This STUDY GUIDE is a companion resource to Wayne Grudem's Christian Beliefs, revised edition.

Not every Christian needs to go to seminary, but there are certain teachings of the Bible that every Christian should know. Whether you're a relatively new believer in Jesus or a mature Christian looking for a better understanding of basics of the faith, the Christian Beliefs Study Guide can help you reflect on and deeply internalize the core teachings of Christianity, when used in conjunction with Christian Beliefs, revised edition (sold separately).

This STUDY GUIDE will help you think through important topics like:

• The Bible and its authority for our lives
• The characteristics of God
• The importance of prayer
• Angels and the reality of spiritual warfare
• What it means that we are created in the image of God
• What God has done for us in Christ
• The purpose of the church
• What happens when Christ returns
• The biblical understanding of heaven
• And much more

Chapter by chapter, this STUDY GUIDE will lead you to examine and reflect on Christian Beliefs, revised edition (sold separately), by providing:

• Summary: A short summary of the chapter to help remind readers what they read.
• Key terms: Definitions of important terminology introduced in the chapter.
• Key quotes: Selection of one or two key quotes from the chapter.
• Central Scripture Passage: An important biblical passage related to the chapter for reflection or memorization.
• Content Questions: Questions that reflect on the theological content of the chapter.
• Practical Application Questions: Questions that help tie the theological content of the chapter to real-life situations.
• For Further Reading: Lists where to find more information on theological topics in Systematic Theology, second edition, by Wayne Grudem so readers know where to go for a deeper dive into specific subjects they want to know more about.

The Christian Beliefs Study Guide is the ideal resource for every Christian who wants a solid foundation for understanding the most basic and essential teachings of the Bible.

This completely revised and updated second edition of The New Testament in Antiquity skillfully develops how Jewish, Hellenistic, and Roman cultures formed the essential environment in which the New Testament authors wrote their books and letters. Understanding of the land, history, and culture of the ancient world brings remarkable new insights into how we read the New Testament itself.

Throughout the book, numerous features provide windows into the first-century world. Nearly 500 full color photos, charts, maps, and drawings have been carefully selected. Additional features include sidebars that integrate the book's material with issues of interpretation, discussion questions, and bibliographies.

The Vocabulary Guide to Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic by Gary D. Pratico and Miles V. Van Pelt is intended to accompany Basics of Biblical Hebrew Grammar. For the beginning student it is an essential resource companion to aid in vocabulary memorization and acquisition. Updates in this second edition include the addition of a complete Aramaic word list and refinement of definitions.

Features include:

• Hebrew words occurring ten times or more in the Old Testament arranged by frequency
• Hebrew words arranged by common root
• All Aramaic words occurring in the Old Testament arranged by frequency
• Helpful appendices including lists of Hebrew homonyms, nominals, and verbs.

A new and inviting introduction to the Acts of the Apostles from New Testament scholar and theologian N. T. Wright.

Acts is a substantial book. It sits right in the middle of the New Testament, looking back to the four Gospels and ahead to the mission of the early church. It provides a framework for our understanding of the letters; but it does more than that. Acts offers a sophisticated and nuanced view of what it means to think of the gospel of Jesus, Israel's Messiah, going out into the world over which Israel's Messiah claims the status of Lord.

This Christian movement and thinking, detailed in Acts, entailed confronting the wider culture of the Greek and Roman world, as well as the culture of the Jewish world, which provides us today with an important message as we ourselves face new questions about gospel and contemporary culture.

From the renowned author of Into the Heart of Romans, N. T. Wright brings to the book of Acts his expert's eye on theological nuance and cultural context, distilling it down into an introductory commentary, perfect for anyone looking to take their own reading a little deeper and discover the profound (and often forgotten) potential of the church and the Way of Jesus Christ.

Southwestern Journal of Theology 2024 Book of The Year - Christianity Today 2024 Theology Book Award - The Gospel Coalition 2024 Biblical Studies Book Award

Reading the Bible to the glory of God.

