Bible Commentaries

Romans 15:17-18 — into view the true definition of Paul's doctrine of justification by faith. It certainly was not the "faith only" of Protestant theology, but the "obedience of faith" as affirmed at the beginning and the end of this epistle (Rom. 15:1:5; Romans 16:26). If Paul had entertained any part of the theory of salvation by faith only, he could never have written anything like this verse. The Gentiles were obeying God! Indeed, does anything else really matter? By word and deed … is

Romans 4:17 — mention of another covenant previously made with Abraham, and used the past tense to show that the previous covenant had nothing to do with the covenant of land and circumcision about to be made. Paul's introduction of the quotation from Genesis 17:5, included in parenthesis in this verse, and especially God's use of the past tense, "have I made thee," proves that the previous covenant was distinct from the land covenant about to be made in the immediate future, and also indicated that

Romans 5:11 — that, According to the majority of the commentators, we shall not only be ultimately saved, but we now glory in God. Charles Hodge, op. cit., p. 140. In the matter of glowing, therefore, these eleven verses have come full cycle, as seen by a glance at Romans 5:2. The Christian life is a joyful life, not only because of the ultimate happiness in heaven, but because of present blessings as well; and not the least of present blessings is reconciliation through Jesus Christ. The ransomed soul is no longer at

Romans 7:13 — interest in psychology! Paul simply states that sin led to death — the doom of creation separated from the Creator; and that this happened that sin might stand out in its true colors. The serpent had promised Eve that men should be as God (Genesis 3:5); but the rebellion begun with the highest conceivable hope ended in condemnation and death. Sin might appear as human progress, or in any other attractive guise; but death proved it to be nothing but sin. The most damning feature of its disclosure

1 Corinthians 10:8 — thousand. Notice the list of sins: (1) we should not lust after evil things; (2) neither be idolaters; (3) neither let us commit fornication. The whole sequence was the normal procedure in idol worship. In one day three and twenty thousand … Numbers 25:9 gives the number who fell as 24,000; and many have been perplexed by this, even Lipscomb saying, "Why this discrepancy I am not able to explain." David Lipscomb, Commentary on First Corinthians (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1935),

1 Corinthians 12:9 — here. It must mean a faith that has special, visible results, a faith that enables one to do miracles (Matthew 17:20; 1 Corinthians 13:2). F. W. Grosheide, The New International Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1953), p. 286. Lipscomb identified faith here as "that which enabled one to remove mountains, as Jesus said, enabling one to exert power." David Lipscomb, Commentary on 1 Corinthians (Nashville: Gospel Advocate Company, 1935), p. 182. Gifts of

2 Corinthians 6:6 — was wrong, or how often difficulties came, Paul always had time to try to put it all back together again. In kindness … in the Holy Spirit … in love unfeigned … Both kindness and love are among the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22); but Paul was merely mentioning everything that had helped him through the storms.

2 Corinthians 8:18 — (which is by no means an impossibility). However, whether or not this was Luke (and no one really knows), one thing is positively evident: there was a written gospel even at this early date, a fact confirmed by Luke's introduction (2 Corinthians 1:1-5). Through all the churches … The brother mentioned was known "through all" the churches. It is amazing that the same scholars who pin so much faith in the absolute superlatives of 2 Corinthians 7:13-15 are here very quick to affirm

Galatians 3:11-12 — Testament, was looking for an "obedient faith" in his children, and not merely for the legalistic type of rule-keeping which was the essence of the Law. The Law did not even require faith, as seen in the quotation Paul gave here from Leviticus 18:5, the meaning of which may be paraphrased, "No matter about faith; do the Law and live." This was the essence of Judaism. See note 2, at the end of the chapter. Now regarding the conceit that would make Habakkuk say, "The righteous shall

Ephesians 3:16 — theologians can be puzzled by such phrases as are in this verse … And the expression, "Christ may dwell in your hearts" (next verse) can be equally puzzling. Theodore O. Wedel, The Interpreter's Bible, Vol. X. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1953), p. 676. See extended remarks on this problem under Galatians 5:23, above. There are no less than eight designations for the same Scriptural phenomenon, two of them being in these verses of 16 and 17.

