Bible Study

A Theology of Matthew’s Gospel by Michael Wilkins

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This volume gets us close to the completion of the Biblical Theology of the New Testament series. I’ve reviewed them all so far and there’s not a dud in the bunch. Matthew deserves one of the eight volumes in this series and Michael Wilkins does a phenomenal job. I’ve had an over 20 year fascination with reading everything I could get my hands on about this wonderful gospel. With that extensive background, I can tell you that this book lacks nothing.

I feel this book could hardly be better. If I had to split hairs, maybe it could’ve used a few more charts. It’s not only the depth of coverage, but the conclusions themselves that I love. I guess you couldn’t feel the need to judge a book by me liking its conclusions, but I suggest you give it a chance. What he concludes, he develops persuasively. He covered all these background issues, but in someway in so doing he has gotten to the heart of Matthew.

The book starts a bit slowly. That is because the first two chapters cover topics I find less interesting. If we have to endure such things, I’m at least glad to see that he has dispensed with some of the dumber things that have come down the path of the scholarly world. “Q” isn’t the spectacular book behind some dependent gospels, but a foray into limited imagination; but I digress.

Chapter 3 is a skillful summary of structure. It has taken several books to put together what he explains well in a few pages. The next chapter is a literary and theological reading of Matthew’s gospel. It’s not exactly a commentary, but think of it as a collection of nuggets. In other words, it’s really good.

The next part has several chapters on major themes in Matthew’s theology. What he discusses is easily the main topics that have been on the agenda of many people over the last few decades or even longer. I call your attention to his fantastic chapter on the kingdom of Heaven. I especially was enlightened by it.

He’s also fair to various groups within Christianity. For example, he is kind to those who follow dispensational theology, but at the same time, he probably doesn’t really offend any reformed thinkers either. In other words, he’s not writing for a specific team, but is just trying to do the scholar’s task. He does it well.

This book is so good that it can probably take the place of 10 other releases from the past. You will want this one. 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Defending Your Faith by R.C. Sproul

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It’s subtitled “an Introduction to Apologetics”. After reading it, I’m prepared to recommend it as a starting place without reservation. Its writing is clear even if its concepts are deep. In other words, you might struggle a bit if it’s your first encounter with this material, but you’ll go farther in understanding than in many books three times its length. Sproul, with his philosophy background, is at his best here. I actually prefer him here over theological subjects though his brilliance is undeniable.

The first section of two chapters makes a biblical case for apologetics. He briefly explains historical reasons for the development of apologetics and then outlines its task. He further discusses the quandary of defense versus evangelism, which he defines as proof and persuasion. The bulk of the book, he says, is to defend the existence of God and the authority of the Bible. He also makes a good case against those who criticize apologetics. 

The next section of six chapters, which are the best of the book, cover the four principles of knowledge. If you are not familiar with this subject, you would never guess these four principles, but as you read, you are easily convinced of how essential they are. I am amazed by both the depth and the quantity of learning you receive in 40 pages here. It is laid out so flawlessly. He takes you step-by-step on a journey and convinces you every step of the way. I almost think that describing it would be like giving spoilers, and I figure you’d be better off to just enjoy it. I would further believe that if you mastered these 40 pages, you would be a long way down the road of understanding apologetics.

The next section of two chapters about natural reason and faith are really just overcoming the attacks against those four principles that have developed. These attacks fall to the ground like a stray bullet that hits nothing.

The following two sections really are about how we weather the later philosophical storms against belief in the existence of God. For example, some admit that there must be a higher being, but then try to negate His influence today. Others try radical ideas like saying God is an illusion, or that all that exists is self created, which Sproul explains is nonsense, or creation by chance which is pretty much the same thing, or the universe is God. He at length shows that only our God as a self-existent being explains reality. He then exposes the rogue philosophers who level these attacks.

The final section of the book is a robust defense in four chapters on the authority and trustworthiness of the Bible. Good stuff.

Sometimes you read a book that is fantastic and you lay it aside. Other times you read a great book and you know you will refer to it again and again. That is where I find myself on this book.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Genesis (OTL) by David Petersen

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The OLT is my go-to for these conservative eyes to grasp the more liberal viewpoint. I know going in what to expect and that I’ll have a host of disagreements. I rate these volumes, though, on how interesting they are and how much imaginative theology is given. What did I find here? It was easy to read, it was not as extreme as I figured especially with this being on Genesis, and it was sufficiently imaginative. It gave me that out-of-my-box perspective I hoped it would.

The positions held in the Introduction were as expected, but without the usual pontificating. The raggedly worn Documentary Hypothesis theory was held to, but it seemed Petersen instinctively knew it would weary readers so he didn’t drone on about it. Some of his literary conclusions were still a bit much for me, but somehow he was still interesting in discussing it. Though I disagreed with much, there were a few nuggets along the way in the Introduction. Readers like me could safely skip the Introduction actually.

