How Might We Obtain Everlasting Life?

Although Protestants ought to have a ready answer about faith in Jesus Christ, the reasons explaining that answer run much deeper and relate to our status as God's image bearers.

Important historical issues inform how we understand the precise relationship of work and grace. Throughout much of the medieval period and into modern Roman Catholicism, many believed that because original righteousness was superadded to our nature, personal righteousness could be restored by grace after the fall, allowing us to merit everlasting life by our own works. By contrast, the Reformation tradition has held that sin has damaged our nature so thoroughly that we could never merit salvation and must receive everlasting life by grace alone.

Righteous by Design is, on one hand, a thorough historical investigation of medieval and counter-Reformation theology, exploring sources that have seldomly if at all been treated in Reformed literature. At the same time, it is also a theological case that original righteousness was natural to Adam before the Fall and that Adam could have merited everlasting life according to the covenant of works. The payoff of this effort in theological retrieval is to underscore the majesty of grace in that sinners are right with God only on the basis of Christ's merits. Thus, this book mounts a case for the Protestant law-gospel distinction through the lens of the imago Dei to highlight the sufficiency of Christ and his work.

• How predestination fits into God's redemptive plan
• The mystery of the Trinity
• The process of sanctification
• The purpose of spiritual gifts

Credo Magazine Book of the Year 2023 - Illumination Book Awards 2024 Gold Medal Winner for Theology

Understand and celebrate what we believe

For centuries, the Nicene Creed has been central to the church's confession. The Nicene Creed: An Introduction by Phillip Cary explores the Creed's riches with simplicity and clarity. Cary explains the history of the Creed and walks through its meaning line by line. Far from being abstract or irrelevant, the words of the Creed carefully express what God has done in Christ and through the Spirit. The Nicene Creed gives us the gospel. It gives biblical Christians the words for what we already believe. And when we profess the Creed, we join the global church throughout history in declaring the name and work of the one God--Father, Son, and Spirit. Gain a fresh appreciation for the ancient confession with Phillip Cary's help!

Grace Ji-Sun Kim explores the historical origins and theological implications of the myth of the white male God. Examining the roots of the distortion and its harmful impact on the world, Kim shows what it looks like to recover the biblical reality of a nonwhite, nongendered God, leading us to a more just faith and a better church and world.

In the nineteenth century, Venerable Leo Dupont said that Communists would one day enslave the world--that is, close up their churches, and make them slaves of the state . . . unless reparation is done, unless men come before the Face of their Saviour to ask His forgiveness and His help! In this powerful book, Father Carney reveals the essence and history of the Holy Face Devotion, her apostles, and how to save society and the Church from her foes. Reparation is destined to save society, said Blessed Pope Pius IX. Join the ranks of Saint Thérèse and other saints in the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face and contemplate His Face to help restore Christendom from the evils of Communism and Freemasonry. Heaven longs for this devotion. Here is a timely book that provides a counter-revolution of reparation, reverence, and reversion.

The threadbare argument that dispensational teaching is new has been the propaganda of anti-dispensationalists for decades, and many actually believe it. In this fascinating journey through the early Christian writings, James C. Morris demonstrates that dispensational teaching is as old as the church itself.

Many attempt to discredit dispensationalism by claiming that the church never taught it before around 1830. Such a claim is ridiculous, for proof that any particular idea was never taught in any particular time period would require an exhaustive examination of every teaching that took place during that period. Even for a relatively short period of time, such an exhaustive search is manifestly impossible, much less for nearly eighteen centuries.

But this claim involves a serious falsehood. This is that the accuracy or error of a doctrine can be determined on the basis of how long men have taught it. We have no right to base our ideas on anything other than the word of God itself. Anything less that this is a false foundation.

The purpose of the present study is to examine numerous instances of dispensational doctrine that were clearly taught in some of the very oldest Christian writings on Bible prophecy that have survived to the present day, as well as in numerous other truly ancient Christian writings.

Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953)--one of the most prominent Catholic authors of his time--gives a common sense explanation of why the Crusades were necessary, and why they ultimately failed. He argues that the personal and strategic failings of the First Crusade's leaders led to the establishment of a state that could not be sustained, and that the absence of such a state left Europe vulnerable to Islamic aggression for centuries afterward. Writing in 1937, following the demise of the Ottoman Empire, Belloc believed that the West had finally gained the advantage over its mortal foe. However, he also includes a prophetic warning to Western Civilization, about the eventual resurgence of Islam and its enduring desire to destroy Christendom.

