Calling on the Name of the Lord: A Biblical Theology of Prayer (New studies in Biblical Theology, No. 38) (Volume 38) - Softcover

Millar, Gary

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0830826394 ISBN 13: 9780830826391

Publisher: IVP Academic, 2016

Synopsis

• Preaching's 10 New Books Every Preacher Should Read

"At that time people began to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26 ESV). From this first mention of prayer in the Bible, right through to the end, when the church prays "Come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:20), prayer is intimately linked with the gospel―God's promised and provided solution to the problem of human rebellion against him and its consequences. After defining prayer simply as "calling on the name of the Lord," Gary Millar follows the contours of the Bible's teaching on prayer. His conviction is that even careful readers can often overlook significant material because it is deeply embedded in narrative or poetic passages where the main emphases lie elsewhere. Millar's initial focus is on how "calling on the name of the Lord" to deliver on his covenantal promises is the foundation for all that the Old Testament says about prayer. Moving to the New Testament, he shows how this is redefined by Jesus himself, and how, after his death and resurrection, the apostles understood "praying in the name of Jesus" to be the equivalent new covenant expression. Throughout the Bible, prayer is to be primarily understood as asking God to deliver on what he has already promised―as Calvin expressed it, "through the gospel our hearts are trained to call on God's name" (Institutes 3.20.1). This New Studies in Biblical Theology volume concludes his valuable study with an afterword offering pointers to application to the life of the church today. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.

About this title

About the Author:

J. Gary Millar is Principal of Queensland Theological College, Australia. Previously he served as a minister in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. He is the author of Now Choose Life (NSBT), coauthor of Saving Eutychus and a contributor to His Mission: Jesus in the Gospel of Luke.

Review:

"In Calling on the Name of the Lord, Gary Millar has done a service to the church that, if taken to heart, will help us deal with a big problem in the church today: our lack of prayer. . . . There is one thing better than having this book in your library, and that would be to read it and learn from its pages!" (Philip B. Strong, New Horizons, March 2017)

"The beauty of Millar's work stems from his keen balance of the scholarly with the devotional. While the material is thoroughly researched and academically robust, it is also fairly accessible to the everyday reader. . . . Most importantly, he rightly grounds all biblical prayer in the truth of the gospel. Believers who rely on the faithfulness of God to keep his promises through prayer will undoubtedly recognize and celebrate the heart of God to redeem and restore the whole creation for himself." (Josh Branum, Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, Spring 2017)

"Calling on the Name of the Lord provides a framework that may be used by pastors to understand prayer better, and in turn to better equip their people in the practice of prayer. Investing time in this book will produce worthwhile returns in ministry." (Roland L. McMillan, Journal for Baptist Theology & Mission, Fall 2017)

"I would thoroughly recommend this book as well researched, easy to read and personally challenging." (Churchman, Autumn 2017)

About this edition

• Publisher: IVP Academic
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 0830826394
• ISBN 13: 9780830826391
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 264