Study Commentaries

In A History of the Bible, John Barton argues that the Bible is not a prescription to a complete, fixed religious system, but rather a product of a long and intriguing process, which has inspired Judaism and Christianity, but still does not describe the whole of either religion. Barton shows how the Bible is indeed an important source of religious insight for Jews and Christians alike, yet argues that it must be listened to in its historical context - from its beginnings in myth and folklore to its many interpretations throughout the centuries....

Christopher Hitchens continues to make the case for a splendidly godless universe in this first-ever gathering of the influential voices past and present that have shaped his side of the current (and raging) God/no-god debate. With Hitchens as your erudite and witty guide, you'll be led through a wealth of philosophy, literature, and scientific inquiry, including generous portions of the words of Lucretius, Benedict de Spinoza, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Mark Twain, and more.

The road of spiritual growth can get bumpy. From the new believer to the seasoned disciple, we all experience frustrations and setbacks in our pursuit of God. And perhaps no one understands spiritual struggles better than the apostle Paul. In the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul shares a revealing look at his own challenges, and offers a profound message of encouragement for every believer.

Elinor Cleghorn became an unwell woman 10 years ago. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease after a long period of being told her symptoms were anything from psychosomatic to a possible pregnancy. As Elinor learned to live with her unpredictable disease, she turned to history for answers, and found an enraging legacy of suffering, mystification, and misdiagnosis. In Unwell Women, Elinor Cleghorn traces the almost unbelievable history of how medicine has failed women by treating their bodies as alien and other, often to perilous effect.

Part of Dr. Warrem W. Wiersbe's best-selling "BE" commentary series, Be Decisive has now been updated with study questions and a new introduction by Ken Baugh. A respected pastor and Bible teacher, Dr. Wiersbe shares the need for decisive believers in a lukewarm culture.

Perhaps of all the books in the New Testament, James most squarely focuses on results. His pull-no-punches approach to spiritual maturity, his preference for action over words, makes his text the perfect backdrop for a study of how to grow in our faith. Beloved author and teacher Warren Wiersbe leads you through this practical book with advice on how to overcome temptation, controlling the tongue, effective prayer, and how to practice what the Bible teaches.

"Like a child eating cotton-candy at the circus, many people who expect to bite into something real end up with a mouthful of nothing. They waste priceless years on empty substitutes for reality." Through clever word pictures like this that strike the audience with their simple truth, acclaimed best-selling author and former pastor Warren Wiersbe shares priceless unchanging realities as he opens up the book of I John.

"Finishing Well" is the name of the game. Here was a rich, young ruler - a first century "yuppie" if you will - who, although getting off to a rather problematic beginning, finished well, indeed. A rich young ruler questioned Christ about what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Mark's Gospel includes a detail that Matthew and Luke failed to mention: "And Jesus looking upon him loved him..." This hints at the possibility that young John Mark himself may have been that rich young man.

We've all heard the phrase: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. What about faith? Will your faith thrive in tough times? Do you desire a more resolute faith? The book of Daniel relates the familiar Sunday School stories of the lions' den, the fiery furnace, and some remarkable prophecies, but take some time to investigate these stories more closely. How did Daniel, Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego possess such a fearless faith? Perhaps no one in the Bible possessed a more resolute faith in God than these individuals.

The book of Acts records the fall of Israel and salvation going to the Gentiles. Follow Paul from the “uproar” in Ephesus to his house arrest in Rome. The Bible text is provided in bold and the commentary within brackets on Acts Chapters Nineteen through Twenty-eight. This is the third and final book of the three-part Acts series. Prepare for eternity and edify your soul and spirit with these commentaries by a King James Bible believer that is “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The Father will exalt His Son to rule both realms. God will use Peter’s group to ...

The Book of Acts, as recorded in the Bible, records the events surrounding the birth of the Church and its growth in the first century. This book is written in a format which speaks to the events of Acts and how it relates to us today. This is not a commentary but does have some commentary type writing in it. The purpose of this book is to encourage readers to look at this book of New Testament history and understand how it applies to our Christian lives in the 21st Century. The reader can learn how the Church was started and its purpose in this world. It moves chapter by chapter through ...

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.

We know a great deal about Muhammad—or so it seems. Islamic tradition contains an astonishing wealth of information about the founding figure of the Islamic faith, and most historians take for granted that this material is generally reliable. In his latest book, historian and Islamic scholar Robert Spencer shows that there is no agreement in the earliest Islamic sources about the most fundamental details of this towering figure's life. Muhammad takes a detailed look at the Islamic traditions regarding Muhammad and lays bare their contradictions, inconsistencies, and incoherence.

The Mengzi is one of the very greatest works of world literature and philosophy, and it is perhaps the single most influential Confucian text of all time. Of all the Confucian classics, it is also the one most likely to speak to a contemporary audience. The Mengzi contains the dialogues, debates and sayings of Mengzi, a Confucian sage of the fourth century BCE. (He is also known by the Latinization of his name, 'Mencius'.)

How to pray, how to serve, how to overcome, how to love: Jesus taught the disciples these timeless lessons through hands-on experience and powerful parables that resonated in the hearts of multitudes. Most evident in John 13-21, however, is Christ's teaching on the transforming power of joy—how to have it, hold onto it, and never let it go.

We are called to live a life obedient to God. But what does this look like? And how can we live in a way that's pleasing to Him? The answer is found in faith. Long considered the father of faith, Abraham sets the standard for what it means to be obedient. The book of Genesis holds the remarkable story of Abraham, a man who would give birth to a nation, and make the way for our Savior. Part of Dr. Warren W. Wiersbe's best-selling "BE" commentary series, Be Obedient has now been updated with study questions and a new introduction by Ken Baugh.

The Book of Exodus is the bedrock of God's plan of redemption and is seen as a "type" of the early church. It is also an adventure of discovery, since the dramatic narrative is laced with numerous hidden messages in the form of microcodes and macrocodes, each anticipating the New Testament climax.

Until the 1970s, if you suffered a medical crisis, your chances of survival were minimal. A 9-1-1 call might bring police or even the local funeral home. But that all changed with Freedom House EMS in Pittsburgh, a group of Black men who became America’s first paramedics and set the gold standard for emergency medicine around the world, only to have their story and their legacy erased—until now.

Elijah ministered during a terrible time in Israel’s history. Apostasy was at an all-time high because Ahab, Israel’s worst king, was on the throne (1 Kgs 16:30). His ungodly influence was augmented by his wife, Jezebel, who introduced Baal worship to Israel. In order to restore Israel to God, the Lord called one of his greatest prophets, Elijah, to confront Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). Elijah’s ministry was unique. He prayed that it would not rain as a judgment for Israel’s sins, and it did not rain for three and a half years. He challenged Baal’s prophets to a contest to prove that ...

Throughout much of human history, our most important stories were passed down orally - including the stories about Jesus before they became written down in the Gospels. In this fascinating and deeply researched work, leading Bible scholar Bart D. Erhman investigates the role oral history has played in the New Testament - how the telling of these stories not only spread Jesus' message but helped shape it.