Bible Commentaries

Leviticus 16 overview — present-day scholar: (Paraphrase). It began in Leviticus 10, referred to from the outset here, where the death of two of Aaron's sons demonstrated the wrath of God against all who dared to approach God improperly. The intervening chapters (Leviticus 11-15) gave careful instructions regarding what was or was not clean, and the next logical and necessary step is taken here in Leviticus 16, where the proper procedure must be observed by the High Priest to preserve him and the other priests from a fate like

Luke 20:1-8 — grenade back into their own faces, saying "TELL ME!" By such a shocking refusal of their rights to pass on the credentials of the Christ, the Lord exposed them before all the people. John the Baptist's authority was indeed from God (John 1:5); and the chief priests, scribes and elders of Israel well knew this; for the mighty herald had unequivocally identified Jesus thus: The Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29) He that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit (John 1:33) He

Luke 8:50 — literally. It may well be that here we have a real miracle of diagnosis; and that Jesus saw that the girl was in a deep trance, and that she was just on the point of being buried alive.William Barclay, The Gospel of Luke (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1953), p. 111. This, of course, is the same crass literalizing of Jesus' words indulged by his enemies who said, "Will he kill himself, that he saith, Wither I go, ye cannot come?" (John 8:22). The factual history of this instance of Jesus' raising

John 13:31 — both himself and the Father with whom he was one. Far from cowering before the blackness of the gathering storm, Jesus sent the traitor to perform the act that would trigger its release. The storm would not come, as the Pharisees planned (Matthew 26:1-5), after the passover was ended, but in the midst of it; because Jesus, not the Pharisees, was the architect of those awful events. Jesus would be glorified in the fulfillment of his sacred mission of salvation; mankind would be redeemed; the prophecies

Acts 10:34-35 — no respecter of persons: but in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is acceptable to him. PETER'S ADDRESS Peter opened his mouth … This is the same expression found at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:1), where it is related that "Jesus opened his mouth, etc." This indicates formal preparation and the deliberate presentation of significant truth. Bruce said that such an expression "is used to introduce some weighty utterance."

Acts 12:6 — Procrastination from day to day becomes at last a chain stronger than iron. He was asleep … Sleep is a state of insensitivity, inactivity, insecurity, and illusion. In the spiritual sense, every sinner is asleep (Romans 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:6). He was in darkness … Like the night of sin, the blackness of midnight had settled over Herod's prison. He was naked … Peter had cast off his garment in order to be relieved of the suffocating heat of the dungeon. All sin and spiritual

Acts 17:14-15 — suppose that Paul embarked at Dium and went by sea to Athens." J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 841. If that was the case, "The brethren sailed with him all the way to Athens." Don DeWelt, Acts Made Actual (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1958), p. 236. Either way, the brethren went to considerable expense; and the fact of a sea-voyage requiring only three days to Athens, contrasted with about a month overland, forces the conclusion that they would have gone by sea, if possible. Milligan

1 Corinthians 12:13 — man may see the kingdom of God. These are: obedience to the ordinance of baptism and the reception of the Holy Spirit. Jesus joined these two essential elements by his requirement that people be "born of the water and of the Spirit" (John 3:5 ff). Peter joined them on Pentecost by the command that all people should "repent and be baptized … and … receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38 ff). There is no doubt whatever that Paul's words here refer to the same twin essentials

2 Corinthians 7:11 — manifests. What fear … refers to the holy fear of God and reverence for his sacred word. Yea what longing … is a reference to that hungering and thirsting after righteousness, mentioned by the Saviour in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:6). Yea what zeal … True repentance always results in the multiplication of Christian works; and the conversion of the Corinthians had inspired all of them to redoubled participation in the work of the Lord. Yea what avenging … There is

Ephesians 1:10 — reference to the fact that God scheduled all of the events of time and history, whether sacred or profane, in advance. The first Advent of Christ (Galatians 4:4), the events of our Lord's ministry (John 2:4; John 17:1), the resurrection of the dead (John 5:28), the eternal judgment (Acts 17:31), the rise, growth and subsidence of nations (Acts 17:26), and the Second Advent of Christ with the summing up of God's total purpose in him, as glimpsed in this verse — all things move according to the cosmic

