Bible Commentaries

1 Kings 8:1-11 — King established over Israel. "To this day" (1 Kings 8:8) shows that the writer wrote this part of Kings before 586 B.C. when the Babylonian army destroyed this temple. The ark housed the tablets of the Decalogue (Ten Commandments; Hebrews 9:4). The sole presence of the Law in the ark reemphasized the importance of the Israelites submitting to the Mosaic Covenant, which these tablets represented. That obedience would be the key to Israel’s success (Joshua 1:8). Formerly a pot of manna,

Ezra 3:1-6 — important on the Jewish sacred calendar because in it the Jews celebrated three of their annual festivals. These were the Feast of Trumpets on Tishri 1, the Day of Atonement on Tishri 10, and the Feast of Booths (Tabernacles) on Tishri 15-22 (Leviticus 23:24-25; Leviticus 27:27-32; Leviticus 27:34-34). Tishri was the first month of the Jewish civil calendar, and the Feast of Trumpets was a kind of New Year celebration. It was on this day that the returned exiles began to offer sacrifices on their altar

Matthew 27:9-10 — . . ., pp. 122-27.] See Mark 1:2-3 and 2 Chronicles 36:21 for other examples of this type of fulfillment involving the fusing of sources. Matthew named only Isaiah and Jeremiah as sources of his quotations (Matthew 2:17; Matthew 3:3; Matthew 4:14; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 12:17; Matthew 13:14; Matthew 15:7; Matthew 17:9); he left his other prophetic sources unspecified. He also attributed one allusion to Daniel (Matthew 24:15). "Joining two quotations from two Old Testament books and assigning

Matthew 5:48 — Jesus’ summary of His disciples’ duty 5:48 This verse summarizes all of Jesus’ teaching about the Old Testament’s demands (Matthew 5:21-47). It puts in epigrammatic form the essential nature of the "greater righteousness" of Matthew 5:20 that Jesus illustrated above. "Therefore"

Matthew 7:24-27 — The two builders 7:24-27 (cf. Luke 6:47-49) Matthew 7:21-23 contrast those who say one thing but do another. Matthew 7:24-27 contrast hearing and doing (cf James 1:22-25; James 2:14-20). [Note: Stott, p. 208.] The will of Jesus’ Father (Matthew 7:21) now becomes "these

Luke 15:21-24 — Evidently the father cut his son’s confession short because he knew what was in his heart (cf. 1 John 4:18). Rather than simply accepting his son back, much less making him a servant, the father bestowed the symbols of honor, authority, and freedom on him (cf. Genesis 41:42; Esther 3:10; Esther 8:8). [Note: Jeremias, The Parables . . ., p. 130.] Then

Luke 15:31-32 — tender affection. The father stressed his older son’s privileged position as always enjoying his father’s company. This was a uniquely Jewish privilege that the nation’s religious leaders enjoyed particularly (cf. Romans 3:1-2; Romans 9:4). All that God had was Israel’s in the sense that they always had access to it because of the privileged relationship He had established with the nation. It was necessary (right, not just good) to celebrate the return of sinners, implying that

Acts 20:7 — the Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead. This group of believers met "to break bread" (Gr. klasai arton). "The breaking of the bread probably denotes a fellowship meal in the course of which the Eucharist was celebrated (cf. Acts 2:42)." [Note: Bruce, Commentary on . . ., p. 408. Cf. Acts 20:11; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; 11:17-34.] "In the early Church there were two closely related things. There was what was called the Love Feast. To it all contributed, and it was a real

Romans 1:19-20 — These verses begin a discussion of "natural revelation." Romans 1:19 states the fact of natural revelation, and Romans 1:20 explains the process. [Note: Witmer, p. 442.] Natural revelation describes what everyone knows about God because of what God has revealed concerning Himself in nature. [Note: See Robert L. Thomas, Evangelical Hermeneutics, ch. 5: "General Revelation and Biblical Hermeneutics," pp.

