Bible Commentaries

Romans 11:17 — The cultivated olive tree was a symbol of the nation of Israel in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 11:16-17; Hosea 14:4-6). The wild olive tree represents the Gentile world. [Note: Bruce, p. 204.] The rich root of the cultivated tree, Israel, probably corresponds to the Abrahamic Covenant from which all God’s blessings and the very life of the nation sprang.

Romans 12:7-8 — these gifts. "Service" or "serving" (Romans 12:7, Gr. diakonia) probably refers to ministering to the material needs of other believers. [Note: Cranfield, 2:622.] Teaching involves explaining what God has revealed (cf. 1 Corinthians 14:6). It differs from prophesying in that prophesying (from propheteuo, lit. to speak forth) evidently included communicating any word from God, inspired or uninspired (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11). [Note: See John E. Johnson, "The Old Testament

Romans 14:1-13 — D. Conduct within Christian liberty 14:1-15:13 In Romans 14:1 to Romans 15:13, Paul gave special attention to the problem of knowing how to live in Christian freedom. This section of Romans deals with Christian conduct when God does not specify exactly what we should do in every situation

Romans 8:15 — Spirit who has made us God’s sons by regeneration and adoption. "Abba" and "Father" are equivalent terms, the first being a transliteration of the Aramaic word and the second a translation of the Greek pater (cf. Galatians 4:6). Probably Paul used the Aramaic as well as the Greek term to highlight the intimate relationship the Christian disciple enjoys with God. The Lord Jesus revealed this intimate relationship during His training of the Twelve (Mark 14:36). [Note: See

1 Corinthians 2:6-16 — 3. The Spirit’s ministry of revealing God’s Wisdom 2:6-16 Paul’s reference to the Holy Spirit’s power (1 Corinthians 2:4-5) led him to elaborate on the Spirit’s ministry in enlightening the minds of believers and unbelievers alike. The Corinthians needed to view ministry differently. The key to this change would be the Holy Spirit’s illumination of their thinking.

1 Corinthians 5:10 — Communion, in which case the mede ["not even"] would be quite out of place: he is thinking of social meals; ’Do not invite him to your house or accept his invitations.’" [Note: Robertson and Plummer, p. 107.] In 2 Thessalonians 3:14 Paul used the same phrase (Gr. sunanamignusthai, lit. mix up together), translated "to associate with" (1 Corinthians 5:9), with regard to busybodies in the church. There not associating was to be the last resort of faithful believers in their

1 Corinthians 6:4 — here of Christians resolving their differences in the church rather than in the civil law courts. The second part of the verse is capable of two interpretations. Paul may have been speaking ironically, as the next verse may imply (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:8). If so, he may have meant that the Corinthians should select the least qualified people in the church to settle these disputes. His meaning in this case was that any Christian was capable of settling disputes among his brethren. He did not mean that

1 Corinthians 7:22 — Paul’s emphasis on the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God comes back into view in this section of verses (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:10 to 1 Corinthians 4:21). Priorities are in view. Does the Corinthian slave view himself primarily as a slave or as a freedman? A freedman was a person who had formerly been a slave but had received manumission, been set free. He was both, a slave of men but the freedman

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 — Corinthians 11:5, but I agree with those who see them as the same. Another view of their identity follows. "Several factors suggest . . . that they were Palestinian Jews, members of the Jerusalem church who were false brothers (cf. Galatians 2:4) in Paul’s estimation." [Note: Lowery, p. 579.] In our own day when people value toleration so highly and practice it so widely even in the church, we need to learn from Paul’s example of calling a spade a spade. The welfare of those

Galatians 2:14 — all things to all men to win some (1 Corinthians 9:22). Paul saw that their behavior was implying a difference between Jewish and Gentile Christianity. This was as much a threat to Gentile liberty as the intrusion of the false brethren (Galatians 2:4). Peter and Paul both acknowledged the equality of Jews and Gentiles in the church (cf. Acts 11:17). However it evidently took Peter longer to see the practical implications of this truth and to apply them to his conduct.

