans Backwards.McKnight begins with Romans 12-16, foregrounding the problems that beleaguered the house churches in Rome. Beginning with the end places readers right in the middle of a community deeply divided between the strong and the weak, each side dug in on their position. The strong assert social power and privilege, while the weak claim an elected advantage in Israel's history. Continuing to work in reverse, McKnight unpacks the big themes of Romans 9-11--God's unfailing, but always surprising, purposes and the future of Israel--to reveal Paul's specific and pastoral message for both the weak and the strong in Rome. Finally, McKnight shows how the widely regarded universal sinfulness of Romans 1-4, which is so often read as simply an abstract soteriological scheme, applies to a particular rhetorical character's sinfulness and has a polemical challenge. Romans 5-8 equally levels the ground with the assertion that both groups, once trapped in a world controlled by sin, flesh, and systemic evil, can now live a life in the Spirit. In Paul's letter, no one gets off the hook but everyone is offered God's grace.Reading Romans Backwards places lived theology in the front room of every Roman house church. It focuses all of Romans--Paul's apostleship, God's faithfulness, and Christ's transformation of humanity--on achieving grace and peace among all people, both strong and weak. McKnight shows that Paul's letter to the Romans offers a sustained lesson on peace, teaching applicable to all divided churches, ancient or modern.

    In it, John Barclay led readers through a recontextualized analysis of grace and interrogated Paul’s original meaning in declaring it a “free gift” from God, revealing grace as a multifaceted concept that is socially radical and unconditioned—even if not unconditional. Paul and the Power of Grace offers all of the most significant contributions from Paul and the Gift in a package several hundred pages shorter and more accessible. Additionally, Barclay adds further analysis of the theme of gift and grace in Paul’s other letters—besides just Romans and Galatians—and explores contemporary implications for this new view of grace.

    For this reason Christians with a sincere desire to understand the roots of the conflict have questioned him for years, prompting him to publish this timely book on the subject. Blood in the Sand takes readers on a journey in time from Abraham, Isaac, and Ishmael to the critical situation we currently face as citizens of the world. Along the way, Pastor Benny shares personal memories of growing up in the region, scriptural prophecies pertaining to the current crisis, and his own heart regarding what he believes is on the horizon.

    But too often he is viewed as an Americanized shepherd boy on a Sunday school felt board or a New Testament saint alongside the Virgin Mary. Not only does this neglect one of the Bible’s most complex stories of sin and redemption; it also bypasses the gritty life lessons inherent in the amazing true story of David.  Mark Rutland shreds the felt-board character, breaks down the sculpted marble statue, and unearths the real David of the Bible. Both noble and wretched, neither a saint nor a monster, at times victorious and other times a failure, David was through it all a man after God’s own heart.

    But there is a way to know who he is. How? Jesus Christ-the divine Person revealed in the Bible-has a unique excellence and a spiritual beauty that speaks directly to our souls and says, Yes, this is truth. It's like seeing the sun and knowing that it is light, or tasting honey and knowing that it is sweet.The depth and complexity of Jesus shatter our simple mental frameworks. He baffled proud scribes with his wisdom but was understood and loved by children. He calmed a raging storm with a word but would not get himself down from the cross.Look at the Jesus of the Bible. Keep your eyes open, and fill them with the portrait of Jesus in God's Word. Jesus said, If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. Ask God for the grace to do his will, and you will see the truth of his Son.John Piper has written this book in the hope that all will see Jesus for who he really is and will come to enjoy him above all else.

