Benjamin L. Merkle

"Every spiritual blessing" -- EPHESIANS 1:3Christ is at the center of God's redemption plan. Every spiritual blessing we have is because of Christ. In Paul's letter to the Ephesians, he reflects on everything God has done for us and how we should live in response. Ephesians: A 40-Day Bible Study is meditative, gospel-centered, practical, and prayerful. Over forty days, you will: Read and reflect on Paul's letter to the EphesiansMeditate on Jesus and the good news he brings. Pray through the letter to the Ephesians. Apply Ephesians to your life. Planted in the Word: Bible studies for individuals or small groups. Each volume provides forty days of guided Bible study written by respected scholars for everyday Christians. Short enough to read in 15 minutes or less, each day includes: Reading and meditation on ScriptureReflection on how the text points to ChristApplication of God's word to our livesPraying for God's helpSuggestions for further study or discussion Each volume includes a reading plan for group study.

The journey of writing and publishing includes obstacles such as writer's block, fear of rejection, getting overwhelmed by information, feeling inadequate, and not finding enough time. How is it that some are able to consistently produce work while others struggle to cross the finish line? This concise guide to writing in Christian academic settings offers twelve practices and principles for becoming a successful writer. It is written by two authors with a proven track record of publishing success who have a passion for helping students and budding authors improve their writing. This book distills their years of experience to offer inspiration and encouragement for writing and publishing academic works. It is ideal for students writing papers in Christian academic settings and for young academics who want to further develop their writing skills. Christian Academic Writing is full of helpful and proven advice that will motivate readers to reach their goals. It focuses on best practices and emphasizes the finished product. Each short, readable chapter includes questions inviting readers to take their writing to the next level.

Southwestern Journal of Theology 2023 Book Award (Honorable Mention, Biblical Reference/Biblical Backgrounds)Often students want to maintain their Biblical Greek when they're between courses, but they don't know where to start. This book provides ninety days of guided reading and brief exercises to help students retain or revive their knowledge and skill in reading and interpreting Biblical Greek. Noted language expert Benjamin Merkle guides readers through level-appropriate texts selected from across the New Testament canon, encouraging them to read and analyze one or two verses a day. The book begins with easy texts and gradually increases in difficulty through the 90 days. Each reading ends with a section called "For the Journey," which provides a practical application or reflection on the text, and an answer key so that students can check their work. This follow-up to Merkle's Exegetical Gems from Biblical Greek is ideal for Greek language students after their first year of study and for those who want to revive their knowledge and love of Biblical Greek. A companion volume on Hebrew is forthcoming.

Join New Testament Scholar Benjamin Merkle as He Explores the Major Themes of the Book of Ephesians Paul wrote Ephesians as instruction and encouragement for the church in Ephesus, and it has continued to influence the church for centuries. This New Testament book specifically focuses on the believer’s union with Christ and our inability to stand before God without the work of Jesus Christ and the Spirit, both of which are still essential today. In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, scholar Benjamin Merkle offers an accessible summary of the theology of Ephesians that highlights God’s work in salvation and how Christians should respond. Each chapter focuses on a key theological theme—the plan of God, union with Christ, walking according to the Spirit, unity of the church, and spiritual warfare in the present age—and why it is relevant for the church today. Part of the New Testament Theology Series: Other volumes include The Joy of Hearing: A Theology of the Book of Revelation and The Mission of the Triune God: A Theology of Acts Ideal for Anyone Wanting to Study the Bible More Deeply: Perfect for pastors, seminarians, college students, and laypeople Written by Benjamin Merkle: New Testament scholar and author of Ephesians in the ESV Expository Commentary

This work offers students the most current discussion of the major issues in Greek and linguistics by leading authorities in the field. Featuring an all-star lineup of New Testament Greek scholars--including Stanley Porter, Constantine Campbell, Stephen Levinsohn, Jonathan Pennington, and Robert Plummer--it examines the latest advancements in New Testament Greek linguistics, making it an ideal intermediate supplemental Greek textbook. Chapters cover key topics such as verbal aspect, the perfect tense, deponency and the middle voice, discourse analysis, word order, and pronunciation.

What is the best framework for reading the Bible? The question of how to relate the Old and New Testaments is as old as the Bible itself. While most Protestants are unified on the foundations, there are major disagreements on particular issues. Who should be baptized? Is the Christian obligated to obey the Law of Moses? Does the church supplant Israel? Who are the proper recipients of God's promises to Israel? In Discontinuity to Continuity, Benjamin Merkle brings light to the debates between dispensational and covenantal theological systems. Merkle identifies how Christians have attempted to relate the Testaments, placing viewpoints along a spectrum of discontinuity to continuity. Each system's concerns are sympathetically summarized and critically evaluated. Through his careful exposition of these frameworks, Merkle helps the reader understand the key issues in the debate. Providing more light than heat, Merkle's book will help all readers better appreciate other perspectives and articulate their own.

Three experienced biblical language professors inspire readers to learn, retain, and use Hebrew for ministry, setting them on a lifelong journey of reading and loving the Hebrew Bible. This companion volume to the successful Greek for Life offers practical guidance, inspiration, and motivation; incorporates research-tested strategies for learning; presents methods not usually covered in other textbooks; and surveys helpful resources for recovering Hebrew after a long period of disuse. It will benefit anyone who is taking (or has taken) a year of Hebrew. Foreword by Miles van Pelt.

Learning Greek is a difficult task, and the payoff may not be readily apparent. To demonstrate the insight that knowledge of Greek grammar can bring, Benjamin Merkle summarizes 35 key Greek grammatical issues and their significance for interpreting the New Testament. This book is perfect for students looking to apply the Greek they have worked so hard to learn as well as for past students who wish to review their Greek.

Learning Greek is one thing. Retaining it and using it in preaching, teaching, and ministry is another. In this volume, two master teachers with nearly forty years of combined teaching experience inspire readers to learn, retain, and use Greek for ministry, setting them on a lifelong journey of reading and loving the Greek New Testament. Designed to accompany a beginning or intermediate Greek grammar, this book offers practical guidance, inspiration, and motivation; presents methods not usually covered in other textbooks; and surveys helpful resources for recovering Greek after a long period of disuse. It also includes devotional thoughts from the Greek New Testament. The book will benefit anyone who is taking (or has taken) a year of New Testament Greek.

An authoritative guide to clearly understanding the place and meaning of prophecy in the BibleFor thoughtful readers who are curious about biblical prophecy, this book will help them learn the place of prophecy in the message of the Bible and clear up the confusion that often surrounds reading these texts. Studying biblical prophecy is about much more than predicting end times events. Rather, a proper approach to prophecy acknowledges that the threads of prophecy crisscross throughout Genesis to Revelation, forming the fabric of canonical Scripture. This is why having a good grasp of the prophetic genre is essential for understanding the message of the entire Bible. Authors Alan Bandy and Benjamin Merkle not only offer thoughtful and careful explanations of individual biblical prophecies, but also give the reader the big picture of how all prophecy relates to and should be interpreted in light of Jesus Christ. This book examines the nature, themes, purposes, and theology of biblical prophecy and provides a framework for how to interpret any passage in the context of the Bible as a whole.