In this new collection of songs inspired by the Gospel of John, Michael Card provides an extended musical meditation on the wisdom of Jesus. In his Gospel, John describes Jesus as the incarnate Word, the divine Logos, the embodiment of all truth and wisdom. This Jesus reorients our understanding of ourselves and the world around us, offering us nothing less than the way, the truth and the life.
John, the longest-surviving of the apostles, recorded in his Gospel a portrait of Jesus built on years of reflection. In this last volume of the Biblical Imagination Series, Michael Card shows how John fills out our picture of Jesus' divine identity, with stories and sayings of Jesus not recorded by the other Gospel writers..
In the The Misunderstood Jew, scholar Amy-Jill Levine helps Christians and Jews understand the "Jewishness" of Jesus so that their appreciation of him deepens and a greater interfaith dialogue can take place. Levine's humor and informed truth-telling provokes honest conversation and debate about how Christians and Jews should understand Jesus, the New Testament, and each other.
Although it is a foundational confession for all Christians, much of the theological significance of Jesus's identity as "the Son of God" is often overlooked or misunderstood. Moreover, this Christological concept stands at the center of today's Bible translation debates and increased ministry efforts to Muslims. New Testament scholar D. A. Carson sheds light on this important issue with his usual exegetical clarity and theological insight, first by broadly surveying Jesus's biblical name as "the Son of God," and then by focusing on two key texts that speak of Christ's sonship. The book concludes with the implications of Jesus's divine sonship for how modern Christians think and speak about Christ, especially in relation to Bible translation and missionary engagement with Muslims across the globe.
The earliest of the four Gospels, the book portrays Jesus as an enigmatic figure, struggling with enemies, his inner and external demons, and with his devoted but disconcerted disciples. Unlike other gospels, his parables are obscure, to be explained secretly to his followers. With an introduction by Nick Cave
The story of Jesus Christ goes much deeper than His crucifixion and resurrection. Few will dispute that a man named Jesus Christ lived 2,000 years ago and that He was a great teacher who impacted the world. Christ made a controversial claim—that He was the very Son of God, the long-prophesied Messiah—causing religious authorities in Jerusalem to reject Him, hate Him and eventually succeeded in having Him put to death. Likewise, the local Roman civil authorities also saw Him as a threat and became complicit in His execution. The religions of His day, both Judaism and paganism, opposed the growth of His teachings and used unlawful and violent means to try to destroy the Church He founded. The government of Rome also came to vigorously persecute the followers of this Jewish teacher from Galilee. Today, there is much confusion and questions concerning this controversial figure. Where can you go for the answers? The Bible. This Bible Study aid booklet, "Jesus Christ: The Real Story" will help explain what is written in the Bible about Jesus Christ. You can discover the answers to these questions and more: Who was Jesus Christ of Nazareth? Where did He come from? When was Jesus Christ born? What did Jesus teach? Was He God in the flesh? What did Jesus look like? Was He only a man? Why did He die? Discover the true, fascinating story that so few understand. The story of the greatest Man who ever lived and the misunderstood message He preached—the gospel (good news) of the coming Kingdom of God! Chapters in this ebook: -- Introduction - Jesus Christ: The Real Story -- Who—and What—Was Jesus Christ? -- Jesus Christ's Disciples Understood Him to Be the Creator -- Jesus Christ: 'The Rock' of the Old Testament -- The Family of God -- Jesus' Amazing Fulfillment of Prophecy -- The Bible Prophesied the Exact Year the Messiah Would Appear -- Was Jesus Born on Dec. 25? -- A Sinless and Miraculous Life -- Could Jesus Perform Miracles? -- Did Jesus Really Die and Live Again? -- Roman Forms of Crucifixion -- When Was Jesus Christ Crucified and Resurrected? -- The Chronology of the Crucifixion and Resurrection -- Do Other Nonbiblical Sources Confirm Jesus Christ's Existence? -- Much More Than a Man -- Was Jesus a Created Being? -- The God Who Became a Human Being -- Jesus' Family Connections -- Did Jesus Have Long Hair? -- The Messiah's Misunderstood Mission -- What Do 'Messiah' and 'Jesus Christ' Mean? -- What Was Jesus' Gospel? -- Salvation Is Entrance Into the Kingdom of God -- Other Names for the Kingdom -- Jesus' Teaching on God's Law -- Other Important Ways Jesus Fulfilled the Law -- Christ's New Commandment -- Does the New Covenant Abolish the Commandments? -- Jesus Christ and the Festivals of the Bible -- Who Killed Jesus? -- Jesus Christ, the Wisdom of God -- The Tearing of the Temple Veil -- Alive Again Today and Forever -- Your Date With Destiny: Meeting the Real Jesus -- 'Even So, Come, Lord Jesus!' Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Perhaps the boldest claim Jesus made about His identity was the statement, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM” (John:8:58)...What was going on here? Jesus was revealing His identity as the actual One whom the Jews knew as God in the Old Testament." "The New Testament writers cite messianic prophecies from the Old Testament more than 130 times. By some estimates the Old Testament contains 300 prophetic passages that describe who the Messiah is and what He will do. Of these, 60 are major prophecies. What are the chances of these prophecies being fulfilled in one person?" "A careful analysis of Scripture, however, clearly indicates that December 25 is an unlikely date for Christ’s birth. Here are two primary reasons..." "How can we fit “three days and three nights” between a Friday-afternoon crucifixion and a Sunday-morning resurrection?"