2 Timothy 4:8 — thought the crown of righteousness here means "that crown the possession of which marks the wearer as righteous before God"; A. C. Hervey, The Pulpit Commentary, Vol. 21, 2 Timothy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), p. 59. whereas White believed that "it is the crown which belongs to, or is the due reward of, righteousness"; Newport J. D. White, op. cit., p. 178. however, the view here is that it is most certainly BOTH. Without the righteousness of

Titus 3:1 — them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, Be in subjection to rulers … For full discussion of the Christian's relationship to the state, see my Commentary on Romans, pp. 446-451. The authority of human government is of God, and the Christian is instructed to be obedient because such is God's will. Paul's words here are a brief summary of the teaching in Romans 13:1 ff and in 1 Peter 2:13 ff. Such orders as these are always

James 4:11 — the law of Jesus Christ, the law of the gospel, the law of the New Testament, the Christian law. Gibson summarized concerning this question, thus: What law? According to Dean Plumptre, "the royal law of Christ, which forbids judging (Matthew 7:1-5)." Alford said it was: "The law of Christian life: the old moral Law, glorified and amplified by Christ, the royal law of James 2:8." Luther made it: "The law of Christian life, which, according to its contents, is none other than

James 5:13 — begins a series of separate admonitions making up the final section of the epistle. Any suffering? … let him pray … This was, and is, the general rule for suffering of all kinds; and it included even the special cases alluded to in James 5:14 a moment later. In a sense, all healing is divine. Over the main portal of the great Presbyterian Medical Center in Manhattan, N.Y., there are engraved the words: "All healing is of God; physicians only bind up the wounds." Any cheerful?

1 Peter 2:12 — Why? The Christians were the noblest, purest and most lovable people ever to appear on earth, and yet they were hated. Why? "Christianity by its very essence opposed the vanities of paganism at every turn." Stephen W. Paine, op. cit., p. 975. Like ancient Noah, the very purity of their behavior "condemned the world" (Hebrews 11:7), and that was reason enough for the world's hatred. There was a double source of hatred for Christians, their model demeanor being one, and their also

2 Peter 1:11 — are gathered here; and a change of style is amply accounted for by change to new and exciting subjects. The links between the parts are too strong to be severed by such considerations. Richly supplied … This is from the same word used in verse 5, regarding the provisions supplied for a chorus or theatrical company, indicating overflowing abundance. Into the eternal kingdom … But were not the Christians of Peter's day already members of the kingdom of the Lord? The answer is affirmative.

2 Peter 1:20 — their church alone). Nothing like this could possibly be in this passage. As Kelcy said, "There are many New Testament passages which indicate that the writers expected their readers to understand what they wrote (Ephesians 3:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:27; 1 John 2:12-13)." Raymond C. Kelcy, op. cit., p. 133. Christ himself bore witness of the fact that every man is responsible for studying and reading the word of God for himself, when he demanded of the lawyer, "What is written in the law?

1 John 1:7 — in this verse; and (3) the intercession on our behalf of Jesus Christ our advocate. Here indeed is the achievement of that absolute perfection required of all who hope to enter heaven, as announced by Jesus Christ in the sermon on the mount (Matthew 5:48). The whole doctrine of Perfection requires a great deal more attention to it than is evident in current Christian literature. For a further study of it, see in my Commentary on Galatians, pp. 130-133. For those who walk in the light, the continual,

Revelation 13:18 — related to the perfect "seven," and identified 666 as the full symbol of imperfect, fallible, and sinful man. "This 666 indicates that this age will end in the worship of man, instead of the worship of God." Ralph Earle, op. cit., p. 578. The 666 might not mean this, but it appears to be true anyway. Roberts, like so many, found Nero in the number 666, J. W. Roberts, op. cit., p. 115. but even if he did, Nero is the wrong answer. Nero was not the beast; he was not the wounded head;

Revelation 17 overview — nominal Christianity, especially when in combination with political power. We shall call this the Apostate Church interpretation. Albertus Pieters, Studies in the Revelation of St. John (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1954), p. 250. Although Pieters "reluctantly" voted against this view, for reasons which he cited, and which in no sense justify his decision, he nevertheless admitted that, "This view is held by many of the very best expositors, among whom