"True and absolute freedom is only found in the presence of God."--A.W. Tozer Deep in the soul of every person on earth is a longing for the presence of God. But how do we get there? Experiencing the Presence of God is a never-before-published collection of teachings from A.W. Tozer on the book of Hebrews that shows us the way. Tozer, the renowned pastor and theologian, challenges our status quo, invites us to explore a fresh understanding of what it means to dwell in God's presence, and leads us to experience the divine fulfillment for which we were created! As Tozer says, "We should come to church not anticipating entertainment but expecting the high and holy manifestation of God's presence. . . . Worship is not some performance we do, but a presence we experience." Come alongside Tozer and enter into God's presence right now.

After he had washed the disciples' feet, Jesus said, "Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." The second half of the Gospel of John, sometimes called the most "theological" of the Gospels, includes John's account of Jesus' final night with his disciples, his betrayal and arrest, his crucifixion, his resurrection, and his appearances to his disciples. When the Reformers of the sixteenth century turned to the fourth Gospel, they found a multitude of theological treasures: a clear affirmation of the full divinity of Christ; insights into the relationships among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; and guidance for the church in their time. For example, John Calvin claimed, "This Gospel is a key to open the door for understanding the rest; for whoever shall understand the power of Christ, as it is here strikingly portrayed, will afterwards read with advantage what the others relate about the Redeemer who was manifested." In this volume of the Reformation Commentary on Scripture, church historian Christopher Boyd Brown guides readers through a diversity of early modern commentary on chapters 13-21 of the Gospel of John. Readers will hear from familiar voices and discover lesser-known figures from a range of theological traditions, including Lutherans, Reformed, Radicals, Anglicans, and Roman Catholics. Drawing upon a variety of resources-including commentaries, sermons, treatises, and confessions-much of which appears here for the first time in English, this volume provides resources for contemporary preachers, enables scholars to better understand the depth and breadth of Reformation commentary, and seeks to encourage all those who desire to love as Jesus loves.

1 Peter is a significant letter, seen by many scholars to be an ecumenical bridge and anchor. It is first and foremost about the transformative joy of faith in Jesus Christ. This commentary offers a close reading of the text from beginning to end, drawing on a multiplicity of voices and engaging in a number of foundational themes for the Christian community according to the apostolic author: hope, holiness, suffering, joy, witness, hospitality, exile, resurrection, leadership. Tackling the themes raised by the epistle including slavery, exile and refugees, patriarchy, hierarchy, oppression, gender justice, and the risk of hospitality, the book engages with these topics not only through commentary, but also through short excursuses which draw the reader more deeply into some of the difficult questions. Designed as the official commentary resource for the Lambeth Conference in 2020, and structured around the themes of the conference, the book offers a unique range of perspectives on an oft-overlooked epistle. With contributions from an impressive range of scholars including Paula Gooder, Emma Ineson, Paul Swarup, Musa Dube, Craig Keener, and Kwok Pui Lan, it will provide an important resource for anyone studying, teaching, or preaching from the letter.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship. Overview of Commentary Organization Introduction-covers issues pertaining to the whole book, including context, date, authorship, composition, interpretive issues, purpose, and theology. Each section of the commentary includes: Pericope Bibliography-a helpful resource containing the most important works that pertain to each particular pericope. Translation-the author's own translation of the biblical text, reflecting the end result of exegesis and attending to Hebrew and Greek idiomatic usage of words, phrases, and tenses, yet in reasonably good English. Notes-the author's notes to the translation that address any textual variants, grammatical forms, syntactical constructions, basic meanings of words, and problems of translation. Form/Structure/Setting-a discussion of redaction, genre, sources, and tradition as they concern the origin of the pericope, its canonical form, and its relation to the biblical and extra-biblical contexts in order to illuminate the structure and character of the pericope. Rhetorical or compositional features important to understanding the passage are also introduced here. Comment-verse-by-verse interpretation of the text and dialogue with other interpreters, engaging with current opinion and scholarly research. Explanation-brings together all the results of the discussion in previous sections to expose the meaning and intention of the text at several levels: (1) within the context of the book itself; (2) its meaning in the OT or NT; (3) its place in the entire canon; (4) theological relevance to broader OT or NT issues. General Bibliography-occurring at the end of each volume, this extensive bibliographycontains all sources used anywhere in the commentary.

