Crossway Christological Studies Collection (8 vols.)

by Andreas J. Köstenberger; Alexander E. Stewart; Colin R. Nicholl

and

6 more

Publisher:

Crossway

, 2015–2016

Overview

Worshiping Christ is central to the Christian life. This collection of theological works and pastoral treatises highlight the work of Christ on the behalf of Christians. Better understand the response that Christians ought to have in light of their new standing before God as the redeemed. Authors examine the birth of Jesus, his incarnation, his miracles, and examine a proper response to his Lordship.

Key Features

• Focuses on the meaning of Christ’s birth and the events surrounding his advent
• Contains pastoral and theological approaches to Christology
• Encourages application based on a thankful response to grace

Product Details

• Title: Crossway Christological Studies Collection
• Publisher: Crossway
• Volumes: 8
• Pages: 1,984
• Resource Type: Monographs
• Topic: Christological Studies

The First Days of Jesus: The Story of the Incarnation

• Authors: Andreas J. Köstenberger and Alexander E. Stewart
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 272

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The birth of Jesus stands as a pivotal moment in the history of the world, marking a dramatic turning point in God’s plan to redeem creation from sin and death. Much to the world’s surprise, redemption had arrived . . . in the form of a lowly baby.

Aimed at stirring your affections for Jesus, this meditative book will lead you on a step-by-step journey through the Gospels’ birth narratives, clearing away common misconceptions, making messianic connections, and setting the stage for Jesus’s later life and ministry.

This latest work on the incarnation and nativity is an excellent example of serious scholarship served up in a most readable manner. No birth in history had such prophetic preparation, which is a powerful, central theme in these pages that celebrate the start of the greatest life ever lived. This is a welcome antidote to the cheap sensationalism in recent books on Jesus that try to demolish every reason for regarding Christmas as ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’

—Paul L. Maier, professor of ancient history, Western Michigan University; author, In the Fullness of Time

The First Days of Jesus is a revealing look at the earliest days of Jesus in Matthew, Luke, and John set against some of the skeptical takes on these passages. Add to this a taste of Jewish messianic expectation and you have a nice overview of the start of Jesus’s career and where it fits in God’s plan. Solid yet devotional, it is a great introduction to the first days of our Lord.

—Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director of Cultural Engagement, Howard G. Hendricks Center, and senior research professor of New Testament studies, Dallas Theological Seminary

The First Days of Jesus combines Scripture passages, historical background, scholarly insight, and practical application to cast Christ’s incarnation in fresh light. Few tasks are more urgent than for today’s Christians worldwide to rediscover and deepen their connections with their origins. This book is a valuable resource for achieving that aim. Like the star of Bethlehem itself, this volume leads those who seek God to find him afresh in the events of Jesus’s historical appearance, the prophecies that preceded, the apostolic testimony that accompanied, and the social world that God split wide open when he sent his Son.

—Robert W. Yarbrough, professor of New Testament, Covenant Theological Seminary

Andreas J. Köstenberger (PhD, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School) is the senior research professor of New Testament and biblical theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is a prolific author, distinguished evangelical scholar, and editor of the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. He is the founder of Biblical Foundations, a ministry devoted to restoring the biblical foundations of the home and the church.

Alexander Stewart (PhD, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary) is academic dean and assistant professor of New Testament language and literature at Tyndale Theological Seminary in Badhoevedorp, the Netherlands.

The Great Christ Comet: Revealing the True Star of Bethlehem

• Author: Colin R. Nicholl
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 368

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Star of Bethlehem is one of the greatest mysteries in astronomy and in the Bible. What was it? How did it prompt the Magi to set out on a long journey to Judea? How did it lead them to Jesus?

In this groundbreaking book, Colin R. Nicholl makes the compelling case that the Star of Bethlehem could only have been a great comet. Taking a fresh look at the biblical text and drawing on the latest astronomical research, this beautifully illustrated volume will introduce readers to the Bethlehem Star in all of its glory.