The question of how to relate the Old and New Testaments is as old as the Bible itself. While most Protestants are unified on the foundations, there are major disagreements on particular issues. Who should be baptized? Is the Christian obligated to obey the Law of Moses? Does the church supplant Israel? Who are the proper recipients of God's promises to Israel?

In Discontinuity to Continuity, Benjamin Merkle brings light to the debates between dispensational and covenantal theological systems. Merkle identifies how Christians have attempted to relate the Testaments, placing viewpoints along a spectrum of discontinuity to continuity. Each system's concerns are sympathetically summarized and critically evaluated.

Through his careful exposition of these frameworks, Merkle helps the reader understand the key issues in the debate. Providing more light than heat, Merkle's book will help all readers better appreciate other perspectives and articulate their own.

The Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary is often overlooked and underutilized. Now is the time to respond to Our Lady's call to pray this chaplet fervently.

In these pages, you will discover how your own pierced heart can become a portal of grace that opens and transforms you into all that God wants you to be, allowing you to share in the mercy and love of Christ's Sacred Heart by uniting your sufferings to His.

Equipped with an enriched understanding of redemptive suffering, Dr. Joseph Hollcraft and Ruth Berghorst guide you in the practice of mental prayer with St. Alphonsus Liguori on the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary in response to Our Lady's request -- echoed in every contemporary Marian apparition -- to abide close to her heart and pray for the salvation of souls.

Key to obtaining the triumph of the sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Our Lady is calling upon the saints who are uniquely disposed to help us in the twenty-first century.

These include:

• St. Dymphna for mental health
• St. Joseph for family life
• St. Josephine Bakhita for human-trafficking victims
• Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati for youth
• Bl. Bartolo Longo for protection from the occult
• St. Maria Goretti for purity
• St. Hildegard of Bingen for pastoral care

Praying the Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows of Mary is akin to entering Mary's classroom to comprehend what is often deemed incomprehensible. An important book in this classroom would be about Our Lady's Seven Sorrows and how to overcome temptations and trials as she did. Among the many sufferings she endured, these particular sorrows flowed from Satan's efforts to undermine her crucial role in our redemption. This book aims to acquaint Catholics with these vital sorrows -- and the advantages Our Lady has linked to this devotion.

Pascal Denault deserves many thanks for his labor in researching and describing the nuances of English covenant theology in the Seventeenth Century. He has uncovered significant factors contibuting to the differences between Presbyterian and Particular Baptist thought and practice, describing theological categories in easily accessible terms. - James M. Renihan, Ph.D., Institute of Reformed Baptist Studies

I pray that this work will contribute to the raising up of more reformed covenantal baptist churches which avoid the errors of dispensationalism, theonomy, the Federal Vision, and law/gospel errors. It is worthy to be read by all concerned. - Fred A. Malone, Ph.D., author of 'Baptism of Disciplies Alone'

Not only do I think that this is an excellent and valuable resource. I believe it is one of the best upon this suibject. This is such an informative and helpful book that I pray that our covenant Lord provodentially places this book into the hands of every student of covenant theology. - Jeffrey D. Johnson, author of 'The Fatal Flaw of the Theology Behind Infant Baptism'

In The Heart of Christianity, world-renowned Jesus scholar and author of the bestseller Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time argues that the essential ingredients of a Christian life--faith, being born again, the kingdom of God, the gospel of love--are as vitally important today as they have always been, even during this time of conflict and change in the church.

Borg wants to show us, as today's thinking Christians, how to discover a life of faith by reconceptualizing familiar beliefs. Being born again, for example, has nothing to do with fundamentalism, but is a call to radical personal transformation. Talking about the kingdom of God does not mean that you are fighting against secularism, but that you have committed your life to the divine values of justice and love. And living the true Christian way is essentially about opening one's heart--to God, and to others. Above all else, Borg believes with passion and conviction that living the Christian life still makes sense.