It’s when you get to the commentary proper that your time is repaid. If you work around a few subversive sentences, you will discover stimulating ones await you. I told you what I was looking for and I got it here. Better than some OTL volumes and better by far than Von Rad’s volume that preceded it, Petersen gives us a thoughtful work here. Liberal theologians should love it while we conservatives who admit we can learn from others can walk away with something worthwhile as well.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Luke (CSC) by Gregory R. Lanier

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“Wow” comes to mind on this one. The NAC volume this replaces (though that volume is still in print) was solid and well worth having, but this one is next level. Lanier displays such mature scholarship with a hint of seeing all the scholarly world and being weary of some of it. I share his weariness and love having what he offers to learn from.

Just reading the Author’s Preface will tell you this is going to be good. Look at the six things he’s attempting to do in this commentary. One of those, focusing on Luke rather than some speculative “Q” behind him, means a tenth of the commentary isn’t pure rubbish as befalls so many works. Another, his upholding a high view of God’s Word, wins my trust out of the gate. I feel he kept all six of his aims.

He also showed that he felt no straitjacket bound him when he began the Introduction by expounding Luke 1:1-4. I’ve never seen that before, but especially here in Luke so many introductory issues were brought up in the text and made him avoid redundancy. From there, he explained Luke as literature and discussed sources. He slapped “Q” around a little more (can you tell I loved it?) and ended the section by reminding us of the full inspiration of Scripture. That’s such a breath of fresh air.

Some elite types will read what I’ve said so far and assume we have a lightweight commentary before us. How incredibly wrong they would be. Watch him guide us through plot, setting, narrative devices, and background factors and you will see that he’s not taking a backseat to anyone. He reasons his way to several conservative conclusions (e.g. authorship) rather than just stating positions. He also dismantled the untenable “community” ideas (e.g., Johannine community or Lukan community) that for some bizarre reason took a stronghold on so much NT scholarship. I further loved how he rolled his eyes at the circuitous routes of the “so-called quest for the historical Jesus”. I think I’ve shared enough for you to see the direction of the introduction, and I must say it is outstanding.

They were some of the most eye-appealing and helpful charts throughout the work, both in the introduction and in the text itself. They shared really helpful information to those of us trying to grasp the gospel of Luke. His commentary on individual passages was so helpful as well. I mean really good.

There are a lot of good commentaries on Luke, and several not as good as their reputation, but I see no reason why this one couldn’t be a pastor‘s first choice. It has what those of us preparing sermons need the most. Along the way, you’ll be told what the scholarly world has done with certain issues without yourself having to drown in them. I assure you, I will keep this one handy.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Connecting Scripture New Testament

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Here’s an interesting new resource to really dig out Old Testament quotations and allusions in the New Testament. This kind of information is found in commentaries, but this is the simplest way I know to have the information quickly at hand. There’s a color code system that makes it so easy and visually appealing.

Scholars G. K. Beale and Benjamin Gladd’s involvement guarantee the quality of work here. The Introduction they gave made clear how these allusions and quotations are categorized. The notes throughout the text are superb and always on topic. This is as much a fine reference volume as it is a copy of the New Testament to read.

The greatest trait of the volume is how at once succinct and full it is. My copy came in an attractive brown binding. This is an asset worth having!

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Tim Keller on the Christian Life by Matt Smethurst

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This book will make a lot of people happy. People who love Tim Keller are going to see this summary of his salient teachings as an addendum to his biography, especially if they read those copious endnotes, and be happy. Those looking for some rich devotional writing with the best theological precision will be happy. You’re probably catching on, but this book makes me happy.

I admire Keller, but for some weird reason I’ve listened to many of his sermons online while not getting around to reading his works. After reading this book, that process was certainly a mistake. What was I thinking? This work convinced me that I will read him going forward. Each chapter, as best as I can tell, synthesizes his most beloved books. These chapters leave you clamoring for more. I guess this book makes the publishers of Keller’s books happy too.

This book is well written. It doesn’t only propel you to Keller’s books, but says much itself. These chapters stirred me. I prayed some prayers of repentance for the challenge and conviction I encountered (sans the guilt that you know this moralism-hater was incapable of throwing) after several chapters.

I can’t tell you which chapters were the weakest as I found none I didn’t love. I can’t tell you which chapter I love most as I loved so many of them immensely. I can tell, though, that most of them found this reviewer wanting. If I were forced to list its worst feature I guess I’d say endnotes are annoying to keep flipping to when they are so many and too delicious to miss.

Rarely does a book so gallantly reach its aims, but here’s one that did.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Zephaniah (ZECOT) by Jason Derouchie

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Here’s the best solo volume on Zephaniah that I’ve encountered and that’s coming from one who has always enjoyed Zephaniah. It’s a small book that packs a punch. The author did the spadework and gave us a gift here.

The style of the this series is a great match for Zephaniah. The Discourse Analysis that is this series’ niche was well done. In fact, as much as I love and have expectations for discussion on structure, this may be the rare volume that had too much. I’ll say this for sure, you won’t need a second book covering the structure of Zephaniah because this book thoroughly weighs all the scholarly perspectives on it. I can’t even say that I agreed with every conclusion on structure, but the options are so thoroughly laid out that the work is done and all you need to do is pick among the options. Kudos to a commentary that pulls that off.

