- 18-volume set covering 24 books* of the NT (over 5,200 pages)
- Verse-by-verse and phrase-by-phrase commentary with extensive date, authorship and exegetical issues covered
- Based on the New International Version of the Bible
- Modern scholarship from the best evangelical pastors, teachers and scholars
- Clear exposition of the text that pays attention to important issues of translation
- PC Study Bible feature allows this resource to be viewed in a commentary or book (table of contents) view
Designed for preachers, teachers and anyone desiring a deeper understanding of the New Testament
Based on the New International Version of the Bible, one of the most widely used modern translations, the IVP New Testament Commentary Series builds on the NIV’s reputation for clarity and accuracy. Individual commentators indicate clearly whenever they depart from the standard translation as required by their understanding of the original Greek text.
Each volume presents passage-by-passage commentary along with background information on authorship, setting, theme and various interpretive issues. A unique format allows the main commentary to focus on the vital message of the New Testament for today's church, while bottom-of-the-page notes include valuable scholarly information to support those who use the volumes as a resource for preaching or teaching preparation.
Seldom have such readable commentary and reliable research helps been available in the same volume! Preachers, teachers, students and other individuals who want to dig deep into the heart of the New Testament will find an indispensable companion in the IVP New Testament Commentary Series.
About the Titles
Click a title name below to read information about the
book.
Matthew
By Craig S. Keener
Matthew was the most popular Gospel in the early church,
widely read for its clear emphasis on Jesus' teaching. Drawing
on its use as a teaching or discipleship manual, Craig Keener
expounds Matthew as a discipleship manual for believers today.
In his skilled hands, this first-century text becomes as
relevant and contemporary as information downloaded from the
Internet, while it challenges us with its divine perspective on
how life ought to be lived.
In this clear, incisive commentary, readers will find an
introduction with background material concerning authorship,
date and purpose, as well as a summary of important theological
themes. A passage-by-passage exposition follows that focuses on
understanding what significance the Gospel of Matthew had for
its original readers in order to see its relevance for the
church today.
Luke
By Darrell L. Bock
In Luke's vivid narrative, Jesus comes into Galilee
proclaiming "good news to the poor . . . freedom for the
prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind." More than any
other Gospel, the Gospel of Luke shows Jesus' great concern for
the downtrodden, the oppressed and the marginalized--including
women and children and even those outside the house of
Israel.
Darrell Bock's IVP New Testament Commentary shows why Luke's
Gospel is "tailor-made" for the world we live in--a world often
divided along ethnic, religious, economic and political lines.
After all, the Jesus portrayed by Luke is a source of unity for
his disciples and for believers from every walk of life. Tax
collectors, Roman soldiers, prostitutes, city officials,
religious leaders, widows and fishermen were among the diverse
group brought together in the early Christian church. "The
Gospel is universal in its perspective and cosmic in its
scope," Bock writes. "As we look at our modern multicultural
world, . . . certainly there is relevance in a Gospel that
highlights how men and women of different ethnic origins can be
transformed into a unified community."
Along with a passage-by-passage exposition of Luke, Bock
offers background information on date, destination, purpose,
form and theological themes in the text. His dual focus on
understanding what Luke wanted to communicate to his original
readers and on discovering how that message is relevant for
today's readers will make this commentary an excellent resource
for all who study, preach or teach the Scriptures.
John
By Rodney A. Whitacre
The Gospel of John declares its purpose clearly--"these are
written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son
of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name."
Thus it fulfills a dual function, encouraging believers and
providing them with evidences for proclaiming that Jesus is
God's Messiah, the divine, incarnate Son of God.
Christians today, as in the first century, can draw strength
and courage from John's telling of the story of Jesus, a
telling that consistently reflects not only the words and deeds
of Jesus but their inner significance. We are called to worship
as we find the Father, Son and Spirit revealed in the Gospel.
And as in Jesus we discover God's light, life and love, we
learn to respond in faith, humility and obedience.
In this engaging, pastorally-oriented commentary, readers
will find an introduction with background material concerning
authorship, date and purpose, as well as a summary of important
theological themes. A passage-by-passage exposition follows
that focuses on understanding what John had to say to his
original readers in order to see its relevance for the church
today.
Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to
understand the message of John for the church will benefit from
this excellent resource.
Acts
By William J. Larkin
If ever there was a hostile environment for the gospel, it
was the strife-torn, ethnically diverse backwater of the Roman
Empire known as Palestine following the ascension of Jesus. But
the gospel thrived--beginning from Jerusalem and spreading
throughout Judea, Samaria and the rest of the known world.
In Acts, the sequel to his Gospel, Luke tells how the Holy
Spirit transformed a ragtag band of believers into a unified,
world-engaging church. And as William Larkin explores this
narrative of the early church, he offers inspiration and
insight for readers who wonder how the gospel may be advanced
in the increasingly divided and skeptical culture of the late
twentieth century.
In this clear, incisive commentary, readers will find an
introduction with background material concerning authorship,
date and purpose, as well as a summary of important theological
themes. A passage-by-passage exposition follows that focuses on
understanding what significance Acts had for its original
readers in order to see its relevance for the church today.
Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to
understand the message of Matthew for the church will benefit
from this excellent resource.
Romans
By Grant R. Osborne
Few individual books of the Bible have changed the course of
church history the way Paul's letter to the Romans has.
Whether one thinks of Augustine's conversion in the fourth
century, Luther's recovery of justification by faith in the
sixteenth or Barth's challenge to recover theological exegesis
of the Bible in the twentieth, Romans has been the catalyst to
personal spiritual renewal and the recapturing of gospel
basics.
Paul, in seeking to bring unity and understanding between
Jews and Gentiles in Rome, sets forth in Romans his most
profound explication of his gospel and its meaning for the
church. The letter's relevance is as great today as it was in
the first century.
In Grant R. Osborne's careful study of Romans, readers will
find an introduction that sets the letter in context and
surveys its general content, highlighting issues surrounding
its authorship, date, occasion and purpose. Passage-by-passage
commentary follows that explains what the letter means to us
today as well as what it meant for its original hearers.
Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to
understand Paul's message for the church will benefit from this
excellent resource.
1 Corinthians
By Alan F. Johnson
Upwardly mobile Christians facing radically diverse ethnic,
religious, economic and social conditions. The church divided
over issues of leadership and authority, sexual morality,
gender and worship, marriage and divorce. Sound familiar?
First-century Corinth and its challenges were not so
different from our own. Yet in the midst of this detailed,
practical letter to a church in crisis is found one of the
greatest paeans to love ever written. And, of course, love is
just what is needed to address complex human issues--whether in
the first century or the twenty-first.
Alan F. Johnson's deft analysis of 1 Corinthians features an
introduction that explores the social, cultural and historical
background of the city and its people. Rounding out the
introduction, Johnson discusses the letter's occasion and date,
authorship and purpose, and major theologicall themes. His
passage-by-passage commentary follows, seeking to explain what
the letter of 1 Corinthians means for the church today as well
as what it meant for its original hearers.
Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to
understand Paul's message for the church will benefit from this
excellent resource.
2 Corinthians
By Linda L. Belleville
Church conflict is never pleasant--whether the issue is
theological or practical, whether it is over the character of
the gospel or over how to spend church funds. Though few church
squabbles today come close to matching the intensity and
seriousness of what Paul faced in the commercial and hedonistic
hotbed of Corinth, his strategies and pastoral wisdom in
confronting the problems there can still serve as a helpful
model for us in responding to a culture marked by individualism
and materialism.
In this careful study of 2 Corinthians, readers will find an
introduction that discusses the letter's occasion and purpose,
authorship, and other background information, as well as its
important theological themes. Passage-by-passage commentary
follows that seeks to explain what the letter means for us
today as well as what it meant for its original hearers.
Students, pastors, Bible teachers and everyone who wants to
understand Paul's message for the church will benefit from this
excellent resource.
Galatians
By G. Walter Hansen
"Wherever ethnic rivalries are destroying societies, the
book of Galatians calls Christians to express the truth of the
gospel in communities where there are no ethnic or social or
gender divisions." With this strong admonition, Walter Hansen
introduces his IVP New Testament Commentary on Galatians.
