Study Commentaries

If the Bible isn’t a science book or an instruction manual, then what is it? What do people mean when they say the Bible is inspired? When Rachel Held Evans found herself asking these questions, she began a quest to better understand what the Bible is and how it is meant to be read. What she discovered changed her—and it will change you too.

Drawing on the best in recent scholarship and using her well-honed literary expertise, Evans examines some of our favorite Bible stories and possible interpretations, retelling them through memoir, original poetry, short stories, soliloquies, and even a short screenplay. Undaunted by the Bible’s most difficult passages, Evans wrestles through the process of doubting, imagining, and debating Scripture’s mysteries. The Bible, she discovers, is not a static work but is a living, breathing, captivating, and confounding book that is able to equip us to join God’s loving and redemptive work in the world.

Do you ever feel spiritually dry? Venture into this refreshing Bible Study guide: Secrets of the DRY BONES, reopens what many might deem a daunting cold case, a mystery for the ages. The Case File?: Ezekiel 37: 1-14. No doubt about it, Ezekiel's visionary prophecy was an arresting sight. Imagine: a valley, strewn with the dry bones of God's entire household of faith. Even more intriguing was the query God put to the Prophet, Ezekiel: "Can these bones live?" It's a question that still reverberates today. Verse by verse, you'll explore the Scene of the Crime. Narrow down suspects in Whodunit?...

Andrew Murray (1828-1917) was a South African writer, teacher, and Christian pastor. This Best Of collection comprises seven of his most trenchant books.

What is this book good for? It establishes a clear linear understanding of biblical text in its purpose of driving the listener to see how faithfully God executes His purpose in creation. The covenantal framework from Adam to Christ, and from creation to consummation, is a most apt way of seeing the flow of the entire biblical text. One is lifted in the journey and is able to see the entire scope of Divine Providence work out the divine decree from generation to generation, book to book, event to event, person to person.

Editors Denis Alexander and Alister McGrath gather other intelligent minds from around the world to share their startling commonality: Richard Dawkins and his fellow New Atheists were instrumental in their conversions to Christianity. Despite a wide range of backgrounds and cultures, all are united in the fact that they were first enthusiasts for the claims and writings of the New Atheists. But each became disillusioned by the arguments and conclusions of Dawkins, causing them to look deeper and with more objectivity at religious faith.

You were made to make disciples. Jesus gave His followers a command: “Follow Me.” And a promise: “I will equip you to find others to follow Me.” We were made to make disciples. Designed for use in discipleship relationships and other focused settings, Multiply will equip you to carry out Jesus’ ministry. Each of the 24 sessions in the audio book corresponds with an online video at www.multiplymovement.com, where New York Times best-selling author David Platt joins Francis Chan in guiding you through each part of Multiply.

A verse by verse commentary on the book of Isaiah (chapters 1-39), taking special care to notice the local circumstances surrounding the writing (the threat of Assyria, the growth of Babylon, the sins of Judah), while allowing the many references to the coming-Christ serve as the sizzle to the steak of the letter.

An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of the Scriptures. Walk through the letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the community of faithful Christian believers who were scattered about the region of ancient Asia Minor as he sought to share the gospel message in an encouraging and instructive manner. This was Peter's magnus opus, a work that has served to encourage and guide Christians for these many centuries. The text is organized into 18 short Bible studies, each useful for a 30-minute personal study, or an hour group study. Table of Contents 1 Peter 1:1-12. An Affirmation of Hope 9-2 1 ...

This book offers updated explanations of the sins of interpretation to teach sound grammatical, lexical, cultural, theological, and historical Bible study practices.

We all admire the hero. That person who’s celebrated for accomplishing big things in the face of even bigger odds. Yet heroes aren’t defined by their circumstances, but by their choices. They’re people who continually choose to serve others, even when no one is watching, and without expecting credit. Based on the books of Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah, this study examines three unsung heroes of the Bible who can inspire us today.

In the early 19th century, Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, conceived the idea of extracting a gospel purified of what he saw as extraneous philosophical, mythological, and theological elements. To do so, he took verses from the four canonical gospels and arranged them into a single narrative, focusing on the actual words of Jesus.

Sinai to Zion is an exciting study of how the Bible uses the Exodus story as the basis for its vision concerning the glorious and triumphant return of Jesus the Messiah. For the first time, this book presents a thorough examination of many often overlooked, yet critically important Old Testament texts that the Old Testament prophets and the New Testament authors looked to as describing the return of Jesus.

When Brian Doyle passed away at the age of 60 after a bout with brain cancer, he left behind a cult-like following of devoted listeners who regard his writing as one of the best-kept secrets of the 21st century. Doyle writes with a delightful sense of wonder about the sanctity of everyday things, and about love and connection in all their forms: spiritual love, brotherly love, romantic love, and even the love of a nine-foot sturgeon.

In recent years, the theological—and, more specifically, Roman Catholic—question of the supernatural has made an astonishing return from seeming oblivion. David Bentley Hart's You Are Gods presents a series of meditations on the vexed theological question of the relation of nature and supernature. In its merely controversial aspect, the book is intended most directly as a rejection of a certain Thomistic construal of that relation, as well as an argument in favor of a model of nature and supernature at once more Eastern and patristic.

In a fast-paced, technology-based era when drive-thrus, cell phones, laptops, and Internet banking are the norm, it's sometimes hard to fathom that God doesn't appreciate our frail attempts at spiritual shortcuts. Through the pastoral epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, with insight from Paul's letter to Philemon as well, Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe illustrates that working for God's Kingdom requires tenacity, never-ceasing prayer, and protective battle gear that only God can provide.

The world is filled with counterfeits. And the church is not immune, as false ideas and doctrines can infect believers and congregations. So when it comes to spiritual teachers, messages, and movements, how can we tell fact from fiction? The answers are found in 2 Peter, 2 & 3 John, and Jude, where the apostles provide practical insights for discerning truth.

Genesis begins the Bible and is foundational to it. In recent years, it has become commonplace for both humanists and churchmen to sneer at anyone who takes Genesis 1-11 as historical. Yet, to believe in the myth of evolution is to accept trillions of miracles to account for our cosmos. Spontaneous generation, the development of something out of nothing, and the blind belief in the miraculous powers of chance require tremendous faith.

Many pastors, students, and teachers have come to know and depend upon James Montgomery Boice’s scholarly yet accessible commentaries on the most popular books of the Bible. Here is an addition to the Boice commentaries that has a unique focus. Instead of examining an entire book of the Bible, it provides listeners with an in-depth look into Matthew 5-7, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

The Book of Romans stands as one of the most profound and influential works in the New Testament. Penned by the Apostle Paul, this letter is a masterpiece of Christian theology, articulating foundational truths about humanity, sin, salvation, and the righteousness of God. Romans is not only a letter to the early church in Rome but also a timeless guide, calling believers across ages to understand the essence of the gospel, its implications for personal transformation, and its role in the unfolding story of God’s redemptive work. The book opens with a deep dive into the human condition and...

Even people who are not professing Christians think they are familiar with the story of the Nativity. Every Christmas, displays of Jesus resting in a manger populate lawns and churchyards, and songs about shepherds and angels fill the air. Yet despite the abundance of these Christian references in popular culture, how many of us have examined the hard edges of this biblical story? Timothy Keller takes listeners on an illuminating journey into the surprising background of the Nativity.