In Ministry in the New Realm, bestselling author Dane Ortlund explores 2 Corinthians to reveal the deeply paradoxical nature of the Christian life—how Christ ushered in the new realm where power is intertwined with weakness.

For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God' (1 Cor. 7:19). A The apostle Paul's relationship to the Law of Moses is notoriously complex and much studied. Difficulties begin with questions of definition (of the extent of Paul's corpus and the meanings of 'the law') and are exacerbated by numerous problems of interpretation of the key texts. Major positions are entrenched, yet none of them seems to know what to do with all the pieces of the puzzle.A A Inextricably linked to Paul's view of the law is his teaching concerning salvation history, Israel, the church, anthropology, ethics and eschatology. Understanding 'Paul and the law' is critical to the study of the New Testament, because it touches on the perennial question of the relationship between the grace of God in the gift of salvation and the demand of God in the call for holy living. Misunderstanding can lead to distortions of one or both. A This fresh and valuable study is something of a breakthrough, bringing neglected evidence to the discussion and asking different questions of the material, while also building on the work of others. Brian Rosner argues that Paul undertakes a polemical re-evaluation of the Law of Moses, which involves not only its repudiation as law-covenant and its replacement by other things, but also its wholehearted re-appropriation as prophecy (with reference to the gospel) and as wisdom (for Christian living).

In recent years our knowledge of the individual parts of the Bible has increased greatly, but our understanding of how they fit together has not kept pace. In particular, the relationship between the Old and New Testaments has been a neglected field of study. The latest in IVP's developing family of New Dictionaries, the 'New Dictionary of Biblical Theology' is an essential tool for students, preachers and ministers, as well as for scholars and others seeking a better grasp of the Bible's teaching. The aim of this prestigious dictionary is to integrate the various biblical books and themes into the overarching story of the Scriptures. The volume embodies three perspectives on biblical theology, which are reflected in its structure.

Who are you? What defines you? What makes you, you? In the past an individual's identity was more predictable than it is today. Life's big questions were basically settled before you were born: where you'd live, what you'd do, the type of person you'd marry, your basic beliefs, and so on. Today personal identity is a do-it-yourself project. Constructing a stable and satisfying sense of self is hard amidst relationship breakdowns, the pace of modern life, the rise of social media, multiple careers, social mobility, and so on. Ours is a day of identity angst. Known by God is built on the observation that humans are inherently social beings; we know who we are in relation to others and by being known by them. If one of the universal desires of the self is to be known by others, being known by God as his children meets our deepest and lifelong need for recognition and gives us a secure identity. Rosner argues that rather than knowing ourselves, being known by God is the key to personal identity. He explores three biblical angles on the question of personal identity: being made in the image of God, being known by God and being in Christ. The notion of sonship is at the center - God gives us our identity as a parent who knows his child. Being known by him as his child gives our fleeting lives significance, provokes in us needed humility, supplies cheering comfort when things go wrong, and offers clear moral direction for living.

In Hidden with Christ in God, author Kevin W. McFadden examines the theology and themes of Colossians and Philemon to teach believers the hidden hope of Christ and what it means to live a Christ-centered life.

Follow Luke's ordered narrative of events in the book of Acts to see how the early church grew "under the plan of God, centered on King Jesus, and empowered by the Spirit."

In this installment in the New Testament Theology series, trusted scholar Thomas Schreiner walks readers step-by-step through the book of Revelation, considering its themes, symbolic imagery, and historical context.

In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, Matthew S. Harmon examines the unique themes of 2 Peter and Jude as well as their common ground, addressing topics such as false teaching, God's authority, and the new heavens and the new earth.

In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, scholar Peter Orr offers an accessible summary of the theology of Mark, examining its relationship to both the Old and New Testaments.

In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, Benjamin L. Gladd traces the dominant biblical-theological themes of the Gospel of Luke, showing how Luke draws from the Old Testament as a way of pointing to Christ's redemption plan.

The New Dictionary of Biblical Theology will quickly establish itself as an essential building block of every library of basic biblical reference books. Building on its companion volumes, the New Bible Dictionary and New Bible Commentary, this work takes readers to a higher vantage point where they can view the thematic terrain of the Bible in its canonical wholeness. In addition, it fills the interpretive space between those volumes and the New Dictionary of Theology. At the heart of this work is an A-to-Z encyclopedia of over 200 key biblical-theological themes such as atonement, creation, eschatology, Israel, Jesus Christ, the kingdom of God, redemption, suffering, wisdom and worship. Students and communicators of the Bible will be well served by articles exploring the theology of each biblical book. And for those interested in the wider discipline of biblical theology, major articles explore foundational issues such as the history of biblical theology, the challenges raised against biblical theology, and the unity and diversity of Scripture. Over 120 contributors drawn from the front ranks of biblical scholarship in the English-speaking world make the New Dictionary of Biblical Theology a work of distinction and a benchmark of evangelical biblical theology at the turn of the twenty-first century. Bibliographies round out all articles, directing readers to research trails leading out of the Dictionary and into crucial studies on every subject. Cross-references throughout send readers through the varied maze of reading pathways, maximizing the usefulness of this volume. Comprehensive, authoritative and easily accessible, theNew Dictionary of Biblical Theology is certain to establish itself as an essential resource for students of the Bible and theology.

