Bible Commentaries

John 12:24-25 — his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. Three applications of this metaphor are: (1) in nature, the death of seeds is necessary to their production of fruit; (2) Jesus consented to die as a means of winning the world to himself; and (3) for all who would be saved, the process is the same. One must renounce himself, loving not his own life, but losing it, and taking up fully the identity of Jesus in order to be saved. Note here the promise of eternal life. The doctrine of the "last

John 18:28 — but might eat the passover. This and John 18:24 are John's only reference to the formal trial in the Sanhedrin. He also omitted the all-night examination before Caiaphas, and the trial before Herod. Of the six trials before: (1) Annas, (2) Caiaphas, (3) the Sanhedrin, (4) Pilate, (5) Herod, and (6) Pilate; John mentioned (1), (4) and (6). That they might not be defiled … What a perverse inconsistency marks the behavior of men! They were willing to suborn testimony to effect the judicial murder

John 20:14 — The apostles "knew not that it was Jesus" at the sea of Tiberius (20:4); and all of the great leaders in Jerusalem "knew him not, nor the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him" (Acts 13:27). And of men today, are we any more able than they to know him? Concerning the reasons why men do not recognize the Lord: (1) some, like Mary, are blinded by grief; (2) some are blinded by prejudice and preconceived notions, as were the leaders in

John 8:26 — superfluity and no defect, and the things I heard from him, when I came on earth to do his will, these speak I unto the world.Brooks Foss Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1971), p. 137. Some of the judgments Jesus would speak against those men followed at once, as when he identified them as sons of the devil (John 8:44). Other such denunciations were in the three parables of: (1) the two sons, (2) the wicked husbandmen, and (3)

Acts 11:21 — (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), p. 516. Those who were already believers "turned to the Lord." As McGarvey so well said it: Turning to the Lord is a different act from believing, and is subsequent to it. As in Acts 3:19, where turning to the Lord follows repentance, the specific reference is to baptism, which is the turning act. Equivalent to the expression here is: "The Corinthians believed and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). J. W. McGarvey, op. cit., p.

Acts 17:18 — would this babbler say? others, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached Jesus and the resurrection. Epicurean and Stoic philosophers … In Athens there were: (1) the Academy of Plato, (2) the Lyceum of Aristotle, (3) the Porch of Zeno, and (4) the Garden of Epicurus. Followers of Zeno, called Stoics, took their name from "Stoa," the Greek name of the painted porch where he taught. The groups mentioned here by Luke were the most powerful and popular at

Romans 2:3 — escape his own judgment against himself, how could he ever hope to stand before the holy God? As Wuest expressed it: The Jew certainly thought, in many cases, that the privilege of his birth would of itself assure his entrance into the kingdom (Matthew 3:8-9), this having been his practical conviction, whatever was his proper creed. Kenneth S. Wuest, Romans in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1955), p. 40. It was for the purpose of refuting such widespread

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 — 10. Paul often used the admonition to be "imitators" of himself, always with the limitation of the qualifier, "as he followed the Lord," whether expressly stated or not. He gave the same command in 1 Corinthians 4:16; Philippians 3:17, and in 1 Thessalonians 1:6.

1 Corinthians 3:10 — God which was given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder I laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. But let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon. A foundation … The foundation which Paul laid at Corinth is Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11), and this was done through the faithful proclamation of the whole gospel of our Lord. Another buildeth thereon … Although Farrar believed that "the allusion here may be to Apollos," F. W. Farrar, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids:

Galatians 1:22 — Testament. Stamm noted that "It is Paul's most unique phrase, being used 164 times in Paul's letters." Raymond T. Stamm, op. cit., p. 464. John Mackay placed the number at 169. John Mackay, God's Order (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1953), p. 97. Most commentators either ignore it altogether or, after noting it, give no adequate evaluation of it. Therefore, the following from Ridderbos is especially welcome: As a matter of fact, this in Christ represents, in a remarkable and comprehensive

Ephesians 4:28 — "cease and desist from all sin." While those who "had been" criminals were welcome, their sins were not welcome. The word of God reveals some acceptable methods of acquiring property, these being: (1) by inheritance, (2) by work, (3) by reception of it as a gift, (4) through merchandising, (5) through investment, etc.; two of the acceptable methods and one of the unacceptable methods appear in this verse, the latter being, of course, stealing.