Wonderfully suited for devotional or thematic study as well as sermon illustration, this resource offers a window into the world of the early church and affords a special opportunity to examine topically the thoughts of men like Clement of Rome, Ignatius, and Polycarp, who were students of the original apostles, as well as the thoughts of other great lights in the life of the early church such as Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian. For anyone interested in historic Christianity, this book cannot be overlooked. This book features:

• Relevant comments on key Christian concepts from prominent figures such as Origen, Clement of Alexandria, Clement of Rome, and Hippolytus
• Key biblical verses associated with each topic
• Brief definitions of unfamiliar terms or concepts
• A Who's Who of Ante-Nicene Christianity to put in context the ancient Christian writers
• Discussion of more than 700 key theological, moral, and historical topics
• Strategic cross-references to related topics
• A topical index to the writings of the Ante-Nicene Fathers

En Obras Escogidas De Los Padres apostólicos encontrarás una selección de las obras más importantes de diversos autores de renombre en el mundo evangélico, así como también en el mundo católico y secular. Éste es un tesoro de la literatura, diverso en sus temáticas, y puntos de vista, lo que lo hace muy enriquecedor para el lector que disfruta analizar distintas perspectivas. A lo largo de esta lectura podremos conocer el proceso evolutivo de la interpretación desde los tiempos de Jesús hasta los actuales, alterándose de esta forma algunos términos y conceptos que se encuentran plasmados en las escrituras, y que son razón de confusiones y malas interpretaciones. Podremos también conocer más sobre los autores originales de las escrituras y la historia que se cree que hay detrás de estas enseñanzas. Este libro contiene muchos puntos atractivos, como son:

• Incluye los escritos más importantes de los considerados Padres Apostólicos.
• Dispondrás de una lectura rápida por el orden que ofrece el texto.
• Proporciona a los estudiosos ediciones actualizadas y fidedignas en español de los textos de la patrística cristiana.
• Lenguaje actualizado respetando la esencia original de los textos.
• Ideal para aquellas personas que quieran adentrarse en el estudio de una manera fácil y sencilla.

Selected Works of Apostolic Fathers

In Selected Works of The Apostolic Fathers, you will find a selection of the most important works by various renowned authors in the evangelical world, as well as in the Catholic and secular world. This is a treasure of literature, diverse in its themes and points of view, which makes it very enriching for the reader who enjoys analyzing different perspectives. Throughout this reading we will be able to know the evolutionary process of interpretation from the time of Jesus to the present, thus altering some terms and concepts that are embodied in the scriptures, and that are a reason for confusion and misinterpretations. We will also be able to learn more about the original authors of the scriptures and the history that is believed to be behind these teachings. This book contains many attractive points, such as:

• Includes the most important writings of those considered Apostolic Fathers.
• You will have a quick reading thanks to the organization the text offers.
• Provides scholars with up-to-date and reliable editions in Spanish of the texts of the Christian patristics.
• Updated language considering the original essence of the texts.
• Ideal for those who want to enter the study in an easy and simple way.

[A] rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh's body, from top to bottom (yes, that too) and from inside out ... Ms. Stavrakopoulou has almost too much fun.--The Economist

The scholarship of theology and religion teaches us that the God of the Bible was without a body, only revealing himself in the Old Testament in words mysteriously uttered through his prophets, and in the New Testament in the body of Christ. The portrayal of God as corporeal and masculine is seen as merely metaphorical, figurative, or poetic. But, in this revelatory study, Francesca Stavrakopoulou presents a vividly corporeal image of God: a human-shaped deity who walks and talks and weeps and laughs, who eats, sleeps, feels, and breathes, and who is undeniably male.

Here is a portrait--arrived at through the author's close examination of and research into the Bible--of a god in ancient myths and rituals who was a product of a particular society, at a particular time, made in the image of the people who lived then, shaped by their own circumstances and experience of the world. From head to toe--and every part of the body in between--this is a god of stunning surprise and complexity, one we have never encountered before.

Though the doctrine of the beatific vision has woefully been forgotten in the church today, Samuel Parkison argues that the beatific vision is central for the life of the church today. Through close readings of Aquinas, Dante, Calvin, and more, Parkison reminds us of the beatific vision's historical and contemporary significance.

Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the Kingdom of God. The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his death, his followers would call him God.

Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history's most enigmatic figures by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction. He explores the reasons the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity.

Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus' life and mission.

Praise for Zealot

Riveting . . . Aslan synthesizes Scripture and scholarship to create an original account.--The New Yorker

Fascinatingly and convincingly drawn . . . Aslan may come as close as one can to respecting those who revere Jesus as the peace-loving, turn-the-other-cheek, true son of God depicted in modern Christianity, even as he knocks down that image.--The Seattle Times

[Aslan's] literary talent is as essential to the effect of Zealot as are his scholarly and journalistic chops. . . . A vivid, persuasive portrait.--Salon

This tough-minded, deeply political book does full justice to the real Jesus, and honors him in the process.--San Francisco Chronicle

A special and revealing work, one that believer and skeptic alike will find surprising, engaging, and original.--Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

Compulsively readable . . . This superb work is highly recommended.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)