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For Bible Study Nerds

In the modern practice of the Christian faith, we often live as though the New Testament has abolished the Old Testament, and therefore the Old Testament can be ignored. That was not Jesus’ view. “Not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything…

Reader Appeal: Seminary Professors and Students Genre: Biography / History FBSN Rating: C+ As far as biographies go, the Illustrated Life of Paul can seem a bit dry. It comes off as more of a “travel guide to the life of Paul” than an actual story of Paul’s life. Author, Charles L. Quarles, is a seminary…

Jesus’ vehemence about the sacredness of the Law and the Prophets seems to contradict his other teaching and actions, particularly in his flagrant disregard for Sabbath rules and his teachings on ritual purity. Does that mean he was lying, or worse, simply placating his Pharisaical opponents with some kind of politically correct statement in Matthew…

It seems significant that, in Matthew 5:16, Jesus commanded his followers to “let your light shine before men.” Notice that Christ didn’t command people to “make your light shine before men,” or even to “ignite your light before men.” The emphasis appears to be on our response to the light, not our manufacturing or maintenance…

Reader Appeal: Pastors, Teachers, Small Group Leaders Genre: Bible Commentary FBSN Rating: B Christ-Centered Exposition – Matthew is somewhat unique as a Bible commentary in a few specific ways. First, it’s designed with sermon preparation in mind, working on the assumption that pastors will be the primary readers of this book. That’s very helpful for…

Hidden within Jesus’ teaching on salt and light is this little statement, recorded in Matthew 5:14: “A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” In the literary and symbolic contexts, Christ is obviously emphasizing the idea of his people living faith-lives out in the open, like light that shines and fills a house. But he…

Some Bible teachers try to mine deeply the idea that Christians are “salt and light.” For them, every little aspect bears a significant application: Salt preserves, so we should be “preservatives” in our society. Light shines, so we should testify brightlyall the time. Salt was used to kill vegetation on ancient footpaths, so we should…well,…

Reader Appeal: Pastors, Seminary Students Genre: Dictionaries FBSN Rating: B+ If you’re the kind of nerd who likes flipping open a dictionary and reading random entries—or if you’re just a Bible Study Nerd who needs random access to biblical information—then you’re going to like the Thomas Nelson “A to Z” reference book, All the Names…

Jesus’ final beatitude (Matthew 5:11-12) differs from the earlier ones in its specificity and personal application. Up to this point, Jesus has used general pronouns as the object of blessing. For instance, “blessed are those…blessed are they…” Beginning in verse 11, though, his teaching shifts to the personal pronoun, “you,”—a direct reference that included his…

In Matthew 5:3-9, Jesus describes seven characteristics of people who are blessed. According to theologian, Herschel Hobbs, those descriptions symbolized “the nature of the kingdom citizen.” He interpreted them as follows: The Poor in Spirit. “Those who recognize that they are sinners, who possess nothing which merits their approach to God.” Those Who Mourn. People…
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