Bible Commentaries

Genesis 4:3-5 — with Cain's offering is due solely to their failure to read the event in the light of N.T. revelation concerning it. Hebrews 11:4 categorically states the reason for the acceptability of Abel's sacrifice as being solely due to his having offered it "by faith," a truth which emphatically declares that he offered in harmony with what God had commanded him to offer. The denial that the institution of sacrifice existed at this early time is a gross error. Could it possibly be supposed that these two brothers

Exodus 19:16-20 — developed, discovered, and evolved monotheism and true religion. Faith in God was not evolved from the alleged animism that is falsely supposed to have preceded it. The whole Bible, Genesis, Exodus, all of it, teaches that, "Monotheism was the original faith of man, and that all other beliefs are a departure from it."Oswald T. Allis, The Five Books of Moses (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1949), p. 149. The vast and comprehensive teachings of the Judaeo-Christian religion are revealed from Almighty

Job 14:13-17 — is solely due to, "Their a priori belief that the idea of a resurrection arose quite late in Israel's thought."Ibid. That false theory, like many another liberal axiom, is totally false. Abraham offered Isaac, being able to do so only because of his faith in the resurrection (Hebrews 11:19). The true answer, therefore to the question in Job 14:14, "If a man die, shall he live again"? is Yes, Indeed! Amen. It is a help in understanding Job to remember that God Himself, when he appeared in the mighty

Psalms 73:23-26 — counsel, And afterward receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." What a marvelous affirmation of faith in God is made here. The answer to all of earth's inequities, maladjustments, injustices, and wretchedness is not to be expected in this life. Over against all of the misfortunes and sorrows of the redeemed there is written the glorious words of

Jeremiah 17:12-13 — Israel, all that forsake thee shall be put to shame. They that depart from me shall be written in the earth, because they have forsaken Jehovah, the fountain of living waters." "A glorious throne" These verses are an expression of Jeremiah's trustful faith in Jehovah and of his confidence that God's justice will be vindicated by the overthrow of the wicked and the reward of the righteous. This mention of `the glorious throne' "Apostrophizes the Jewish temple as the seat of God's glory in Zion;" but

Lamentations 5:19-22 — has fallen from the head of David's dynasty (Lamentations 5:16), which has been sent crashing to the earth, the throne of God still abides."The New Bible Commentary, Revised (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdman's Publishing Company, 1970), p. 663. "A noble faith is awakened here, finding its expression in the wonderful words from Psalms 80, `Turn us again, O Jehovah,' thus laying upon Jehovah the task of initiating Israel's restoration: Thou must give us the compelling spirit, else we can do nothing."Peake's

Numbers 21:4-9 — the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3). And just as the brass serpent which was lifted up was without any evil whatever; so was Christ. E.    Faith in what God commanded, demonstrated by "looking unto" the serpent was like the faith that obeys the Word of God with reference to what Christ commanded. Healing in both cases resulted from hearing, believing, and obeying the Divine commandments. F.    Some have equated "looking unto" with "faith alone" as the

Nahum 1:7 — associated with the opposite attributes. Secondly, he is the incomparable refuge for his own in times of their distress, "A Bulwark Never Failing," as Luther put it; and third, he knows, in the sense of loving, covenant care, all who have reposed their faith in him."Charles L. Feinberg, Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1962), p. 864.

Matthew 15:27 — But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table. Christ, at that very moment, was a fugitive from his own race and nation; and the wondrous faith and humility of that foreign woman of Canaan thus brought into sharpest focus the contrast with the bigots in Jerusalem who, even then, were planning to murder the Lord. There is a play on words in the woman's reply. Christ used the word "dogs";

Mark 12:29-30 — Press, 1964), p. 376. MORAL AND RELIGIOUS DUTIES Jesus' designation of the first commandment means that the human obligation to believe in God, be baptized, worship God, accept a place in the corporate fellowship of God's people, take the Lord's Supper faithfully, and engage continually in public assemblies of the church that all such things are a higher obligation than the moral prohibitions against such things as murder, adultery, theft and falsehood. That this is not the way people think is obvious.

Mark 7:33 — person. If the Lord had not done such things privately, some might have considered the Lord's healing to be accomplished magically, after the manner of Greek and Jewish magicians. As Sanner said: (These were) acts evidently designed to arouse and fortify faith … touching this tongue … and his ears … Jesus looked up to heaven with a sigh — a prayer without words. Jesus thus spoke in signs to the man who could not hear. His gestures declared (in a kind of pantomime) that with

Luke 16:5 — Moses that God's command to go three days' journey into the wilderness might be honored by going "not very far away" (Exodus 8:28). It is, of course, a device of Satan; and it is still being employed against the truth. Jesus Christ commanded faith, repentance, confession, and baptism into Christ as preconditions of salvation; but the unjust steward still offers salvation to men for "faith only" or "confession only." The moral requirements of Christianity are still being

Luke 7 overview — manifesting exactly the same attitude. MacKnight, however, suggested that: There might have been two centurions. Both made the same speech to Jesus, one through his friends, and the other in person; but this circumstance may be accounted for. As the faith of the first centurion, who was a heathen, took its rise from the extraordinary cure wrought on the nobleman's son (John 4:46-54), the faith of the second centurion might have taken its rise from the success of the first, which could not fail to

Luke 7:18-19 — that is, he brought them to Jesus who answered and relieved them. When God's children are in doubt, let them search the word of the Lord. If John, instead, had taken his doubts to the Pharisees, he would have been confirmed in his doubt, not in his faith; and the same is true today of many religious leaders. For more on this, see my Commentary on Matthew, Matthew 11:1-3. Art thou he that should come …? Humanity must have a Saviour; God promised one; and, if Jesus is not the Saviour, then

John 6:54 — Christian, is it not therefore absolutely true that the saved and lost of all ages may be accurately identified as those who do, or who do not, observe it? Of course it is. The trouble with the commentators is that, so long they have construed salvation by faith as meaning "by faith only," that they similarly interpret the obvious reference to the Lord's Supper here as "Lord's Supper only." However, the reference to the Lord's Supper in this place, which is stoutly affirmed by this writer,

Romans 11:11 — completely as to involve even the spiritual Israel also in their fall? God forbid. Just the opposite happened, because their fall has greatly advanced the conversion of Gentiles, thus provoking the old Israel to increased acts of violence against the faith, through their jealousy. Such appears to be the thought of this verse. The other device of understanding this place through imposing a different meaning upon "fall" so as to make it mean "fall without remedy as far as individuals

Romans 8:2 — of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and death. The law … as used here, has troubled the commentators, especially those who were concerned with removing the concept of law from Christianity and making it a system of "faith alone." Nevertheless, Paul here used exactly the same word that previously was applied to the Mosaic institution; and this affords dogmatic proof that there are indeed rules, regulations, commandments, and ordinances connected with faith "in

Philippians 1:3-5 — the key word of Philippians; and Barclay has given a beautiful outline of the joy Paul communicated in this loving letter: CHRISTIAN JOY INCLUDES The joy of prayer (Philippians 1:4) The joy that Jesus Christ is preached (Philippians 1:18). The joy of faith (Philippians 1:25). The joy of seeing Christians in fellowship together (Philippians 2:2). The joy of suffering for Christ (Philippians 2:17). The joy of news of a loved one (Philippians 2:28). The joy of Christian hospitality (Philippians 2:29). The

Hebrews 11:39-40 — And these all having had witness borne to them through their faith, received not the promise God having provided some better thing concerning us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Received not the promise should be studied in connection with other references in this chapter to the "promise,"

Revelation 22:13 — speak, the same shall judge him (man) in the last day" (John 12:48). People shall never be through with the word of Christ; it shall confront them in the final judgment. IV.    He is the Alpha and the Omega of the Christian faith. As the writer of Hebrews said, "He is the author and finisher of our faith (KJV)" (Hebrews 12:2). Regarding the personal redemption of every man, Jesus is the all in all, the first and the last, the Alpha and the Omega. V.    He