This book provides an interpretation of Galatians 6:11-17 which yields significant insights about Paul's perception of the crisis in Galatia, and the solution he presents to his readers in light of it. In the first section of the book, the epistolary form and function of Galatians 6:11-17 are analysed. Revealed as a body-closing, it works to sharpen and complete Paul's message by spelling out his motivation for writing and establishing the basis for further communication with his readers. The theme of persecution in the letter is then seen rendered both explicitly and implicitly through the examination of pertinent passages. These indicate that all parties involved share some connection to persecution. Finally, an exegetical analysis of Galatians 6:11-17 reveals Paul's claim that the agitators' primary motive is to avoid persecution 'because of the cross of Christ.' He contrasts them with himself by 'boasting' in that same cross. The net effect is that Paul draws on both the redemptive moment of Jesus' death, and the ongoing cross-shaped life he lives, to validate his apostleship.

Considering the importance of pneumatological themes for interpreting Paul's argument of Galatians, Grant Buchanan explores how Paul draws from Jewish traditions of creation and the Spirit and presents a fresh cosmogony to the Galatian church. He suggests that Galatians outlines an epistemological shift in how Paul sees past, present, and future reality in light of Christ and the presence of the Spirit in the lives of the believers. The most crucial aspect of this new cosmogony is the centrality of the Spirit in Paul's argument in Galatians 3:1–6:17, with Buchanan's exegesis revealing that the Spirit, the Galatians' identity as children of God and the new creation motif are not merely elements of Paul's argument but intrinsic to it. Buchanan demonstrates that Paul renders Jewish and Gentile identities no longer valid, instead revealing that God's favour and election is already with them by stating that those who have the promised Spirit are all children of God. He examines Jewish biblical and Second Temple extra-biblical texts that explicitly connect the Spirit to creation themes, including Genesis, Ezekiel, the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Wisdom of Solomon. Taking Galatians 6:11–17 as the body-closing of the letter, the new creation motif directly implies the activity of the Spirit in the creation of Christian identity. Analysing 6:15 from this pneumatological perspective, Buchanan argues that the new creation motif represents a key aspect of Paul's generative cosmogony and pneumatology, indicating a far broader socio-cosmic transformation than previously assumed, and it becomes a key to understanding Paul's argument.

As a biblical motif, 'new creation' resonates throughout the pages of the Jewish and Christian scriptures, and occupies a central place in the apostle Paul's vision of the Christian life. Yet the biblical and extra-biblical occurrences of this theme vary widely in meaning, referring to either a new cosmos, a new community, or a new individual. Beginning with the Old Testament and working through the important texts of Second Temple Judaism, Moyer V. Hubbard focuses on how the motif functions in the argument, strategy, and literary structure of these documents, highlighting its role as the solution to the perceived plight. He then explores in detail which senses of the term Paul intends in Galatians 6.15 and 2 Corinthians 5.17, concluding that 'new creation' in Paul's letters describes the Spirit-wrought newness of the person in Christ, and is fundamentally anthropological in orientation.

The kingdom of God and the atonement are two of the most important themes in all of Scripture. Tragically, theologians have often either set the two at odds or focused on one to the complete neglect of the other. In The Crucified King, Jeremy Treat demonstrates that Scripture presents a mutually enriching relationship between the kingdom and atonement that draws significantly from the story of Israel and culminates in the crucifixion of Christ the king. As Israel’s messiah, he holds together the kingdom and the cross by bringing God’s reign on earth through his atoning death. The kingdom is the ultimate goal of the cross, and the cross is the means by which the kingdom comes. Jesus’ death is not the failure of his messianic ministry, nor simply the prelude to his royal glory, but is the apex of his kingdom mission. The cross is the throne from which he rules and establishes his kingdom. Using a holistic approach that brings together the insights of biblical and systematic theology, this book demonstrates not only that the kingdom and the cross are inseparable, but how they are integrated in Scripture and theology.

This new commentary in the New Testament Library series is not a systematic study of Pauline theology; rather, the aim of this study is to trace Paul's theology as it unfolds in his letter to the church at Galatia, and to attempt to illuminate, as far as possible, how the Galatians likely comprehended it, at the time they received it. The author asks readers to imagine themselves as silent witnesses to Paul's dictation of the letter and to observe, through a historical perspective, how the Galatian Christians might have understood Paul's words.

