Immorality inundating the Christian community and gradually eroding the foundations of Christian living. The truth of God incarnate, the atonement, and the bodily resurrection of Christ under attack—even from within the church. These were the problems that faced the Christians of John's day. In a society that scorned the gospel and sneered at godly living, John encouraged Christians ...

The letters of 2 Peter and Jude are sometimes overlooked, yet their message for the church is timely and compelling. Today, as in the first century, Christians must guard against false guides who can lead believers astray and cause divisions within the community of faith. Responding to this ever-present danger, 2 Peter and Jude equip readers to discern truth from illusion and exhort ...

The letter of 1 Peter is a traveler's guide for Christian pilgrims. To believers scattered throughout Asia Minor, Peter wrote with a reminder that they were temporary residents, strangers looking toward their true homeland. As stormy persecutions were beginning in the region, Peter brought a message of hope, encouraging readers to see their lives in the context of God's great work ...

The apostle James addressed his readers directly and pointedly, using vivid images from ordinary life and attention-gripping statements. His letter reveals how a genuine faith is a tested faith, and how encountering difficulties is an essential part of the growth to Christian maturity.

In this Bible Speaks Today volume, J. Alec Motyer's rich exposition brings James's letter ...

The first-century readers of Hebrews were at a critical point. Many had been exposed to public ridicule, persecution, and imprisonment. Some had already abandoned their commitment to Christ, and others were in danger of compromising or giving up. The letter to the Hebrews brought a profound encouragement and appeal: they must keep their eyes on Christ and remain anchored in the ...

After teaching many times from the book of 2 Timothy, John Stott writes, "I have been impressed afresh by the timeliness for today of what the apostle writes, especially for young Christian leaders. For our era too is one of theological and moral confusion, even of apostasy. And the apostle summons us, as he summoned Timothy, to be strong, brave and steadfast."

In this revised ...

In the letters to Timothy and Titus, as he nears the end of his life, Paul focuses on the idea of inheritance. The faithful, he writes, must guard and pass on the heritage of gospel truth for the next generation. Paul's clear commitment to the church as "the pillar and foundation of the truth" continues to challenge Christians in every era.

In this revised Bible Speaks Today ...

The gospel shapes the church and the church spreads the gospel. In his heartfelt letters to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul calls believers again and again to these essential truths. To encourage and correct the young church in Thessalonica, Paul addresses many issues that are still of vital importance today, such as Christian community, church leadership, moral living, evangelism, ...