Series - Commentaries

Nearly all the commentaries below come to supersessionist conclusions in regard to 1 Peter 2:4-5 but since 1 Peter is such a great discipleship letter there is a lot of very worthwhile material in them.

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The book of 2 Corinthians is probably my favorite book of the NT—at least this week. But whatever week it is 2 Corinthians will always be at or near the top of my list. It is filled with purple passages and infused with hope. It was the first book I preached through when I came to my present congregation. Here are my picks for the top commentaries on this great epistle:

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This list of commentaries on Acts are the ones I think are the best for the Pastor and Bible Teacher.

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The Book of Galatians is unique in many ways because of its polemic nature, aimed as it is against Christians in churches who have listened to false teaching and abandoned (or are close to abandoning) Paul’s teaching. It has not been well-served with commentaries, although some historical works are of note. Remember, I have preachers in mind for these recommendations. Balance is important.

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When it comes to the Pastoral Epistles there is a wealth of good choices. The top four in the following list are all excellent high-level works. I would personally go for Knight and Marshall if money were no object (although Mounce and Towner would be just fine). Some of these scholars dance around Paul’s clear statement preventing women from being preachers and teachers of men. I have marked such with a (w).

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For my money the top three works in the list are indispensable. The next two are important to have. I do not think the warning passages in Hebrews have yet been tackled adequately (and who is up to the task?). I personally hold that Hebrews should be read alongside the Olivet Discourse.

1. Peter T. O’Brien – Yes, I know the author has gotten it in the neck for plagiarizing (but it is odd plagiarism, like repeating phrases, not exegesis). Because of this you’ll have to search for it at a decent price. But this is really very good.

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The two small letters of Paul to the young Thessalonian Church are among the earliest of his writings. This means that they are also among the earliest writings of the New Testament—even for those of us who opt for the traditional dates of the Gospels. Although I am pretribulational it has to be admitted that Paul does not settle the date of the rapture in these letters. Therefore, what I look for is careful exegesis informed by salient considerations of other biblical teachings on the subject. Attempts to spiritualize the “naos” in 2 Thessalonians 2 count as a mark against any work.

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As with the selections on the Book of Revelation, this list will display some bias towards Dispensational works, although I don’t want to fill it up with just those. One big reason for that is because Dispensationalists have not written many great commentaries on any book of the Bible. Often-as-not they have been content to furnish basic commentaries for the masses. The fact is that if a person wishes to go deep into an inspired author he will need to be conversant with many writers who he may not see eye to eye with. So here goes:

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Here are my personal picks for the most profitable commentaries on Matthew. I favor a modified ‘Dispensational’ approach to the book which takes seriously the way Matthew provides lines of continuity and discontinuity with the Old Testament. But I have little problem with including studies which do not handle eschatological issues as satisfactorily as I would like. There is, after all, more to Matthew than eschatology:

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These are the top commentaries for the Pastor on Ephesians:

1. Harold Hoehner – A massive work, both in size and erudition. It is very well written and quite user-friendly. Every issue is chased down thoroughly, and the Pauline authorship of the book is convincingly upheld. A real standard!

2. Peter T. O’Brien (Pillar) – O’Brien is an expert on the Prison Epistles. This, I think, surpasses his work on Colossians in the WBC series. Attractive style and what might be called a thoughtfully sensible approach make this a valuable commentary.