How can a letter written over 1900 years ago to a Christian group in a small town of Asia Minor mean anything to us? But if Colossians is a word from a God who does not change, and is therefore relevant to His people in every age, how are we to understand and interpret Paul's thought and expression today? Dr. Ralph Martin tackles this problem by asking what the apostle meant when he set out to instruct, correct and exhort the original readers of the epistle. From this inquiry he deduces certain principles of belief and conduct which may still be applied even though our situation differs in external details from that in which the Colossian Christians found themselves. The underlying intellectual and religious question is the same--what is man's relation to the cosmos and the powers that rule it? The predominant theme of the book, as of the epistle, is the glory and Lordship of the risen Christ, in whom Christian believers have come to fullness of life. Professor Martin examines the Colossian heresy, and shows that life in Christ brings complete liberation from mental and spiritual bondage to those merely human mystical notions that had only an appearance of wisdom. From doctrine he moves on, with Paul, to the therefore of everyday Christian conduct, in the context of family relationships, prayer, and the Church's mission in today's world. So far from being out-of-date or irrelevant, the Epistle to the Colossians might well have been written (as indeed in one sense it was!), for our modern space-age. It shows the person of Jesus Christ as the answer to humanity's questioning about the cosmos of which we form such a frighteningly insignificant part. Above all it sets out the Jesus of history as the Lord of glory, the Master of time and space, and shows the essential continuity between the two. It is Professor Martin's first aim to make the background and the message of the Epistle clear in its original setting, and then to show its particular relevance to the present day.

The subject of baptism continues to be of considerable interest--though it frequently appears within broader studies of sacraments, liturgy, worship, and ecumenical studies, and within confessional bounds: credobaptist or paedobaptist--yet it is rarely discussed by Evangelicals. This book, however, is neither an apologetic for credobaptism nor paedobaptism; rather Cross believes that, as practiced today, both forms are a departure from New Testament baptism, which, he maintains, was an integral part of becoming a Christian and part of the proclaimed gospel. He argues that the "one baptism" of Ephesians 4:5 is conversion-baptism and that the baptism referred to in the various New Testament strata refers to this "one baptism" (of Spirit and water). The study sets out the case for this interpretation and contends that in key passages "baptism" is an example of synecdoche. The case is then made for a sacramental interpretation of baptism from a thoroughgoing Evangelical perspective. Cross concludes with reflections on the necessity of baptismal reform and the relevance of a return to conversion-baptism for the contemporary church in a post-Christian, post-Christendom, mission setting.

A series of authors assert the premise that Sunday is Òa new day of worship that was chosen to commemorate the unique, salvation-historical event of the death and resurrection of Christ, rather than merely being another day for celebrating the Sabbath.Ó

Every group within Christianity has its own opinions on what Christianity really is. But who's right (if anyone)? With the letter to the Colossians, we have an opportunity to find an answer. Paul compares Christianity to another worldview and argues that Christianity is better. This book uses that comparison in order to understand Paul's Christian worldview. In this book, you will also find answers to some very difficult questions. 1.What is God's ultimate purpose for humanity? 2.Do we just do things because God told us to? 3.Why does Paul tell wives to obey their husbands? 4.Why does Paul tell slaves to obey their masters? 5.Why does God care what we do at all? 6.Why does God command these particular actions? 7.Why would we want to follow God's commands anyway? 8.How does following God's commands actually make us better people? Christianity is the point at which God acted through Christ to fix what was wrong with creation and bring the whole story to a different conclusion. In this book, you will see the big picture of Christianity and how all the dots connect--from start to finish.

The image of God as a divine warrior pervades Scripture. Tremper Longman and Daniel Reed demonstrate that the metaphor of God as warrior is one of the essential metaphors for understanding salvation in both the Old and New Testaments.

This volume of essays is dedicated to Professor Ralph Martin of the University of Sheffield, formerly Director of the Graduate Studies Program at Fuller Theological Seminary, widely known for his incisive and disciplined scholarship on the New Testament. The editors called on associates from his various teaching posts, former students, and colleagues in the field for these original essays, the range of which reflects Professor Martin's own broad interests in New Testament studies, worship and ministry. Contributors to the volume are: Ernest Best, Colin Brown, James Dunn, E. Earle Ellis, Donald Guthrie, Donald Hagner, Gerald Hawthorne, Colin Kruse, Andrew Lincoln, I. Howard Marshall, Leon Morris, Peter T. O'Brien, Terence Paige, Eduard Schweizer, Graham Stanton, Marianne Meye Thompson and Michael J. Wilkins, with a curriculum vitae and reminiscences supplied by Lynn A. Losie and Leslie Allen.