    This is the inside story of a momentous archeological discovery: the 1st-century ossuary of Jesus' brother, James, head of the Jerusalem church. Reportedly found just outside ancient Jerusalem, the fragile limestone burial box bears the inscription "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." The ossuary & its inscription are now regarded as authentic by top scholars. They represent the 1st visual, tangible, scientific evidence of Jesus' existence. The implications are monumental for understanding Jesus, his family & the Jewish Christian movement during Christianity's formative years. Hidden for centuries, the ossuary was purchased years ago by an Israeli collector unaware of its importance. Only when the French scholar Andre Lemaire saw the Aramaic inscription in 4/2002 was its significance discovered. In 10/2002, Lemaire announced the news, asserting it was almost certain that the inscription referred to the biblical Jesus, his father Joseph & his brother James. Controversy immediately erupted over the age & authenticity of the inscription. The discovery also rekindled an ancient debate over whether Mary was a virgin--a doctrine still dividing Catholics & Protestants. Hershel Shanks, a central figure of biblical archeology, who led a campaign to make the Dead Sea Scrolls available to the world, recounts the story of the ossuary's discovery & authentication. Ben Witherington III, a New Testament scholar, shows how the discovery reveals surprising facts about a story people thought they knew: How Jesus was raised in a large, religiously conservative Jewish family; how his siblings were skeptical about his claims--until he died; how Jesus' brother James went on to head the Jewish Christian movement in Jerusalem, becoming the leader Peter & Paul looked to for guidance & approval; how James brokered a major church controversy of the 1st century & wrote a biblical book; how he was martyred & written out of history by the Roman Church. The ossuary's discovery allows reacquaintance with the historical figure Paul called a "pillar of the church."

    But this is much more than a discussion of the order in which the gospels were written. Using both internal data from the gospels themselves and an exhaustive and careful examination of the statements of the early church fathers, Dr. Black places each gospel in the context of the early development of Christianity. Though Markan priority is the dominant position still in Biblical scholarship, Dr. Black argues that this position is not based on the best evidence available, that the internal evidence is often given more weight than it deserves and alternative explanations are dismissed or ignored. If you would like an outline of the basis for accepting both early authorship of the gospels and the priority of Matthew, this book is for you.

    Those writings comprise My Time With God, the 365-day devotional that shares powerful insight into Joyce's spiritual reflections and journey. Each daily entry guides readers through a narrative of meditations, an uplifting declaration, and relevant scripture to encourage greater intimacy with God. Including spiritual revelations experienced by one of the world's leading Bible teachers, this book will renew readers' minds, offering assurance of God's complete love and desire for closeness with them.

    In his writing, Luke records the story of God working through Jesus to usher in a new era of promise and Spirit-enablement so that the people of God can be God s people even in the midst of a hostile world. It is a message the church still needs today. Bock both covers major Lukan themes and sets forth the distinctive contribution of Luke-Acts to the New Testament and the canon of Scripture, providing readers with an in-depth and holistic grasp of Lukan theology in the larger context of the Bible.I. Howard Marshall A remarkable achievement that should become the first port of call for students in this central area of New Testament Theology.Craig S. Keener Bock s excellent exploration of Luke s theological approach and themes meets an important need in Lukan theology. "

    In this tradition, Fleming Rutledge here presents seven eloquent meditations on these final sayings of Jesus.Rutledge links the sayings from the cross with contemporary events and concerns, but also incorporates recent biblical scholarship and modern questions about the death of Christ, particularly in light of Mel Gibson's film The Passion of the Christ. Rutledge shows how each word or saying from the Cross affords an opportunity for readers to gain a deeper understanding of the horrific death suffered by Jesus.Intending for this book to lead readers into a genuine devotional experience, Rutledge has made every effort to evoke and preserve the contemplative atmosphere of the three-hour Good Friday memorial. The book includes frequent references to hymns associated with this special day, and each meditation ends with an appropriate hymn text for personal prayer and reflection.

    Whether it’s a good transition like a job promotion or a bad disruption like a devastating health diagnosis, it’s stressful. Gina Brenna Butz shares her personal stories of struggling with change and encourages you to trust God. She writes with compassion as she urges you to rely on God’s goodness, lean on Him for strength, rejoice that He is constant, and ultimately to find satisfaction in Him rather than in circumstances. Scripture helps you see change from the viewpoint of your heavenly Father. You can rest knowing He works all things together for the good of His children, even in seasons of stress-inducing change.