Galatians 5:5-6 — persuade the Galatians to adopt, was simply to trust God to deliver all that we anticipate in the future because we are now righteous (justified). [Note: Fung, pp. 225-26.] This hope includes our ultimate glorification (cf. Romans 8:18-25; 1 Peter 1:3-4; 1 Peter 1:13). We do not work for this, but we wait for it. Paul typically used "righteousness" to describe what we have now because of justification, but he used "salvation" to stress our future deliverance. [Note: "Eagerly

Ephesians 1:3-14 — 1. The purpose: glory 1:3-14 In the Greek text Ephesians 1:3-14 are one sentence. The Holy Spirit carried Paul along in his thinking as he contemplated God’s provision so that he moved quickly from one blessing to the next. It is as though he was ecstatically opening a treasure

Ephesians 2:15 — that, God ended the Mosaic Law as His rule of life for the Jews. The word "abolished" (Gr. kataresas) means "rendered inoperative." The Mosaic Law ceased to be God’s standard for regulating the life of His people (Romans 10:4; et al.). The Mosaic Law had been the cause of the enmity between Jews and Gentiles. Its dietary distinctions and laws requiring separation, in particular, created hostility between Jews and Gentiles. The NASB translation implies that the law was the

Ephesians 5:25 — wife’s duty as submission and the husband’s duty as love. The word he used for love (agapate) means much more than sexual passion (eros) or even family affection (philia). It means seeking the highest good for another person (cf. Ephesians 2:4). Husbands are to love their wives in the same way that Christ loved the church. The extent to which He went for her welfare was giving Himself up in death to provide salvation for her (cf. Ephesians 5:2; Philippians 2:5-11). He gave up His rights yet

Ephesians 6:18 — (two participles in the Greek text) describe how we should "receive" present salvation and use the word appropriate to our trial. We should be in constant prayer in preparation for our spiritual battles and as we engage our enemy (cf. Mark 14:34-38; Colossians 4:2). The Spirit prays for us (Romans 8:26) and enables us to pray, as He enables us to do everything else. "Man very easily takes his difficulties to his fellows instead of to God." [Note: Foulkes, p. 178.] "Prayer"

Philippians 1:13 — the soldiers who were members of the regiment assigned to guard many of the high-ranking officials in the Roman government, though the praetorian guard was also a place. [Note: See J. B. Lightfoot, St. Paul’s Epistle to the Philippians, pp. 99-104.] These soldiers were also responsible to guard prisoners who had appealed to Caesar, such as Paul. It was an honor to be one of these guards. They would have been with Paul in his hired house where he was under house arrest 24 hours a day (cf. Acts

Philippians 4:7 — when we are praying about what we should do. Paul did not say that if we need to make a decision God will make His will known to us by giving us peace about the right choice. The promise of this verse is that if we pray rather than worry (Philippians 4:6) God will give us peace. Anxiety brings no peace, but praying does.

Colossians 1:1 — "Saul." "Jews in the Greek-speaking areas took names which closely approximated to the sound of their Hebrew and Aramaic names, e.g. Silas:Silvanus; Jesus:Jason . . ." [Note: O’Brien, p. 2. Cf. Adolph Deissmann, Bible Studies, pp. 314-15] Timothy was not an official apostle but simply a Christian brother. He was with Paul when the apostle wrote this letter, though he was not a co-author (cf. Colossians 1:23-25; Colossians 1:29; Colossians 4:18, et al.). Dunn argued from some small

Colossians 1:18 — Christ as the ruler of the church, though He is that, but to His being the beginning and the principle in creation and redemption. [Note: Stephen Bedale, "The Meaning of kephale in the Pauline Epistles," Journal of Theological Studies NS5 (1954):213.] "In St. Paul’s day, according to popular psychology, both Greek and Hebrew, a man reasoned and purposed, not ’with his head,’ but ’in his heart’ . . ." [Note: Ibid., p. 212.] He is sovereign

Colossians 1:28 — methods were necessary to bring all people, not just the privileged few, as in Gnosticism, to full maturity in Christ. Paul had the imminent return of Christ in view as the time when he desired to present every person mature in Christ (cf. Ephesians 4:13). Paul proclaimed a Person, not a philosophy. Note that he did not just preach the gospel message but the whole counsel of God. His goal was not just to get people saved but to lead them to maturity in Christ (cf. Matthew 28:20). "Here again