Thanksgiving

An Investigation of a Pauline Theme

Volume 13, New Studies in Biblical Theology

By David W. Pao

(paperback)

Product Details

Line: IVP Academic
Length: 212 pages
Size: 5 1/2 x 8 1/2 inches
Binding: paperback
Published: October 2002

ISBN-10: 0-8308-2613-0
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-2613-1
IVP Order Code: 2613

Related Subjects

Biblical Theology

"Be thankful" (Colossians 3:15) is a recurring exhortation in the letters of the apostle Paul. No other New Testament writer gives such a sustained emphasis on thanksgiving--and yet, major modern studies of Paul fail to wrestle with it.

David Pao aims to rehabilitate this theme in this comprehensive and accessible study, a New Studies in Biblical Theology volume. He shows how, for Paul, thanksgiving is grounded in the covenantal traditions of salvation history. To offer thanks to God is to live a life of worship and to anticipate the future acts of God, all in submission to the lordship of Christ. Ingratitude to God is idolatry. Thanksgiving functions as a link between theology, including eschatology, and ethics.

Here Pao provides clear insights into the passion of an apostle who never fails to insist on the significance of both the gospel message and the response this message demands.