Stewart Custer Collection (9 vols.)

Stewart Custer captures the reverent awe Matthew had for his Lord and communicates it with vivid detail and sound scholarship. Students of the Bible will appreciate the vital doctrines espoused within this commentary. Custer intends this commentary to provide pastors and lay-people alike with the necessary means to perceive the meaning of the great teachings of Jesus and the mighty sacrificial atonement He made for sinful mankind. In the Introduction Custer presents a list of choices, several outlines, and a list of Old Testament quotations. In a section on theology Custer discusses Matthew’s view of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, salvation, the church, the kingdom, Moses and the Law, God’s revelation, and ethical conduct.

This commentary is designed to help the student of Scripture gain a mastery of the Book of Acts so that its content may master his soul and make him a better witness to the power of Jesus. Dr. Custer has written a commentary that is scholarly yet practical, comprehensive without being cumbersome, and one that remains doctrinally sound. It tackles solutions to the alleged “discrepancies,” and gives practical applications to strengthen the believer in his faith. The commentary, besides providing historical background and interpretation to the text, draws upon the reverent comments of preachers and writers of the past, from the Homilies of John Chrysostom to contemporary authors.

Romans is a personal book for the author. As a child, he suffered from a bed-ridden illness. His grandmother gave him the Bible to read and it was in Paul’s letter to the Romans when the Holy Spirit began to deal directly with him. Custer has studied Romans from the Greek Testament and has preached through Romans in church and taught it in seminary classes. In the Introduction, the author discusses Paul’s background and the letter’s purpose, setting, and main theme. Custer’s commentary emphasizes the doctrine of God, the names and doctrine of Christ, and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. He also covers salvation, the church, sanctification, sin, the law, service, eschatology, and inspiration.

The Revelation gives a dramatic account of the earth’s last days and of Jesus’ return, but it oftentimes seems that over the centuries Christians have struggled to properly fit the puzzling pieces together. Differences of opinion and interpretation have and can obscure the book’s remarkable message. Dr. Custer combines stellar scholarship with profound application to provide an in-depth look at Revelation. Drawing from a broad selection of views and perspectives, From Patmos to Paradise strives to bring a closer understanding to its readers and consequently help them enjoy the blessings promised to those who read the Revelation of Jesus.

In the Introduction Dr. Custer discusses such important topics as authorship, purpose, different dispensational views, the kingdom of God, and the significance of numbers. A chart paralleling Genesis and Revelation is included, along with several helpful outlines.

Believing that a fresh study of synonyms is long overdue, Dr. Custer has utilized new sources of material in order to help pastors and students “determine the limits within which certain synonyms are equivalent and outside of which they are not.” Each word starts with its lexical definition as found in Arndt and Gingrich and amplified when necessary by distinctions given in Liddell, Scott and Thayer. The words are then traced through classical Greek, the papyri, the Septuagint, the New Testament, and occasionally through the writings of the apostolic fathers. A brief summary is given at the end of each chapter and an index of Greek words appears at the back of the book.

Custer places the Greek words in two categories: Substantives and Verbs. Under the former is a list of words such as Burden, Good, Remembrance, Soul, Trickery, and Word. Under the latter are phrases like I Anoint, I Complete, I Send, and I Watch.

Too often we purchase a book with high hopes that it will be what we were looking for, only to be disappointed. Tools for Preaching and Teaching the Bible is an excellent resource providing Bible-believing Christians with sound and dependable advice for selecting the tools—books—that will help shape their ministry. These are books that Dr. Custer can wholeheartedly recommend, having compiled them as the result of many years of studying, teaching, and preaching God’s Word. This new edition keeps all the popular features of the first edition, such as introductory chapters on inspiration and the methods of Bible study, along with reference Bibles, Bible geography, Bible dictionaries and encyclopedias, and commentaries. The second edition has updated this information plus added new chapters on prophecy, the Holy Spirit, church history, cults, and more.

Psalm 50:6 tells us that even the heavens proclaim God’s righteousness. Could it be that what the heavens communicate is far more glorious, far more intimate than what the casual observer has ever dreamed? The Stars Speak is a welcome return to the central theme of the heavens and how they declare God’s glory. From asteroids to the star of Bethlehem, Custer reveals not only the Creator’s grand and masterful designs but also His matchless and loving condescension. The book contains lots of excellent photos and drawings, a planetary fact sheet, a concordance of astronomy in the Bible, an index to the constellations, and a topical index.

Here Custer surveys answers to the question, “Are there errors in the Bible?” from four perspectives: Liberal, Neo-Orthodox, Neo-Evangelical and strict Conservative. The author emphatically states that the most important answer to this question is the one which Scripture itself gives. In Part I, Custer shows the teaching of Scripture on the doctrine of inspiration; in Part II, he presents the different theological opinions on inspiration; and, in Part III, he examines some of the passages often advanced as errors to see if there are reasonable explanations. A glossary, notes, and a bibliography are included.

Stewart Custer writes Wonderful Words as someone who understands the eternal freshness and depth of each priceless word of God. Using the Authorized King James Version, Custer chooses a theme for each day of the year and includes several Bible passages relating to that theme to give you a delight in words of love and rest in words of hope. These words from the eternal God are indeed Wonderful Words! Dr. Custer says the “words in this book are presented with a prayer that they may be a means of strength and richness of blessing to all who meditate on them in the coming years.”