Old Testament -- Finding the roots of poverty in Genesis 1-11 -- God, humanity, and the soil -- The legacy of Cain -- The flood and its aftermath -- The development of nations -- God's covenant with Abraham and its significance in the history of redemption -- The story of Abraham and Sarah -- The content of the covenant with Abraham -- Divinely ordained government in the Old Testament -- Moses as a ruler -- Israel's four categories of ruler -- The laws to prevent poverty -- The significance of the land for Israel -- God's laws that condition Israel's occupancy of the land -- Welfare law and what it implies about being poor -- Old Testament welfare laws -- What the law teaches about being poor -- The glory and inadequacy of the mosaic covenant -- The age of the Judges -- The transition to monarchy -- Israel's failure and the prophetic vision of a new covenant -- Jesus and the final revelation of divine government -- Jesus the supreme ruler -- Jesus superior to Adam -- Jesus superior to Abraham -- Jesus superior to Moses -- Jesus superior to Israel -- Jesus as prophet, priest, king and judge -- What Jesus did : the acts of the supreme ruler -- Touching the untouchable -- Driving out unclean spirits -- Forgiving sins -- The death of Jesus : breaking the power of sin -- What Jesus taught : the Beatitudes -- The Beatitudes (Matt. 5:3-10) -- Salt, light, and a city on a hill (Matt. 5:13-16) -- The Old and the New righteousness/justice (Matt. 5:17-20) -- What Jesus taught : strategies for kingdom living -- Actions that break the cycle of sin (Matt. 5:21-48) -- The standard pious acts of kingdom people (Matt. 6:1-18) -- The disciples' reason for living (Matt. 6:19-34) -- To whom do we entrust the good news of the kingdom? (Matt. 7:6-11) -- The golden rule (Matt. 7:12) -- The conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount -- What Jesus is doing : the work of the Holy Spirit -- The spirit in the Old Testament -- The spirit in the Gospels and Acts -- The sanctifying work of the Spirit -- What Jesus is going to do : the final judgment -- The Christian hope -- Continuity between the present and the eschatological future? -- Eternal rewards -- The judgment of the unrighteous/unjust -- God's governed society, the church -- The ordered society of the Supreme ruler -- The church is a gathering community -- The church is a suffering community -- The church is a joyful community -- The impact of the Resurrection : a new humanity -- The early church was a sharing community -- The testimony of the Epistles -- The church in the world -- The church is a community who speak God's words -- Prophecy -- Prayer.