A Call to Finish Well

We all want to give up sometimes. But following Christ is a marathon, not a sprint. The apostle Paul knew this better than most. In the letter we now call 2 Timothy, Paul offers timely advice to a seemingly overwhelmed disciple. These words have encouraged generations of Christians to endure despite overwhelming pressure.

Matt Proctor, a seasoned Bible scholar and well-known college president, unpacks this important book of the Bible in Finish Line Faith, the first book in the Everyday Exposition Series from OCC Press. Proctor draws on his own experience leading churches and a deep knowledge of God's Word to help Christians realize the biblical and practical applications of Paul's exhortations.

Each of the twelve chapters includes discussion questions to help individuals or groups gain a deeper understanding of this important letter and God's work in their own stories. We all might feel overwhelmed at times, but we can endure with the reinvigorating power of Christ.

The Everyday Exposition series by OCC Press offers books that guide readers through the Bible book by book and are great for personal or small group study. While not traditional commentaries, these concise books are faithful to the text of the Bible, highly readable, and applicable to every believer.

In this new contribution to the New Testament Library, renowned New Testament scholar Beverly Roberts Gaventa offers a fresh account of Paul's Letter to the Romans as an event, both in the sense that it reflects a particular historical moment in Paul's labors and in the sense that it reflects the event God brings about in the gospel Paul represents. Attention to that dual sense of event means that Gaventa attends to the literary, historical, and theological features of the letter.

Throughout the commentary, Gaventa keeps in view central questions of what Paul hoped the letter might accomplish among its listeners in Rome and how his auditors might have heard it when read by Phoebe. In posing potential answers to these questions, Gaventa touches on vital themes such as the intrusion of the gospel of Jesus Christ that prompts Paul to write in the first place, what that event reveals about the situation of all creation, how it relates to both Israel and the Gentiles, and what its implications are for life in faith.

The New Testament Library series offers authoritative commentary on every book and major aspect of the New Testament, providing fresh translations based on the best available ancient manuscripts, critical portrayals of the historical world in which the books were created, careful attention to their literary design, and a theologically perceptive exposition of the biblical text. The contributors are scholars of international standing. The editorial board consists of C. Clifton Black, Princeton Theological Seminary; John T. Carroll, Union Presbyterian Seminary; and Susan E. Hylen, Candler School of Theology, Emory University.

One Chapter. One Monumental Chapter.

Each volume in this new book series from bestselling author John MacArthur focuses on one great chapter of the Bible.

In The Triumph of Love, focusing on Romans 8, we see that there is nothing that shall ever separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 8:39).

Taken from the MacArthur New Testament Commentary, this book equips believers with transforming truth by explaining how the Holy Spirit:

• Frees us from sin and death and enables us to fulfill the law

• Changes our nature and empowers us for victory

• Confirms our adoption

• Guarantees our glory

• And more

Our salvation was secured by God's decree from eternity past and will be held secure by Christ's love through all future time and throughout all eternity. In Romans 8, Paul allows absolutely no exceptions in regard to the believer's security in Christ.

On the road to Damascus, St. Paul was transformed from one of the most zealous persecutors of Christians into one of the greatest apostles in history. Like all of us, he experienced suffering, weakness, and hardships, but amid these trials during his heroic mission trips, visions, and near-death escapes, he felt the strength of God's grace sustaining him and urging him forward.

Popular EWTN host and author Fr. Mitch Pacwa, S.J., unpacks the letters of St. Paul in this energizing study. Each section contains a focus meditation explaining the historical contexts of St. Paul's letters; passages to investigate; interactive learning activities; questions for studying and discussing; and modern applications for your own spiritual life. A plan is also included to help you read all of St. Paul's letters and the Acts of the Apostles in less than half a year.

Through Fr. Pacwa's engaging reflections on St. Paul's spirituality, you will discover how Jesus Christ crucified is the wisdom of God, how the Cross itself radiates the power of God, and what this means for you today. Father will help you answer questions such as:

• What is your cross, and how can you use it to better follow Jesus?
• How can you imitate St. Paul's example in offering up sufferings to be united with Christ, so that your suffering will have meaning?
• What are the three instructions St. Paul gives his spiritual children on how to live?
• How can Jesus' death on the Cross help overcome divisions in the Church and aid in the salvation of souls today?
• What are the two primary ways in which the power of the Cross is manifest in us, according to St. Paul?
• How does the Cross renew the faithful in the face of corruption?

St. Paul and the Power of the Cross will help you see how Christ draws us into intimate union with the heavenly Father and better understand how to respond to God's invitation. It will fill you with the hope of eternal salvation and show you how to share the good news effectively with others.

Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament features today's top New Testament scholars and brings together commentary features rarely gathered together in one volume. With careful analysis and interpretation of the Greek text, the authors trace the flow of argument in each New Testament book, giving readers the tools they need to properly understand and communicate the meaning of the text.