"Celebrating the Lord's Supper," says award-winning author and theologian J. Todd Billings, "can change lives." In this book Billings shows how a renewed theology and practice of the Lord's Supper can lead Christians to rediscover the full richness and depth of the gospel. With an eye for helping congregations move beyond common reductions of the gospel, he develops a vibrant, biblical, and distinctly Reformed sacramental theol-ogy and explores how it might apply within a variety of church contexts, from Baptist to Presbyterian, nondenominational to Anglican. At once strikingly new and deeply traditional, Remembrance, Communion, and Hope will surprise and challenge readers, inspiring them to a new understanding of-and appreciation for-the embodied, Christ-disclosing drama of the Lord's Supper.

Love's Forgiveness combines a discussion of the nature and ethics of forgiveness with a discussion-inspired by Kierkegaard-of the implications of considering interpersonal forgiveness as a 'work of love'. It introduces the reader to some key questions that have exercised recent philosophers of forgiveness, discussing the relationship between forgiveness and an extended notion of resentment; considering whether forgiveness should be conditional or unconditional (showcasing a particular understanding of the latter); and arguing that there are legitimate forms of third party forgiveness. It then introduces the idea of forgiveness as a work of love through a discussion of Kierkegaard, key New Testament passages on forgiveness, and some contemporary work on the philosophy of love. Drawing on both philosophy and the New Testament, it offers an understanding of forgiveness that incorporates both agapic love and a proper concern for justice. John Lippitt explores religious and secular uses of key metaphors for forgiveness, and the idea of forgivingness as a character trait, suggesting that seeking to correct for various cognitive biases is key to the development of such a virtue, and connecting it to other putative virtues, such as humility and hope. Lippitt draws on both Kierkegaard's discourse literature and contemporary philosophical work on these latter characteristics, before turning to a discussion of the nature of self-forgiveness. Throughout the book, the philosophical and theological literature is rooted in a discussion of various 'forgiveness narratives', including Helen Prejean's Dead Man Walking, Thordis Elva and Tom Stranger's South of Forgiveness, and Ian McEwan's Atonement.

Although Jesus' parables may seem simple on the surface, they convey deep and complex truths about God's Kingdom. The parables Jesus uses in his teaching aren't merely illustrations or moral tales. They are intricate stories that reveal the mysteries central to the kingdom of God. In this volume of the Not Your Average Bible Study series, John D. Barry unravels the many layers of Jesus' parables, showing us the radical truths contained within. With an eye toward practical application and personal reflection, this Bible study is the perfect way to study the teachings of Jesus on your own or in a group.

Many who study biblical Greek despair of being able to use it routinely, but veteran instructor Rodney Whitacre says there is hope! By learning to read Greek slowly, students can become fluent one passage at a time and grasp the New Testament in its original language. Whitacre explains how to practice meditation on Scripture (lectio divina) in Greek, presenting a workable way to make Greek useful in life and ministry. Ideal for classroom use and for group or individual study, this book helps students advance their knowledge of Greek and equips them to read the original texts with fluency and depth.

