Love - such a deceptively simple and popular little word. It is almost universally agreed that we need love in order to live and flourish as human beings; and yet within our contemporary culture there are numerous confusing, competing and evolving ideas about what 'love' is. There are few greater subjects in Christian theology than love; yet it is a surprisingly complex and challenging concept to understand, let alone live by. Patrick Mitchel's conviction is that Christians need to be thinking about, and practising, love in compelling and winsome ways. Our task is not only to articulate what love is, but also to show to the world what authentic Christian love looks like in practice. 'The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love' (Gal. 5:6 NIV). Mitchel's exposition explores love in the Old Testament; how the love of God is supremely revealed in the mission and death of Jesus Christ; love in the life and teaching of Jesus; and the church's calling to be a community of love. He helps us to grasp afresh the breadth, depth, scope, and radically counter-cultural nature of the Bible's teaching on love.

New exposition of a key biblical theme

About the Author
Senior Lecturer in Theology at the Irish Bible Institute, Dublin. Involved in theological education and church development in the Republic of Ireland for over 25 years. Author of Evangelicalism and National Identity in Ulster 1922-1998 (OUP) and numerous other book chapters and articles. Blogs at faithinireland.com

Reviews
For close to two decades I have studied both how the Bible presents love and how Bible scholars have expressed that presentation. Luminaries like James Moffatt and Leon Morris, from two considerably different traditions, have become standard treatments but I found both coming up short for different reasons. No one will ever offer the final word on what the Bible says about love, but I know of no volume that is as thorough, sensitive to context and contour, as Patrick Mitchel's sparklingly clear and faithful exposition of how the Bible presents love, how in fact the God of love loves the world and the people of God in Christ. This will become a standard text for my classes on New Testament theology. * Scot McKnight, Professor of New Testament, Northern Seminary, Lombard, Illinois, USA *
Oddly enough, it has been decades since a really good study of love in the Bible has appeared. Finally, we may now thank Patrick Mitchel for remedying this oversight in The Message of Love. There is a reason that Jesus said that the great commandment has to do with love, and Paul said love was greater than even faith and hope. It is because God himself is love, it is the essence of his character, and Mitchel in this book lays out for us how that is a consistent theme throughout the Bible. Highly recommended. * Ben Witherington III, Amos Professor of New Testament for Doctoral Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary, USA *
The Bible Speaks Today has set a high standard over the years of biblical exposition with relevant application, abreast of scholarship but written in language that laypersons can appreciate. As the series as moved from biblical books to biblical themes that cut across the canon that high standard has been retained. Patrick Mitchel's volume may be the best of the 'Themes' part of the series to emerge thus far. How can one begin to hope to do justice to a topic as broad and misunderstood as 'love'? Read this book for the answer. Mitchel has not only done it justice but has charted the way Christian thinking on the topic should proceed in our troubled world for the foreseeable future. * Craig L. Blomberg, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary, USA *



Book Information
ISBN 9781783595914
Author Dr Patrick Mitchel
Format Paperback
Page Count 336
Imprint Inter-Varsity Press
Publisher Inter-Varsity Press
Weight(grams) 430g