The Great Christ Comet is a stunning book. Colin R. Nicholl develops a convincing case for what exactly the Star of Bethlehem was. The book reads like a detective novel, and while it is full of evidence, information, and argumentation, it is accessible and enjoyable to read. This work is now the definitive treatment of the subject. I highly recommend it.

—J.P. Moreland, distinguished professor of philosophy, Biola University; author, The Soul: How We Know It’s Real and Why It Matters

I am simply in awe of this book. It is a blockbuster. It is an historic discovery and nothing less. The Great Christ Comet is an absolutely astonishing triumph of interdisciplinary scholarship so rarely seen and so tremendously illuminating as to merit bright comparison with the very celestial phenomenon it describes. Both lead us to the manger and to the Great Poet within, whose syllables are the moon and sun and stars.

—Eric Metaxas, New York Times best-selling author, Miracles and Bonhoeffer

In every respect this volume is a remarkable achievement. I regard it as the most important book ever published on the Star of Bethlehem and enthusiastically commend it.

—Gary W. Kronk, author, Cometography; consultant, American Meteor Society

Colin R. Nicholl (PhD, University of Cambridge) taught at the University of Cambridge and was a professor of New Testament at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary before devoting himself to biblical research. His book From Hope to Despair in Thessalonica was published by Cambridge University Press, and his articles have appeared in publications such as The Journal of Theological Studies and The Times (London).

The Incarnation of God: The Mystery of the Gospel as the Foundation of Evangelical Theology

• Authors: John C. Clark and Marcus Peter Johnson
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2015
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The Incarnation is found at the heart of the Christian faith. It is the central fact of human history.

It is the defining reality of all existence.

In The Incarnation of God, theology professors John Clark and Marcus Johnson explore the doctrine of the incarnation of Christ—an unquestionably foundational yet oddly neglected topic in contemporary evangelical theology—examining its implications for the church’s knowledge and worship of God, appreciation for salvation, approach to the Christian life, and understanding of human sexuality. Grounded in Scripture and informed by church history, this book will lead readers to reexamine afresh the greatest mystery of the universe: our Lord’s assumption of human flesh.

The Incarnation of God is a theological juggernaut grinding into dust all modern dichotomous thinking about the person and work of Jesus Christ. Reclaiming grossly neglected biblical, patristic, and reformational teaching, Clark and Johnson reestablish the incarnation as the proper center and ground for all evangelical theology, and demonstrate with profundity and potency the tectonic implications of our Lord’s assumption of human flesh.

—Joel Scandrett, assistant professor of historical theology & director of the Robert E. Webber Center, Trinity School for Ministry

Clark and Johnson clearly and eloquently lay out the significance of the incarnation as the centerpiece of Christian theology. Their fascinating reflections on the relation of the incarnation to other aspects of Christian faith introduce us to depths of truth that most Christians have never dreamed of, let alone explored. Their exposition grows out of the rich tradition of Christian reflection on the incarnation, and it is a joy to see my hero Athanasius and my late mentor T.F. Torrance figure so prominently in these pages. It is a pleasure to recommend this book.

—Donald M. Fairbairn, Jr., Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; author, Life in the Trinity and Grace and Christology in the Early Church

Remedying a major deficiency in evangelical literature, this fine book on the incarnation informs readers of how the central apostolic confession—in Jesus of Nazareth, God has come among us as man—governs our understanding of every aspect of the Christian faith, informs every feature of our discipleship, and grounds pastoral comfort in the heart of God. The authors of this profound study highlight why the incarnation guarantees our salvation, acquaints us with the only Savior we can ever have, allows us to know God, enlivens our obedience, renders the church the bride of Christ, and, not least, informs Christians concerning the logic of God’s intention for human sexuality.

—Victor A. Shepherd, professor of theology, Tyndale University College and Seminary; author, Interpreting Martin Luther and The Nature and Function of Faith in the Theology of John Calvin

John C. Clark (PhD, University of Toronto) is associate professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, Illinois.

