Study Commentaries

Reaching out to listeners of all religious backgrounds, Desmond Tutu shows us how to transform suffering into joy both in our lives and in our world. He tells us that God dreams of a world where laughter, love, and peace reign, and where we realize that we are all members of one family, God's family. In this extremely personal and liberating message, Father Tutu helps us "see with the eyes of the heart" and cultivate the qualities of forgiveness, humility, generosity, and courage.

Many pastors, students, and teachers have come to know and depend upon James Montgomery Boice’s scholarly yet accessible commentaries on the most popular books of the Bible. Here is an addition to the Boice commentaries that has a unique focus. Instead of examining an entire book of the Bible, it provides listeners with an in-depth look into Matthew 5-7, Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.

At every moment the author brings deep insight, conviction, and clarity about what God's Kingdom work is all about.

Exploring chapters 1-4, this first volume on the Gospel of John is an insightful study and devotional guide for serious Bible students as well as interested laypersons. James Montgomery Boice explores the coming of Jesus Christ and discusses the initial reaction some people had toward him.

Jesus Christ has been given the name above all names, the highest seat of honor, the right to reign and rule. Yet the busyness of our lives and the diversions of this world often distract us from knowing the most important person we could ever know. Perhaps we need some help to see Jesus afresh. In this thoughtful study and worshipful reflection, two influential pastors draw on decades of pastoral experience in order to guide us through the whole sweep of Scripture and examine seven key qualities of Jesus's identity and ministry.

Who was Mary Magdalene? A devoted disciple who witnessed the crucifixion? The first person to proclaim Christ's resurrection? A spiritual teacher with profound wisdom? Or the penitent prostitute of medieval imagination? This groundbreaking study peels away centuries of distortion to reveal the remarkable truth about the woman who stood at Christianity's founding moment yet whose voice was repeatedly silenced throughout history.

Read by the author. Learn how to read the Bible as literature and fall in love with God's Word. We all want to read the Bible verse-by-verse, cover-to-cover, but what happens when you can't get past Leviticus or bog down and quit in Chronicles? How can you make the journey through the Bible...

In this ninth and final biographical study in the best-selling Great Lives from God's Word series, beloved pastor and Bible teacher Charles Swindoll introduces you to the carpenter from Nazareth as you have never seen Him before. Jesus is, without question, the most influential person in history...

Explore what the apostle Paul actually taught about the Good News of Jesus, one verse at a time, so you can better understand the Gospel and your faith. The apostle Paul penned a number of very concise, focused passages in his letters to the early church that summarize the gospel message in just...

The history of the Prophet Mohammad, the development of Islam, implementation of Shariah Law, and views of Quranic interpretations are all presented along with three separate classical translations of the Holy Quran. Put simply, The Quran (Koran) is viewed as an unfolding revelation. Thus, the last statement in the Quran regarding a subject supersedes any statement that came before it. This is called ABROGATION. Thus, we list verses in chronological order and examine the list for the last verses written on a subject to see what instructions are to be followed by Islam today.

The apostle Paul was, in his own words, "the chief of all sinners." Yet, this colossal figure left an indelible signature of greatness. Join renowned pastor Charles Swindoll in Great Lives: Paul as he examines the influence and impact of this remarkable man. Tough, tenacious, and fiercely...

Duffy engages with some of the central aspects of Western religion in the thousand years between the decline of pagan Rome and the rise of the Protestant Reformation. In the process, he opens windows on the vibrant and multifaceted beliefs and practices by which medieval people made sense of their world: the fear of death and the impact of devastating pandemic, holy war against Islam and the invention of the blood libel against the Jews, provision for the afterlife and the continuing power of the dead over the living, the meaning of pilgrimage and the evolution of Christian music.

In Strange Fire, bestselling author and pastor John MacArthur chronicles the unsavory history behind the modern Charismatic movement. What would God say about those who blatantly misrepresent His Holy Spirit; who exchange true worship for chaotic fits of mindless ecstasy; who replace the...

Find comfort in God’s specific and powerful promises for the future as New York Times bestselling author Dr. David Jeremiah explores the book of Daniel. The book of Daniel offers some of the most vivid and descriptive portions of prophecy in all of God’s Word. Through the instruction of...

Story captures our hearts and feeds our imaginations. It reminds us who we are and where we came from. Story gives meaning and direction to our lives as we learn to see it as an affirmation of God’s love. Drawing upon her own experiences, well-known tales in literature, and selected narratives from Scripture, Madeleine L’Engle gently leads the way into the glorious world of story in The Rock That Is Higher. Here she acknowledges universal human longings and considers how literature, Scripture, personal stories, and life experiences all point us toward our true home.

An indispensable guide for exploring the literary, historical, and theological issues behind the Old Testament. The purpose of studying the Old Testament is to understand God and his redemptive work more fully. However, this goal is complicated by the fact that it was transmitted through a very...

Since Hamas's attack on Israel last October 7, the term "settler colonialism" has become central to public debate in the United States. A concept new to most Americans, but already established and influential in academic circles, settler colonialism is shaping the way many people think about the history of the United States, Israel and Palestine, and a host of political issues. This short book is the first to examine settler colonialism critically for a general audience.

The book of Revelation made accessible by one of today’s most trusted theological minds: Eugene Peterson. If you are daunted by Revelation’s complexity or confused by its claims, Reversed Thunder brings one of the most difficult-to-understand texts in the Bible into clear view. Eugene...

In these chapters, you’ll find personal testimony to love’s power, reminders of the centrality of love throughout the long histories of Universalism and Unitarianism, and theologies of love drawn from many different expressions of Unitarian Universalism—from the natural world to the justice rally, to a loved one’s deathbed, to the quiet moment before a worship service begins. May Love at the Center serve as an invitation to deepen your own understanding and practices of love.

“Do you want peace?” asks James Montgomery Boice. “Are you willing to receive it at the point where Jesus indicated it may truly be found?" This fourth volume on the Gospel of John calls us to the peace that can be found in Christ’s love. Nowhere in the entire Bible can we walk on more holy ground as we listen to Christ’s final discourses.