Ephesians 4:20-24 — did not learn Christ in such a manner as to allow living like Gentiles?' As Blaikie said, "To learn Christ" means "to learn all about Christ through complete acceptance and obedience of his teachings." W. G. Blaikie, op. cit., p. 151. If so be that ye heard him … This is not a conditional but an idiomatic saying with the impact of "As surely as you have heard him." William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 212. The old man to be put off … This was the old man that

Philippians 2:7 — op. cit., p. 319. One thing is clear enough. The use of [@morfe] in connection with servant shows that the manhood of Jesus was no less real and actual than his Godhead, Robert H. Mounce, Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 765. Agreement is also felt with Mounce that Christ did not empty himself of divine attributes, because, as he said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). Christ emptied himself of his glory (John 17:5), exactly the same renunciation

Colossians 4:5-6 — time. Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one. Them that are without … The reference here is "to non-Christians, those without the church." A. S. Peake, op. cit., p. 544. Redeeming the time … is somewhat of an idiomatic expression, meaning "buying up the opportunities," "taking advantage of all occasions for doing good," etc. Here again, in this passage, is encountered the startling likeness

2 Timothy 4:14-15 — according to his works: of whom do thou also beware; for he greatly withstood our words. Lockyer lists five characters bearing this name in the New Testament. Herbert Lockyer, All the Men of the Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), p. 43. They are (1) the one here mentioned, (2) a prominent member of the high priestly family in Jerusalem (Acts 4:6), (3) the son of Simon who bore the cross of Jesus (Mark 15:21), (4) the man identified with the tumult at Ephesus (Acts 19:35),

Hebrews 7:15 — priesthood and that of the New Testament (Chrysostom); (2) the fact that our Lord sprang out of Judah (Ebrard); (3) that the Law of Moses is abrogated (Alford); (4) that perfection was not attainable through the Levitical priesthood (Delitzsch); and (5) that a change of the priesthood involves of necessity a change of the law (Tholuck). R. Milligan, op. cit., p. 205. Surely, where there are so many learned opinions, one may not be afraid to risk his own judgment. The big thought under consideration

James 1:2 — Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold temptations; Count it all joy … Did not Christ say, "Blessed are ye when men shall persecute you … rejoice and be exceeding glad"? (Matthew 5:11-12). This is exactly the thought of James here. Manifold temptations … Although the same word is used in James 1:12, below, it is the inner propensity toward evil that is meant there, outward trials and hardships being the thing in focus here.

1 John 4:16 — the same time the New Testament reveals that each of these: God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and love all abide, indwell, or reside in Christians. There are other significant additions to this list, such as "the mind of Christ" (Philippians 2:5), and "the word of Christ" (Colossians 3:16), both of which are flatly represented as dwelling "in Christians." It is the conviction repeated several times in this series of commentaries, that it is absolutely impossible to distinguish

3 John 1:14 — wish which the apostle could form: it was our Lord's resurrection greeting, the internal peace of a good conscience, the external peace of universal fellowship, the heavenly peace of future glory, begun even in this life.W. M. Sinclair, op. cit., p. 502. The friends salute thee … salute the friends by name … "By name" as used here is found nowhere else in the New Testament, except in John 10:5; and many have found in this "an echo of the Good Shepherd's calling his own

Jude 1:15 — have despised him. The fact of this prophecy colors every page of the Bible; and he is a vain and willful sinner indeed who dares to order his life as if this were not the truth. Execute judgment … This phrase occurs "only here and in John 5:27";Alfred Plummer, op. cit., p. 513. but significantly, in John it occurs upon the lips of Jesus Christ himself. Of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him … There is no possibly summary of these that could be

Revelation 2:6 — followers of that Nicolas who was one of the seven first ordained to the diaconate by the apostles." Irenaeus, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. I, Translated by Roberts and Donaldson (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, n.d.), p. 352. They taught that it was a matter of indifference to commit adultery or eat things sacrificed to idols. "It was an exaggeration of the doctrine of Christian liberty which attempted an ethical compromise with heathenism." Merrill C. Tenney,