The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1975-1976, volume 1, contains messages given by Brother Witness Lee from February 18 through August 31, 1975. During 1975 and 1976 Brother Lee spoke two hundred fifty seven messages that were published in Life-study of Genesis, Life-study of Matthew, Life-study of Mark, Life-study of John, Life-study of Romans, Life-study of Hebrews, and Life-study of Revelation. These Life-study messages are not included in The Collected Works of Witness Lee. From the beginning of the year until the end of March, Brother Lee ministered in Anaheim, California. Messages that he gave up to February 11 are published in The Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1973-1974, volume 2. From the end of March through the first week in April, Brother Lee was in Washington, D.C., where he gave the life-study training on the Gospel of John. From there he went to New York City and remained there until the middle of April. He then returned to Anaheim and ministered there until the end of May. At the end of May and on the first day of June, he held a conference in Chicago, Illinois, after which he was in Anaheim until the end of the third week in June. He then traveled to Spokane and Seattle, Washington, and returned to Anaheim and ministered there until July 3. From July 4 through 6 he held a conference in Berkeley, California. He then ministered in Anaheim until August 4, after which he traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, and conducted conferences and trainings there until September 11. The contents of this volume are divided into fourteen sections, as follows: 1. Three messages given in Anaheim, California, on February 18 and 25 and March 4, 1975. These messages were previously published in a book entitled Fellowship with the Young People. 2. One message given in Anaheim, California, on March 2, 1975. It is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning Baptism. 3. Two messages given in Anaheim, California, on March 11 and 18, 1975. These messages were originally published together under the title A Word for the Sisters and later published as separate booklets entitled The Serving Sisters in the Church Life and The Loving Mothers in the Church Life. They are included in this volume under the title A Word for the Sisters. 4. Nine messages given in New York City on April 8 through 13, 1975. They were previously published in a book entitled The Seven Mysteries in the First Epistle of John. 5. One message given in New York City on April 11, 1975. It is included in this volume under the title The Crucial Function of the Sisters in the Church Life. 6. One message given in Anaheim, California, on May 11, 1975. It is included in this volume under the title Brother Lee's Personal Testimony concerning Calling on the Name of the Lord. 7. One message given in Anaheim, California, on May 18, 1975. It is included in this volume under the title Fellowship concerning the Preparation of Meeting Halls. 8. Five messages given in Chicago, Illinois, on May 30 through June 1, 1975. These messages were previously published in a book entitled The Flesh and the Spirit. 9. Four messages given in Spokane, Washington, on June 21 and 22, 1975. They were previously published in a book entitled The Building of the Church. 10. Eleven messages given in Seattle, Washington, and Berkeley and Anaheim, California, on June 23 through July 13, 1975. They were previously published in a book entitled The Testimony of Jesus. 11. One message given in Berkeley, California, on July 5, 1975. The edited message was divided into two chapters, which are published in this volume under the title The Truth concerning the Triune God and Crucial Points of Truth and Practice. 12. Six messages given in Anaheim, California, on July 23 and 24, 1975. One of the edited messages was divided into two chapters, and the seven resulting chapters are included in this volume under the title Fellowship with Elders. 13. Five messages given in Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 19 through 23, 1975. They were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled Living in the Spirit. 14. Four messages given in Chinese in Taipei, Taiwan, on August 26 through 31, 1975. They were previously published in Chinese and English in a book entitled Living with the Lord.

In the Lord’s recovery during the past five hundred years the church’s knowledge of the Lord and His truth has been continually progressing. This monumental and classical work by Brother Witness Lee builds upon and is a further development of all that the Lord has revealed to His church in the past centuries. It is filled with the revelation concerning the processed Triune God, the living Christ, the life-giving Spirit, the experience of life, and the definition and practice of the church. In this set Brother Lee has kept three basic principles that should rule and govern every believer in their interpretation, development, and expounding of the truths contained in the Scriptures. The first principle is that of the Triune God dispensing Himself into His chosen and redeemed people; the second principle is that we should interpret, develop, and expound the truths contained in the Bible with Christ for the church; and the third governing principle is Christ, the Spirit, life, and the church. No other study or exposition of the New Testament conveys the life nourishment or ushers the reader into the divine revelation of God’s holy Word according to His New Testament economy as this one does.

Few treatments of the death of Jesus Christ have made a point of accounting for the gruesome, degrading, public manner of his death by crucifixion, a mode of execution so loathsome that the ancient Romans never spoke of it in polite society. Rutledge probes all the various themes and motifs used by the New Testament evangelists and apostolic writers to explain the meaning of the cross of Christ. She shows how each of the biblical themes contributes to the whole, with the Christus Victor motif and the concept of substitution sharing pride of place along with Irenaeus's recapitulation model.

Is God still, as it has been argued, the "neglected factor" in New Testament theology? How does the Bible speak imaginatively and concretely about who God is and what God's activity on behalf of the world looks like? In The Unrelenting God sixteen accomplished scholars in the fields of biblical and theological studies explore ways in which Scripture speaks about God's character and God's activity in the world. As honoree Beverly Roberts Gaventa has done throughout her career, the contributors address important and nuanced theological themes such as God's dramatic invasion of the world in the gospel of Jesus Christ, God's ultimate triumph over the powers of sin and death, and humanity's ongoing participation with God in Christ. Scholars, students, and church leaders will appreciate this volume's careful theological interpretation of whole scriptural books and individual passages -- and its ability to model instructively how that interpretation is best done. Contributors: Shane Berg Martinus C. de Boer Alexandra R. Brown William Sanger Campbell David J. Downs Susan Grove Eastman Joel B. Green Douglas Harink Richard B. Hays L. Ann Jervis Jacqueline E. Lapsley J. Louis Martyn John B. F. Miller Matthew L. Skinner Katherine Sonderegger Francis Watson Michael Welker