third edition

Created

for

Community

Connecting Christian Belief with Christian Living

Stanley J. Grenz & Jay T. Smith

BakerAcademic

a divisioin of Baker publishing Group

Grand Rapids, Michigan

© 1996, 1998, 2014 by Stanley J. Grenz and Jay T. Smith

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Grenz, Stanley J. (Stanley James), 1950–2005

Created for community: connecting Christian belief with Christian living / Stanley J. Grenz & Jay T. Smith.—3rd edition

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-0-8010-4929-3 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Theology, Doctrinal. 2. Christian life. I. Smith, Jay T. II. Title.

BT78.G75 2015

230—dc23

2014027512

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations labeled NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

To Roger E. Olson

Scholar, Educator, Friend

In Memory of Stanley J. Grenz

Contents

Foreword John R. Franke

Preface to the Third Edition

Preface to the Second Edition

Introduction: Christian Belief and Christian Living

1. Knowing the God of the Bible in the Contemporary World

2. The God Whom We Know

3. Our Identity as God’s Creatures

4. Our Human Failure

5. Jesus Christ: “God with Us”

6. Jesus’s Mission in the Divine Program

7. The Holy Spirit: The Author of Life

8. The Holy Spirit and Our Salvation

9. The Pioneer Community

10. Participating in the Pioneer Community

11. The Climax of Our Story

12. God’s Community: Our Eternal Home

Epilogue: Making the Connection

Postscript Jay T. Smith

Resources for Further Study

Glossary

Subject Index

Scripture Index

Foreword

The writings of Stanley Grenz remain one of the treasures of evangelical theology. He pioneered evangelical engagement with postmodern thought and culture, remaining faithful to the historic traditions of the church without being enslaved by them. His concern to bear witness to the truth of the gospel in a way that was comprehensible to contemporary people led him to be creative and innovative in connecting ...