Bible Commentaries

Esther 4:13-17 — also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him." For sheer courage, for faithful acceptance of an assignment fraught with mortal danger, for filial obedience to her beloved foster-father Mordecai, for her patriotic zeal and determination to rescue her people from massacre, yes, and for evident trust in God, and confidence

Psalms 27 overview — Also, Psalms 27:1-6 address God in the third person, and Psalms 27:7-14 address God in the second person." Those arguing for unity point to a concern for enemies in both sections (Psalms 27:2-3; Psalms 27:6; Psalms 27:11-12), and to affirmations of faith in Psalms 27:7-14… Some think the author rises to faith (in the first section) and then succumbs (temporarily) to despair in the second section, as humans usually do.Anthony L. Ash, p. 197. As far as we are concerned, the resolution of the

Luke 24:37 — But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they beheld a spirit. See under preceding verse. It was incumbent upon Jesus to win over the apostles to a complete and unfailing faith in his resurrection; and so, in these verses, one beholds the Son of God actually laying the keel, in a figure, of that ship of the church which would sail the seas of all subsequent generations. After the interview reported in this paragraph and

Luke 24:6 — H. Hobbs, An Exposition of the Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1966), p. 346. The resurrection is the central fact of the gospel. "Without it the words of Paul would stand as the epitaph of a dead Christianity, `Your faith is futile, and you are still in your sins' (1 Corinthians 15:17)."Donald G. Miller, The Layman's Bible Commentary (Richmond, Virginia: The John Knox Press, 1959).

John 6:61 — some reject them. His doctrine concerning the new birth, going the second mile, turning the other cheek, and the forbidding of divorce are hard sayings; and men are still offended by them, even as some disciples were offended then. For the child of faith, the sayings of Christ are received in meekness, whether fully understood or not; because true confidence in the Lord will not permit the setting aside of anything that he taught.

John 8:44 — liar, and the father thereof. Again, it should be noted by the student that these men, so denominated as sons of the devil, were "believers on" the Lord Jesus; but they did not love him and would not obey him. If people are justified by "faith alone," these sons of the devil were justified. The devil … Regarding this evil being, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 4:1. It is of interest that murder and falsehood are identified specifically as works of the devil. Regarding

Acts 11:25-26 — "disciple" means "learner"; and although true in a sense that Christians must always be "learners," there is a vital and necessary sense in which Christians are "taught persons," in all vital elements of the holy faith. See John 6:44-45; Jeremiah 31:31-35; 2 John 1:2; and Isaiah 54:13. The hurtful notion that Christians are merely "trying to learn the truth" is antithetical to the passages cited. An apostle said that Christians "know the truth"

Romans 14:18 — taught here; here the approval of people in general is promised to churches which honor the commandment to walk in love, even toward the weak brother. As Murray noted: We may not rightly restrict the approval in view to those who are of the household of faith. The damage which befalls the church through inconsiderate conduct of strong believers has its repercussions in the judgments of those outside; and the good name of the church as the community of love and concord should be maintained so that adversaries

Romans 14:3 — Let not him that eateth set at naught him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth: for God hath received him. What a natural thing it was for the Christian of strong faith to set a low value upon a brother with all those silly scruples! How easy it was for the scrupulous to judge others as "liberal" and condemn them for not accepting the more strict behavior! With some Christians thus tempted to set at naught

Philippians 1:8 — his Lord; his pulse beats with the pulse of Christ; his heart throbs with the heart of Christ J. B. Lightfoot, op. cit., p. 85. Paul's profession of love for the Philippians was genuine; and, as Calvin said, "It tends in no small degree to secure faith in the doctrine when the people are persuaded that they are loved by the teacher." William Hendriksen, op. cit., p. 57.

Philippians 3:10-11 — cross," and being "crucified with Christ," as stressed throughout the New Testament (1 Peter 4:13; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 1:5; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 2:11). It was expected that every Christian should suffer as a result of his faith; indeed it was a proverb or "faithful saying" that "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him" (2 Timothy 2:12). 3.    Attainment to the Resurrection from the Dead. This means the final and glorious resurrection

Joshua 22:1-6 — unto him, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul. So Joshua blessed them, and sent them away; and they went unto their tents." This first paragraph of the chapter is "essential to the story of the invasion, showing that God kept faith with those who kept faith with Him, answering, as it does to Joshua 1:12-18."John Lilley, The New Layman's Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979), p. 334. Far from being a late addition by unscrupulous priests desiring

Colossians 1:6 — Testament of the widespread acceptance of Christianity. "All those of Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks" (Acts 19:10); "The word of the Lord grew and increased mightily" (Acts 19:20); "In every place your faith in God has gone forth" (1 Thessalonians 1:8); "The gospel has become clear throughout the whole praetorian guard and to all the rest" (Philippians 1:12 f).

Colossians 2:20 — in Colossians 2:16. The blindness, or perversity, or both which leads some commentators to read this verse as applicable to the Christian ordinances is most deplorable, and traceable, as to its cause, to the great Reformation heresy of salvation by faith alone. May God open the eyes of Bible students. An example of the kind of ordinances Paul meant was immediately given in the next verse.

1 Timothy 2:7 — whereunto I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth, I lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. The definite and emphatic missionary outreach of these first seven verses is supported by 1 Timothy 2:5-7, the "all men" of 1 Timothy 2:4 being inclusive of the Gentiles specifically mentioned here. The reason that "all

1 Timothy 6:10 — For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil: which some reaching after have been led astray from the faith, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. The thought of this verse is parallel with 1 Timothy 6:9; and again, it is not the possession of money, but the love of it and the pursuit of it, which are condemned. The old King James Version,

Titus 1:16 — disapproved." Kenneth S. Wuest, op. cit., p. 189. De Welt also pointed out that the word was used of "the testing of coins for genuineness." Don DeWelt, op. cit., p. 152. Those who allege that Paul taught any kind of justification by "faith only" should ponder this passage. No wonder men like McGiffert affirm that this is contrary to "Pauline doctrine" (see introduction to Titus). To be sure this is contrary to that which so many in our times allege to be Pauline doctrine,

Titus 1:9 — holding to the faithful word which is according to the teaching, that he may be able both to exhort in the sound doctrine, and to convict the gainsayers. As DeWelt noted, "This has been taken by many to be a commentary on 1 Timothy 3:2, in which Paul states that

Hebrews 1:1 — significant information that it is possible to have concerning God. Thus, he is a God who speaks; and, because only a person can speak, this reveals him as a personal God. The personality of God is a concept underlying the whole fabric of the Christian faith; and it is exactly here, in a widespread failure of people to know that God is a person, that so much current religious thought has floundered. The depersonalization of the Almighty is the mortal error that underlies the extensive confusion and

1 John 3:12 — killed his brother. It is an important point to remember why God rejected Cain's offering. Stott has a remarkably clear word on this: If Cain had done well, his offering would have been accepted (Genesis 4:7). According to Hebrews 11:4, it was by "faith" that Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice than Cain … we may assume that God had revealed his will to the two brothers … By faith Abel obeyed … Cain was willfully disobedient.John R. W. Stott, Tyndale New Testament