Bible Study MagazineIf you want to interpret the Bible correctly, you’ll need to use the right tools, and use them rightly. This is surely true for Paul’s letter to the Romans, which is long, complex, and very important to Christian faith and doctrine. Let’s take a...
Mary JahnkeSince commentaries are such a helpful tool for Bible study and preaching, it makes sense to use them. It also makes sense to search for the best! Not only the best complete commentary series, either—the best commentary for each book of the Bible...
Tavis Bohlinger"While the Handbook is hardly a substitute for the real thing, Barth is a fairly intimidating author."
Who was Paul’s audience in Romans? Paul’s writings and the book of Acts give us more data about him than they do about the Roman church. We know nothing about its origins and only a little about its history. Some have claimed that Peter...
Nijay GuptaNijay K. Gupta, associate professor of New Testament at Portland Seminary (PhD, University of Durham) is beginning a blog series at theLAB on biblical commentaries on the Pauline epistles. Dr. Gupta has written three commentaries (Colossians, 1-2...
Genevieve ScheeleIntroduction The history of biblical exegesis and hermeneutics is not without controversy, and the apostle Paul’s Epistle to the Romans is no exception. It has more allusions and quotes from the Hebrew Bible than any other New Testament work, but is...
Thomas Schreiner’s BECNT commentary on Romans has just undergone a major revision from the first edition, released 20 years ago. The second edition is a whopping 944 pages of thorough exegetical work, updated with the latest scholarship on...
Michael S. Heiser“I hope to see you in passing as I go to Spain” says Paul, while imprisoned. His ambitions are repeated a few verses later: “When therefore I have completed this … I will leave for Spain by way of you” (Rom 15:28). It’s certainly ambitious for him...
Faithlife StaffTo fully understand Romans, you not only need to understand the social history of the book but also rhetoric—the ancient art of persuasion. In A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Paul’s Letter to the Romans (10 hour course), Dr. Ben Witherington III...
Ryan Pemberton“For freedom Christ has set us free,” the Apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Galatians. “Stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery” (Gal 5:1). But what does the Apostle Paul mean when he writes of our freedom in Christ...
A mother buries the child she loves. A hardworking husband loses his job. A family goes hungry. All of these scenarios beg the same question: If God is good, why do we suffer? For some—including many Christians today—suffering is a sign of God’s...
Todd BishopTell me everything you know about the book of Romans. Ready, set, go! Admit it: unless you’re Doug Moo, it’s pretty tough to summarize the background details of even this well-read and beloved epistle. But if you’ve ever preached through the book of...
Chuck McKnightWhat do you do when you come across a difficult Bible passage? Chances are, you open a trusted commentary and see what it has to say. Sometimes, the first commentary you check has the answer you’re looking for. But more often than not, you want to...
Jake MailhotRomans is Paul’s longest and most important epistle. The letter is filled with significant passages, as Paul unpacks the transformative nature of the gospel. But digging into the text can be pretty daunting if you’re not a Greek-language expert. All...
Brandon RappuhnWe heard you liked Paul’s epistle to the Romans. So we handpicked 125 diverse and key volumes in the study, interpretation, translation, and exegesis of Paul’s magnum opus. We made sure to encompass a wide variety of traditions, perspectives, and...
“I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”—Romans 12:1 (KJV) Wilhelmus à Brakel was a major theologian and scholar in the...
Rick BrannanC.E.B. Cranfield is perhaps best known for his two-volume commentary on Romans, which is part of the International Critical Commentary series (ICC, see here and here). And this is rightly so, his commentary is magesterial. But a writer can only...