A comprehensive theological toolcombining biblical, systematic, and historical theologythat surveys the entire New Testament with themed discussions and a focus on Gods revelation and exaltation in Christ.
Expository preaching has been on the rise over the last five decades, with more and more pastors preaching through entire books of the Bible systematically. But few, if any, preachers have a long-term plan to teach through every book of the Bible over a lifetime of ministry. Since the whole Bible is God’s Word to his people, all of Scripture is important in order to grow as Christians. Written to make a case for the necessity of a long-term plan for preaching through the entire Bible instead of just through individual books, this is not just a book on how to preach, but also how to plan and prepare long-range preaching programs through the whole counsel of God.
Preaching the Whole Counsel of God is a primary textbook on the art and science of preaching for pastors and pastors-in-training that teaches you how to practice expository, Christ-focused hermeneutics, combined with Gospel-centered, audience-transforming homiletics. It will guide you to: Discover the truth of the text according to the human author. Discern Christ in the text according to the divine author. Design your sermon with truth, goodness, and beauty. Deliver your sermon in a way that keeps attention, retention, and leads to transformation.
Father Stephen De Young, creator of the popular The Whole Counsel of God podcast and blog, traces the lineage of Orthodox Christianity back to the faith and witness of the apostles, which was rooted in a first-century Jewish worldview. The Religion of the Apostles presents the Orthodox Christian Church of today as a continuation of the religious life of the apostles, which in turn was a continuation of the life of the people of God since the beginning of creation.
Petrus van Mastricht’s Theoretical-Practical Theology presents one of the most comprehensive methods of treating Christian doctrine. In it, Mastricht treats every theological topic according to a four-part approach: exegetical, dogmatic, elenctic, and practical. As a body of divinity, it combines a rigorous, scholastic treatment of doctrine with the pastoral aim of preparing people to live for God through Christ. Students and pastors will find it a valuable model for moving from the text of Scripture to doctrinal formulation that will edify the people of God. Volume 3, The Works of God and the Fall of Man, is a book of origins—origins of the created order and of sin. Mastricht begins with a discussion of the decrees of God and how they establish His eternal purpose for everything. He then shows how the decrees are carried out in creation and in God’s continual providence. The volume concludes with Mastricht’s treatment of the apostacy of Adam from his original estate and the devastating effects of sin that followed. This is an important volume for learning how God governs all things, even the rebellious actions of those good things He created. Table of Contents: Part 1 Continued: Prolegomena and Faith Book 3: The Works of God The Actions and Decrees of God Predestination Election Reprobation Creation in General The World and the Work of the Six Days The Good Angels The Evil Angels Man and the Image of God The General Providence of God Special Providence The Covenant of Nature Book 4: Man’s Apostasy from God The Violation of the Covenant of Nature Original Sin Actual Sin The Penalty and State of Sin
Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from 'works of the law', a disputed term that represents a fault line between 'old' and 'new' perspectives on Paul. Was the Apostle reacting against the Jews' good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic Law's practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul's second century readers understood these points in conflict, how they relate to 'old' and 'new' perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the Apostle's own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the 'new' perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ.
Nothing provides the true follower of Christ with more profound and enduring satisfaction than turning from the limitations of self and this world to the unfathomable fullness of the living God. Nothing so directly affects the study of Scripture as one's understanding of what lies behind the little word "God." Nothing calls for such an entire consecration of the mind, heart, and will of the student as the study of this eternal Being, who is the cause and reason for all things. Nothing holds more practical value for the Christian than the realities of God¿s perfection. For twelve weeks, Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty guides the reader through passages that reveal God¿s perfections: His incomprehensibility, self-existence, independence, transcendence, immutability, infinity and eternity, omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience, wisdom, sovereignty, righteousness, holiness, wrath, goodness, love, patience, and zeal. The aim of this study is to provide the student with a tool for vastly enlarging his or her understanding of God in a manner that enlightens the mind, captivates the heart, and re-directs the will. Behold Your God: The Weight of Majesty is designed for individual or group study. This workbook may be studied alone, but is intended for use with a companion set of thirteen DVDs which reinforce the lessons of each week.God truly is a "sea without a shore, a sun without a sphere." Each of us stands before the boundless immensity of God's majesty. He commands us to know Him. He has provided all that we need to know Him through the redemptive labors of His Son, the illuminating work of the Spirit, and the Bible. A.W. Tozer wrote only the truth when he stated that God "can show a new aspect of His glory to us each day for all the days of eternity, and we have but begun to explore the depths of riches of His infinite being."
This St. Andrew's Expositional Commentary from theologian-preacher R. C. Sproul offers application and pastoral wisdom to the story of the gospel spreading to the nations.