1 Thessalonians 2:2 — bold … "This word is always used in the New Testament of the proclamation of the gospel and denotes freedom from stress." Peter A. Cousins, A New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 493. Other passages in which it occurs are Acts 9:27 and Ephesians 6:20. In our God … This expression also appears in 1 Thessalonians 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, and 1 Corinthians 6:11. In the greater sense, all things are in God, for as Paul said,

1 Timothy 6:3 — insubordination of slaves; but Spence felt that this may be allowed: There is little doubt that some influential teaching, contrary to St. Paul's, on the subject of the behavior and disposition of slaves was in the apostle's mind when he wrote 1 Timothy 6:3 and 1 Timothy 6:4. H. D. M. Spence, op. cit., p. 209.

2 Timothy 3:1 — But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. Know this … "Be keeping this in mind." Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies from the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1973), p. 143. In the last days … It is a mistake to identify this period as restricted to times immediately prior to the Second Advent; because, as the passage itself shows, examples of the grievous times were plentiful at the time Paul wrote. Wesley

Hebrews 10:15 — the light it sheds on the witness of the Holy Spirit. Thomas accurately read the implications of this verse, thus, Here again, with great significance, the Holy Spirit is mentioned. Not only is he the source and author of the divine message in Psalms 3:7, and of the true meaning of the tabernacle (Hebrews 9:8); but he is shown to be witnessing through the statements of Scripture to the reality and power of the new covenant. This is the true witness of the Spirit, not something dependent upon our own

Hebrews 11:27 — Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. Here is another instance of the recurring theme of this chapter, "the invisible." Even the creation was made of things "invisible" (Hebrews 11:3); Noah was warned of "things not seen as yet" (Hebrews 11:7); Abraham's inheritance was invisible at the time he went out (Hebrews 11:8); the eternal city is invisible (Hebrews 11:10). So it was also for the blessings of Isaac, Jacob, and

Hebrews 2:2 — reward. The mediation of angels in the giving of the Law of Moses was not stated at that time, the nearest thing to it being found thus: "He came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law before them" (Deuteronomy 33:2). Paul stated it clearly, saying that the Law "was ordained through angels in the hands of a mediator" (Galatians 3:19); and Stephen also made reference to it, speaking of them "who received the law as it was ordained by angels, and

James 1:3 — who said, "In your patience ye shall possess your souls" (Luke 21:19), the same also being true of the writings of Paul. Barnes said, "This is one of the passages that show that James was acquainted with the writings of Paul (Romans 5:3)." Albert Barnes, op. cit., p. 17. The meaning of "patience" here is that of courageous endurance, and not merely docile submission.

James 1:6 — merely faith in God which James had in view here, but faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He was writing to Christians who, like himself, were servants of God and of Jesus Christ; and he had already mentioned their common faith a moment earlier in James 1:3. Modern exegetes who limit faith in the book of James to the mere belief in God are absolutely wrong. As Lenski said, "The older commentators who understood `in faith' to mean faith in Jesus Christ' are correct." R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit.,

James 4:6 — subject here. Anything that the Spirit of God does to bless men may also appropriately be said to be what God does. The Scripture saith … Here indeed is a formula for introducing a Scriptural passage, and there followed a quotation from Proverbs 3:34. As Punchard noted, "Peter used the same quotation (1 Peter 5:5); and it seems to have been a common saying, a maxim of the wise that had become, as it were, a law of life." Ibid. God resisteth the proud … There is no greater deterrent