Digital Verbum Edition
The Life Application Bible Commentary series is ideal for personal Bible study, small groups, classes, and sermon preparation. Written by the team that designed and produced the Life Application Bible, this commentary series is exegetically accurate, theologically sound, and intensely practical. The Life Application Bible Commentary series helps students of the Bible understand the text and apply it to their lives.
Each volume features an interesting introduction, extensive commentary, and a helpful reference section. And it’s easy to use: throughout the book you will find maps, charts, classic quotations from Christian thinkers, illustrations, and extensive application notes. This edition allows you to link the commentary to any Bible in your Logos Bible Software.
The Life Application Bible Commentary series provides verse-by-verse explanation, background, and application for every verse in the New Testament. In addition, it gives personal help, teaching notes, and sermon ideas that will address needs, answer questions, and provide insight for applying God’s Word to life today. The content is highlighted so that particular verses and phrases are easy to find.
Each volume contains three sections: introduction, commentary, and reference. The introduction includes an overview of the book, the book’s historical context, a timeline, cultural background information, major themes, an overview map, and an explanation about the author and audience.
The commentary section includes running commentary on the Bible text with reference to several modern versions, especially the New International Version and the New Revised Standard Version, accompanied by life applications interspersed throughout. Additional elements include charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations. There are also insightful quotes from church leaders and theologians such as John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, A. W. Tozer, and C. S. Lewis. These features are designed to help you quickly grasp the biblical information and be prepared to communicate it to others. The reference section includes a bibliography.
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Matthew’s Gospel could be called “the Gospel of the kingdom.” This Gospel tells us that Jesus came to earth as God in the flesh, the Messiah, to begin his kingdom. This is a kingdom of the heart, and God’s subjects include all who submit to him and acknowledge Christ as their sovereign Lord. Eventually, God’s full kingdom will be realized at Christ’s return, when he comes to annihilate the force of evil and gather his loyal subjects to himself. Once we belong to Christ, we must do the work of his kingdom, living for him and spreading the good news about Christ to others. And we must always be prepared for his return. Read Matthew and be prepared.
The Gospel of Mark, a short, action-packed account, bustling with life, is focused on Jesus Christ’s purpose. As you study Mark, be ready for fast-paced, non-stop action, be open to God moving in your life, and be challenged to move into your world to serve.
Luke, a doctor and a historian, wrote the third Gospel. As a doctor, a man of science, he carefully considered all the facts before rendering an opinion. As a historian, Luke’s research was meticulous; he interviewed reliable witnesses and primary sources. Addressing Theophilus, Luke wrote, “Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught” (Luke 1:3-4 NLT). To “reassure” his friend and other believers who never had the opportunity to see Jesus themselves, Luke sought and found the truth. Luke’s investigation included reading “accounts about the events” (1:1) and analyzing “reports . . . from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses” (1:2). Then he recorded it to affirm this truth in writing and to point his readers to the Truth, Jesus Christ. As you read Luke’s Gospel, carefully investigate for yourself. Analyze the evidence presented, follow the clues, and render your judgment. No doubt you, too, will discover that Jesus is Christ, the Savior, God’s son.
John was the last surviving apostle and one of the few still living who had seen Jesus in the flesh. It would be easy for young believers-removed from Christ’s life, death, and resurrection by a generation and surrounded by a hostile government and unbelieving neighbors-to have doubts and second thoughts about their faith. This book was written in the late 80s, after the terrible persecutions by Nero (A.D. 54–68) and the total destruction of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). The church had flourished under persecution, but believers needed reassurance of the truth of Christianity. John, the venerable eyewitness to all that Jesus had done and faithful follower of his Lord, would give that assurance through his personal account of the gospel story. Study John’s Gospel and grow in your personal knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The book of Acts continues the story Luke began in his Gospel. Acts covers the thirty years after Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (i.e., from A.D. 30 to 60). In that short time, the church was established and the gospel of salvation was taken throughout the Roman Empire-reaching all the way from Jerusalem to Rome. Those preaching the gospel, though ordinary people with human frailties and limitations, were empowered by the Holy Spirit to change the world they lived in. Through the book of Acts we learn about the workings of Christ’s Spirit though his body, the church, and we realize that he is still working today through those who live in the Spirit.
The book of Romans is a profound document, carefully crafted by the great intellect and pioneer missionary of Christianity, the apostle Paul. Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote to introduce himself to the Romans and to strengthen the faith of these young Christians. The result is a concise, logical, and well-ordered presentation of Christian theology. In this presentation Paul affirms the great truth of justification by faith and explains the plan of God for all who believe the gospel. Study Romans and discover God’s plan for the ages . . . and for you.
Paul’s letter to the Corinthians speaks to the concerns of today’s headlines. Sexual escapades among church leaders, lawsuits among disgruntled church members, and unethical fiscal practices in Christian institutions seem to parade across our television screens. Instead of standing apart from the world, the church has often mirrored its secular surroundings. What would God say to churches and individuals who have strayed from his truth? He spoke nearly two thousand years ago through Paul to the Corinthians in decadent Corinth, a city similar to many communities today. Paul wrote letters, now known as 1 and 2 Corinthians, urging believers to focus on Christ, forsake immorality, settle their differences, reject false teachers, and love each other. These personal and powerful epistles, written to believers in ancient Greece, present truths and principles that apply to our generation as well.
Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians is called the charter of Christian freedom. In it Paul proclaims the reality of believers’ liberty in Christ-freedom from the law and the power of sin, and freedom to serve the living Lord. As you study this letter, you will discover that Paul’s message to the Galatians is the same for us: “You are free from the law; salvation is by faith alone. But that means you are free to serve Christ. Don’t leave the slavery of the law only to become slaves of sin!” We have been freed to serve the risen Christ.