Romans 6:6 — before we experienced justification. That person was crucified with Christ (cf. Colossians 3:9). That person is now dead; he no longer exists as he once was. Nevertheless we can adopt his or her old characteristics if we choose to do so (cf. Ephesians 4:22). The believer is not the same person he or she used to be before justification (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:17). The old man (old self) is not the same as the old nature. [Note: See John R. W. Stott, Men Made New: An Exposition of Romans 5-8, p. 45.] The

1 Corinthians 1:2 — to inspire them to be more saintly in their conduct. They were saints who were sinning. [Note: See Robert L. Saucy, "’Sinners’ Who Are Forgiven or ’Saints’ Who Sin?" Bibliotheca Sacra 152:608 (October-December 1995):400-12.] "Biblical sanctification is fourfold: (1) primary, equivalent to the ’efficacious grace’ of systematic theology (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2); (2) positional, a perfect standing in holiness, true of all believers from

1 Corinthians 6:12 — Theodore Beza (1519-1605), overreacted and argued that a true Christian cannot commit gross sin. This assertion led to the conclusion that the basis of assurance of salvation is the presence of fruit in the life rather than the promise of God (e.g., John 6:47; et al.). This view, that a true Christian will not commit gross sin, has become popular in reformed theology, but it goes further than Scripture does. Scripture never makes this claim but constantly warns Christians against abusing their liberty in

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 — about his afflictions. He realized that when he was naturally weak the Lord would provide the power that he lacked and needed. [Note: See Larry J. Waters, "Paradoxes in the Pauline Epistles," Bibliotheca Sacra 167:668 (October-December 2010):425-30.] He enabled Paul to do things he could not have done had he been naturally strong (cf. Romans 8:35-37). "This is the summit of the epistle, the lofty peak from which the whole is viewed in true proportion." [Note: Hughes, p. 451. Cf.

Philippians 3:14 — refer to the Rapture. There is another reason this is not a proper identification. The Rapture is not a reward. God will catch up (rapture) into heaven every Christian regardless of how he or she has run the race (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). The prize probably refers to the reward faithful believers will receive at the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). God has called every believer to salvation so we may obtain that prize. However only those who run the race as Paul

2 Thessalonians 2:11-12 — Thousands of people, but only a small proportion of the entire population, will place their faith in Jesus Christ during the Tribulation (Revelation 6:9-11; Revelation 7:4; Revelation 7:9-17; et al.). Some interpreters have concluded from these verses (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12) that no one who has heard the gospel and rejected it before the Rapture will be able to be saved during the Tribulation. This view rests on taking

Titus 2:13 — rapture the church before the 70th week of Daniel 9 or the Tribulation period begins and that nothing else must happen before His return." [Note: Renald E. Showers, Maranatha: Our Lord, Come! A Definitive Study of the Rapture of the Church, p. 149. See also Gerald B. Stanton, Kept from the Hour, ch. 6: "The Imminency of the Coming of Christ for the Church," pp. 108-37; and Wayne A. Brindle, "Biblical Evidence for the Imminence of the Rapture," Bibliotheca Sacra 158:630 (April-June

1 Peter 2:13-14 — political corruption should not blind us to the legitimate role of government that God has ordained. [Note: See W. Robert Cook, "Biblical Light on the Christian’s Civil Responsibility," Bibliotheca Sacra 127:505 (January-March 1970):44-57.] Peter believed that there was a proper place for civil disobedience, however (cf. Acts 4:19-20). It is when the laws of human government make it illegal to obey God. In such a case we should obey God rather than man. However we should also realize

Revelation 19:21 — Some interpreters have seen the Rapture occurring at the same time as the Second Coming (i.e., posttribulationists). However none of the events John recorded in Revelation 19:11-21 correspond to the events predicted to take place at the Rapture (John 14:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18). The differences in the descriptions of these two events argue for a pretribulation Rapture. What is the relationship of the Tribulation to the dispensation of grace? Dispensational writers have

1 Samuel 1:3-8 — Hannah’s barrenness 1:3-8 Elkanah was a bigamist, a marital status forbidden by God (Genesis 2:24). However, Elkanah loved Hannah dearly and gave her special consideration since she was infertile (1 Samuel 1:5; cf. Jacob’s relationship with Rachel and Leah). Hannah’s inability to bear children may have prompted Elkanah to take Peninnah

1 Samuel 28:3-7 — was the same area where Gideon had routed the Midianites (Judges 7). Endor (1 Samuel 28:7) stood on the north side of the hill of Moreh, on the other side from that on which the Philistines camped. "The wording of this introduction (1 Samuel 28:4 f.) is notable, for it is strongly reminiscent of two other fateful confrontations between Saul and the Philistines, the first at Michmash/Gilgal (1 Samuel 13:5 f.), the second at Socoh/Elah (1 Samuel 17:1 f., 11)." [Note: Gunn, The Fate . . .,