Evidence Unseen


Book Description

Evidence Unseen is the most accessible and careful though through response to most current attacks against the Christian worldview.




1 Peter: An Introduction and Study Guide


Book Description

The New Testament writing known as First Peter was probably written at the end of the 1st century CE; it is addressed to 'resident aliens' who live as colonial subjects in the Roman Province of Asia Minor. They are portrayed as a marginalized group who experience harassment and suffering. This letter is ascribed to the apostle Peter but was probably not written by him. It is a rhetorical communication sent from Christians in the imperial centre in Rome (camouflaged as Babylon), an authoritative letter of advice and admonition to good conduct and subordination in the sphere of colonial provincial life. 1 Peter is a religious document written a long time ago and in a culture and world that is quite different from our own. However, as a biblical book it is a part of Christianity's sacred Scriptures. This guide to the letter keeps both of these areas, the cultural-social and the ethical-religious, in mind. It offers help for understanding the letter as both a document of the 1st century and as sacred Scripture that speaks about the religious forces that have shaped Christianity and Western culture. In short, this guide seeks to enable readers to read 'against the grain'.




1–2 Peter and Jude


Book Description

The Knowing the Bible series is a resource designed to help Bible readers better understand and apply God’s Word. These 12-week studies lead participants through books of the Bible and are made up of four basic components: (1) reflection questions that help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) “Gospel Glimpses” that highlight the gospel of grace throughout the book; (3) “Whole-Bible Connections” that show how any given passage connects to the Bible’s overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) “Theological Soundings” that identify how historic orthodox doctrines are taught or reinforced throughout Scripture. With contributions from an array of influential pastors and church leaders, these gospel-centered studies will help Christians see and cherish the message of God’s grace on every page of the Bible. 1–2 Peter and Jude are letters written to churches experiencing various kinds of trials—false teachers, distorted views of the gospel, and harsh persecution. If 1 Peter exults, “Jesus will return!” and 2 Peter rebuffs the claim, “Jesus won’t return,” then Jude exhorts, “Jesus is just about here!” Together, these letters form a kind of manifesto of hope for living faithfully no matter how dark the times. This study highlights the importance of holding fast to the true gospel, living distinct, holy lives, and looking ahead to the return of Christ. Part of the Knowing the Bible series.




Ecclesiology and the Scriptural Narrative of 1 Peter


Book Description

The relationship between the Church and the Scriptures of Israel is fraught with complexities, particularly about how the first Christians read Scripture alongside the Gospel of Christ. Patrick T. Egan examines the text of 1 Peter in the light of its numerous quotations of Scripture and demonstrates how the epistle sets forth a scriptural narrative that explains the nature and purpose of the Church. Egan argues that 1 Peter sets forth an ecclesiology based in a participatory Christology, in which the Church endures suffering in imitation of Jesus's role as the suffering servant. The epistle admonishes the Church to a high moral standard in response to Christ's atoning work while also encouraging the Church to place hope in God's final vindication of his people. Addressing the churches of Asia Minor, 1 Peter applies the Scriptural narrative to the Church in unexpected ways.




Neither Jew nor Greek


Book Description

In Christianity in the making, James D.G. Dunn examines in depth the major factors that shaped first-generation Christianity and beyond, exploring the parting of the ways between Christianity and Judaism, the Hellenization of Christianity, and responses to Gnosticism. He mines all the first- and second-century sources, including the New Testament Gospels, New Testament apocrypha, and such church fathers as Ignatius, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus, showing how the Jesus tradition and the figures of James, Paul, Peter, and John were still esteemed influences but were also the subject of intense controversy as the early church wrestled with its evolving identity.




The Life and Witness of Peter


Book Description

Larry R. Helyer embarks on a comprehensive study of a much neglected figure in New Testament studies. Reconstructing Peter's life, theology and legacy from evidence in 1 and 2 Peter, the Gospels, Acts, Paul's letters and texts from the early church, Helyer renders a great service for future students of the New Testament.




Cold-Case Christianity


Book Description

Written by an L. A. County homicide detective and former atheist, Cold-Case Christianity examines the claims of the New Testament using the skills and strategies of a hard-to-convince criminal investigator. Christianity could be defined as a “cold case”: it makes a claim about an event from the distant past for which there is little forensic evidence. In Cold-Case Christianity, J. Warner Wallace uses his nationally recognized skills as a homicide detective to look at the evidence and eyewitnesses behind Christian beliefs. Including gripping stories from his career and the visual techniques he developed in the courtroom, Wallace uses illustration to examine the powerful evidence that validates the claims of Christianity. A unique apologetic that speaks to readers’ intense interest in detective stories, Cold-Case Christianity inspires readers to have confidence in Christ as it prepares them to articulate the case for Christianity.




1, 2 Peter, Jude


Book Description

One in an ongoing series of esteemed and popular Bible commentary volumes based on the New International Version text.




The Old Testament in the New Testament


Book Description

This collection of papers from members of the 'Use of the Old Testament in the New Testament' seminar (held at St Deinid's, Hawarden, Wales) has been commissioned to honour its retiring chairperson, J.L. North. It includes contributions by Michael Goulder (Isaiah 61), Joel Marcus (Matthew), Maurice Casey (Christology), George Brooke (Parables), Judith Lieu (John), Peter Doble (Acts), Morna Hooker (Philippians), John O'Neill (Galatians), Ivor Jones (2 Thessalonians), Martin Menken (Matthew) and Steve Moyise (Intertextuality). BLURB AS REWRITTEN BY PRD 11 JANUARY 2000: It is well known, but not always appreciated that the 'Bible' of the earliest Christians was the Old Testament. How did the New Testament writers justify their faith in the risen Messiah from these Jewish scriptures? In this book, distinguished biblical scholars supply answers to these questions, both in general terms and from specific examples. Under review come individual New Testament writers (Matthew, Paul, John) and important themes (the Anointed One, monogamy and divorce), while crucial passages such as John 11, Isaiah 66 and Revelation 12 are put under the microscope. This collection demonstrates the ingenuity and vitality of early Christian scriptural exegesis, and offers the reader an up to date picture of the most recent research in one of the central issues of New Testament literary and theological study.




On the Whole Bible


Book Description

Born the son of a clergyman on October 18, 1662, Matthew Henry was ordained into the British Presbyterian Church where he held the pastorate in Chester from 1687 to 1712. He was widowed, married again and had 10 children, three whom died in infancy. Henry died in 1714. Henry began work on his commentary as "Notes On The New Testament" in 1704 and the monumental work was completed shortly before his death in 1714. Remembered as a caring pastor, a passionate lover of the Word of God, and a man of great personal integrity, Matthew Henry has left his mark on the hearts of countless Christians who seek a deeper understanding of the riches that Scripture contains. This edition of Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible uses the King James text and is abridged from the original six volumes while faithfully retaining all of the vibrant themes of that classic work. Everything here is in Matthew Henry's own words and nothing relevant to today's reader has been omitted.