Bible Commentaries

Acts 1:4 — Greek text here may be translated "eating with them," and thus there were possibly many occasions when Jesus ate food with his apostles after he was raised from the dead. Luke also in his gospel mentioned Jesus' eating with the apostles (Luke 24:43); and Peter referred to it in Acts 10:41. To be sure, the Lord needed to do no such thing, but it was important for the apostles to witness such a thing. Not to depart from Jerusalem … Not until after Pentecost and the baptism of the Holy

Acts 4:15-16 — rational basis under heaven for their doing so? They conferred among themselves … Commentators who raise a question as to how Luke knew what is related here overlook two things, (1) the Holy Spirit's guidance of the inspired evangelist, and (2) the fact that many of the Pharisees obeyed the gospel and had long been faithful Christians at the time of Luke's probable interview of them (Acts 6:1; Acts 15:5, etc.). We may be certain that what is here related occurred exactly as it is written.

Acts 8:6 — Omri as a new capital of the ten northern tribes of Israel on a hill 300 feet high seven miles northwest of Shechem, commanding the trade routes through the Esdraelon plain. New Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1962), p. 1130. This impressive butte afforded strong protection against assault, having steep sides and a permanent water supply within the fortifications. This city figured prominently in certain dramatic incidents in the Old Testament. It was here that

Romans 14:10 — chapters, the inclusion of all under sin, and the great emphasis throughout that salvation may not be deserved or earned by any, and the efforts in Romans 10—11 to remove the emerging conceit of the Gentiles, the blunt warning against it in Romans 12:16, and bearing on it throughout that entire chapter, as well as the outcropping of the problem here — all these things show how full was the apostolic awareness of this universal human trait and how thoroughly Paul strove to destroy it. As Greathouse

Romans 7:18 — 65. It is exactly in this, taking "will" to mean what Paul clearly did not mean, that the "converted Christian" is imported as the subject of this passage. It will be recalled from the statements Paul made in earlier chapters (Romans 2:14 etc.) that he did not deny a certain "good will" even to the reprobate Gentiles. Again from Brunner: The Gentile as well as the atheist knows something of this delight in the good, this approval of the Law, even though he swears a thousand

Romans 8:10 — of righteousness. If Christ is in you … is exactly synonymous with several other Pauline expressions, such as: being "in Christ," the Spirit "dwelling in" Christians, and "having the mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5), etc. These expressions may not be precisely differentiated, for they all refer to the saved condition. The body is dead because of sin … emphasizes the truth that the redemption in Christ does not remit the sentence of physical death upon

Romans 8:5 — Romans 6:4. This transformation from the old state to the new one is here identified as "minding the things of the Spirit"; but Paul also identified the same condition as that of permitting the mind of Christ to be in the believer (Philippians 2:5 f). A legitimate deduction from this is that to possess a measure of God's Spirit and to possess the mind of Jesus Christ are one and the same thing.

2 Corinthians 13:11 — similar summary of 1 Corinthians is in 1 Corinthians 16:13. As this passage stands, it fails to give the vigorous impact Paul probably intended. Filson admitted that these words "may be in the middle voice," Floyd V. Filson, op. cit., p. 423. thus giving the meaning exactly as it is rendered in the Nestle Greek text: "restore yourselves" and "admonish yourselves." This is the true meaning, because as regards both restoration and admonition, it is the will of the person

2 Corinthians 5:3 — salvation is of grace and of the free gift of God, there is a certain "clothing of oneself" that is required of all who would not be naked in eternity. However people may deny this, it is true, as Paul will state dogmatically a little later in 2 Corinthians 5:10. Wesley's comment on "We shall not be found naked" is most perceptive, saying that it referred to one whose appearance in the presence of the King was without "the wedding garment." John Wesley, op. cit., in loco.