Commentary on each passage follows a clear structure to help readers grasp the flow and meaning of the text:

• Literary Context: A brief discussion of how the passage functions in the broader literary context of the book.
• Main Idea: A one- or two-sentence statement of the big idea or central thrust of the passage.
• Translation and Graphical Layout: Presents each commentator's translation of the Greek text in a graphical layout to help the reader visualize, and thus better understand, the flow of thought within the text.
• Structure: Describes the flow of thought in the passage and explains how certain interpretive decisions regarding the relationship of the clauses were made in the passage.
• Exegetical Outline: The overall structure of the passage is described in a detailed exegetical outline. This will be particularly helpful for those who are looking for a way to concisely explain the flow of thought in the passage in a teaching or preaching setting.
• Explanation of the Text: Commentators examine words and images, grammatical details, relevant Old Testament and Jewish background to a particular concept, historical and cultural context, important text-critical issues, and various interpretive issues that surface.
• Theology in Application: The theological message of the passage is summarized. The author discusses the theology of the text in terms of its place within the book and in a broader biblical-theological context. Finally, each commentator provides some suggestions on what the message of the passage is for the church today.

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament series is the go-to resource for pastors and Bible teachers looking for deep but accessible study that equips them to connect the needs of Christians today with the biblical text.

The letter to the Galatians opens a window to a serious crisis in Paul's ministry. In this letter, Paul defends the gospel and challenges the Galatian believers to remain faithful and to welcome all who have faith in Christ. Michael H. Burer presents a fresh exegetical investigation of the text, clarifying Paul's meaning and message for the benefit of pastors, teachers, and students.

The Evangelical Exegetical Commentary series is a premiere biblical commentary rooted in the original text of Scripture. Each volume includes historical and literary insights and addresses exegetical, pastoral, and theological concerns, giving readers a full understanding of the text and how to apply it to everyday life.

There are substantial reasons to be energized about studying the Pastoral Letters of Paul. Between them they teach the proper ordering of the church (1 Timothy), they present a developed challenge to all Christians (2 Timothy), and they suggest God's priorities for mature ministry (Titus). Experienced pastors R. Kent Hughes and Bryan Chapell have done their homework--applying sound principles in interpreting the texts so that we can understand what Paul was really saying.

Teaching on important matters for the local church, Hughes and Chapell offer a timely word to the many Christians who are concerned about their role and responsibility to communicate the truth of the gospel in this diverse and pluralistic society. The Pastoral Letters remind us that, like Timothy, we are to guard what has been entrusted to our care, to fight the good fight, and to keep preaching the Word.

Through the apostle's words and the commentators' insights here, we gain an understanding of what God requires of those who would lead in the local church, as well as of those who would be led. Embracing grace, loving godliness, and sharing Christ were not just charges to the early believers, and are not solely the responsibility of pastors, deacons, and elders in the church. They are exhortations for any of us who call ourselves disciples of Christ today.

Part of the Preaching the Word series.

Galatians is book that explodes the notion that the Christian is under the Law. Get a glimpse into the mind of Luther, who did more than anyone to break the antichrist stranglehold the Roman Catholic Church, by exploring his commentary on the book of Galatians as shows that true believers are under effective and freeing grace and not a Law to keep us as slaves.

With brilliant exegesis and sound practical insight, noted commentator Douglas J. Moo explicates the Letters to the Colossians and to Philemon, with an eye toward their application for readers today. Moo bases his commentary on the Greek text of the letters, while accessibly explaining the English text to his contemporary audience.

Freshly revised and updated, this second edition remains methodologically sound, authentically evangelical, and pastoral in approach. This invaluable volume of the Pillar New Testament Commentary series offers biblical insights to a wide range of readers, from teachers and students to pastors and parishioners.

Tackle each day with an undaunted attitude in an age of mindless doomscrolling and consumption of negative news. The Apostle Paul's wisdom of Philippians is distilled into 31 short chapters that help change overwhelming into overflowing, turn hardship into faith, and give believers in an unstable world the ability to stand firm on gospel truths.

Philippians is one of the most practical books of the Bible, which Robert Morgan says is as fresh as ever. Its theme can be summed up in these verses: Whatever happens, conduct yourself in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then . . . I will know that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose you (1:27-28).

Life is unpredictable, and the world is unstable. People have never been so confounded, sensing our culture, economy, and geopolitical systems are spiraling downward. Even in our personal lives, none of us knows what will happen next--which is why God gave us the book of Philippians. This short letter, with just over 100 verses, can help us learn to live overflowing lives in an overwhelming world.

Among the many lessons in Whatever Happens, readers will learn how to:

• Use prayer to energize their life and embrace uncertainty
• Make today about serving others and lifting them up
• Glorify the Lord and stay as cheerful as possible in all circumstances
• Let others lean on their strength
• Start everything with praise and end everything with prayer

As the apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Philippians from a prison cell, he was facing dire circumstances and an unsettled future. Would he be released or executed? But he knew one thing--that whatever happened, he was going to stand firm in his faith and live a life worthy of the gospel. And no matter what we are going through today, we can do the same.

