Baptist New Testament Commentary (7 vols.)

by HPB Publishing

Publisher:

HPB Publishing

, 2013–2018

Overview

The Baptist New Testament Commentary is a series of verse-by-verse commentaries of the King James Version Bible. This commentary is based entirely on the King James Version Bible, using the Received Text for all renderings. It is the passion project of 12 different authors, an editorial staff, and support staff of HPB Publications.

Key Features

• Based entirely on the King James Version Bible
• Provides brief introductions to each book
• Connects the themes of each book to the overall message of Scripture

Product Details

• Title: Baptist New Testament Commentary (7 vols.)
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Volumes: 7
• Pages: 2,951
• Christian Group: Baptist
• Resource Type: Commentary
• Topic: New Testament

Baptist New Testament Commentary: Acts

• Author: James Floyd
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2013
• Pages: 488

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Acts

The book is often and appropriately called “The Acts of the Apostles” because the first chapter names the Apostles individually and often refers to them collectively. The book refers to them no less than twenty-three times. Acts preserves their pronouncements, activities, and decisions as a church body. It reveals the unanimity and authority of their Apostleship.

As the student encroaches more deeply into the book, he uncovers these great truths. Acts is very interesting, challenging, and exciting when read earnestly. Spending time searching the contents of Acts will bring blessings and rewards. It is truly “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).

Baptist New Testament Commentary: I & II Corinthians

• Authors: James Floyd and James A. Crain
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2016
• Pages: 504

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

1 Corinthians

The Epistle of First Corinthians has been recognized as the work from the mind of God and penmanship of the great Apostle Paul (1 For. 1:1; 16:21). The internal evidence of its teachings along with the vocabulary lends strength to the testimony of the authorship and also revealed the character of Paul.

The apostle became the missionary to the Gentile nations, following his salvation, conversion from Judaism, and call by the Lord (Acts 9:15). Sosthenes, a dear saint, was with Paul as he penned this letter. No other proof exists of any contribution by Sostehenes to this writing. Paul, at the beginning of this letter, simply mentioned the greeting of Sostehens to the brethren.

2 Corinthians

The present day country of Greece consists of the Roman provinces of Macedonia and Achaia, regions in which the apostle Paul and his associates ministered for at least a couple of years during his second missionary journey. According to Acts 16:11-18:18, Paul’s labors in the province of Macedonia, which is northern Greece today, resulted in the establishment of three churches, the congregations in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, while his ministry in Achaia, the southern area, yielded converts in Athens and a church in Corinth. Evidently, a church was also established in Cenchrea, a suburb of Corinth (Rom. 16:1).

Paul spent most of his time in this region in Achaia, at least eighteen months of which were in Corinth (Acts 18:11). Of all the churches in those regions, the congregation in Corinth seemed to be the one with the most problems – but also the most potential in some respects. This undoubtedly is why the Lord kept Paul in Corinth as long as He did and moved the apostle to write the two epistles to that church (2 Peter 1:21).

Baptist New Testament Commentary: Galatians and Ephesians

• Author: Charles F. Law
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 223

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Galatians

The epistle to the churches in Galatia was written to emphasize that a believer in Jesus Christ receives salvation through faith alone. This letter is, therefore, a forceful defense of the gospel of faith and a vigorous attack against the gospel of works.

The Purpose. Justification by faith apart from the works of the Law is the essential them of this epistle. This basic purpose is built on three subordinate topics, which become obvious as one studies this book. First, there is a Paul’s defense of his apostleship, which validated his message of salvation by grace through faith in Christ, a matter emphasized in Chapters 1 and 2. Next, in Chapters 3 and 4, Paul defended the principle of justification by faith by refuting the false teaching that one can be justified by keeping the Law of Moses. Finally, the practical application of Paul’s argument, that liberty from the Law is not a license for one to live without regard for the principles of righteous conduct, is seen in Chapters 5 and 6.

Ephesians

The Epistle of Ephesians is part of a group of four epistles written near the same time. These are Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The first three were written to churches in the cities reflected by the titles of the biblical books, for example: the letter to the church at Ephesus. The name heads the letter, Philemon. The letters of Ephesians and Colossians are very similar, containing like comments in some areas of the letters.

The born again Jews struggled in the early history of the churches to turn from Judaism and accept the new fashion of worship in a New Testament church. The church at Ephesus, having both Jew and Gentile, struggled to have unity as one body in Christ and to have all members view themselves as equal in that church. Such a lacking of unity would hinder the labors and accomplishments of this church.

Baptist New Testament Commentary: I & II Thessalonians, Colossians, and Philippians

• Author: Roger Copeland
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 456

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Philippians

The book of Philippians is one of the most personal letters found in the New Testament. Paul, often used a first person singular personal pronoun, such as, I, me, or my. The apostle Paul and the church members at Philippi had a special bond that appears on every page of this relatively short epistle. Few books in the New Testament reveal the heart of Paul any more than Philippians. Although it had been approximately 10 years since Paul had been in Philippi, his love for them had not waned and neither had their loyalty to Paul subsided (Phil. 4:10-14). A special relationship existed between the missionary and the church at Philippi that could not be interrupted with the passage of time or the distance of miles. To gain a better understanding of the epistle, it is necessary to consider the following background information.