In 1952, C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity eloquently defined the essential tenets of the Christian faith. With the rise of fractured individualism that continues to split the church, this approach is more important now than ever before for biblical hermeneutics.

Many Christians wonder how to read the text of Scripture well, rightly, and faithfully. After all, developing a strong theory of interpretation has always been presented by two enormous challenges:

1. A variety of actual interpretations of the Bible, even within the context of a single community of believers.
2. The plurality of reading cultures--denominational, disciplinary, historical, and global interpretive communities--each with its own frame of reference.

In response, influential theologian Kevin J. Vanhoozer puts forth a mere Christian hermeneutic--essential principles for reading the Bible as Scripture everywhere, at all times, and by all Christians.

To center his thought, Vanhoozer turns to the accounts of Jesus' transfiguration--a key moment in the broader economy of God's revelation--to suggest that spiritual or figural interpretation is not a denial or distortion of the literal sense but, rather, its glorification.

Irenic without resorting to bland ecumenical tolerance, Mere Christian Hermeneutics is a powerful and convincing call for both church and academy to develop reading cultures that enable and sustain the kind of unity and diversity that a mere Christian hermeneutic should call for and encourage

A thorough introduction to the four biblical Gospels and their subject--the life and person of Jesus.

Like different artists who render the same subject using unique styles and points of view, the Gospels paint four distinctive portraits of the same Jesus of Nazareth. To Christians worldwide, he is the centerpiece of history, the object of faith, hope, and worship. Even those who do not follow him admit the vast influence of his life.

With clarity and insight, biblical scholar Mark Strauss illuminates these four books, addressing the following important areas:

• The nature, origin, methods for study, and historical, religious, and cultural backgrounds of each of the Gospels.
• A closer study of the narratives and themes found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; and their contribution to our understanding of Jesus.
• A detailed examination of what the Gospels teach about Jesus' ministry, message, death, and resurrection--with excursions into the quest for the historical Jesus and the historical reliability of the Gospels.

For anyone interested in knowing more about Jesus, study of the four biblical Gospels is essential.

This fully-updated textbook--together with its workbook, video lectures, and laminated sheet--gives students everything they need for a thorough and enriching study of Jesus and the Gospels.

The Word Biblical Commentary series delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.

*With a foreword from Tim Keller*

A bold vision for Christians who want to engage the world in a way that is biblically faithful and culturally sensitive.

In Biblical Critical Theory, Christopher Watkin shows how the Bible and its unfolding story help us make sense of modern life and culture.

Critical theories exist to critique what we think we know about reality and the social, political, and cultural structures in which we live. In doing so, they make visible the values and beliefs of a culture in order to scrutinize and change them.

Biblical Critical Theory exposes and evaluates the often-hidden assumptions and concepts that shape late-modern society, examining them through the lens of the biblical story running from Genesis to Revelation, and asking urgent questions like:

• How does the Bible's storyline help us understand our society, our culture, and ourselves?
• How do specific doctrines help us engage thoughtfully in the philosophical, political, and social questions of our day?
• How can we analyze and critique culture and its alternative critical theories through Scripture?

Informed by the biblical-theological structure of Saint Augustine's magisterial work The City of God (and with extensive diagrams and practical tools), Biblical Critical Theory shows how the patterns of the Bible's storyline can provide incisive, fresh, and nuanced ways of intervening in today's debates on everything from science, the arts, and politics to dignity, multiculturalism, and equality. You'll learn the moves to make and the tools to use in analyzing and engaging with all sorts of cultural artifacts and events in a way that is both biblically faithful and culturally relevant.

It is not enough for Christians to explain the Bible to the culture or cultures in which we live. We must also explain the culture in which we live within the framework and categories of the Bible, revealing how the whole of the Bible sheds light on the whole of life.

If Christians want to speak with a fresh, engaging, and dynamic voice in the marketplace of ideas today, we need to mine the unique treasures of the distinctive biblical storyline.

Learn the Teachings of the Bible that Every Christian Must Know.

Now Revised and Updated. Over 300,000 Copies Sold!