“The work of Jesus reveals to us who He is. The work and the person may be distinguished but never separated.”—Dr. R. C. Sproul Most Christians recognize the importance of Christ’s death and resurrection. But how many of us understand the theological significance of Jesus’ actions before and after the Crucifixion? In The Work of Christ, Dr. R. C. Sproul looks at every aspect of Jesus’ life and work, addressing such life-changing topics as:Why Jesus’ baptism is relevant for our salvationThe similarities and differences between the temptation of the first Adam and the temptation of Jesus, the “second Adam”How God uses song to celebrate his redemptive actsWhy the Last Supper marks the beginning of a greater exodus than that of the Old TestamentHow Jesus’ death and resurrection are grounded in the eternal covenant among the persons of the TrinityWhy Jesus’ ascension makes a difference in our lives todayWhat we know and don’t know about Jesus’ returnMoving from Jesus’ existence from before creation through His incarnation, boyhood, adulthood, death, resurrection, and return, Dr. Sproul guides you to a deeper understanding of God’s beautiful promise and purpose behind the works of Christ’s life.
"We must understand that some of the early Christians [in the decades after Jesus' death] saw the message of Jesus largely within the context of Judaism. Indeed, Christianity might have remained as a sect within Judaism . In this initial stage there was little or no thought of any dividing line between Christianity and Judaism."-The Catholic Study Bible (written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, ruling body of the American Roman Catholic Church) ***** When the world's largest Christian denomination acknowledges that early "Christianity" was merely a sect of the Jewish religion-both during Jesus' life and for years thereafter-isn't it time to reexamine what the New Testament really says about the Man from Nazareth? The Roman Catholic Church monopolized the New Testament for over fourteen hundred years, forbidding laypeople from reading or interpreting it. Although this monopoly was shattered by the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation, knowledge about Jesus' first-century world was too sparse for anyone to understand the New Testament in its proper context. Today, we know more about Jesus' times than ever before. Yet Christian religious leaders have been reluctant to disseminate these new insights-largely because they reveal that Jesus was a Jewish prophet who insisted on adherence to traditional Judaism. In Jesus the Misunderstood Jew: What the New Testament Really Says About the Man from Nazareth, Dr. Robert Kupor illuminates the New Testament in a way that allows both Christians and Jews to understand this seminal document in a startling new light. Jesus the Misunderstood Jew will surprise and enlighten you.
Having devoted the past ten years of his life to research for this major new work, John Nolland gives us a commentary on the Gospel of Matthew that engages with a notable range of Matthean scholarship and offers fresh interpretations of the dominant Gospel in the history of the church. Without neglecting the Gospel's sources or historical background, Nolland places his central focus on the content and method of Matthew's story. His work explores Matthew's narrative technique and the inner logic of the unfolding text, giving full weight to the Jewish character of the book and its differences from Mark's presentation of parallel material. While finding it unlikely that the apostle Matthew himself composed the book, Nolland does argue that Matthew's Gospel reflects the historical ministry of Jesus with considerable accuracy, and he brings to the table new evidence for an early date of composition. Including accurate translations based on the latest Greek text, detailed verse-by-verse comments, thorough bibliographies for each section, and an array of insightful critical approaches, Nolland's Gospel of Matthew will stimulate students, preachers, and scholars seeking to understand more fully Matthew's presentation of the gospel narrative.
Over the course of his career, singer-songwriter Michael Card has explored the depths of Scripture by bringing together biblical study and the power of the imagination. Now he sheds light on the life of Jesus through forty lyrical reflections on the four Gospels, leading us to a place where Jesus becomes real and we can hear him with both hearts and minds.