Journey to the Manger explores the New Testament's various accounts of the birth of Jesus: their origins in Old Testament prophecies, the genealogies, the angelic announcements, the journeys and arrivals, and the aftermath of Jesus' birth for the powerful and the poor alike. Although many biblical scholars have puzzled over historical details in the accounts, Paula Gooder argues that doing this risks missing the point. Engaging seriously with biblical and historical criticism, she uncovers key similarities running through the Gospel writers' accounts and focuses on their shared understanding of the significant events they describe. Her detailed exploration of the texts is a goldmine for preaching and teaching, and will breath new life into the familiar Christmas stories heard year after year in churches, carol services and nativity plays. Devotional reflections and discussion questions also make this ideal for personal and group study. Biblical Explorations is an exciting series from bestselling author and scholar Paula Gooder that offers an accessible and informed study of the best loved texts in Scripture. Rooted in the conviction that greater understanding of the Bible leads to deeper discipleship, it is an essential resource for preachers, teachers and study group leaders, as well as those who simply wish to get to know the Bible better.

The letter of James is a much loved epistle in the New Testament. People warm to its seemingly practical nature as it instructs us in the nuts and bolts of the Christian life. However, it is not an easy letter to preach and teach. People struggle to see how the letter fits together and are confused about its overall theme and purpose. This is where Teaching James will prove to be of great assistance. Mervyn Eloff will guide you through the intricate detail of the letter whilst never losing sight of the overall theme and purpose of this dynamic Bible book. A book that is as potent and challenging today as it was when the dispersed Christians read it in the First Century.

In recent decades Giorgio Agamben, Alain Badiou, and Slavoj Zizek have shown the centrality of Paul to western political and philosophical thought and made the Apostle a central figure in left-wing discourses far removed from traditional theological circles. Yet the recovery of Paul beyond Christian theology owes a great deal to the writings of the Jewish rabbi and philosopher Jacob Taubes (1923-1987). Pauline Ugliness shows how Paul became an effective tool for Taubes to position himself within European philosophical debates of the twentieth century. Drawing on Nietzsche's polemical readings of the ancient apostle as well as Freud's psychoanalysis, Taubes developed an imaginative and distinct account of political theology in confrontations with Carl Schmitt, Theodor Adorno, Hans Blumenberg, and others. In a powerful reconsideration of the apostle, Taubes contested the conventional understanding of Paul as the first Christian who broke definitively with Judaism and drained Christianity of its political potential. As a Jewish rabbi steeped in a philosophical tradition marked by European Christianity, Taubes was, on the contrary, able to emphasize Paul's Jewishness as well as the political explosiveness of his revolutionary doctrine of the cross. This book establishes Taubes's account of Paul as a turning point in the development of political theology. Loland shows how Taubes identified the Pauline movement as the birth of a politics of ugliness, the invention of a revolutionary criticism of the 'beautiful' culture of the powerful that sides instead with the oppressed.

The "New York Times" bestselling author uncovers the essential message of Jesus, locked inside his most familiar parable.
"Newsweek" called "New York Times" bestselling author Timothy Keller a "C.S. Lewis for the twenty-first century" in a feature on his first book, "The Reason for God." In that book, he offered a rational explanation for why we should believe in God. Now, in "The Prodigal God," Keller takes his trademark intellectual approach to understanding Christianity and uses the parable of the Prodigal Son to reveal an unexpected message of hope and salvation.
Within that parable Jesus reveals God's prodigal grace toward both the irreligious and the moralistic. This book will challenge both the devout and skeptics to see Christianity in a whole new way.

