How can Christians in the midst of a pagan culture live lives truly pleasing to God? In this revised BST volume, John Stott helps us understand how Paul's letter to the Galatians holds true in the face of current challenges to our faith. Guiding readers passage by passage, he provides helpful background, highlights key themes, and offers applications for Christians today.
A systemic problem plagues the local and global church: We habitually lose the gospel. In its place, we substitute personal prosperity, legalism, politics--and we end up paralyzing the mission of the church. Galatians contains Paul's passionate defense of the gospel. It shows us how to enjoy God's presence and everlasting peace, setting us free to love and be loved. In Live in Liberty, Daniel Bush and Noel Due help you apply the spiritual message of Galatians so that you may experience the liberating presence of God.
In Christ we have salvation as a gift of grace. But what is our responsibility? These studies from Galatians help us understand what God—not others—requires of his followers and how we can live out our faith in both obedience and freedom. In this newly updated Bible study guide you can explore Scripture under John Stott's guidance.
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 help readers engage the text at a deeper level; (2) “Gospel Glimpses” highlight the gospel of grace throughout each book; (3) “Whole-Bible Connections” show how any given passage connects to the Bible’s overarching story of redemption, culminating in Christ; and (4) “Theological Soundings” 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 each and every page of the Bible. The book of Galatians is one of the apostle Paul’s most impassioned and eloquent letters. It warns Christians of the dangers of both legalism and lawlessness, while calling them to live lives that are shaped by the gospel. In this study, pastor Geoff Ziegler walks readers through the promises, warnings, and gospel declarations found in Galatians. Both accessible and theologically robust, this study will help Christians find freedom in their identity as God’s adopted children.
A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story. The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike. Three easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story: LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students Praise for SGBC: "The editors and contributors set that table very well and open up the biblical story in ways that move us to act with sensitivity and understanding ... Well done." -Daniel I. Block, Wheaton College and Graduate School "[The] easy-to-use format and practical guidance brings God's grand story to modern-day life so anyone can understand how it applies today." -Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor, North Point Ministries "Engagingly readable, it not only explores the biblical text but offers a range of applications and interesting illustrations." -Craig S. Keener, Asbury Theological Seminary "I love the SGBC series. It makes the text sing and helps us hear the story afresh." -John Ortberg, Senior Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church "Pastors, Bible study leaders, and Christians of all types who are looking for a substantive and practical guide through the Scriptures will find these volumes helpful." -Frank Thielman, Beeson Divinity School "This commentary series breaks new ground ... Ideal for preaching and teaching." -Craig Blomberg, Denver Seminary "A perfect tool for helping every follower of Jesus to walk in the story that God is writing for them." -Judy Douglass, Cru
Timothy Keller's expository guide to Galatians is a personal and group curriculum that will excite ordinary Christians in their faith and equip teachers and preachers in their work.
The church is in disarray. Theologians and commentators speak of the demise of evangelicalism. Are they alarmists? Is Christianity as we know it in the process of dying? Writer, scholar, teacher, and missionary Dr. David Alan Black thinks that the answer does not lie in the politics of the left or the right. In fact, he doesn't think that Jesus tells us what our politics should be. He doesn't see answers in Christian nationalism. But even further, he sees serious flaws in the very structure of our churches and denominations that prevent us from truly being obedient to the gospel. The solution lies, not in renewal, revival, or even in reformation, but rather in restoration-a restoration of the church organized as Jesus intended it and according to the example provided by the earliest church sources in the New Testament. To make the church and its members true servants of Jesus Christ again, we need to change our entire paradigm-to The Jesus Paradigm.
Legalism vs. grace. "Legalism is not just an obsession with merit and conduct. It is a denial of the all-equipping power of grace and rejection of the God-honoring purpose of grace."
The Galatian letter is Paul's response to those in every age who would try to tamper with the essential message of the Gospel: That salvation is obtained by faith, not law, and that freedom in Christ moves us to live by the Spirit of God, not the spirit of this world.
