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15 New Testament Words of Life: A New Testament Theology for Real Life
In 15 New Testament Words of Life , biblical scholar Nijay Gupta explores some of the most important New Testament
These are familiar terms in the Christian vocabulary, but many don’t know the original background and theological importance of these words, and how they can be life-giving for Christian faith and life today. To access the deep meaning of these words in the theological vocabulary of the New Testament writers, Gupta discusses each word within a key text and interprets it in three For those first hearers of the gospel who chose to follow Jesus, these words were the words of life, and they can be once again for Jesus-followers in the modern world. With Gupta’s skilled guidance, readers will find their engagement with the New Testament revitalized as they begin to understand how these inspiring ancient words can still be captivating, thought-provoking, and worldview-shaping words for real life today. While the New Testament is full of depth and complexity, its most important ideas have a profound simplicity to them. In this collection of word studies, Nijay Gupta explores foundational themes in New Testament theology, but in a very accessible way. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of some of the most essential concepts in Christian belief, this book is for you! —TIM MACKIE, cofounder of the Bible Project
"Not only does Nijay Gupta define important New Testament terms and illustrate their significance for today, he also models a strategy for how a Bible reader might approach the exploration of biblical ideas. 15 New Testament Words of Life is an introduction to New Testament theology that invites readers to study the Bible by investigating key concepts that frequently appear in books, sermons, and even casual conversations. Gupta’s scholarship and cultural awareness combine to make the work a necessary resource for preachers, teachers, and all other curious Bible readers. I am eager for my students to read it." —DENNIS R. EDWARDS, Associate professor of New Testament, North Park Theological Seminary
"Nijay Gupta has provided the church and its pastors with a remarkable resource. Wearing his deep learning lightly, he winsomely portrays how the New Testament writers draw on the Old Testament to theologize in ways that are immensely hopeful and intensely practical. A book like this is just what the church needs today—a rich biblical theology that speaks words of life to the lives of the people of God in our increasingly fraught and complex world." —DERWIN L. GRAY, Cofounder and lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of How to Heal Our Racial Divide
"Do you suspect there's more to the Christian faith than what you’re hearing? Dr. Gupta brings the best of biblical scholarship to the pews, where standard Christian ways of talking about things have grown stale. By highlighting these fifteen key words, he opens a whole new world of understanding that will reinvigorate Christian practice. If you are hungry to move beyond clichés, this book is your invitation to a nourishing feast." —CARMEN JOY IMES, Associate professor of Old Testament, Biola University, author of Bearing God’s Name
These are familiar terms in the Christian vocabulary, but many don’t know the original background and theological importance of these words, and how they can be life-giving for Christian faith and life today. To access the deep meaning of these words in the theological vocabulary of the New Testament writers, Gupta discusses each word within a key text and interprets it in three For those first hearers of the gospel who chose to follow Jesus, these words were the words of life, and they can be once again for Jesus-followers in the modern world. With Gupta’s skilled guidance, readers will find their engagement with the New Testament revitalized as they begin to understand how these inspiring ancient words can still be captivating, thought-provoking, and worldview-shaping words for real life today. While the New Testament is full of depth and complexity, its most important ideas have a profound simplicity to them. In this collection of word studies, Nijay Gupta explores foundational themes in New Testament theology, but in a very accessible way. If you're looking to deepen your understanding of some of the most essential concepts in Christian belief, this book is for you! —TIM MACKIE, cofounder of the Bible Project
"Not only does Nijay Gupta define important New Testament terms and illustrate their significance for today, he also models a strategy for how a Bible reader might approach the exploration of biblical ideas. 15 New Testament Words of Life is an introduction to New Testament theology that invites readers to study the Bible by investigating key concepts that frequently appear in books, sermons, and even casual conversations. Gupta’s scholarship and cultural awareness combine to make the work a necessary resource for preachers, teachers, and all other curious Bible readers. I am eager for my students to read it." —DENNIS R. EDWARDS, Associate professor of New Testament, North Park Theological Seminary
