Bible Commentaries

Matthew 15:31 — works to the Father, gave him the glory, the credit, and the honor, and in fact did them in the Father's name. He said, "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (John 5:43). Christ always emphasized the origin of his work as being with God. In this perfect trait, he was "the messenger of the covenant" (Malachi 3:1). He was God's plenary representative on earth; indeed, he WAS God in flesh, reconciling the

Mark 3:1-2 — this healing was the anticipation of it by the Pharisees, who had evidently been sent from Jerusalem for the purpose of spying on Jesus with a view to destroying him. The purpose of the hierarchy to kill Christ had already been formed earlier (John 5:18) on their decision that Christ was a sabbath-breaker and a blasphemer. Their alleged evidence, however, was unsatisfactory, even to them; therefore the search was continued in the hope of uncovering what would have been, in their eyes, a better charge.

Mark 6:1 — country," thus including numerous villages throughout the area (Mark 6:6). His disciples follow him … This indicates that the Twelve accompanied Jesus and contrasts with only three of them witnessing the raising of Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:37).

John 1:11 — welcome him. The words of the apostle in this passage reveal a profound and pathetic grief on his own part that Israel, in its major aspect, had rejected the Lord — but not all of them. These words strongly remind one of Paul's words (Romans 9:1-5). John, having registered the fact of the unbelief of the chosen people (in major part, that is), next turned to a consideration of those who had received him.

John 1:13 — flesh, nor the will of man, but of God. New birth is a condition of salvation, and it was assumed by John that believers who received the right to become God's children would exercise it by obedience of the gospel, thus being born again (see under John 3:5); and the burden of the thought in this verse is that the new birth is of God, spiritual, and from above, and that it does not derive from Abrahamic descent, that is, "of blood," nor "of the flesh" nor "of the will of man."

John 12:48 — He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day. See under John 3:17-18 and under John 5:24-29. The last day … Again the doctrine of the last things comes into prominence in this Gospel. See under John 12:25. Here it is affirmed dogmatically that the basis of the eternal judgment will be the word of Jesus Christ. Matthew quoted Jesus

John 6:37 — faith, the verses being supplementary each to the other. Thus, one must believe and come to Jesus in order to be saved. Coming to Jesus is equivalent to entering his kingdom; and entering that requires one to be born of water and of the spirit (John 3:5). Coming to Jesus therefore means being born again. No subjective experience whatever can be substituted for the new birth. "Coming" is something that a man does, not something that he thinks, believes, or feels.

Acts 12:15 — And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she confidently affirmed that it was even so. And they said, It is his angel. For reasons underlying the surprise of the church that their prayers had been answered, see under Acts 12:5. It is his angel … This verse proves that in the apostolic church the Christians believed that every person has a guardian angel; but it is uncertain what deductions should be made from this fact. Jesus apparently justified such a view by his

Acts 19:15 — I am a Christian," who really have no right to such a claim? How does one become a rightful and lawful wearer of the name of Jesus? In this very chapter it is declared that men were "baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:5); and the Scriptures reveal no honorable alternative to that means of being entitled to his holy name.

Romans 2:6 — and only the bad will be lost. This was the same doctrine Paul wrote the Corinthians: For we must all be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, whether it be good or bad (2 Corinthians 5:10). Also, if Paul's teaching with reference to salvation by faith in Christ had been intended to negate the teaching of this verse, it is inconceivable that he would have thrust this statement into such prominence here. Out of regard to the ages-old

1 Corinthians 7:10 — such meaning is logically derived from what is said here. What Paul declared here is that it was unnecessary for him to give any inspired utterance on such a subject, because the Lord himself had given specific commandment on this very thing (Matthew 5:32; Matthew 19:9; Mark 10:9; Luke 16:18). "Paul here distinguished between Jesus' command during his ministry and his own apostolic rulings, for which inspiration is claimed." Donald Guthrie, The New Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Colossians 3:7-8 — Wherein ye also once walked, when ye lived in these things; but now do ye also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, railing, shameful speaking out of your mouth. Whereas the list of sins in Colossians 3:5 concerned sexual wickedness, the list here pertains to "tongue-wickedness," both lying in the center of man's body, as well as in the center of his nature. As Ellis said, "The words `out of your mouth' may refer to all the sins listed,"

Colossians 4:2 — that the Christian should never stop praying, and not that his prayers should be interminable. Importunity in prayer was taught by Christ in two of his most beautiful parables, namely, those of the friend at midnight, and of the unjust judge (Luke 11:5 ff; Luke 18:1 ff). Watching thereunto… Findlay assures us that the meaning of "watching" here is that of "wakefulness," affirming: To be awake is to be alive in the fullest sense, to have all the powers of perception and action

1 Timothy 5:3 — affirmed the same thing, "The widow is not merely to be honored, but she is also to be assisted out of the alms of the faithful." H. D. M. Spence, Ellicott's Bible Commentary, Vol. VIII (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 201. This construction of the word "honor" goes back to our Lord's command that "honor thy father and mother" forbade use of the device of Corban to avoid their financial assistance" (Matthew 15:4-6). The same word occurs

2 Timothy 1:7 — implied by this word. "Christians do not need to have such feelings, for God wishes them to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (Ephesians 6:10)." E. M. Zerr, Bible Commentary, 2 Timothy (Marion, Indiana: Cogdill Foundation, 1954), p. 187. Power and love and discipline … At least two of these are named as "fruit of the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22). They are standard earmarks of Christian character.

Titus 1:10 — the faith, and who, through inadequate understanding of Christianity, were attempting to bind the forms and ceremonies of Judaism upon Christians. This seems to have been especially true of that large group of Pharisees who had accepted Christ (Acts 15:5). Their teaching was totally wrong, and their motives were far from holy; because they evidently hoped to enlist Christians as keepers of Jewish rites out of regard to the fees that would be collected. They were unruly, insubordinate, vain, empty-headed

Hebrews 11:25 — character as ephemeral, and at last unsatisfying. The greatness of such a decision "by faith" is implicit in the fact that even today so few find the power really to make it. Too many are unaware that the triumph of the wicked is short (Job 20:5), and that the righteous shall be held in everlasting remembrance (Psalms 112:6).

Hebrews 12:22 — The prophets had extolled the word of the Lord as going forth from Mount Zion (Isaiah 2:3); it was toward Mount Zion that the captive Daniel had prayed in Babylon; and even Jesus Christ referred to it as the "city of the great King" (Matthew 5:35).

1 Peter 5:9 — reading in the ASV shows that this should be translated "the faith," and thus be understood objectively as "the Christian faith," not as a sinner's subjective "trust/faith." The same sufferings … See under 1 Peter 5:2. Who are in the world … There is a poignant suggestion in this that being "in the world" was one and the same thing as being under Nero and his persecution. Someone has said that in the times of the Caesars, the world itself was but

1 John 5:12 — Life" under 1:4, above. The eternal life promised the faithful followers of Jesus Christ is a life uninterrupted by death. Certain qualities of the life eternal, however, are experienced by Christians in the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). Plummer has this: Eternal life is not granted to the whole world, or even to all Christians en masse; it is given to individuals, soul by soul, according as each does or does not accept the Son of God.A. Plummer, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 22,