Unlike many other commentaries, Hansen's volume highlights
not only the individual dimensions of justification by faith
but also its social implications. But like all the volumes in
The IVP New Testament Commentary Series, it seeks to
explicate the Scriptures with historical accuracy and textual
faithfulness, providing helpful explanatory notes and a
passage-by-passage commentary in a user-friendly format.
But Hansen strives to do even more. With a pastor's
conviction and concern, he aims to move from the text itself to
its contemporary relevance and application. His bold, careful
interpretation challenges students and teachers of this
important Pauline letter to move beyond merely the question
"How can I, a sinner, be right before a just and holy God?" and
to find in Galatians a healing word addressed to the ongoing
tensions of race, class and gender--a word worked out in the
life of the whole church.
"If a church does not defend in practice the equality and
unity of all in Christ," writes Hansen, "it implicitly
communicates that justification is not by faith but by race,
social status or some other standard. Faith must not be defined
in individualistic terms; faith as Paul defines it . . . is
'faith working through love.'"
Ephesians
By Walter L. Liefeld
"More than any other book of the Bible, Ephesians displays
the great purpose and plan of God for the church," Walter
Liefeld writes. "It provides a perspective that is unique:
God's--and the believer's--view from the 'heavenly
realms.'"
For those who long to delve into the mind and purposes of
God, few books are more helpful than Paul's letter to the
Ephesians. Here the apostle paints in broad strokes the great
plan of God for his church, centered on its head, Jesus Christ,
and living out its calling in praise of God's glory. Beginning
with doxology, Paul calls on the church to support its words of
praise with deeds to match. Christians today will find here
inspiration and insight that will confirm their allegiances and
shape their lives.
Written with warm pastoral insight, this commentary supplies
readers with a helpful introduction, covering authorship, date,
background material and a summary of theological themes. A
passage-by-passage exposition follows that focuses on
understanding what Paul had to say to his original readers in
order to see its relevance for the church today.
Philippians
By Gordon D. Fee
Nothing cripples a church's effectiveness like internal
strife. In Philippi, Paul addressed a congregation whose
private struggles were compounded by opposition and suffering
from without. Paul's strategy was to write them a letter of
friendship and moral exhortation, reminding them of their
"partnership in the gospel," their mutual suffering for the
cause of Christ, and their need to "stand firm in one spirit."
His approach and counsel can serve us well today.
In this warm, well-written study of Philippians, readers
will find an introduction that discusses the letter's occasion
and purpose, authorship, and other background information, as
well as its important theological themes. Passage-by-passage
commentary follows that seeks to explain what the letter means
to us today as well as what it meant for its original
hearers.
Colossians & Philemon
By Robert W. Wall
To the Colossians, preoccupied with legal codes and
intellectual disputes, Paul wrote a letter stressing not only
the centrality of Christ but also the need for Christians to
live out their faith in genuine community. Paul's antidote to a
privatized and intellectualized faith will provide relief to
many Christians today.
To Philemon, a powerful church leader, Paul wrote a strong
personal letter asking him to embark on a new relationship with
his slave Onesimus. Drawing on insights from Scott Bartchy,
Robert Wall argues that the issue had more to do with power
relationships than with slavery. As a model for conflict
resolution and mutual relations within the Christian community
Paul's letter has much to offer the church today.
In this careful study of Colossians and Philemon, readers
will find introductions that discuss the letter's occasion and
purpose, authorship, and other background information, as well
as important theological themes. Passage-by-passage
commentaries follow that seek to explain what each letter means
for us today as well as what it meant for its original
hearers.
1-2 Thessalonians
By G. K. Beale
Fascination with the end times is not just a recent
phenomenon.
The young church at Thessalonica, having taken root during
Paul's brief stay there, pondered when the end might come as
well. Paul, in order to instruct them more fully, wrote them
two letters, which taken together expound the
"already-and-not-yet" character of his views of the end times.
His instruction and counsel can serve us well today.
In this careful study of 1-2 Thessalonians, G. K. Beale
offers an introduction that sets the letters in context and
surveys their general content, highlighting issues surrounding
their occasion and purpose. His passage-by-passage commentary
seeks to explain what these letters mean to us today as well as
what they meant for their original hearers.