"Nijay Gupta has provided the church and its pastors with a remarkable resource. Wearing his deep learning lightly, he winsomely portrays how the New Testament writers draw on the Old Testament to theologize in ways that are immensely hopeful and intensely practical. A book like this is just what the church needs today—a rich biblical theology that speaks words of life to the lives of the people of God in our increasingly fraught and complex world." —DERWIN L. GRAY, Cofounder and lead pastor of Transformation Church, author of How to Heal Our Racial Divide
"Do you suspect there's more to the Christian faith than what you’re hearing? Dr. Gupta brings the best of biblical scholarship to the pews, where standard Christian ways of talking about things have grown stale. By highlighting these fifteen key words, he opens a whole new world of understanding that will reinvigorate Christian practice. If you are hungry to move beyond clichés, this book is your invitation to a nourishing feast." —CARMEN JOY IMES, Associate professor of Old Testament, Biola University, author of Bearing God’s Name
236 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 13, 2022
123 people are currently reading
170 people want to read
About the author
Nijay K. Gupta
47 books195 followersNijay K. Gupta is Professor of New Testament at Northern Seminary. He has written or edited more than twenty books and has published dozens of academic articles. He is an award-winning researcher and a member of the Society of New Testament Studies.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 5, 2023
This is the best New Testament theology for both the laymen and the pastor that I have read. Easy to read, redemptive historical, and useful for helping to get to the core of the Bible. A great read!
June 1, 2024
Simple and succinct, yet generously resourceful and reorienting.
January 16, 2023
Absolutely phenomenal! I read over the course of four months, and really took my time to engage with the wealth of material in every single chapter. I highly recommend this for every Christian to read. I really appreciated the format of each chapter, the amazing number of scriptures, there was a focal text in the old testament than a focal text from the New Testament in addition to others plus other reading recommendations. again my highest recommendations, but please read it with your Bible open and go through it for yourselves. You really taken the message of each chapter and understand what these biblical terms mean.
November 5, 2022
A unique approach to New Testament theology
In this very accessible book, Gupta provides a thoughtful approach to understanding the overall message of the New Testament by choosing a key word from most of the books in the New Testament and expounding on them. Filled with modern parallels like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is a compelling and accessible read.
In this very accessible book, Gupta provides a thoughtful approach to understanding the overall message of the New Testament by choosing a key word from most of the books in the New Testament and expounding on them. Filled with modern parallels like Star Wars and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this is a compelling and accessible read.
October 18, 2022
Enjoyably-written, pastorally-sensitive, generous and robust theology in the form of thematic word studies. A great format and a very approachable book.
Full written review forthcoming for Englewood Review of Books...
Full written review forthcoming for Englewood Review of Books...
December 2, 2022
First time reading this author - he's excellent. Will be referencing this book in the future.
February 2, 2023
Nijay Gupta takes readers on a word study of 15 words that are key theological ideas in the Bible. For each one he looks at some Old Testament usages, and then focuses on 1 key New Testament book in which the word features prominently. He looks at what the word meant for believers at that time and their Christian walk, as well as how it impacts us today. The 15 words are righteousness, gospel, forgiveness, life, the cross, faith, grace, fellowship, hope, salvation, peace, religion, holiness, love, and witness.
Gupta introduces this as a sort of bite-size look at the theology of the New Testament through these 15 key terms. Focusing on these words that are either used so much they have become a bit meaningless, or that seem kind of archaic or out of reach to modern Christians, was an interesting way to be reminded of what they meant or didn't originally mean, and focusing on each one gives a new spark of life to the meaning and importance of each one today. I liked the focus on both OT and NT uses of the word without the book starting to feel like Vine's or something similar.
Notes on content: To help convey the past meaning of a phrase in ancient times, Gupta includes a mostly bleeped out strong swearword.