Marcus Peter Johnson (PhD, University of Toronto) is assistant professor of theology at Moody Bible Institute. Along with writing his doctoral dissertation on union with Christ in the theology of John Calvin, he is also the author of One with Christ: An Evangelical Theology of Salvation.

The Lordship of Christ: Serving Our Savior All of the Time, in All of Life, with All of Our Heart

• Author: Vern S. Poythress
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 224

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Jesus Christ was not merely a human being. He was not merely a famous religious teacher.

Jesus Christ is Lord of all. This radical claim from the Bible has profound implications for every area of life—for every person and every facet of society. Drawing on key biblical texts, Vern Poythress explores what acknowledging the authority of Christ means for the way we should think and act. Unpacking how this authority affects spheres of life such as religion, politics, science, art, education, and the future, Poythress helps us pursue obedience to Christ as an expression of our gratitude and devotion—and our anticipation of the joy promised to us when we serve him with all of our heart.

Vern Poythress’s fine book argues a truly radical thesis: that Jesus’s lordship is as wide as creation and therefore is as wide as our everyday activities. He shows how Jesus’s saving works and Word apply to absolutely every sphere of life—to art and science, business and entrepreneurship, scholarship and education, politics and economics. Any Christian who wishes to honor the Lord Christ in the totality of his or her life should buy this book and read it immediately.

—Bruce Riley Ashford, provost and associate professor of theology and culture, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

Vern Poythress is one of the few writers today who combines rigorous scholarship and biblical theology with deep, practical spirituality. This volume is a defense of the notion, so powerfully expressed in the Reformed tradition in general and by Abraham Kuyper in particular, that Christ is Lord over every area of life. Building on this heritage, Poythress brings important clarifications along with practical applications not always found in the pioneers. Readers should not be deceived by the enviable simplicity of the arguments; they pack a wallop.

—William Edgar, professor of apologetics, Westminster Theological Seminary

My good friend Vern Poythress has written Redeeming Science, Redeeming Sociology, Redeeming Mathematics, and Redeeming Philosophy, as well as excellent books on linguistics and logic. The Lordship of Christ expounds the foundation beneath all these other studies—namely, the fact that Christ rules over every area of human life. This is the principle rediscovered by Abraham Kuyper, that every square inch in the universe belongs to Jesus. Poythress’s book contains a strong biblical defense of this principle. It also contains the best discussion yet of the one-kingdom/two-kingdoms controversy.

—John M. Frame, professor of systematic theology and philosophy emeritus, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando

Vern S. Poythress (PhD, Harvard University; ThD, University of Stellenbosch) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for nearly four decades. In addition to earning six academic degrees, he is the author of numerous books and articles on biblical interpretation, language, and science.

The Miracles of Jesus: How the Savior’s Mighty Acts Serve as Signs of Redemption

• Author: Vern S. Poythress
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 272

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Jesus walked on water. He healed a blind man. He turned water into wine. More than just displays of his divine power, Jesus’s miracles signify something deeper—they’re windows into God’s grand story of redemption, foreshadowing the great miracle of Christ’s death and resurrection. By explaining the meaning and significance of all 26 miracles recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, New Testament scholar Vern Poythress shows us their relevance for our lives today. Poythress unpacks how understanding the meaning of Christ’s miracles will help us better grasp the salvation God has brought into the world.

Vern Poythress rescues the miracles of Jesus from neglect and confusion by means of his sanctified scholarship. As a pastor, I am indebted to him for helping me make sense of the miracles for myself and in turn for my congregation.

—Alistair Begg, senior pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, OH

Poythress serves as a sure-footed guide through the towering magnificence of Jesus’s miracles, so that we readers can see them as the pulsing signs of redemption that they are—radiating his power and his lordship and, ultimately, the greatest work ever—the cross. The precision and tender pastoral practicality of The Miracles of Jesus will be sure to refresh every reader. Those who preach and teach will find the carefully layered depth of application a welcome help in unfolding the miracles to their people.