1-2 Timothy & Titus
By Philip H. Towner
Questions about the nature of Christian leadership and
authority, attitudes toward wealth and materialism, proper
responses to cults, the role of women in the church, and even
the validity of the institution of marriage are not new. Paul
addressed these issues in personal letters to Timothy and Titus
as leaders of first-century congregations in Ephesus and Crete.
What he had to say to them is as relevant to us as today's
newspaper headlines.
In this clear, pastorally oriented commentary, readers will
find helpful background material on authorship, date and
purpose, as well as an overview of theological themes in the
Pastoral Epistles. The introductory material is followed by
passage-by-passage explanation of the meaning these letters had
for their first-century hearers in order to pave the way for
understanding their significance for readers today.
Hebrews
By Ray C. Stedman
For people beginning to doubt the uniqueness and supremacy
of Christ, the author of the book of Hebrews provided one of
the longest, most profound arguments in the New Testament.
Christians today will find their understanding stretched and
their loyalty confirmed by this rich presentation of our great
High Priest, the Son of God, whose sacrifice of himself took
away our sins and gave us continual access to God.
Written in a fresh, succinct style, this commentary from a
leading evangelical pastor supplies helpful background
information that paves the way for our seeing what the text
means for us today as well as what it meant for its original
hearers.
James
By George M. Stulac
What is the proper relationship between faith and deeds? How
do Christians mature in the faith? What hope can we offer to
those who face trials of various sorts? How do we learn to
control our tongues and not get bogged down with riches?
The apostle James faced these questions in profound ways and
offered sound pastoral advice to his readers, scattered by
persecution. His word to them can become a vital word to us if
we are prepared to listen.
In this keen, pastorally oriented commentary, readers will
find helpful background marterial concerning authorship, date
and purpose, as well as helpful, passage-by-passage commentary.
The exposition focuses on understanding what James had to say
to his original readers in order to see its relevance for the
church today.
1 Peter
By I. Howard Marshall
As a young church in a hostile environment, Peter's first
readers found in his letter encouragement, not just for facing
suffering, but for living responsibly in the world as faithful
disciples of Jesus Christ. Christians today will also find in
Peter's letter a wealth of practical counsel on how to conduct
themselves in family and social life, as well as in relation to
a society that makes it tough to follow Jesus Christ.
In this invigorating volume from one of today's leading
evangelical scholars, readers will find an introduction that
discusses the letter's form, authorship, destination and
primary theological themes, followed by a passage-by-passage
commentary that always seeks to answer the question of what the
text means for us today as well as what it meant for its
original hearers.
1-3 John
By Marianne Meye Thompson
When to fight and when to compromise are not always easy
choices to make. Stubbornly defending the truth can easily end
up in arrogance that discredits the gospel, while too readily
seeking middle ground can leave truth by the wayside.
Torn by conflict and marred by schism, the congregation to
whom John addressed his letters stood in need of his strong
exhortations to love and unity within the bounds of truth.
God’s Word to them is well suited to the church today,
confronted by controversies within and without that challenge
its ability and will to stand for the truth in a pluralistic
society.
In this careful study of John's letters, readers will find
an introduction that discusses the letters' occasion and
purpose, authorship and date, order and theological themes. A
passage-by-passage commentary follows that seeks to explain
what each letter means for us today as well as what it meant
for its original hearers.
Revelation
By J. Ramsey Michaels
Interpretations of the book of Revelation are numerous and
varied. The preterist view focuses on first-century social
analysis of John's environment. The church-historical view sees
the Revelation as a prophetic survey of the history of the
church. The futurist view sees the book as a precise prediction
of unfolding events in the yet-to-come end of the world.
The trouble with all three, argues J. Ramsey Michaels, is
that they make the Revelation of John irrelevant to Christians
throughout much of history. Failing to take seriously what John
saw, such interpreters do not comprehend the value of the
Revelation to Christians in any age. Michaels strives to
recapture the Revelation as a prophetic letter of testimony, a
testimony as relevant to today's church as it was to John's in
facing evil and looking forward to the victory of the Lamb.