Colossians

The Place. Paul, in his initial greeting in the Epistle of Colossians, wrote, “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are in Colosse” (Colossians 1:2). In this twenty- first century most are accustomed to identifying churches by name. Popular names of churches are Calvary Baptist Church, Faith Baptist Church, Macedonia Baptist Church, and many more. Frequently, churches are identified by street location such as Langdon Street Baptist Church or Twelfth Street Baptist Church. The churches of the New Testament were usually identified by the city or area in which they were located. Paul addressed the church at Colosse simply as those saints and faithful brethren who were in Colosse.

1 Thessalonians

The Writer. The apostle Paul was the writer of this letter to the church at Thessalonica. The letter began, “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians” (1 Thessalonians 1:1). Later, he removed any doubt about authorship when he wrote, “Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again; but Satan hindered us” (1 Thessalonians 2:18).

The City of Thessalonica. Geographically, the seaport city of Thessalonica was located in what is now northern Greece on the Balkan Peninsula. Cassander, in 315 BC, rebuilt the original city Therma, and he named it Thessalonica in honor of his wife, the sister of Alexander the Great. Thessalonica was about 100 miles from Philippi, where Paul and Silas had previously ministered (Acts 16; 17:1). In its place today, stands the modern city of Thessaloniki with a population of nearly 400,000.

2 Thessalonians

The Writer. There was never a doubt that the apostle Paul was the writer of this epistle to the Thessalonians. The letter begins, “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thessalonians 1:1). To remove any doubt concerning authorship, Paul closed the epistle stating clearly, “The salutation of Paul with mine own hand, which is the token in every epistle: so I write” (2 Thessalonians 3:17). The epistle was immediately accepted into the canon of Scripture by the early churches, appearing in the Syriac and Old Latin versions and in the Muratorian fragment. Polycarp, who died a martyr’s death in AD 155, made reference to this epistle as did Irenaeus and Tertullian.

Baptist New Testament Commentary: I & II Timothy, Titus, and Philemon

• Author: Charles F. Law
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2017
• Pages: 406

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

1 Timothy

The first and second epistles to Timothy and the epistle to Titus are generally considered to be “Pastoral Epistles.” This designation distinguishes these epistles from those which were directed to congregations in Thessalonica, Galatia, Corinth, Rome, Ephesus, Colosse, and Philippi.

The letter to Philemon is sometimes regarded as a pastoral epistle since its recipient was an individual, and the contents were pointedly personal rather than congregational. The first and second epistles to Timothy and the epistle to Titus were written to guide the recipients in his work as a pastor.

2 Timothy

This second letter to Timothy is the last installment in the New Testament canon by the apostle Paul. The letter, in many respects, is similar to other Pastoral Epistles of 2 Timothy and Titus. There are some definite distinctions, however, as a careful reading of each of these letters will indicate.

2 Timothy, although not generally categorized as a Prison Epistle as are Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians, certainly qualifies as such because it was written while Paul was awaiting execution as a prisoner of Rome. Some Bible students regard Philemon as a Prison Epistle because of the time of its writing, and as a Pastoral Epistle by others because of the nature of its contents. Timothy is considered by many students of the Bible as the last will and testament of Paul.

Titus

The writer of this letter identifies himself as Paul. He was given the name of Saul by his parents, probably after King Saul who was also from the tribe of Benjamin. He went by the name of Saul until Acts chapter 13 when he and Barnabas began what has become known as their first missionary journey, which was month the Gentiles. Thereafter he went by the name of Paul. It is obvious that Saul (meaning “desired”) was his Hebrew name and Paul (meaning “little”) the name he used among the Gentiles.

Paul was born in the city of Tarsus, one of the main cities in the Roman province of Cilicia, famous for its goat’s hair cloth, called cilicium. The city of Tarsus stood on the banks of the river Cydnus, about 12 miles north of the Mediterranean Sea and was known for its wealth and for its schools of learning, which rivaled even Athens and Alexandria.

Philemon

The book of Philemon is a beautiful personal letter written from one friend to another asking a favor. The main characters in the letter are Paul, Philemon (the friend to whom the letter was written), and Onesimus (a runaway slave who belonged to Philemon). Philemon and Onesimus were from the city of Colosse that was located in the region of Phrygia, known in modern times as West Central Turkey.

Baptist New Testament Commentary: Hebrews and James

• Authors: David M. Butimore, James F. Holmes, and Joseph Brown
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2014
• Pages: 448

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Hebrews

The Epistle to the Hebrews is one of the most difficult books in the New Testament to understand and interpret. An understanding of the Law of Moses, and especially, the book of Leviticus is fundamental to the proper interpretation and sacrifices of the Old Testament.