Not every Christian needs to go to seminary, but there are certain teachings of the Bible that every Christian should know. Whether you're a relatively new believer in Jesus or a mature Christian looking for a better understanding of basics of the faith, Christian Beliefs is for you.

This readable guide to twenty basic Christian beliefs condenses Wayne Grudem's award-winning book Systematic Theology, prized by pastors and teachers everywhere. He and his son, pastor Elliot Grudem, have boiled down the essentials of theology for everyday Christians and made them both clear and applicable to life. Each brief chapter concludes with questions for personal review or group discussion.

In this revised and updated edition of Christian Beliefs, you will learn about:

• The Bible and its authority for our lives
• The characteristics of God
• The importance of prayer
• Angels and the reality of spiritual warfare
• What it means that we are created in the image of God
• What God has done for us in Christ
• The purpose of the church
• What will happen when Christ returns
• The biblical understanding of heaven
• And much more

Christian Beliefs is the ideal book for every Christian who wants a solid foundation for understanding the most basic and essential teachings of the Bible.

In 15 New Testament Words of Life, biblical scholar Nijay Gupta explores some of the most important New Testament words:

• Righteousness
• Gospel
• Forgiveness
• Life
• Cross
• Faith
• Grace
• Fellowship
• Hope
• Salvation
• Peace
• Religion
• Holiness
• Love
• Witness

These are familiar terms in the Christian vocabulary, but many don't know the original background and theological importance of these words, and how they can be life-giving for Christian faith and life today. To access the deep meaning of these words in the theological vocabulary of the New Testament writers, Gupta discusses each word within a key text and interprets it in three contexts:

• Canonical--how the New Testament is grounded in the Old
• Literary--the meaning developed within the key text
• Historical--the Jewish and Greco-Roman world of the first century

For those first hearers of the gospel who chose to follow Jesus, these words were the words of life, and they can be once again for Jesus-followers in the modern world. With Gupta's skilled guidance, readers will find their engagement with the New Testament revitalized as they begin to understand how these inspiring ancient words can still be captivating, thought-provoking, and worldview-shaping words for real life today.

While the New Testament is full of depth and complexity, its most important ideas have a profound simplicity to them. In this collection of word studies, Nijay Gupta explores foundational themes in New Testament theology, but in a very accessible way. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of some of the most essential concepts in Christian belief, this book is for you!

--TIM MACKIE, cofounder of the Bible Project

Not only does Nijay Gupta define important New Testament terms and illustrate their significance for today, he also models a strategy for how a Bible reader might approach the exploration of biblical ideas. 15 New Testament Words of Life is an introduction to New Testament theology that invites readers to study the Bible by investigating key concepts that frequently appear in books, sermons, and even casual conversations. Gupta's scholarship and cultural awareness combine to make the work a necessary resource for preachers, teachers, and all other curious Bible readers. I am eager for my students to read it.

--DENNIS R. EDWARDS, Associate professor of New Testament, North Park Theological Seminary

Nijay Gupta has provided the church and its pastors with a remarkable resource. Wearing his deep learning lightly, he winsomely portrays how the New Testament writers draw on the Old Testament to theologize in ways that are immensely hopeful and intensely practical. A book like this is just what the church needs today--a rich biblical theology that speaks words of life to the lives of the people of God in our increasingly fraught and complex world.

--DERWIN L. GRAY, Cofounder and lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of How to Heal Our Racial Divide

Do you suspect there's more to the Christian faith than what you're hearing? Dr. Gupta brings the best of biblical scholarship to the pews, where standard Christian ways of talking about things have grown stale. By highlighting these fifteen key words, he opens a whole new world of understanding that will reinvigorate Christian practice. If you are hungry to move beyond clichés, this book is your invitation to a nourishing feast.

--CARMEN JOY IMES, Associate professor of Old Testament, Biola University, author of Bearing God's Name

An in-depth study of Romans from today's foremost interpreter of Paul.

Romans is often and for good reason considered a crux of Christian thought and theology, the greatest of Paul's letters. And within Romans, chapter 8 is one of the most spectacular pieces of early Christian writing.