Gupta introduces this as a sort of bite-size look at the theology of the New Testament through these 15 key terms. Focusing on these words that are either used so much they have become a bit meaningless, or that seem kind of archaic or out of reach to modern Christians, was an interesting way to be reminded of what they meant or didn't originally mean, and focusing on each one gives a new spark of life to the meaning and importance of each one today. I liked the focus on both OT and NT uses of the word without the book starting to feel like Vine's or something similar.
Notes on content: To help convey the past meaning of a phrase in ancient times, Gupta includes a mostly bleeped out strong swearword.
April 30, 2024
2024 bk 48. While taking an Intro to Theology for laypersons class, I quickly came to realize that I did not fully understand some of the vocabulary that I had previously thought were fully formed and foundations of my faith. Looking for something to help me, I stumbled across this title - and I am now a fan of Dr. Gupta. While I had pieces, I now have a much fuller understanding of these 15 words and how we use them and in some cases abuse them in today's society. Gupta provides the history of the word, its place in the various Biblical eras, and how the word has changed through the years. While this is not a book to sit and read straight through, it is a book meant to be focusing on the words of each chapter. I highly recommend this book for any shelf on theology or even for those persons who like to collect books about words and their histories.
October 17, 2023
From a Youth Pastor's Perspective,
Gupta's work is clear, faithful, and a gift to the Christian in love with Scripture. Tracing the NT canon through 15 themes, the reader has little word history of Scripture. These word histories show consistency with God's mission in the Bible, which has helped me think about how I communicate Scripture to teenagers. For example, the "righteousness" of Matthew's Gospel did not start with Matthew, but Gupta highlights this word. As I teach/preach, this work forces me to see the consistent line of God's plot in the world. I can't recommend this book enough.
Gupta's work is clear, faithful, and a gift to the Christian in love with Scripture. Tracing the NT canon through 15 themes, the reader has little word history of Scripture. These word histories show consistency with God's mission in the Bible, which has helped me think about how I communicate Scripture to teenagers. For example, the "righteousness" of Matthew's Gospel did not start with Matthew, but Gupta highlights this word. As I teach/preach, this work forces me to see the consistent line of God's plot in the world. I can't recommend this book enough.
August 30, 2024
An excellent introduction to basic Christian theology
Dr Gupta covers 15 important New Testament words that are often misunderstood and rarely applied to contemporary life. In my work encouraging Christian formation in others, I plan to use this book as a primer for those new to Christian thought. The book is succeeds in its attempt to glean information from extra biblical sources, the Old Testament, New Testament, and connects these ancient truths to contemporary life and thought. I also plan to use it my preaching and teaching ministry. Well done!
Dr Gupta covers 15 important New Testament words that are often misunderstood and rarely applied to contemporary life. In my work encouraging Christian formation in others, I plan to use this book as a primer for those new to Christian thought. The book is succeeds in its attempt to glean information from extra biblical sources, the Old Testament, New Testament, and connects these ancient truths to contemporary life and thought. I also plan to use it my preaching and teaching ministry. Well done!
May 18, 2023
Excellent, concise summary of the New Testament message. I appreciated how Gupta wove in Old Testament themes to show the Bible as one story climaxing in Jesus.
February 5, 2024
Great work by Dr. Gupta! A great look at 15 topics important to the New Testament and important to Christians today.
August 30, 2024
Good book on words often misunderstood and taken for granted
July 25, 2025
good encouraging reminders. would read outside of school
May 2, 2023
Rich and powerful definitions
A relatively small book that covers the richness and power of words of the New Testament. How can we understand a sermon if we misunderstand the words used in the sermon? How can we live out the truth of the New Testament if we don’t fully comprehend? This book is a great starting point to tackle any Bible study.
A relatively small book that covers the richness and power of words of the New Testament. How can we understand a sermon if we misunderstand the words used in the sermon? How can we live out the truth of the New Testament if we don’t fully comprehend? This book is a great starting point to tackle any Bible study.
March 15, 2023
Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews