Bible Commentaries

Matthew 15:28 — Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was healed from that hour. This woman's faith was a pledge of an ultimate ingathering of Gentiles. The time would come when the great mission of the church would be to them that were held

Matthew 9:29 — Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it done unto you. Jesus often touched the person of the ones he healed. In this case, he touched their eyes. In a sense, Christ's words to those ancient blind men are applicable to all in every age who seek his blessing. "According to your faith be it done unto you."

Mark 2:5 — And Jesus seeing their faith saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins are forgiven. Their faith … refers to the faith of all five, there being no logical way to suppose that the four believers brought an unbeliever. Son, thy sins are forgiven … This was

Luke 17:19 — And he said unto him, Arise, and go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. Ingratitude was punished, and gratitude was rewarded. The nine received physical healing; the one received in addition the salvation of his soul. "Jesus commended only the faith which said, `Thank you'!"Anthony Lee Ash, op. cit., p. 80.

Luke 7:50 — And he said unto the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. Far more than forgiveness, salvation itself was thus extended to Simon's impromptu guest. What about her obedience? It was assured. "If ye love me, ye will keep my commandments," Jesus said; and here was one who truly loved him. She was not saved by "faith only."

John 10:42 — And many believed on him there. Believed on him … has one meaning throughout the Scripture; and thus it is amazing how the commentators rush to explain how "It does not necessarily mean that all these believers embraced him with a LIVING faith."A. M. Hunter, op. cit., p. 100. Such distinctions are not in the word of God, and it does no service to the truth to make them. That some who believed on him did not follow Jesus may be considered certain; in which case, it was not their

John 8:42 — for I came forth and am come from God: for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me. Ye would love me … If men are of God, they will love Jesus. "Faith alone" cannot justify or save men, because there is a higher requirement than faith; and if that higher qualification is lacking, as it was in the case here, "believers on" Jesus may be in fact the sons of the devil. The genuine test is not "Do we believe?" but "Do we love the Lord?" That is why Paul

Romans 4:14-15 — For if they that are of the law are heirs, faith is made void, and the promise is made of none effect: for the law worketh wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there transgression. This is a continuation of the reasoning of the previous verse. The worldwide inheritance promised to Abraham

Romans 6 overview — far to seek. Proceeding in the same line of argument, and without so much as getting his breath (Paul knew nothing of chapter divisions), Paul poured out a few paragraphs that explode completely any interpretation of his doctrine of justification by faith, as a justification that came without submission to the ordinance of baptism. The apostle suddenly spoke of that rite, not as something added, but as an ordinance that all Christians of that era honored, thus making it absolutely certain that justification

1 Corinthians 16:13-14 — Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done in love. As McGarvey declared, "In these brief … phrases, Paul sums up the burden of this entire epistle." J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on First Corinthians (Cincinnati, Ohio:

2 Corinthians 10:15 — But not glorying beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors; but having hope that, as your faith groweth, we shall be magnified in you according to our province unto further abundance. In this verse, again, "province" is substituted for measuring-rod, because it is clear that he is speaking of a "field of labor" allotted

2 Corinthians 5:7 — For we walk by faith, not by sight. This is only a parenthesis, and yet one of the epic statements of Scripture. In the previous chapter, Paul had just enunciated the principle that it is regard for the "things unseen" which motivates all Christian behavior,

Galatians 3:26 — For ye are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. Note that we have omitted the commas (RSV) which serve no purpose and even hinder the meaning. It has already been noted that Paul in this section is using "faith" in the sense of historical Christianity, the same usage

Galatians 3:29 — the New Testament and do not presume to judge the eternal destiny of any fellow-mortal whomsoever, the sole purpose being that of persuading people to accept the salvation of God in Christ upon the condition of their exhibiting "the obedience of faith" (to the best of their intention and ability), the same being the only condition upon which God has promised (in this dispensation) to give any man eternal life. The presumption to affirm what the one true and Almighty God will do for us sinners-all,

Ephesians 4:4-5 — There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One body … This is the spiritual body of Christ, the church, made up of Jews, Gentiles, all people and even includes the saved who no longer live on earth. And one Spirit … The reference to the third person of the Godhead

1 Thessalonians 5:8 — But let us, since we are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For extended comment on Paul's famed triad of "faith, hope and love," see under 1 Thessalonians 1:3, above. Amazingly, Paul here switched metaphors in the middle of a train of thought,

Hebrews 11:30 — By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they hade been compassed about for seven days. Again it was the faith of Israel in the supernatural and invisible that sustained them and produced the victory. Just think of the frustrations of marching around

Hebrews 11:32-33 — And what shall I more say? for the time will fail me if I tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah; of David, Samuel and the prophets: who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. This brings us to a break in the author's method, as he leaves off a more or less detailed reference to various outstanding exponents of faith and speaks more

Hebrews 11:8 — By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out unto a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. Lockyer noted that: Abraham's place in the Bible portrait gallery is altogether unique and unapproachable.

James 2:21 — up Isaac his son upon the altar? The essential error in the usual interpretation of this verse was succinctly stated by Lenski, thus: "James is not speaking of the first verdict which God pronounced upon Abraham when Abraham was first brought to faith." R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 589. By such a device as this, the solifidians attempt to make that first occasion the true salvation of Abraham (by faith only), thus making James' statement that Abraham was "justified by works" refer