The early church was incredibly active in its mission to bring God’s word to the world. What started as a small, Jewish cultic movement erupted into a dominant world religion—and all because of God’s absolute love for His people. Acts is a prime example of what active faith looks like, and guards against the incorrect tendency of relying on knowledge f… Read more…
The idea of absolute truth has largely disappeared from our culture. But God’s truth does not fade, and His claims on our lives must stand out in the midst of postmodernism. The church in Rome needed this message just as we do today—the message of who God is, and what He’s done for us through His sacrifice on the cross. By growing in our understanding … Read more…
Just as Protestants are now split into countless denominations, the Corinthian church was marred, albeit on a smaller scale, by factions and discord. It fell to Paul to reconcile the church to itself in the face of convictions alike only in the strength that their adherents clung to them with. Subjects like eating habits, doctrine, marriage, lawsuits, and wo… Read more…
2 Corinthians follows in the footsteps of 1 Corinthians by providing a window into both Paul’s character and the character of God. You’ll get an intimate glimpse into Paul’s heart and his love for the church in this NIV Application Commentary volume by Scott J. Hafermann, who shows us both the original meaning of 2 Corinthians and how its message appli… Read more…
This study of Galatians, a part of the NIV Application Commentary series, certainly does not stop at doctrine. The author examines the epistle to the church in Galatia through Paul’s eyes, using the so-called “new perspective” approach: the belief that Judaism, in that time, did not adhere to a “works based” way of being righteous. He remains utter… Read more…
Ephesians transcends the paradigm of works-based righteousness. Indeed, there is no ladder high enough that we can climb to heaven—only Christ can restore our relationship with God. And he does: we have so much more than forgiveness in Christ. Our lives are constantly being transformed to look more and more like the example set for us by Jesus. The NIV App… Read more…
Paul wrote his letter to the church in Philippi during his imprisonment under Rome’s authority. He encourages its members not to worry and provides an inspiring example of finding joy in suffering for the sake of Christ. He exhorts them to make evangelization their first priority, and be unified in Christ. Frank Thielman (Ph.D., Duke University) uses this … Read more…
The letters to the Colossians and Philemon come with unique historical and textual challenges. Of particular concern is the issue of authorship: did Paul really write these letters? If he didn’t write them, should they be included in Biblical cannon? Where do we draw the line for cultural admonishments vs. universal commands—especially concerning the rol… Read more…
These letters to the church in Thessalonica are historically enlightening and comparatively unique when it comes to Paul’s writings as a whole. In them he addresses his eschatological views, or how people ought to live in light of Christ’s eventual second coming. Michael W. Holmes (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) gives us an excellent foundation o… Read more…
Just as today’s church deals with a myriad of issues, Christians in Paul’s time had issues of their own. Doctrinal matters are now dividing lines between thousands of denominations—Paul sensed that danger of division thousands of years ago as he wrote his letters to Timothy and Titus, two young church leaders. He writes about false teachers, the role o… Read more…
The author of Hebrews writes about a variety of issues including repentance, faith, transformed living, and Jesus as Messiah and high priest. George H. Guthrie (Ph.D., Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) writes on the original, theological importance of Hebrews in this book of the NIV Application Commentary, as well as how we can apply that to our mo… Read more…
James’ epistle is considered by some to be the most difficult New Testament book to comprehend. Its focus is on doing good works, as opposed to the faith that is central to the majority of the other books in the New Testament. This is easy to misunderstand, especially when this seemingly contradictory focus is supported by extensive quotations from Jesus.… Read more…