But to many readers, Romans can be a deceptively difficult book. Its scope and basic meaning may be clear, but it can be hard to see how it all fits together into a cohesive, if complex, doctrinal argument.

N. T. Wright--widely regarded as the most influential commentator and interpreter of Paul--deftly unpacks this dense and sometimes elusive letter, detailing Paul's arguments and showing how it illuminates the Gospel from the promises to Abraham through the visions of Revelation. Wright takes a deep dive into Romans 8, showing how it illuminates so much else that God reveals in Scripture: God the Father, Christology, and the Spirit; Jesus' Messiahship, cross, resurrection, and ascension; salvation, redemption, and adoption; suffering and glory; holiness and hope.

Into the Heart of Romans will help you become familiar with the book of Romans in a deeper way that will also deepen your understanding and appreciation of the Gospel itself.

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.

This workbook is designed to accompany the fifth edition of Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language.

Following the textbook's structure, this workbook offers discussion questions for group and personal reflection, assessments, activities, and resources for further study, all of which reinforce the textbook's teaching and support the students' learning experience.

The newest edition of Bruce Shelley's Church History in Plain Language brings the story of global Christianity into the twenty-first century. In this fifth edition, Marshall Shelley assembled a team of historians, historical theologians, and editors to revise and update his father's classic text. As a result, it now includes important stories of the development of Christianity in Asia, India, and Africa, both in the early church as well as in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It also highlights the stories of women and non-Europeans who significantly influenced the development of Christianity but whose contributions are often overlooked in overviews of church history.

Covering recent events, this book also:

• Details the rapid growth of Christianity in the southern hemisphere
• Examines the influence of technology on the spread of the gospel
• Discusses how Christianity intersects with other religions in countries all over the world

Together with this workbook companion, the new edition of Church History in Plain Language provides an easy-to-read guide to global Christianity and promises to set a new standard for readable church history.

Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament features today's top Old Testament scholars and brings together commentary features rarely gathered together in one volume. With careful discourse analysis and interpretation of the Hebrew text, the authors trace the flow of argument in each Old Testament book, showing that how a biblical author says something is just as important as what they say.

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

• The Main Idea of the Passage: A one- or two-sentence summary of the key ideas the biblical author seeks to communicate.
• Literary Context: A brief discussion of the relationship of the specific text to the book as a whole and to its place within the broader argument.
• Translation and Exegetical Outline: Commentators provide their own translations of each text, formatted to highlight its discourse structure and accompanied by a coherent outline that reflects the flow and argument of the text.
• Structure and Literary Form: An overview of the literary structure and rhetorical style adopted by the biblical author, highlighting how these features contribute to the communication of the main idea of the passage.
• Explanation of the Text: A detailed commentary on the passage, paying particular attention to how the biblical authors select and arrange their materials and how they work with words, phrases, and syntax to communicate their messages.
• Canonical and Practical Significance: The commentary on each unit will conclude by building bridges between the world of the biblical author and other biblical authors and with reflections on the contribution made by this unit to the development of broader issues in biblical theology--particularly on how later Old Testament and New Testament authors have adapted and reused the motifs in question. The discussion also includes brief reflections on the significance of the message of the passage for readers today.

The Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old 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.

Presents every genealogy in the Bible in a simple, visual format.

The Bible contains hundreds of genealogies that fulfill many different purposes, but the significance of these genealogies can be difficult to grasp. In All the Genealogies of the Bible, Nancy Dawson visual presents every genealogy in the Bible, providing an essential guide to biblical understanding of chronology, lineage, history, and culture.

Esteemed biblical scholars Eugene Merrill and Andreas Kostenberger supplement Dawson's work with brief commentary on each genealogy. Dawson works with both complete genealogies and partial lists, piecing together names in different passages to illustrate the interrelationships of various biblical characters for deeper study.