Don’t think that other important topics, however, are overlooked. The introduction discusses authorship, date and occasion, genre, literary features, and audience all before structure is addressed. After structure, there’s some excellent discussion of theology. I thought the highlight was how the author explains Zephaniah anticipating Jesus and his mission. That is taking theology down the correct avenue for sure.

The commentary was strikingly full. Unlike some prolix works, this work does not run off on weird scholarly tangents. There’s much excellent exegesis, linguistics, and thorough discussion of structure, even in every individual passage. I don’t see how preachers or scholars could go wrong with this volume. For preachers, I don’t think the scholarship is so dry that you’ll be turned off at all. Every section ends with more helpful theology, and for all the trees, the forest is never lost sight of. For Zephaniah, this is the way to go.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church by Guy Prentiss Waters

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The “We Believe” takes shape as a dandy series that taken together will finally make a major systematic theology contribution. Several of these type series are reformed in nature, as is this one, and we certainly aren’t lacking works from that perspective, but this is one to consider to cover that viewpoint. While I might disagree on points, I’ve found real help in each volume of this series.

That being said, this title is a bit more militantly reformed than others in the series. The doctrine of the Church is one that kind of forces you into a distinct lane, but did this scholarly work really need to quote a denominational source of the Presbyterian Church multiple times? Even if the author thought those sources were exquisitely worded, does it really encourage a broad readership? Perhaps, though, if you are a Presbyterian, you’ll want this title even more in the crowded field.

All of that being said, I’m not denigrating the work. Waters is a good writer who presents with clarity. You won’t misunderstood what he’s saying even if you disagree with it. I imagine him to be a good teacher. So many paragraphs are him discussing by listing items one, two, three, etc.

This systematic theology theme is run through the rubric of biblical theology here. It’s also moored to Covenant Theology. Not surprisingly then, he begins in Creation. I see the Church coming along later than that, but there are still connections worth pursuing even if I might not see them as strongly as him. I have the same reservations and enjoyments in his chapters on Abraham, Moses and the Prophets.

The work grew much more captivating in chapter 6 where we meet Jesus, the Eschatological Reconstitution of the Church. The next chapter on the Apostles returns to more expected fields for a work of this type. Part II encompassing chapters 8-13 is more traditional in its contents. Still, the parts touching on local churches especially holds to the Presbyterian mindset.

Chapter 14 felt like Bavinck to me as it addressed things like church and state as well as religious liberty. The Conclusion succeeds as a clear summary as 7 statement are winsomely made to reiterate the work.

I’ve explained a few things in this review to show that you might love this book more if you’re a Presbyterian than if you’re not. Still, it’s a book much worth having.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

1 Peter (TNTC) (Rev. Ed.) by Wayne Grudem

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Here a nice TNTC volume gets an update that will extend its usefulness for a long time to come. When I think of Wayne Grudem, I think Systematic Theology since that volume is perhaps as influential as any in print today. What he proves here is that he can run too in the commentary-writing world. He may have written a couple paragraphs in a systematic theology style in this book, but this a truly helpful commentary.

The 50-page Introduction is pretty full as this series goes. He is consistently conservative in his conclusions and I found myself agreeing with him at many points. More important to you, he explains how he arrives at those conclusions quite lucidly. For those who care, he interacts with scholarship well without letting that dominate. He also is not afraid to go against the grain where scholarship has gone amok. For example, he dispenses with the idea that 1 Peter is meant to be read as a baptismal sermon. As he effectively shows, baptism is hardly mentioned in Peter and then mostly in cursory way. How do scholars fall in these ditches?

Half way through the Introduction he transitions to theology and major themes. Don’t miss this section as that can be a great aid to understanding Peter. He works through twelve themes found in 1 Peter and you’d be hard pressed to disagree with his twelve.

If you are familiar with this series, you’ll find this a good representative of it. There are constraints on length, so it’s the type of work where every sentence counts. And here they did. Background, exegetical understanding, and a bit of theology pervade the writing on every passage. This is a fine commentary. 

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.

Archaeology and the Ministry of Paul by David deSilva

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This book is a fascinating resource. Its varied uses cover more territory than you’d ever imagine. It is so profusely illustrated that I’d love to take it on a trip to the sites of Paul. I can imagine reading it every evening as a precursor to the next day’s adventures. As nice as that is, it’s not a travel guide though, but a Bible study guide. Written in the order of Paul’s ministry, this book would be phenomenal to have at your side as you work through Paul’s itinerary.

It addresses what archaeology tells us about these sites, but that’s not the lead. Foremost it’s the biblical background that makes the book what it is. David deSilva is a scholar rather than an archaeologist. He’s quite an accomplished one at that. Most books of this type totally get immersed into archaeology at a level that is beyond what Bible students are looking for. Here the balance is perfect.

My only criticism is that he is a bit more critical in his scholarship in a few places than I’d prefer. You might add that a few maps would have helped. Its gorgeous content probably would have been appropriate for a hardback as well, but maybe the publishers anticipated that many might carry the book to these Bible sites. The pictures more than make up for any deficiencies and the text reads well too. I’d call this one a winner right out of the gate.

I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.