Bible Commentaries

Genesis 22 overview — burnt-offering! Abraham proceeded to do so and was restrained only at the last moment when God stayed his hand. Why did God command such a thing? Many answers have been suggested. Speiser thought, "The object was to discover how firm was the patriarch's faith in the ultimate divine purpose."E. A. Speiser, op. cit., p. 166. Skinner suggested that, "It is explaining the substitution of animal for human sacrifices."John Skinner, International Critical Commentary, Genesis (Edinburgh: T. and T. Clark, 1910),

1 Kings 14:25-28 — brought them back into the guard chamber." This tragic loss of the golden shields of Solomon was a physical disaster that was, in a sense, an eloquent parable of what had already happened spiritually in Israel. Their golden shields of trust in God and faithfulness to his word they had exchanged for high places and their Asherim and their pillars with their vulgar and licentious ceremonies. AMERICA TODAY SHOULD KEEP OUR SHIELDS OF GOLDWHILE WE STILL HAVE THEM These golden shields are our faith in God,

Matthew 14:31-33 — And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and took hold of him, and saith unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? And when they were gone up into the boat, the wind ceased. And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. Peter's failure was due to lack of faith; and the rebuke was therefore

Luke 13:5 — paragraph, the universal command that all should repent should be identified as the most important thing in it, a fact attested by its repetition. In the light of this divine imperative, what becomes of the notion that people are justified "by faith alone," which by any definition is faith without repentance? Along with faith and baptism, repentance is established as one of the preconditions of salvation, as clearly enunciated by the apostle Peter (Acts 2:38). Just as those ancient Jews

Acts 14:1 — "believed" is a figure of speech standing for all that is involved in becoming a Christian. Such a comment as the following demonstrates the religious error which fails to take this into account: The Christian missionaries had learned to declare that faith, and faith alone, was the ground of admission to God's kingdom … Barnabas and Paul found the faith condition quite sufficient … and required no other of their Gentile converts. R. Tuck, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan:

Romans 12:6-8 — And having gifts differing according to the grace that was given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith; or ministry, let us give ourselves to our ministry; or he that teacheth, to his teaching; or he that exhorteth, to his exhorting: he that giveth, let him do it with liberality; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. In

Romans 5 overview — "the hope of the glory of God" (Romans 5:2), and "final salvation" (Romans 5:9-10) as supporting his analysis. Lenski favored the view that writings in this chapter Undoubtedly describe the blessed effects of God's righteousness through faith. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (Minneapolis, Minnesota: Augsburg Publishing House, 1963), p. 330. Stiffler noted that: Many commentators have entitled this chapter, "The Fruits of Justification."

Romans 6:16 — Know ye not, that to whom ye present yourselves as servants unto obedience, his servants ye are whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? It would be impossible to frame in English a more dogmatic declaration that faith is not the only thing required for salvation. Paul's extensive writings hitherto in this letter, regarding salvation by faith, may in no sense, therefore, be construed as diminishing or omitting the requirement of obedience in all who hope to be

1 Corinthians 7:27 — previous verse looms ominously in the background of these remarks. History has not revealed the nature of the awful persecution inflicted upon the Christians at this particular point, but it should be remembered that both Jewish and Gentile enemies of the faith would have seized any opportunity to exterminate, if possible, the Christian religion. The situation at Corinth was probably a local outburst of the persecutions which became more general at a later date. In any case, it may not be denied that some

Galatians 1:23 — But they only heard say, He that once persecuted us now preacheth the faith of which he once made havoc. Nothing in the New Testament more emphatically nails down the fact that Paul did not "bring a brand-new way of salvation." The gospel he preached was exactly the truth he persecuted. The conflict which underlies

Galatians 3:5 — He therefore that supplieth to you the Spirit and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the Law, or by the hearing of faith? Worketh miracles among you … "This is exactly the same phrase as in 1 Corinthians 12:10," W. J. Conybeare, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1966), p. 484. and logically

1 Timothy 4:1 — But the Spirit saith expressly, that in later times, some shall fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, The Spirit saith expressly … "This means that there was neither doubt nor vagueness about it." William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Grand

Hebrews 11:17-20 — By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he of whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called: accounting that God is able to raise up, even from the dead;

Hebrews 11:21 — By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. Jacob's blessing the two sons of Joseph to the effect that they should become two tribes, with Ephraim being more powerful and greater

Hebrews 11:24 — By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Like parents, like son! It is now shown that the faith of Amram and Jochebed was contained and carried forward in the life of Moses. Significantly, the first great

Hebrews 11:31 — By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, having received the spies with peace. The moral reason for God's destruction of Jericho and the dispossession of the kingdoms of Canaan and their being supplanted by Israel is apparent

Hebrews 3:6 — Christ, the author, on the basis of a bold deduction, names Christians themselves as components of God's house, "whose house we are"! The old Israel is no more. The Son having been revealed, men are no longer under a servant, even so true and faithful a servant as Moses (Romans 2:28; Romans 9:6-8; Galatians 6:15; John 8:39). Think of the house of God. He laid the foundations of it, even before the world was (1 Corinthians 2:7), provided the blue prints of it in the dispensation of Moses, and

Hebrews 6:11-12 — And we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. Each one of you stresses God's care of the individual and his concern that each and every one of the believers should continue firmly in the way of truth. "The same diligence" means that they were commanded

1 John 5:14 — as pertaining to prayer, here, and in 1 John 3:21-22. In a large degree, the Christian is himself responsible for maintaining a confident and winning attitude, an attitude to which he is fully entitled by the glorious endowments and promises of the faith. It is therefore incumbent upon him to speak enthusiastically of his faith and of the joyful service in the Lord, much in the same manner of a good athlete who "talks a good game" with his associates during a contest. The grounds of such

Revelation 20:7 — And when the thousand years are finished, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, Shall be loosed … We agree with those commentators who believe that the divine goal of redemption will be fully achieved, but that very near the end, faith shall practically vanish from the earth. "When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8). Just as the old Israel fell away from God and officially and finally rejected even the Messiah himself, their apostasy