Six studies, based on Eugene Peterson's classic on Christian commitment, A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, encourage you to continue in the path Christ has set before you.

Intended as sequel to the author's early study 'The Obedience of Faith': A Pauline Phrase in Historical Context, this book explores the interlocking themes of faith, obedience, and perseverance in the letter to the Romans. Don Garlington argues that Paul's phrase the obedience of faith is designed to say two things at the same time, that is, an obedience which consists in faith and which is the outgrowth of faith's commitment to Jesus Christ. The obedience of faith thus articulates both the inception of Christian existence and its continuation in the perseverance of the believer. The author reflects on Romans 2:22's allegation of disobedience (sacrilege) on the part of Israel. Since Paul's conception of (faith's) obedience stands in stark relief to the (unbelieving) disobedience of his Jewish contemporaries, it is only against the backdrop of his indictment of Israel that aspects of his teaching emerge with tolerable clarity. Garlington also examines Romans 2:13: only the doers of the law will be justified in eschatological judgment. Thus, there is in Paul's theology the idea of a future justification of the people of God, which forms an analogue to their present justification. And it is none other than the obedience of faith which provides the link between the two moments of justification. Romans 5 is focused on its portrayal of Christ as the obedient last Adam, who ensures the obedience of faith of his people. An exegesis of Romans 7:14-25 approaches the obedience of faith from the angle of the Christian's experience of the onslaught of the powers of this present evil age. The ideals of the age to come, as set out before, are seen to be tempered by the realism of this period of overlapping aeons. Finally the author reflects on the theological and practical significance of the exegetical materials, including a discussion of justification and sanctification in Christian thought.

The Christian life calls us to be not tourists but pilgrims—disciples committed to a long journey of faith. These six studies, based on Eugene Peterson's bestselling A Long Obedience in the Same Direction, provide an accessible guide for growing in perseverance, featuring Scripture passages, reflection questions, application ideas, and a leader's guide.

His publications include: Faith, Obedience, and Perseverance: Aspects of Paul's Letter to the Romans (Tuumlet;bingen: Mohr Siebeck, 1994, Wipf Stock, 2009); Exegetical Essays (3rd ed.; Eugene, OR: Wipf Stock, 2003); In Defense of the New Perspective on Paul: Essays and Reviews (Eugene, OR: Wipf Stock, 2005), and numerous articles in various periodicals. Book jacket.

Since Eugene Peterson first wrote this spiritual formation classic nearly forty years ago, hundreds of thousands of Christians have been inspired by Peterson's prophetic and pastoral wisdom and the call to deeper discipleship found in the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120-134). This special commemorative edition includes a new preface taken from Leif Peterson's eulogy at his father's memorial service.

This is a print on demand book and is therefore non- returnable. In times when men's hearts are failing them for fear, in a period when many voices are clamoring for a hearing, the esteemed G. C. Berkouwer aptly commences his penetrating study by drawing attention to the timeliness and relevance of the doctrine of perseverance. He writes, "There is something very strange about this doctrine, something which confronts us with the problem of permanence in a unique way, because we are so conscious of our own changeableness. Our lives are subject to numberless variations and fluctuations. In the doctrine of the perseverance of the saints do we not have merely a projection of human desires, a hope which flies in the face of life's realities? Does it not grasp after something that is denied us as changeable men?" Facing this paradoxical nature of his subject, Berkouwer shows that the perseverance of the saints is unbreakably connected with the assurance of faith and warns us against speaking of constancy without standing in faith. To separate the doctrine of perseverance from its living and existential relationship to the gospel, to Word and sacrament, to promise and demand, petrifies it into a mere play of concepts drained of all life. The thoroughness with which Berkouwer treats the history of the discussions affecting this important subject (from the days of Tertullian and Augustine, through the Reformers, Ritschl, and Schleiermacher, down to Edmund Schlink and Karl Barth) gives this book a special value to all students of theology.