The cross. Can you turn any direction without seeing one? Perched atop a chapel. Carved into a graveyard headstone. Engraved in a ring or suspended on a chain. The cross is the universal symbol of Christianity. An odd choice, don't you think? Strange that a tool of torture would come to embody a movement of hope. Would you wear a tiny electric chair around your neck? Suspend a gold-plated hangman's noose on the wall? Would you print a picture of a firing squad on a business card? Yet we do so with the cross. Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no farther than the cross itself. Its design couldn't be simpler. One beam horizontal-the other vertical. One reaches out-like God's love. The other reaches up-as does God's holiness. One represents the width of His love; the other reflects the height of His holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His children without lowering His standards. How could He do this? In a sentence: God put our sin on His Son and punished it there. "God put on him the wrong who never did anything wrong, so we could be put right with God" (2 Corinthians 5:21 MSG). Or as rendered elsewhere: "Christ never sinned! But God treated him as a sinner, so that Christ could make us acceptable to God" (CEV). Envision the moment. God on His throne. You on the earth. And between you and God, suspended between you and heaven, is Christ on His cross. Your sins have been placed on Jesus. God, who punishes sin, releases His rightful wrath on your mistakes. Jesus receives the blow. Since Christ is between you and God, you don't. The sin is punished, but you are safe-safe in the shadow of the cross. This is what God did, but why, why would He do it? Moral duty? Heavenly obligation? Paternal requirement? No. God is required to do nothing. Besides, consider what He did. Just for you He gave His Son. His only Son. Would you do that? Would you offer the life of your child for someone else? I wouldn't. There are those for whom I would give my life. But ask me to make a list of those for whom I would kill my daughter? The sheet will be blank. I don't need a pencil. The list has no names. But God's list contains the name of every person who ever lived. For this is the scope of His love. And this is the reason for the cross. He loves the world. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16 NLT). As boldly as the center beam proclaims God's holiness, the crossbeam declares His love. And, oh, how wide His love reaches. Aren't you glad the verse does not read: "For God so loved the rich..."? Or, "For God so loved the famous..."? Or, "For God so loved the thin..."? It doesn't. Nor does it state, "For God so loved the Europeans or Africans..." "the sober or successful..." "the young or the old..." No, when we read John 3:16, we simply (and happily) read, "For God so loved the world." How wide is God's love? Wide enough for the whole world. Are you included in the world? Then you are included in God's love. God's love is just for you. It's nice to be included. You aren't always. Universities exclude you if you aren't smart enough. Businesses exclude you if you aren't qualified enough, and, sadly, some churches exclude you if you aren't good enough. But though they may exclude you, Christ includes you. When asked to describe the width of His love, He stretched one hand to the right and the other to the left and had them nailed in that position so you would know He died loving you. But isn't there a limit? Surely there has to be an end to this love. You'd think so, wouldn't you? But David the adulterer never found it. Paul the murderer never found it. Peter the liar never found it. When it came to life, they hit bottom. But when it came to God's love, they never did. They, like you, found their names on God's list of love. Because God loves you, He has invited you to enjoy eternal life with Him in Heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6 NIV). Jesus made a way to accept God's invitation, and He did it just for you. Accept God's invitation by believing that Jesus received the punishment for your sin by His death on the cross. Confess that you've sinned and ask His forgiveness. Invite Him into your life and ask for God's help to turn from your sin. You can pray something like this: Dear God, I admit that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. Thank You for sending Jesus to suffer the punishment deserved for my sin. Please come into my life and help me live a life that pleases You. Amen. If you have just accepted God's invitation to you, write your name below as a testimony of your decision. Then write to us and we'll send you free literature to help you grow in your new life with Christ. Excerpted from He Chose the Nails: What God Did to Win Your Heart by Max Lucado. (c)2000 Max Lucado. Used by permission of Word Publishing, Nashville, TN.

The Promised One arrived. But the man they'd been looking for looked nothing like they-or anyone else-expected, and now they have to face the consequences. The Legacy includes four books of the New Testament: Matthew, Hebrews, James, and Jude, all written from the perspective of Jesus' own community and family. He shook up their worlds, and he is still doing it today. Eternity Now reveals the history-shaping story of how Jesus Christ changed the world and what that means to you. This reader-friendly series presents the New Testament books across five paperback volumes to make it easy to carry anywhere and read anytime. Volume 1: The Legacy-Matthew, Hebrews, James, Jude Volume 2: No Going Back-Mark, 1-2 Peter Volume 3: Grand Tour-Books of Luke: Luke, Acts Volume 4: Death to Life-Books of Paul: Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1-2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon Volume 5: Now But Not Yet- Books of John: John, 1-3 John, Revelation