When Paul wrote Ephesians, he wanted his readers to see God’s eternal purpose for the church. Paul claimed to have received a revelation about the church that had never before been known-that the church would be comprised of both Jewish and Gentiles, sharing equal status in the body as coheirs, co-members of the body, and joint partakers. He wrote about this revelation so that all the believers could understand the great mystery of Christ and the church (see 3:4–7; 5:32) Today, many Christians take their faith and their church for granted. Thus, they become critical of fellow believers, worship services, and church leaders, and often they become susceptible to wrong doctrines. As you read Ephesians, examine your attitudes in the light of Paul’s description of the church, the body of Christ. Consider how you might encourage and strengthen fellow believers and how you can work together with other believers to spread the good news about Christ.
As Paul traveled throughout the Romans Empire preaching the gospel, teaching new converts, and establishing churches, he developed close relationships. To keep in touch with these friends and to instruct them further in the truth, he would write letters. God used Paul and his letters, now contained in the New Testament, to communicate his message to those first-century believers and beyond, reaching to us today. Three of these epistles-Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon-are an interesting collection. In Philippians, Paul reveals his fervent desire to know Christ, in Colossians he shows that Christ is preeminent over all, and in Philemon he makes an appeal for a runaway slave, who became a Christian. As you study these epistles that come from the heart of Paul, may you be encouraged to know the Christ whom Paul knew.
1 and 2 Thessalonians were written by the apostle Paul to the church at Thessalonica. It was a young church experiencing great persecution. The Thessalonian Christians needed to mature in their faith and have correct understanding concerning Christ’s second coming. As we begin a new millennium, many words will fill the air about Christ’s return. But no one knows the exact time of this event. Thus, believers should live moral and holy lives, ever watchful of Christ’s coming, not neglecting daily responsibilities but always working and living to please the Lord.
1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus give strategic instructions to church leaders. *The next generation holds a vital position in every family, institution, movement, or church-for leadership, vision, life . . . for its future. The apostle Paul knew that the future of the Christian movement would depend on its leadership. Given the hostile environment of the Roman world and the advancing age of the apostle, the church would soon need new leaders to direct, guide, evangelize, and spread the Word. So Paul trained a new generation of church leadership and encouraged them to teach others as well. *As you study these letters of the great missionary apostle, watch Paul develop leaders of the early church, follow his example by passing the faith and leadership to the next generation, and learn how to structure your church.
Hebrews has been deeply appreciated by Christians throughout the ages—from the first century to the twenty-first. During the early days of the church, believers of all backgrounds were subject to persecution and pressure to renounce their faith. Jewish believers were vulnerable to doubts about Christ and to thinking about turning back to their familiar rituals and old way of thinking. The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to convince these Jewish Christians of the sufficiency and superiority of Christ over everything in Judaism, to warn them of the danger of drifting away from Christ, and to exhort them of faithfulness. Though most modern Western Christians are not tempted to return to a former religion, they may feel the pull of an old lifestyle, materialism, or the cultural cult of self-worship. Hebrews speaks to this temptation with the clear message that only Christ brings salvation, only Christ brings forgiveness, only Christ satisfies. And he alone deserves our adoration, worship, and praise.
The book of James addresses practical issues that are as current as this morning’s newspaper. The faith that Christians claim must be demonstrated in every situation and circumstance of life-at work, at home, in the neighborhood, and in church. Trials and hardships are not obstacles to faith, but opportunities for spiritual growth. Knowing God’s Word is not enough. That knowledge must be applied to our everyday life. Study James and discover what it means to live for Christ in the real world.
Besieged on all sides, the early church faced external and internal threats. Followers of Christ could easily have been defeated or diverted. A distinct minority in a pagan society, they could have capitulated to their culture. But, challenged by God through these holy writers and strengthened by the Holy Spirit, they stood fast, even unto death. We, too, live in a hostile environment, a God-denying culture where many would enjoy eliminating all traces of Christian faith. Crossing the centuries, these short and profound letters have been written for us. They encouraged us to live godly lives, to stand firm in our faith, and to be ready for Christ’s return.
1, 2, and 3 John are epistles written by one who was a close companion of Jesus and the last apostle to die-John. John was a part of Jesus’ inner circle. He was one of the three disciples that Jesus took with him to witness his transfiguration. At the Last Supper, John was the disciple sitting next to Jesus. And John is thought to be the disciple Jesus loved. Surely, no human knew Jesus better than John did. John wrote these epistles to reassure Christians in their faith, to encourage them to experience the divine life, and to counter false teachings. In the first two epistles, John urged his readers to (1) live in the truth, (2) love one another, (3) be on guard against false teachers, and (4) adhere to the apostolic teachings-in the face of Gnostic infiltration into the church. As you read this epistle, you can discover how to live in the truth, love other Christians, stay clear of deceivers, and remain faithful to the orthodox teaching that Jesus is fully God and fully man.
Revelation is a book about the future and about the present. It offers future hope to all believers, especially those who have suffered for their faith. Revelation proclaims Christ’s total triumph over evil and the reality of eternal life with him. It also gives guidance for present as it teaches us about Jesus Christ and how we should live for him now. Through graphic pictures we learn that Jesus Christ is coming again, that evil will be judged, and that the dead will be raised to judgment, headed for their eternal life or eternal destruction. As you read Revelation, look beyond the symbols to your sovereign God and to your Savior, Jesus Christ. And take hope-his victory is sure!
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