Scholar Benjamin Merkle shares insights from the theologically rich book of Ephesians, explaining its major themes and significance for the church today.

This book challenges the popular idea that expressive individualism-looking inward-is the sole basis of one's identity. Brian Rosner provides an approach to identity formation that looks outward to others and upward to God, which leads to a more stable and satisfying sense of self.

The stories and instruction in the Old Testament book of Exodus seem more at home in a museum than in today's world. Yet, for the apostle Paul, the Old Testament is 'written for us': hence, reading Exodus as direct address is the appropriate Christian stance. This volume, based on the 2007 Moore College School of Theology, acknowledges that reading Exodus for all its worth, as a witness to the gospel and as wisdom for Christian living, is an enormous challenge. The book's appeal for today is unmistakable, in terms of its epic scope and moral complexity. The opening chapter surveys the 'uses, re-uses and misuses' of Exodus in contemporary culture, and exhorts us to feel the book's raw power, by facing squarely its moral challenges and being shaped by its sometimes bewildering theology. In response, subsequent chapters explore major units of the text and the main theological and ethical issues that they raise. Topics covered are the exodus event itself; its significance in contemporary theologies of liberation; Moses at Sinai; the Law in Exodus; the tabernacle; and how we should preach Exodus.

This careful, sometimes innovative, mid-level commentary touches on an astonishingly wide swath of important, sensitive issues theological and pastoral that have urgent resonances in twenty-first-century life. Roy Ciampa and Brian Rosner reveal how 1 Corinthians directly addresses the claims of unity and truth, church discipline, sexual matters, the Lords supper, the nature of love, Christian leadership, and many other significant topics.
Those who preach and teach 1 Corinthians will be grateful to Ciampa and Rosner for years to come and scholars will be challenged to see this letter with fresh eyes.

The apostle PaulaEURO (TM)s First Letter to the Corinthians is often regarded as his makeshift response to random problems in a messy church. This stimulating volume argues for, and undertakes, a more coherent reading of the letter, in the hope of providing a more compelling and theologically rich interpretation and a clearer apprehension of its relevance to the church today. Brian Rosner begins by putting the case for a holistic approach to studying the theology and ethics of 1 Corinthians. The following nine chapters cover, first, Karl BarthaEURO (TM)s classic treatment, which underscores the letteraEURO (TM)s coherence (Keith Condie); next, the major topics of holiness (Bill Salier), the cross (Philip Kern), sexual ethics (Roy Ciampa), spiritual gifts (David Peterson), eschatology (Bruce Winter), ethics (Michael Jensen), and the glory of God (Matthew Malcolm); and, finally, preaching 1 Corinthians (Brian Rosner). The chapters cohere around the themes of PaulaEURO (TM)s pastoral practice and the wisdom of the cross of Jesus. The volume, based on the 2010 Moore College School of Theology, reflects the contributorsaEURO (TM) common interest in theological interpretation that acknowledges the text as the word of God and seeks to serve the interests of the contemporary church.

Paul as Pastor demonstrates the critical nature of Paul's pastoral care to his identity and activities. Despite the fact that Paul never identifies himself as a pastor, there is much within the Pauline letters that alludes to this as a possible aspect of Paul's vocation and commitments, and this has been a topic of relative scholarly neglect. The contributors to this volume consider the household setting of Paul's pastoral practice, the evidence of Acts and a survey of themes in each of the letters in the traditional Pauline corpus. Additionally, three chapters supply case studies of the Wirkungsgeschichte of Paul's pastoral practice in the pastoral offices of the Anglican Communion in the denomination's Ordinal, and in the lives and thought of Augustine of Hippo and George Whitfield. As such Paul as Pastor provides a stimulating resource on a neglected and critical dimension of Paul and his letters and an invaluable tool for those in pastoral ministry and those responsible for their training.

Paul as Pastor demonstrates the critical nature of Paul's pastoral care to his identity and activities. Despite the fact that Paul never identifies himself as a pastor, there is much within the Pauline letters that alludes to this as a possible aspect of Paul's vocation and commitments, and this has been a topic of relative scholarly neglect. The contributors to this volume consider the household setting of Paul's pastoral practice, the evidence of Acts and a survey of themes in each of the letters in the traditional Pauline corpus. Additionally, three chapters supply case studies of the Wirkungsgeschichte of Paul's pastoral practice in the pastoral offices of the Anglican Communion in the denomination's Ordinal, and in the lives and thought of Augustine of Hippo and George Whitfield. As such Paul as Pastor provides a stimulating resource on a neglected and critical dimension of Paul and his letters and an invaluable tool for those in pastoral ministry and those responsible for their training.