—R. Kent Hughes, professor of practical theology, Westminster Theological Seminary

Because the miracles that marked the ministry of Jesus are the most significant in Scripture, this volume largely confines its attention to them and shows with rich insight how they are essential for revealing the full scope of the salvation he accomplished. Written with a broad audience in view and in the author’s characteristically clear and winsome way, it will be read with great profit by those wanting to grow in understanding how the miracles of Jesus are essential for the gospel.

—Richard B. Gaffin Jr., professor of biblical and systematic theology, emeritus, Westminster Theological Seminary

Vern S. Poythress (PhD, Harvard University; ThD, University of Stellenbosch) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he has taught for nearly four decades. In addition to earning six academic degrees, he is the author of numerous books and articles on biblical interpretation, language, and science.

The Son of God and the New Creation

• Author: Graeme Goldsworthy
• Series: Short Studies in Biblical Theology
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 144

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

The theme of divine sonship stretches across the pages of the Bible: from Adam in the Garden of Eden, through the nation of Israel and King David, and ultimately to Jesus Christ in the New Jerusalem—the Son of God par excellence. In this volume from the Short Studies in Biblical Theology series, renowned biblical scholar Graeme Goldsworthy shows what Christ’s fulfillment of the divine sonship motif means for all who are sons and daughters of God.

The widespread tendency to treat the Bible as if it has been dropped straight down from heaven into the hands of the individual believer significantly inhibits the life and hampers the mission of the church. This series of Short Studies in Biblical Theology holds important promise of helping to remedy this situation with its goal of providing pastors and their congregations with studies of key biblical themes that will foster a growing understanding and appreciation of the redemptive-historical flow and Christ-centered focus of Scripture as a whole. I look forward with anticipation to the appearance of these volumes.

—Richard B. Gaffin Jr., professor of biblical and systematic theology, emeritus, Westminster Theological Seminary

At last, biblical theology made accessible to the wider church! Goldsworthy gets this much-needed new series of mercifully shorter books on biblical theology off to a wonderful start with an instructive and edifying exploration of the Son of God through the Scriptures. This book cannot but produce greater love of the Bible, greater worship of the Son, and greater anticipation of the new creation.

—David Murray, pastor, Grand Rapids Free Reformed Church; professor of Old Testament and practical theology, Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary; author, Jesus on Every Page and Reset

Goldsworthy has devoted his lifetime’s work to helping us understand the organic unity of the Bible. He has had a huge influence on my understanding of how the Old Testament anticipates Christ. I recommend this important work to all readers, particularly pastors and laypeople who want to see Christ in the Old Testament.

—Tremper Longman III, distinguished scholar of biblical studies, Westmont College

Graeme Goldsworthy (PhD, Union Theological Seminary) previously served as a lecturer in biblical theology, Old Testament, and hermeneutics at Moore Theological College in Sydney, Australia.

Unlimited Grace: The Heart Chemistry That Frees from Sin and Fuels the Christian Life

• Author: Bryan Chapell
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 192

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

What if obeying God is not just dreary duty—going through the motions to avoid God’s wrath or earn his favor? What if following Christ is pure joy—living in loving response to a grace so profound that it changes all our motivations and affections? Far from encouraging sin, this biblical understanding of grace fuels and empowers the obedience that God commands.

Explaining why grace is important and giving us tools to discover it in all of Scripture, Unlimited Grace helps us to see how gospel joy transforms our hearts and makes us passionate for Christ’s purposes. Experienced pastor and author Bryan Chapell takes insights from a lifetime of relishing God’s grace and pours them into this highly accessible and engaging book, helping readers see how God’s grace shines through all of Scripture, for all of life.

In Unlimited Grace, Bryan Chapell draws our attention to the amazing grace of God. Many Christians struggle to understand and apply God’s grace personally. The church often struggles to apply the grace of God corporately. The unbelieving world desperately needs to hear the message of grace. In light of these realities, I am thrilled to see this needed, Christ-centered, and readable book. I wholeheartedly recommend it!

