Christopher Armitage considers previous theological perception of 1 John as a text advocating that God abhors violence, contrasted with biblical scholarship analysis that focuses upon the text's birth from hostile theological conflict between 'insiders' and 'outsiders', with immensely hostile rhetoric directed towards 'antichrists' and those who have left the community. Armitage argues that a peace-oriented reading of 1 John is still viable, but questions if the commandment that the community loves each other is intended to include their opponents, and whether the text can be of hermeneutic use to advocate non-violence and love of one's neighbour. This book examines five key words from 1 John, hilasmos, sfazo, anthropoktonos, agape and adelphos, looking at their background and use in the Old Testament in both Hebrew and the LXX, arguing that these central themes presuppose a God whose engagement with the world is not assuaging divine anger, nor ferocious defence of truth at the expense of love, but rather peace and avoidance of hatred that inevitably leads to violence and death. Armitage concludes that a peacemaking hermeneutic is not only viable, but integral to reading the epistle.

Luke the physician was fascinated by people--rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rulers and slaves. In his Gospel he delights to portray Jesus as the Savior not of an elite group but of anyone, in any condition, who turns to him. Jesus is indeed the Savior of the world. Luke knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote his Gospel. He tells us his goal in the opening verses: to set forth an orderly and accurate account of what had been accomplished by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Michael Wilcock gives special attention to these opening words. Then, as he examines the individual deeds and sayings of Jesus, he shows how the structure of Luke's narrative brings out their meaning. This new edition includes updated language and current NIV Scripture quotations throughout. The good news of Luke is still true today. No one is beyond redemption unless he chooses to put himself there. This message has implications not only for our personal lives but for our churches and for society as a whole.

This insightful study of the first book of the New Testament is not simply a verse-by-verse commentary, but a careful study of the thematic purpose and flow of thought of Matthew. Bible students, teachers, and pastors will appreciate the historical-grammatical hermeneutic applied to the Greek text, but Greek proficiency is not required to benefit from this work. Toussaint's major contribution is developing and tracing through the Gospel the twin themes of Jesus the Messiah and God's kingdom program.