Paul as Missionary: Identity, Activity, Theology and Practice takes the view that before anything else Paul must first and foremost be identified as a missionary. Using the entire Pauline corpus the contributors to this volume assess what Paul's correspondence can tell us about how he perceived his role and identity. The work comprises four parts: in section one, Pauls identity as priest, eschatological herald, and missionary-pastor are explored while in part two topics such as the apostle's activity among pagans, his suffering, and Pauls missionary message; to the church at Rome are considered. Section three comprises essays on the Spirit as the governing dynamic, the glory of God as the apostles missionary goal, and the importance of Pauls Christology in shaping his mission to the Gentiles. Finally, part four addresses Pauls missionary praxis, including his support of his missionary enterprise.

What are the origin and meaning of the words ???greed is idolatry??? found in Ephesians 5: 5 and Colossians 3: 5? In what sense are the greedy guilty of idolatry? Many different answers have been given to this question throughout the history of interpretation. In fact, a consensus exists on only one score ? that the expression serves to vilify greed.

Brian Rosner ably takes on the challenge of interpretation by tackling the phrase as a metaphor, structuring his argument around an intriguing comparison to mountain climbing. From this vantage point, he offers a thorough history of interpretation of the phrase, including a study of the origin of the concept of idolatrous greed in biblical and Jewish sources. Rosner concludes that the comparison of greed with idolatry teaches that to desire to acquire and keep for oneself more money and material things is an attack on God??'s exclusive right to human love, trust, and obedience.

With this work comes a stunning, fresh understanding of familiar terms ? ???greed, ??? ???idolatry, ??? and even ???God??? ? challenging both the church as a whole and individual believers to consider the far-ranging implications of our materialistic world. The first full-length study of this intriguing Pauline expression, Greed as Idolatry has profound implications for theological ethics today.

This introduction to the study of Paul's ethics collects fourteen essays by notable scholars which, with commentary to the editor, illumine the origin, context, social dimension, shape, logic, foundations, and relevance of Paul's ethics.

Preaching's Preacher's Guide to the Best Bible Reference "For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but keeping the commandments of God" (1 Cor 7:19). The apostle Paul's relationship to the Law of Moses is notoriously complex and much studied. Difficulties begin with questions of definition (of the extent of Paul's corpus and the meanings of "the law") and are exacerbated by numerous problems of interpretation of the key texts. Major positions are entrenched, yet none of them seems to know what to do with all the pieces of the puzzle. Inextricably linked to Paul's view of the law is his teaching concerning salvation history, Israel, the church, anthropology, ethics and eschatology. Understanding "Paul and the law" is critical to the study of the New Testament, because it touches on the perennial question of the relationship between the grace of God in the gift of salvation and the demand of God in the call for holy living. Misunderstanding can lead to distortions of one or both. This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume is something of a breakthrough, bringing neglected evidence to the discussion and asking different questions of the material, while also building on the work of others. Brian Rosner argues that Paul undertakes a polemical re-evaluation of the Law of Moses, which involves not only its repudiation as law-covenant and its replacement by other things, but also its wholehearted re-appropriation as prophecy (with reference to the gospel) and as wisdom (for Christian living). Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

Paul as Missionary: Identity, Activity, Theology and Practice takes the view that before anything else Paul must first and foremost be identified as a missionary. Using the entire Pauline corpus the contributors to this volume assess what Paul's correspondence can tell us about how he perceived his role and identity. The work comprises four parts: in section one, Paul's identity as priest, eschatological herald, and missionary-pastor are explored while in part two topics such as the apostle's activity among pagans, his suffering, and Paul's missionary message; to the church at Rome are considered. Section three comprises essays on the Spirit as the governing dynamic, the glory of God as the apostles missionary goal, and the importance of Paul's Christology in shaping his mission to the Gentiles. Finally, part four addresses Paul's missionary praxis, including his support of his missionary enterprise.

This book advances the interpretation of 1 Corinthians by exploring the ways the apostle Paul quoted or "echoed" Jewish scriptures more indirectly in his letter, by metonymy or allusion. Criteria and methods for identifying echoes are brought to the fore, as are questions of the texture of Paul's theology and his understanding of scripture. Important topics in 1 Corinthians addressed here include Paul's use of the Law, monotheism, Christology, wisdom and mystery language, punishment of the incestuous man, baptism for the dead, eschatology, and resurrection.