I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude (Holman New Testament Commentary | HNTC)
Overview
Dr. Walls helps us understand the pastoral care these apostles had for the early Christians. Peter reminds his readers in his first letter that they have a new life in Christ, and offers encouragement in their suffering for the faith. In his second letter, when he is close to death, he alerts his readers to false teachers and encourages them to grow in Christ. John wrote his epistles to strengthen Christians in their walk with the Lord, to focus on God’s love and our need to obey His commands, and to refute the Gnostic teachings regarding the humanity and divinity of Jesus. In Jude’s short letter he addresses a lot of issues. He refutes false teachers, warns against fleshly desires, rejecting authority, and being divisive.
Top Highlights
“2:20). All Christians need to hear about suffering” (Page 53)
“Shielded means ‘to guard’ or to ‘watch over.’ This military term describes how soldiers guard someone. The present tense emphasizes the continual nature of this shielding. It does not suggest that believers are shielded from pain, difficulty, or anguish. It means that God himself guards and watches over our salvation, our inheritance. Our relationship with God now as we grow more like Christ is a foretaste of that salvation which will be revealed when Christ returns.” (Page 8)
“Obedience does not produce a believer in Jesus Christ, but true belief will always produce obedience in a believer in Jesus Christ.” (Page 12)
“Submission is best understood as ‘to voluntarily yield your rights or will to someone else’s wishes or advice, as an expression of love for that person.’” (Page 48)
“Our inheritance can never perish, spoil or fade. These three verbal adjectives indicate that the inheritance is untouched by death, unstained by evil, and unimpaired by time. Our inheritance is death-proof, sin-proof, and time-proof. This inheritance is kept in heaven, for believers. Kept means ‘to guard or reserve.’” (Page 8)
- Title: Holman New Testament Commentary: I & II Peter, I, II & III John, Jude
- Authors: David Walls and Max E. Anders
- Publisher: Broadman & Holman
- Publication Date: 1999
- Pages: 279
David Walls is the Senior Pastor of Unionville Alliance Church in the greater Toronto region. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Pastor of the Church of the Open Door in Elyria, Ohio. Dr. Walls enjoys a wide speaking ministry, which has included college campuses and Bible conferences. He is the author of several books and regularly provides consulting services for churches in transition.
Max Anders is creator and series editor of the Holman New Testament Commentary. He is the Senior Pastor of Castleview Baptist Church in Indianapolis. He holds a Th.M. from Dallas Theological Seminary and a D.Min. from Western Seminary. He is the author of more than 20 books, including 30 Days to Understanding the Bible.