THE DEATH OF LEGAL RIGHTEOUSNESS, THE LIFE OF GOSPEL HOLINESS:

I through the law, am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. Galatians 2:19.

Ralph Erskine's Law-Death, Gospel-Life presents a profound exploration of the Christian believer's transition from being bound by the law to living in the freedom offered through the gospel. Erskine uses the Apostle Paul's teachings to argue that true sanctification and holiness are attainable not through adherence to the law, which he posits as an instrument of death, but through faith in Christ, which brings life. This theological treatise considers the intricate relationship between law and grace, emphasizing the inadequacy of the law to produce righteousness and the necessity of dying to the law to truly live unto God.

In the book, Erskine highlights the liberating truth that believers are not justified by their adherence to the law but through faith in Christ. This underscores the gospel's power to free individuals from the law's condemnation, inviting pastors to reassure believers of their freedom in Christ. The book articulates that holiness and sanctification are the results of faith in Christ rather than the law's observance. This encourages pastors to focus on nurturing faith and reliance on God's grace among their congregation for spiritual growth. While the law reveals sin and God's standards, it is through understanding our inability to fulfill the law's demands that we are driven to Christ. Pastors can use this to teach on the purpose of the law as a guide that leads us to the necessity of salvation through Jesus, rather than viewing it as a means of salvation.

For more than twenty years Douglas Moo's NICNT volume on Romans has been providing pastors, students, and scholars with profound insight into Paul's most famous letter. In this thorough revision of his commentary, Moo deals with issues that have come into prominence since the first edition (1996), incorporating the latest research and rewriting the text throughout for better comprehension.

Exegetically astute and theologically minded, Moo interacts critically with the new perspective on Paul, highlights the emphasis in Romans on practical divinity, and traces the theme of the gospel throughout the letter. His Letter to the Romans in this second edition will inform and enlighten a new generation of serious Bible readers.

Peter's short letter to the exiles of the dispersion addresses many topics: holiness, the sufferings of Christ, God's sovereignty in salvation and life, the grace of God, the work of the Holy Spirit, the church as the new people of God, the reality of the unseen spiritual world, and trusting in God in the midst of daily circumstances. What ties all these concepts together, Wayne Grudem suggests, is the theme of suffering. Most of all, suffering is a form of imitating Christ, who, by bearing our sins on the cross, gives meaning and comfort to Christians in every aspect of their daily lives.

Part of the Tyndale New Testament commentary series, 1 Peter offers a thorough understanding of the book's content and structure as well as its continued relevance for today. This edition has been revised and updated by Grudem from his original TNTC volume.

The Tyndale Commentaries are designed to help the reader of the Bible understand what the text says and what it means. The Introduction to each book gives a concise but thorough treatment of its authorship, date, original setting, and purpose. Following a structural Analysis, the Commentary takes the book section by section, drawing out its main themes, and also comments on individual verses and problems of interpretation. Additional Notes provide fuller discussion of particular difficulties.

Paul's letter to the Roman church is one of the most widely read, rigorously discussed and minutely dissected epistles ever written. What more could there be to say?

Plenty, it turns out.

In this highly engaging, perceptive and accessible commentary, J. R. Daniel Kirk situates Romans firmly in its first-century context, redirecting our attention from a modern-day concern with individual salvation towards the theological questions that consumed the apostle Paul. Questions such as what are the Jews and Gentiles to make of one another? Practically, how are they to live, worship and be community together in the right here and now? And, most importantly for Paul, how can God be faithful if God's great act of salvation excludes God's own chosen people: the covenantal community to whom all promises had been made?

By approaching the text from a first-century perspective, Kirk illuminates a letter and its writer deeply concerned with the day-to-day lives of its readers. A letter written not to provide answers and rules, but encouragement and inspiration. A writer concerned less with waiting for the new creation, than living it. And a God intent on inviting outsiders into a worldwide family.

Romans for Normal People is an invitation to lay down everything you think you know about Romans and discover the text as it is. And, in doing so, encounter a letter as relevant today as it was some 2000 years ago.

Every Christian desires to be right about their faith. How we live out our faith holds eternal significance. But in order to be right, we must know what, why, and how come we believe in Christ.

It can be argued that no book of the Bible has had a greater effect on Christianity than the book of Romans. Martin Luther described it as the most important piece in the New Testament, and wrote; It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul.

In this classic commentary by Dr. Warren Wiersbe, you can refresh your own understand of this seminal work, Paul's masterpiece letter to the church in Rome. Dr. Wiersbe's careful exposition of the text allows the truth to soak in to your heart and mind as you read and understand these essential truths of Scripture.