Before God

Front Cover
Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2004 - 210 pages
Many Christians today have experienced a loss of enormous significance -- they no longer understand their daily lives to be lived "before God." This timely work traces the development and implications of this loss and argues for its recovery.

In comparing contemporary Christians with believers of previous eras, author George Stroup sees an "eclipse" of life lived before God. This eclipse is tragic because the Bible presupposes human life as a daily, personal relationship with God. Stroup here offers help by exploring anew the biblical view that Jesus Christ models most clearly what life lived before God and neighbor looks like. He then suggests that describing Christian life as "gratitude naturally evokes a sense of life lived before God. The book concludes by examining whether life before God requires a sense of God's presence -- and whether it is possible to live before God even in those times when he seems to be absent.

Offering thought-provoking analysis of modern faith and sound direction for spiritual renewal, "Before God is perfect for churches, study groups, pastors, and individuals pursuing genuine discipleship.

From inside the book

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Contents

Beforeness
1
Beforeness in the Bible
4
Theology before God
9
Beforeness
15
The Eclipse of Beforeness
24
Jesus Christ the Apple Tree
35
Christ and Adam
37
Jesus before God
40
Parables of Grace
111
The Contours of Gods Grace
114
Christian Freedom
129
Salvation
136
Gratitude
141
Ingratitude
147
Gratitude as Obedience
150
Giving Thanks
155

Jesus before Neighbor
52
Dying before God
60
Without Sin
66
Sin
69
The Loss of Life before God
75
Sin and the Law
80
The Forms of Sin
83
Idolatry
89
SelfDeception
92
The Paradoxes of Sin
97
Sin Guilt and Confession
101
Grace
105
Grateful Worship
162
The Ministry of Reconciliation
168
Presence Absence and Beforeness
173
Beforeness Hiddenness and Absence
175
Beforeness and Presence
180
Spiritual Presence
187
Practicing Life before God
192
Name Index
203
Subject Index
205
Scripture Index
207
Copyright

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About the author (2004)

George W. Stroup is J. B. Green Professor of Theology at Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia. His other books include Jesus Christ for Today."

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