Strange how one little word, the Greek word pistis, can make a profound difference in understanding the Bible. Pistis is usually translated “faith,” but in different contexts of the New Testament the word can have several other meanings such as “faithfulness,” “trustworthiness,” “solemn promise or oath,” “proof or pledge,” “conviction,” and “doctrine (of the Christian faith).” This book will challenge the reader’s understanding of Paul’s expression pistis Christou, “faith/faithfulness of Christ,” and the use of the pistis word group (verb, noun, and adjective) throughout the New Testament. Given the Old Testament background to this word, one will learn how the apostle Paul utilized an obscure phrase from the prophet Habakkuk to refer to a coming Messiah who in turn lived in faithfulness to the Father’s will to die on a cross for the sins of the world. This book will reveal how the gospel is emphasized throughout the New Testament in terms of “the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah.” New and fresh interpretations of various texts will challenge the traditional understandings of such texts. When a person comprehends pistis as God’s faithfulness and the Messiah’s faithfulness, the only human response is pistis itself, meaning faithfulness as described in Hebrews 11. God is faithful and Jesus is faithful. Will he find us faithful?

Strange how one little word, the Greek word pistis, can make a profound difference in understanding the Bible. Pistis is usually translated "faith," but in different contexts of the New Testament the word can have several other meanings such as "faithfulness," "trustworthiness," "solemn promise or oath," "proof or pledge," "conviction," and "doctrine (of the Christian faith)." This book will challenge the reader's understanding of Paul's expression pistis Christou, "faith/faithfulness of Christ," and the use of the pistis word group (verb, noun, and adjective) throughout the New Testament. Given the Old Testament background to this word, one will learn how the apostle Paul utilized an obscure phrase from the prophet Habakkuk to refer to a coming Messiah who in turn lived in faithfulness to the Father's will to die on a cross for the sins of the world. This book will reveal how the gospel is emphasized throughout the New Testament in terms of "the faithfulness of Jesus the Messiah." New and fresh interpretations of various texts will challenge the traditional understandings of such texts. When a person comprehends pistis as God's faithfulness and the Messiah's faithfulness, the only human response is pistis itself, meaning faithfulness as described in Hebrews 11. God is faithful and Jesus is faithful. Will he find us faithful?

In this important study Hays argues against the mainstream that any attempt to account for the nature and method of Paul's theological language must first reckon with the centrality of narrative elements in his thought. Through an in-depth investigation of Galatians 3:1-4:11, Hays shows that the framework of Paul's thought is neither a system of doctrines nor his personal religious experience but the "sacred story" of Jesus Christ.

In this groundbreaking book, Michael Gorman asks why there is no theory or model of the atonement called the "new-covenant" model, since this understanding of the atonement is likely the earliest in the Christian tradition, going back to Jesus himself. Gorman argues that most models of the atonement over-emphasize the penultimate purposes of Jesus' death and the "mechanics" of the atonement, rather than its ultimate purpose: to create a transformed, Spirit-filled people of God. The New Testament's various atonement metaphors are part of a remarkably coherent picture of Jesus' death as that which brings about the new covenant (and thus the new community) promised by the prophets, which is also the covenant of peace. Gorman therefore proposes a new model of the atonement that is really not new at all--the new-covenant model. He argues that this is not merely an ancient model in need of rediscovery, but also a more comprehensive, integrated, participatory, communal, and missional model than any of the major models in the tradition. Life in this new covenant, Gorman argues, is a life of communal and individual participation in Jesus' faithful, loving, peacemaking death. Written for both academics and church leaders, this book will challenge all who read it to re-think and re-articulate the meaning of Christ's death for us.

This highly anticipated two-book fourth volume in N. T. Wright's magisterial series, Christian Origins and the Question of God, is destined to become the standard reference point on the subject for all serious students of the Bible and theology. The mature summation of a lifetime's study, this landmark book pays a rich tribute to the breadth and depth of the apostle's vision, and offers an unparalleled wealth of detailed insights into his life, times, and enduring impact.

Few books have sought to exhaustively trace the theme of Messiah through all of Scripture, but this book does so with the expert analysis of three leading evangelical scholars. For the Bible student and pastor, Jesus the Messiahpresents a comprehensive picture of both scriptural and cultural expectations surrounding the Messiah, from an examination of the Old Testament promises to their unique and perfect fulfillment in Jesus' life. Students of the life of Christ will benefit from the authors' rich understanding of ancient biblical culture and pastors will find an indispensable help for understanding the unity and importance of the ancient promise of Messiah. This handsome volume will be a ready reference on Messiah for years to come.

N. T. Wright's magnum opus Paul and the Faithfulness of God is a landmark study on the history and thought of the apostle Paul. This volume brings together a stellar group of international scholars to critically assess an array of issues in Wright's work. Essays in Part I set Wright in the context of other Pauline theologies. Part II addresses methodological issues in Wright's approach, including critical realism, historiography, intertextuality, and narrative. In Part III, on context, scholars measure Wright's representation of early Judaism, Greek philosophy, paganism, and the Roman Empire. Part IV turns to Wright's exegetical decisions regarding law, covenant, and election, the "New Perspective," justification and redemption, Christology, Spirit, eschatology, and ethics. Part V at last speaks to the implications of Wright's work for the church's theology, sacraments, and mission, and for global responsibility in a "postmodern" age. The volume includes a critical response from Wright himself.