They're two men on a mission, some thirty years apart, and their time is running out. For Jesus, he has just three-and-a-half years to do all that was promised: Traveling. Teaching. Healing. Performing miracles. There's not a moment to waste. For his protege Peter, the sting of betraying his master has marked his life. His second chance is coming, and this time he will not fail. No Going Back includes the New Testament books of Mark, First Peter, and Second Peter. Paired together, you get a fast-paced and passionate account of Jesus' ministry and the effect it had on his most prominent disciple. Eternity Now reveals the history-shaping story of how Jesus Christ changed the world and what that means to you. This reader-friendly series presents the New Testament books across five paperback volumes to make it easy to carry anywhere and read anytime.

For Luke, the details matter. He's a physician after all. Lives depend on his knowledge. There can be no doubt that what he shares is true because Jesus has changed everything. Because of Jesus, people are changed. Families are changed. Nations are changed. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus sent shock waves throughout the world; waves still felt to this day. Grand Tour includes the New Testament books of Luke and Acts. Read together, these books illustrate the healing mission of Christ from prophecy through ascension and how the life-altering good news began to spread worldwide. Eternity Now reveals the history-shaping story of how Jesus Christ changed the world and what that means to you. This reader-friendly series presents the New Testament books across five paperback volumes to make it easy to carry anywhere and read anytime.

Paul had studied the Scriptures his whole life and had them down cold. Or so he thought until his blinding encounter changed his entire view. Now he's on a mission to tell the truth: he had it all wrong. Freedom has come-hope has arrived. Death to Life includes the New Testament books written by the apostle Paul. In them he clarifies the gospel, what it means, and how to live firmly rooted in the truth no matter what. Eternity Now reveals the history-shaping story of how Jesus Christ changed the world and what that means to you. This reader-friendly series presents the New Testament books across five paperback volumes to make it easy to carry anywhere and read anytime.

"Come and you will see." Starting with that unexpected invitation, John sees with his own eyes and hears with his own ears unimaginable yet undeniable things. All he knows for sure: the key is this man, Jesus. Now but Not Yet includes the New Testament books written by the apostle John, who confidently proclaims today's saving faith in Jesus, the Son of God, and hope for a glorious future with him. Eternity Now reveals the history-shaping story of how Jesus Christ changed the world and what that means to you. This reader-friendly series presents the New Testament books across five paperback volumes to make it easy to carry anywhere and read anytime.

The call to live a Godly life... Follow Dr. Jeremiah through the letters of 1 and 2 Peter in a chapter-by-chapter study that will help you understand what it meant to the people at the time it was written, and what it means to Christians today. Peter-one of Jesus' closest disciples-composed two short letters to Jewish and Gentile believers who were suffering persecution. He offers encouragement and instructions on perseverance and holy, righteous living. He teaches that God can actually use hardships to strengthen Christians and their witness. Each of this study's twelve lessons is clearly organized to include: Getting Started: An opening question to introduce you to the lesson. Setting the Stage: A short reflection to explain the context of the study. Exploring the Text: The Scripture reading for the lesson with related study questions. Reviewing the Story: Questions to help you identify key points in the reading. Applying the Message: Questions to help you apply the key ideas to their lives. Reflecting on the Meaning: A closing reflection on the key teachings in the lesson. -ABOUT THE SERIES- The Jeremiah Bible Study Series captures Dr. David Jeremiah's forty-plus years of commitment in teaching the Word of God. In each study, you'll gain insights into the text, identify key stories and themes, and be challenged to apply the truths you uncover to your life. By the end of each study, you'll come away with a clear and memorable understanding of that Bible book. Each study also contains a Leader's Guide.

In Psalms, Bible scholar Eugene H. Peterson brings this collection of ancient prayers to life by translating the rhythm and idiom of the original Hebrew into the American English we speak in our homes and workplaces.If this is your introduction to the Psalms, you will understand them instantly. And if you are a longtime student of God's Word, we invite you to read the Psalms again--for the very first time.