Paul continued the same thrust of his criticism and correction in his Second Letter to the Corinthians, apparently because the same problems continued to dog the church. Paul's Second Letter is more personal as he ramped up the tone and clarity of his criticism. At one point he thought that he may have overstepped the bounds of propriety and apologized for his curtness-but not for his correction. Personal attacks against Paul, against him personally and the style and content of his ministry, had continued. So, Paul addressed them with clarity and severity.

The body of law for any modern country, and in particular the United States-the most litigious society in history-is phenomenally large. So, how is it that we live in an age of increasing lawlessness? People don't like to talk about God's law. For the most part contemporary Christians believe that they have arrived at a time in history that is beyond the application of any Old Testament laws, and in many cases, a time that is beyond all biblical law. People have converted the gospel of grace to mean a gospel without law-without obligation or responsibility. The good news that is preached in...

This book is not about love, courting or marriage. It is about establishing a relationship with Jesus Christ and a synopsis of the historic, Protestant Christian position. It is not a expositional Bible study, but is more of a topical study intended to speak to the needs of contemporary people by uncovering various biblical truths and at the same time revealing various contemporary misunderstandings about the Bible and salvation. Here you will find a synopsis of the historic, Protestant Christian position. If it seems unusual it is more likely because this theological position has been all...

Paul had a problem with the Christians at Corinth. They were a large, successful church. They were growing leaps and bounds. They thought they were doing great. But not Paul. Paul found that they had substituted the wisdom of the world (the philosophy and culture of the Greeks) for the wisdom of Christ (the philosophy and culture of the Bible). This volume contrasts the folly of Greek (and ultimately modern American) worldly wisdom with the gospel of Christ. Stones are turned over and small-minded creatures that thrive in the dark scatter in the light of Christ. Ross brings Paul's struggle to...

Human morality is an essential element of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. What Jesus says about human morality is that it issues from the reality of our simultaneous individual and social character. Humanity was created to be a kind of reflection of God's character, both as individuals and socially or corporately. And this is why Jesus focused on right worship, which issues out of the positional relationship with Jesus Christ held by the born-again, and the moral relationships between and among Christ's people. These are the topics that Jesus addressed in this Sermon. Yet, there is an additional...

Reading Peter's letters is quite different than reading Paul's. Paul was a scholar trained in biblical academics, which involves focusing in on meaning. It usually means looking at something with a microscope in order to clarify what sometimes appears to be minutia. Peter, who came to Christ as an uneducated fisherman (though he most certainly did not remain so), turns the microscope around, which turns it into a telescope. So, while Paul is often focused on the inner, personal realities of faithfulness, Peter is focused on the grand scheme of Christ's mission in the world. Where Paul was...

This is a dangerous book, dangerous because it deals with perhaps the most serious conflict in history, and I commend it with some trepidation. That conflict began in Genesis and has continued unabated through history. Beecher's book was originally published when America was deeply conflicted over the Great Awakenings and the New School/Old School controversies that set the stage for the American Civil War. Beecher wrote, ..".soon after the opening of the Reformation, the power of that system was so far broken, and consistent and free thought had so much more scope, that the whole system was...

Ross raises the standard of the uniqueness of Jesus the Christ, the Messiah in this work. He points out that this uniqueness; the "singularity of Christ," is enwrapped in the mind-boggling concept of the Trinity. Ross helps us struggle with this one-in-three and three-in-one contra human logic concept. Ross tells us, "The word singularity is defined as a trait marking a thing or person as distinct from others; a peculiarity."(pg. 12) Christ is unique in all the world, in all the cosmos. -- Ted Bradshaw

Beecher's perspective and style very much reflect the best aspects of Nineteenth Century America prior to the Civil War. This does not mean that it comes from a time of great peace and tranquility, but rather that it is fraught with the angst that eventually resulted in the Civil War. The fact that this book is thoroughly modern, but not postmodern makes it a very interesting for anyone who truly wants to understand the world we actually live in today. Beecher was not a backwater hick or a Southern sympathizer, but represents the best of American theology and literature of his day. His sister...

This book is from the "street," down in the valley where people actually live. It is not sad or morose, but it is serious--and it's about sin, yours and mine. It is an invitation to think more deeply about things, the things we believe and this troubled world. Time is a funny thing. We all live in it. Most of us are slaves to it, driven by appointments and schedules that must be kept. Asking people to think about time is like asking a fish to think about water-with one important difference. As far as we know, fish can't think at all. Ross asks us to think about time, about how much time we...