—Tony Merida, lead pastor, Imago Dei Church, Raleigh, NC; author, Ordinary

Chapell unpacks how the entire Christian life, from beginning to end, is by grace. The deepest message of the Bible and the ministry of Jesus Christ is the extravagant grace of God to sinners and sufferers. This good news is necessary to avoid the pitfalls of minimizing both the assurance of salvation and sanctification. Unlimited Grace celebrates God’s grace for all of life as it addresses head-on the practical and honest questions about what this looks like in real life.

—Justin S. Holcomb, Episcopal priest; professor of Christian thought, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary; coauthor, Rid of My Disgrace and Is It My Fault?

Bryan Chapell shows how God’s love transforms us from the inside out. The questions he recommends we bring to the biblical text such as, what does this passage teach me about God the Redeemer? are ones I recommend for teachers and leaders tasked with delivering God’s Word on a regular basis. Let this book remind you that the power of God’s love is what moves us to obedience!

—Trevin Wax, managing editor, The Gospel Project; author, Gospel-Centered Teaching, Counterfeit Gospels, and Holy Subversion

Bryan Chapell is the senior pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church (PCA) in Peoria, Illinois. He is also the host of a daily half-hour radio Bible teaching program, Unlimited Grace, and the founder and chairman of Unlimited Grace Media. Bryan previously served as the president of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, and is the author of a number of books, including Holiness by Grace.

The Whole Christ: Legalism, Antinomianism, and Gospel Assurance-Why the Marrow Controversy Still Matters

• Author: Sinclair B. Ferguson
• Publisher: Crossway
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 256

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Since the days of the early church, Christians have wrestled with the relationship between law and gospel. If, as the apostle Paul says, salvation is by grace and the law cannot save, what relevance does the law have for Christians today?

By revisiting the Marrow Controversy—a famous but largely forgotten eighteenth-century debate related to the proper relationship between God’s grace and our works—Sinclair B. Ferguson sheds light on this central issue and why it still matters today. In doing so, he explains how our understanding of the relationship between law and gospel determines our approach to evangelism, our pursuit of sanctification, and even our understanding of God himself.

Ferguson shows us that the antidote to the poison of legalism on the one hand and antinomianism on the other is one and the same: the life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ, in whom we are simultaneously justified by faith, freed for good works, and assured of salvation.

The volume in your hands is not just a helpful historical reflection but also a tract for the times. Sinclair does a good job of recounting the Marrow Controversy in an accessible and interesting way. However, his real aim is not merely to do that. Against the background and features of that older dispute, he wants to help us understand the character of this perpetual problem—one that bedevils the church today. He does so in the most illuminating and compelling way I’ve seen in recent evangelical literature.

—Timothy J. Keller, pastor, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, New York City; best-selling author, The Reason for God

This book has three things I’m very interested in: eighteenth-century Scottish church history, doctrinal clarity on the gospel, and learning from Sinclair Ferguson. As fascinating as this work is as a piece of historical analysis, it is even more important as a careful biblical and theological guide to the always-relevant controversies surrounding legalism, antinomianism, and assurance. I’m thankful Ferguson has put his scholarly mind and pastoral heart to work on such an important topic.

—Kevin DeYoung, senior pastor, Christ Covenant Church, Matthews, NC

This book could not come at a better time or from a better source. Sinclair Ferguson brings to life a very important controversy from the past to shed light on contemporary debates. But The Whole Christ is more than a deeply informed survey of the Marrow Controversy. It is the highest-quality pastoral wisdom and doctrinal reflection on the most central issue in any age.

—Michael Horton, J. Gresham Machen Professor of Systematic Theology, Westminster Seminary California; author, Core Christianity: Finding Yourself in God’s Story

Sinclair B. Ferguson (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of systematic theology at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas, and the former senior minister of the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia, South Carolina. He is the author of several books, the most recent being By Grace Alone: How the Grace of God Amazes Me.