Paul writes that we are justified by faith apart from 'works of the law', a disputed term that represents a fault line between 'old' and 'new' perspectives on Paul. Was the Apostle reacting against the Jews' good works done to earn salvation, or the Mosaic Law's practices that identified the Jewish people? Matthew J. Thomas examines how Paul's second century readers understood these points in conflict, how they relate to 'old' and 'new' perspectives, and what their collective witness suggests about the Apostle's own meaning. Surprisingly, these early witnesses align closely with the 'new' perspective, though their reasoning often differs from both viewpoints. They suggest that Paul opposes these works neither due to moralism, nor primarily for experiential or social reasons, but because the promised new law and covenant, which are transformative and universal in scope, have come in Christ.

USA TODAY, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From the author of the best-selling When God Made You comes a new illuminating message about God's design affirming young readers. With lyricism, whimsy, and heartfelt emotion, Matthew Paul Turner reveals the tender emotions connected with watching a beloved child grow up and experience the world. Paired with Kimberley Barnes's vivid and playful illustrations, When I Pray for You is a beautifully affirming book, in which children and parents will see their own stories come to life. When I Pray for You celebrates the dreams, hopes, and longings parents pray over their children, and shares with the little ones how much care and concern a loved one feels for them. This is a book you will read to your child again and again. Perfect for any occasion, as well as for milestones including baby showers, birthdays, and graduations. From the moment I saw you, I started to pray. Big prayers and small ones I have sent God's way. I prayed you felt safe, full of joy and content. When I whispered "I love you," you knew what I meant.

From the author of the bestselling children's book When God Made You comes a rhythmic, whimsical journey through creation--for little readers who love science and wonder and the beginnings of all things. For spiritual parents who are looking for a different kind of creation book, Matthew Paul Turner's When God Made the World focuses on the complex way that God created our vast and scientifically operating universe, including the biodiversity of life on our planet and the intricacies of a vast solar system. Scottish illustrator Gillian Gamble brings the natural world to vibrant life with rich colors and poignant detail certain to stretch young minds and engage imaginations. Planet Earth, God made a blue and green sphere, And designed it to orbit the sun once a year. God made daytime and nighttime, climates and seasons, And all kinds of weather that vary by region. God made continents and oceans, islands and seas, A north and south pole that God put in deep freeze. God carved rivers and brooks, mountains and caves, Made beaches with sand and huge crashing waves. God made tropics and plateaus, glaciers and meadows, marshes and tundras and erupting volcanos.

A richly imagined debut set against the backdrop of India, London, and Hollywood that tells the story of a young boy, suddenly orphaned, and the adults around him, each of whom is also looking for a home in the world. Kerala, 1993: Eight-year-old Birendra suddenly loses his mother, but he refuses to believe he's an orphan. He's certain that his mother's twin sister, the troubled but winning Nayana, will come for him all the way from West London. But when the letter informing Nayana of her sister's death goes missing, numerous lives are forever altered, and Birendra is set adrift. Madeline, a Los Angeles native and interior designer to the stars, is floundering in her personal life. In the aftermath of a failed attempt to get pregnant, she flies to India where she finds herself face-to-face with Birendra. In a moment of sudden certainty, she decides she must adopt the boy in order to save them both. As Nayana falls deeper into crisis at work and in her marriage in London, Birendra learns to make himself at home in Los Angeles, forging an especially close bond with Madeline's younger brother, Edward, who begins to worry that his sister may have met her match in motherhood. When he learns of his adopted nephew's family in London, Edward is faced with an impossible choice. If he can find Nayana and reunite her with her nephew, should he? Even if in doing so he would risk unwittingly setting the two women who love the boy most against each other? Written in stirring prose, and infused with keen emotional insight, Bindi is about our search for family and for home, and an exploration of the ways that loss and longing can be converted into hope, connection, and love.

Investigates and compares the basic structures of Matthew's and Paul's ethics.

The best-selling favorite, now available as a board book! Whimsical rhyme and imaginative illustrations affirm that every child is God's unique creation and beloved by Him. YOU, you... God thinks about you. God was thinking of you long before your debut. From early on, children are looking to discover their place in the world and longing to understand how their personalities, traits, and talents fit in. The assurance that they are deeply loved and a unique creation in our big universe is certain to help them spread their wings and fly. Through playful, charming rhyme and vivid, fantastical illustrations, When God Made Youinspires young readers to learn about their own special gifts and how they fit into God's divine plan as they grow, explore, and begin to create for themselves. 'Cause when God made YOU, somehow God knew That the world needed someone exactly like you!

From the author and illustrator of the best-selling When God Made You comes a new illuminating message about God's design affirming young readers. 'Let there be light!' that's what God said. And light began shining and then started to spread." Wild and creative illustrations from top children's illustrator David Catrow pair with Matthew Paul Turner's lyrical verse in this message of a God-made light that cuts through darkness to bring vision and hope to all young readers. This light radiates, chasing away the shadows, providing the wonder and fun of stargazing or firefly chasing. Most important, this light appears in each child--an inner God-given spark that grows and will be used to change the world.

The bestselling author of When God Made You and When I Pray for You captures the wonder of Christmas and the joy of Jesus' birth in a lyrical exploration of what makes the season so colorful, magical, and personal. In his trademark style, Matthew Paul Turner celebrates the Christmas season, particularly the colors that infuse the holiday and all the memorable sensations and experiences—including a festive market, sledding, and nativity scene—connected to those bright hues. Matthew draws his readers into a whirling ribbon of the familiar reds and greens of Christmas, as well as other festive hues, including white, gold, blue, and brown. Christmas is RED. It's a bright shiny sled. It's candy canes, and toy store lanes. It's sprinkles on sweet bread. Christmas is BROWN It’s pinecones scattered round… It’s a cradle soft with hay And a donkey’s gentle bray. It’s God within a baby’s skin on that very first Christmas Day. All the colors come together when readers are reminded that Christmas is YOU—you’re a part of the story, the joy and the glory! Matthew shows us again and again that the holidays are nothing without being with the people we love, celebrating treasured traditions, and making new memories—all in vivid color.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The late, beloved Rachel Held Evans answers many children's first question about God in this gorgeous picture book, fully realized by her friend Matthew Paul Turner, the bestselling author of When God Made You. Children who are introduced to God, through attending church or having loved ones who speak about God, often have a lot of questions, including this ever-popular one: What is God like? The late Rachel Held Evans loved the Bible and loved showing God’s love through the words and pictures found in that ancient text. Through these pictures from the Bible, children see that God is like a shepherd, God is like a star, God is like a gardener, God is like the wind, and more. God is a comforter and support. And whenever a child is unsure, What Is God Like? encourages young hearts to “think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel loved, and what makes you feel brave. That's what God is like.”

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul takes you on a journey through the Synoptic Gospels and the Epistles providing a new solution to a literary puzzle that has vexed biblical scholars for over two-hundred years--The Synoptic Problem. When the Synoptic evangelists, Matthew, Mark, and Luke sat down to write their gospels did they have copies of some of the epistles? This book examines the Synoptic Gospels, Hebrews, and Paul's Epistles finding many intriguing similarities, suggesting that the Synoptic evangelists used extensive parts of the epistles to weave into their stories of the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth. David Oliver Smith then compares these epistle-based passages to the theoretical lost gospel Q and finds that a large portion of what many New Testament scholars consider to be contained in Q may have its inspiration in the Epistles.