In Pursuit of the Christ-Shaped Life
Philippians on Christian Formation
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Perhaps we don't always think of our life as having a "shape." But the life of Jesus certainly had a shape, and we are called to imitate him. Paul's letter to the Philippians presents us with this call in many ways: encouragements and exhortations toward faithfulness, personal examples, and a rich theology of the cross.
This book is a mediation on the call of Philippians to embrace God's gift of a Christ-shaped life. Such a life is both an unshakable promise of God which defines our destiny and a personal responsibility to be embraced each day. In this book, you are invited to ponder the desires of your heart and to lay them at the feet of our Lord, who alone is worthy of our desire and who alone can reshape our hearts after the image of his own. Here we find that the process of being formed after the image of Christ is not only a matter of supreme importance, but also of overwhelming joy, in which we learn the delight of singing with Christ the great song of self-giving love.
Micah D. Carpenter is a pastor at Landstad Free Lutheran Church, Shevlin, Minnesota, and Wah-Bun Chapel, Ponemah, Minnesota, the latter in association with Oak Hills Fellowship/Center for Indian Ministries. He is also the author of A Scandalous People: Ephesians on the Meaning of Christian Faith and Human Life. He holds degrees in biblical studies, theology, and pastoral ministry from Oak Hills Christian College and Bethel Seminary. He lives near Bemidji, Minnesota, with his wife, Katie.
“Micah Carpenter has authored an elegant, indeed beautiful, spiritual interpretation of Philippians. Passage by passage, he insightfully shows us how the goal of Paul’s letter—to enable us to participate in the life of the triune God demonstrated in Christ’s death and resurrection—plays out in the real world. This is a vital book for all Christian individuals and communities who want to become more Christlike in order to share more fully in God’s mission in the world.”
—Michael J. Gorman, St. Mary’s Seminary and University, Baltimore
“Writing as one whose life is being shaped by Christ himself, Micah has managed over these pages to be deep but not heavy, insightful yet not overly theoretical, and devotional without being subjectively sentimental, providing a healthy dose of both orthodoxy and orthopraxy for us all.”
—Justin Domogalla, Campus Pastor, Eastside Christian Church
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