Galatians 1:4 — observing forms and ceremonies of the Law of Moses. In the last clause of this verse, Paul noted that Christ's giving himself was according to the will of God. For seven centers of initiative in the crucifixion of Christ see my Commentary on Romans 3:25-26. The word "ransom" is used of this sacrifice of Christ in Matt. 28:28, Mark 10:45, and in 1 Timothy 2:6. As Sanday observed, "It was a sacrifice for sinners, wrought in their behalf for their benefit, a sacrifice wrought in their

Galatians 1:5 — to glorify God. It is true of the material universe. "The heavens declare the glory of God" (Psalms 19:1). It is true of the angels; for when they appeared at the birth of Christ, their song was "Glory to God in the highest" (Luke 2:14). It is even true of all the lower forms of life. And every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing and honor and glory and power be to him that

Galatians 2:20 — glory "in Christ." "This doctrine, one of the fundamentals of Pauline theology, is one of the concepts which gives meaning to and ties together in a coherent whole the various aspects of Paul's gospel." George Howard, op. cit., p. 214. This forsaking of one's identity to be "Christ, in a sense, in Christ" was announced by Christ himself, who said, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). Also

Galatians 5:16-17 — the antediluvian world had been achieved by the evil one when the "imagination of men's hearts" had become evil, and only evil, without intermission (Genesis 6:5). This was the essence of pre-Christian debauchery of the Gentiles (Romans 1:21); and it was "imaginations" which Paul identified as being "exalted against the knowledge of God" (2 Corinthians 10:5), the Christian warfare being simply that of "casting down," i.e., eliminating, reducing and controlling

Ephesians 2:13 — was apparently this passage: Peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near saith the Lord; and I will heal him. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest … There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked (Isaiah 57:19-21). Thus, Paul showed the salvation of Gentiles to have been in God's plan always, Gentiles being clearly included in Isaiah's prophecy of those whom God would heal. Peter also, in the Pentecostal sermon, extended the terms of admission to God's kingdom

Ephesians 2:15 — Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; that he might create in himself of the two one new man, so making peace. Abolished in his flesh … The thought here is similar to that in Hebrews 10:20, where the new and living way is said to have been opened up through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, thus lending probability to the view of Russell that Paul was referring to the veil of the temple ("middle wall" in Ephesians 2:14)

Ephesians 6:14-17 — armor of God, and of each several part of it also. Note the following: TRUTH … What is this, if it is not the sacred word? RIGHTEOUSNESS … The Biblical definition of righteousness is "all the commandments of God" (Psalms 119:172). THE GOSPEL OF PEACE … This is the word of God. FAITH … "Faith comes by hearing God's word" (Romans 10:17). SALVATION … Paul wrote to Timothy that "From a babe thou hast learned the sacred writings which are able

Colossians 2:18-19 — said: Their humility found expression in angel worship. It is therefore that lowliness that causes a man to think himself unworthy to come into fellowship with God, and therefore prompts the worship of angels. Such humility was perverted. Ibid., p. 532. Dwelling in things which he hath seen … Paul made a sharp distinction between the things "that are seen" and things "that are unseen," that is, between the visible and the invisible, the latter being permanent, the other

1 Thessalonians 2:15 — (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), p. 71. Yes, the Jews were guilty. Of course, they were not alone in their guilt. All people, one way or the other, were involved in the death of Christ. See my Commentary on Romans, pp. 127-133 for extended discussion of "Who Crucified Jesus?" (2) This verse refutes the objections some have expressed regarding the gospel of John, affirming that John, a Jew, could not so consistently have referred to "the Jews" as enemies

1 Thessalonians 2:6 — of Christ … "The title here seems to be bestowed on Silas and Timothy, as in Acts 14:14 upon Barnabas." A. J. Mason, Ellicott's Commentary on the Holy Bible, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 132. Despite similar views expressed by many, this conclusion puts too much weight on "we" in this clause, which, after all, could well be used editorially for "I." In 1 Thessalonians 2:18, he used "we" for `I'; and there are

2 Timothy 1:8 — on. Here he used the aorist subjunctive with the negative which forbids the doing of an act not yet begun." Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies from the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973), Vol. II; 2 Tim., p. 119. Testimony of our Lord … This means the true apostolic gospel as delivered to us through the apostles, not the impressions and subjective thoughts of Christians. As Nute put it: "The phrase emphasizes the testimony borne, the