1 Thessalonians 2 - Paul covers a broad range of topics in this chapter. He starts with defending, and moves…
1 Thessalonians 1 - In the opening verses of this letter, we read Paul's words which seem to indicate he…
Jude 1 - Jude was one of four half-brothers of Jesus. In the Greek, the name Jude was synonymous with…
3 John 1 - Gaius was the Greek way of writing the Roman name Caius. Believe it or not, there…
1 John 2 - and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also…
Job 40 - Consider Job's humility in this chapter. Consider that he takes up none of the words with God…
Job 36 - God is the most patient, relentless, and loving Father we will ever encounter. Unfortunately, many people of…
Job 35 - This is arguably Elihu's harshest language against Job. It is a message of condemnation with truth mixed…
Job 34 - Elihu uses some quotes from Job to reiterate that God can do no wrong. Specifically, he uses…
Job 25 - Well, there is not much here that we haven't already heard. Bildad sums up with "God is…
Job 18 - The dating of this time period would have meant that Job and his friends were highly influenced…
Job 5 - Eliphaz continues his speech in chapter 5. I am struck with similar thoughts from his words in…
Matthew 28 - The appearances of the resurrected Christ are astonishing! Many people will concede that Jesus was a real…
Matthew 22 - The Sadducees and Pharisees were always playing games with Jesus. They, like some today, thought they could…
Matthew 12 - This chapter contains the controversial "unpardonable sin" which involves blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. The first question…
Matthew 4 - "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."…
Proverbs 30 - Nelson's Commentary gives us a brief introduction to the mysterious authors of the last two chapters of…
Proverbs 25 - "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him…
Proverbs 16 - "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9 HCSB This passage…
Proverbs 7 - Verse 7 reads... "Once I was looking out the window of my house, 7 and I saw…
1 Peter 5 - Peter is following up on his previous chapter on suffering. It's no surprise that in order…
1 Peter 3 - It's in this chapter that Peter makes a strange statement about Jesus going to hell after…
1 Peter 1 - It is beneficial to explore the interesting background on the book of Peter. First, many scholars…
Philemon 1 - Paul offers us a lesson in diplomacy and peacemaking. At the time, Paul was a prisoner in…
Titus 3 - Have you ever been involved in a foolish conversation? How about an endless quarrel about a technicality?…
Titus 2 - Years ago, I remember a conversation I was having with a group of teenagers when suddenly the…
Titus 1 - Parenting is not an easy task. It involves incredible commitment, unyielding problem-solving, and loads of diapers. Parenting…
2 Samuel 11 - Most of us know the story of 2 Samuel 11. David's sin and repentance are well-documented.…
2 Samuel 1 - There are three versions of Saul's death mentioned in Scripture and one of them is found…
1 Samuel 24 - David retreats with his men to the caves of the Wilderness of En Gedi. This was…
1 Samuel 23 - All Saul cares about is killing David. He doesn't care about worshiping God. He doesn't care…
1 Samuel 18 - “Saul has slain his thousands,And David his ten thousands.” The wording here says that "all cities…
2 Timothy 4 - I have never really noticed this before, but I am struck by Paul's confidence in 2…
2 Timothy 3 - We have already seen it mentioned times over the last several chapters, but Paul once again…
2 Timothy 2 - There's only one Gospel. There's only one Gospel. There's. Only. ONE. Gospel. The Gospel = Suffering…
2 Timothy 1 - The personal nature of 2 Timothy 1 really shines! Paul was such a gifted communicator and…
1 Timothy 6 - Paul bookends this letter by circling back to his thoughts from 1 Timothy 1. In that…
1 Timothy 5 - Through Jesus' sacrifice and forgiveness, we enter into a new relationship with God. As our father,…
1 Timothy 4 - Expect turmoil. Expect opposition. Expect deception. These are the difficult expectations Paul lays out to Timothy…
1 Timothy 3 - Paul moves from congregational conduct to leadership. There are two offices he addresses: the overseer and…
1 Timothy 2 - As a child, I would sometimes hear my parents say, "As long as you are under…
1 Timothy 1 - The Same Old False Doctrine Paul comes out swinging against false teachers. We find out in…
Romans 16 - This is a phenomenal chapter that champions the role of women in the church. Romans 16 begins…
Romans 15 - This week, I learned a very relevant historical fact that alters the way I read and understand…
Romans 14 - Years ago, I hosted a Bible study with some college guys who were looking to grow in…
Romans 13 - In Chapter 13, Paul's focus is the authority of the government, and how the Christian should respond…
Romans 12 - Starting in verse 9 of Romans 12, Paul rattles off a disjointed list of Christian principles. On…
Romans 11 - To me, the most interesting part of Romans 11 starts in verse 25. After outlining the difference…
Romans 10 - A lot of times we talk about people having knowledge about God, but no zeal for him.…
Romans 9 - Paul now shifts his focus to the Israelites specifically. His heart is so heavy for his brothers…
