NIV Standard Lesson Commentary, 2015-2016

Top Highlights

“Second, children are receptive to new things and fresh teaching.” (Page 325)

“Despite the importance of the man’s question, it is flawed. When he asks what must I do? he wrongly presumes that the life of God’s age of fulfillment is something that he can obtain by his own actions.” (Page 243)

“Paul now explains the baptism/death analogy. The key connection is the image of burial. Only dead people are buried. Since baptism is a type of burial, it therefore must involve a death—the death is the sinful life of the believer. Baptized persons put sin to death and bury it when they believe, repent, and are baptized (see Colossians 2:12). Churches have practiced baptism in various ways from early centuries, but it is worth noting that the burial analogy works best if we understand baptism as a full immersion of a person under water.” (Page 412)

“The accomplishments of the human mind are considerable, as amazing in Paul’s time as in ours. But in ignoring God, human wisdom becomes a disguise for foolishness. Psalms 14:1; 53:1 declare that the one who says there is no God is a fool, and Paul draws on that idea here. To deny the existence of the Creator God is to commit the most fundamental and destructive foolishness (compare Jeremiah 10:14; 1 Corinthians 1:20).” (Page 372)

“The right response is to make our identity not in what we know but in what God has done for us. God’s people have always been God’s people because of his grace, not because of their knowledge or any accomplishment. To make our stand on God’s grace leads to obedience that reflects our gratitude to and dependency on the one who has saved us.” (Page 380)