Including more than 340 genealogies, All the Genealogies of the Bible is organized in biblical order and is equipped with tools you'll need to navigate the book easily:

• A detailed table of contents
• A Complete Index of Names
• Comprehensive cross-referencing

A one-of-a-kind reference work, All the Genealogies of the Bible will be useful for pastors, Bible teachers, students, and anyone wanting to study the Bible more deeply from the unique vantage point of its many genealogies.

As a boy, Jesus was a refugee, an outsider, an immigrant in Galilee in which he grew up, and affected by horrific atrocities by the occupying Roman overlords.

All this and more is explored in this scholarly but highly accessible investigation into the world of Jesus, ranging from his birth to his coming of age and beyond. Joan Taylor, a world authority on the history and literature of the first century CE, draws both on the latest archaeological findings and on the historical clues to be found within ancient texts of the period. The result is a book that brings the story of Jesus' childhood clearly and vividly to life as never before, while also pointing to the many ways in which Jesus' experiences as a child are likely to have influenced his life, attitudes, and actions as an adult.

An indispensable guide for exploring the literary, historical, and theological issues behind the Old Testament--now fully updated.

The purpose of studying the Old Testament is to understand God and his redemptive work more fully. However, this goal is complicated by the fact that it was transmitted through a very different language and culture from our own. A Survey of the Old Testament addresses background information, purpose, message, structure, and major themes of the Old Testament to help readers understand its message and relevance.

Chapters introducing each major section of the Old Testament are included, as are chapters dealing with issues of interpretation, hermeneutics, theology, geography, archaeology, history, formation of the Old Testament canon, and the Old Testament's relationship to the New Testament. The fourth edition features a renewed focus on purpose, theology, and message while also providing a more succinct textbook less intimidating to students.

Features included for each book of the Old Testament:

• Writing of the Book
• Background
• Outline of the Book
• Purpose and Message
• Structure and Organization
• Major Themes
• Questions for Further Study and Discussion
• Further Reading

Complete with updated full-color maps, photos, timelines, and charts, the latest edition of this widely acclaimed textbook is a useful and readable tool for students and other readers who wish to better understand the Old Testament and God's redemptive work.

The Word Biblical Commentary delivers the best in biblical scholarship, from the leading scholars of our day who share a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation. This series emphasizes a thorough analysis of textual, linguistic, structural, and theological evidence. The result is judicious and balanced insight into the meanings of the text in the framework of biblical theology. These widely acclaimed commentaries serve as exceptional resources for the professional theologian and instructor, the seminary or university student, the working minister, and everyone concerned with building theological understanding from a solid base of biblical scholarship.

A Theology of Revelation by J. Scott Duvall in Zondervan's Biblical Theology of the New Testament series provides a comprehensive look at the theology of John's Apocalypse. One of only a few dedicated theologies of Revelation, Duvall's book leaves no stone unturned in the study of the final book of the Christian canon of Scripture. This thoroughly researched study includes:

• an investigation into the historical framework of the book: authorship, date, and occasion and purpose;
• a survey of literary-theological foundations: genre, text and canonicity, grammar and symbolic language, use of the Old Testament, literary structure, and interpretation; and
• a full literary-theological reading of the book, culminating in an exploration of the book's most significant theological themes: God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the people of God, worship, discipleship, salvation, God's judgment of evil, and the new creation.

Readers will find here a study that is clearly written, attentive to the historical-literary context, with special attention given to the primary theological themes in the book. Perhaps above all, readers will have their hope in God and his amazing plan reinforced and strengthened.

Prepositions are important in the exegesis of the Greek New Testament, but they are at the same time very slippery words because they can have so many nuances. While Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament rejects the idea of a theology of the prepositions, it is a study of the numerous places in the Greek New Testament where prepositions contribute to the theological meaning of the text.

Offered in the hope that it might encourage close study of the Greek text of the New Testament, its many features include the following:

• Coverage of all 17 proper and 42 improper prepositions
• Explores both literary and broader theological contexts
• Greek font--not transliteration--used throughout
• Comprehensive indexes to hundreds of verses, subjects, and Greek words
• Discussion of key repeated phrases that use a particular preposition