Romans 8 - Christ lived a sinless life. He willingly gave Himself as a living sacrifice for our sin so…
Romans 7 - What is the purpose of the law? In Romans 6 we saw the law cannot make us…
Romans 6 - Grigori Rasputin was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed "holy man" who claimed to speak on behalf of…
Romans 5 - Romans 5 marks a transition. Paul has been formulating his theological argument around sin and justification which…
Romans 4 - In Romans 4, Paul contrasts the ideas of "works = righteousness" with "faith = righteousness." Abraham was…
Romans 3 - When we study Scripture, it is important we don't sweep through it with a predetermined mindset. There…
Romans 2 - When you hold up God as the standard, as you should, that standard is one that not…
Romans 1 - John Calvin said of Romans, "When anyone understands this Epistle, he has a passage opened to him…
1 Kings 9 - 1 Kings 9 provides some insight into the subtle turn taking place in Solomon. As soon…
1 Kings 2 - After the peaceful resolution in chapter 1, we are now back to the chaos of David's…
Genesis 49 - What did Jacob's prophecies mean long-term for these sons of Israel? Reuben, you are my firstborn, my…
Genesis 44 - Judah goes from schemer to savior. He goes from loving himself to understanding pure, unconditional love. He…
Genesis 41 - Joseph began as a shepherd of animals and become a shepherd of men. He, like Jesus, was…
Genesis 17 - The question we all ask ourselves at one point or another is, why circumcision? First, in the…
Genesis 11 - Josephus wrote of how the Tower of Babel originated from the heart and mind of Nimrod. "Now…
Genesis 3 - Blatant evil is not our greatest threat as believers; it is deceptive evil wrapped in a package…
James 1 - There are so many believers I talk with who tell me that their favorite book is James.…
John 17 - I cannot think of a more powerful prayer in all of Scripture. Through Jesus' words, much is…
John 16 - They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills…
John 5 - Bearing witness to yourself is not reliable in court. Jesus didn't need to provide witnesses for His…
Esther 1 - At this point in Israel's history, Ezra has just returned from the exile to rebuild the temple…
Nehemiah 1 - Back in the minor prophets, we learned that very few Jewish people left Babylon to return to…
Hebrews 13 - Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing…
Hebrews 6 - Here we go. You want to start a heated debate among your Christian friends? Look no further…
Hebrews 5 - First, let's just point out that this chapter is deep! Here in Hebrews 5, we see two…
Hebrews 4 - The Law demanded perfection. This was the standard accomplished by Jesus. Despite our best efforts, we don't…
Hebrews 1 - We do not know the writer of Hebrews and honestly, it doesn't matter. The book is absolutely…
Malachi 1 - Malachi's ministry would have overlapped with Nehemiah. The temple had been rebuilt (v. 13), and there was…
Zechariah 14 - In Philippians, Paul urges the church to "hold onto the truth we have attained." This means as…
Zechariah 12 - Zechariah's name means "The Lord Remembers" and in this chapter, we get a striking image of God…
Zechariah 8 - Oh my! There are few verses more worthy of our desperate pursuit than Zechariah 8:6. The verse…
Micah 7 - Consider the similarities of Micah's world and our world today... There is undesirable fruit all around Everyone…
Jonah 3 - God's mercy is on full display here. God showed mercy to Jonah and called him to deliver…
Amos 8 - What can be more susceptible to rot and disease than ripened fruit? There is a short window…
Daniel 10 - Today, prayer is endorsed as a personal remedy. Although this is true to an extent, it doesn't…
Daniel 4 - What do we make of these 7 years when King Neb lost his mind? "There is, understandably,…
2 Corinthians 13 - When Paul first visited Corinth and established the church, he stayed a year and six months.…
2 Corinthians 12 - Paul's patience is evident in this chapter. The super apostles of Corinth could not stop talking…
2 Corinthians 11 - "A story is told about a dinner party where the guests were expected to stand after…
2 Corinthians 10 - Most likely, Paul was dealing with a false teacher or many false teachers who had infiltrated…
2 Corinthians 9 - Paul sarcastically (playfully) urges the Corinthians toward giving in verses 1-5. He mentions that they will…
2 Corinthians 8 - Christians who believe the New Testament has little to say about financial giving have not really…
2 Corinthians 7 - "If one gives up easily, they can never walk in repentance, though they may perform acts…
2 Corinthians 6 - "Such persons cannot say this petition of the Lord’s prayer, 'Lead us not into temptation.' They…
2 Corinthians 5 - When Jesus took the form of a man, He stepped down from Heaven and entered into…
2 Corinthians 4 - Why jars of clay? "The Greek word means "baked clay," and refers to clay pots. They…
2 Corinthians 3 - The Corinthians, like many today, wanted written proof of Paul's legitimacy as an apostle. Like a…
2 Corinthians 2 - The man Paul is referring to in this chapter was most likely the same man who…
2 Corinthians 1 - "Paul's purpose in this eulogy is not merely to praise God for personal comfort received or…
1 Corinthians 16 - Paul begins with a collection for the saints. The Nelson's New Illustrated Commentary provides a solid…