Though it is a difficult book to understand, it is one of the richest books to study. Just like any other book of the Bible, a proper understanding of the Scripture requires at least two factors. First, an individual repentance toward God and personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 2:14-16), and second, a person must depend on the guidance of the Holy Spirit through His ministry of spiritual illumination (John 16:13).

James

The book of James has been classified as a general epistle in the canon of New Testament Scripture. The words “general epistles” are used in contrast to “church epistles” or “pastoral epistles.” James addressed his book to “the twelve tribes scattered abroad” (James 1:1).

This is vastly different from the writings of Paul who wrote to churches at particular, specific locations, such as “to all that be in Rome” (Romans 1:7), “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth” (1 Corinthians 1:2), and “unto the churches of Galatia” (Galatians 1:2). While the book of James is general as to the location of the recipients, it is very specific in its teachings.

Baptist New Testament Commentary: I & II Peter, I, II, & III John, and Jude

• Author: Larry E. Clements
• Editor: James A. Crain
• Series: Baptist New Testament Commentary
• Publisher: HPB Publishing
• Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 426

Sample Pages: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

1 Peter

Peter was the son of a man called Jonas or Joan (Matt. 16:17; John 1:42; 21:16). His occupation was that of a fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. In that work, he partnered with his brother Andrew and perhaps with John and James, sons of Zebedee (Matt. 4:18-22). Jesus called these four fishermen to follow Him. They became disciples, later apostles, and they were charter members of the church Jesus founded. These four had been disciples of John the Baptist (John 1:35-43), and they became followers of Jesus when He called them.

2 Peter

As its name indicates, the apostle Simon Peter was the author. Jesus added “Peter” to his name, Simon (John 1:42). His father was Jona (Matt. 16:17), and his brother by trade and did most of their fishing in the Sea of Galilee. Luke indicated that he had been raised as a devout Jew (Acts 10;14). He was a Galilean with limited secular education. He is mentioned more than 150 times in the New Testament. Andrew introduced Peter to the Lord (John 1:40-42).

1 John

The writer of this letter did not identify himself, but early church writers attributed it to the apostle John, also the writer of the gospel of John. There is internal evidence that John wrote this epistle because of the similarity between this book and the Gospel of John.

2 John

Although the writer does not name himself as the author, few doubt that John is the writer from external and internal evidence. Eusebius, in his Church History, quoted Irenaeus saying that as a boy he had listened to Polycarp, who in turn had spoke with the apostle John and others who had seen the Lord. Irenaeus, in his writing, “Against Heesies,” quoted from 2 John 10, 11, and attributed them to the apostle John. The epistle of 2 John, from the earliest times of church history, has been attributed to the apostle John.

3 John

John wrote this letter to Gaius, a personal friend, for whom he expressed his affection and wished him good health. John commended Gaius for his adherence to the truth and for his hospitality to those traveling in the Lord’s service. Those travelers were on a mission to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, but they refused to take any support from those Gentiles. That is why it was important for Gaius to help them on their journey.

Jude

Jude identified himself as the writer of the book bearing his name. Iovaac for “Jude” also can be translated as Judas, Juda, and Judah. It is the same name as Judas Iscariot in Matthew 10:4; the Lord’s brother in Matthew 13:55; Judas of Galilee in Acts 5:37; Judas, in whose house Paul stayed on Straight Street in Damascus in Acts 9:11; the apostle Judas in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13; the Judas surnamed Barnabas in Acts 15:22; the land of Juda in Matthew 2:6, the three named Juda in the lineage of Jesus in Luke; and the tribe of Judah in Revelation 7:5.

Jude further identified himself as the brother of James. A person, normally, would be identified as the son of his father, or perhaps identified with the place from which he came. The writer, by identifying himself with the people to whom he was writing would understand which specific James it was to whom he was referring.

It is necessary in identifying which Jude was the writer of this epistle to identify his brother, James. There were two apostles named James, the son of Zebedee and brother of John (Matt. 10:2), and James the son of Alphaeus (Luke 6:15). It is easy to rule out James the son of Zebedee as being Jude’s brother since this James was the brother of John, not Jude. The apostle James, however, the son of Alphaeus, had a brother named Jude who was also an apostle (Luke 6:15, 16). The Jude, however, who wrote this epistle was Jude, the Lord’s half-brother.

About James A. Crain

James A. Crain was born on February 5, 1952, in Longview, Texas, and reared near McNeil, Arkansas. After graduating from McNeil High School, he served 4 years in the military during the Vietnam War, earning the bronze star with valor. He was saved at the age of 16 and was baptized by Mt. Zion MBC in Cale, Arkansas, where he also surrendered to preach in December of 1972. He was ordained by Liberty MBC, Shreveport, Louisiana, in January 1975. He received a Bachelor, Master and Doctorate of Theology from Louisiana Missionary Baptist Institute and Seminary, where he presently serves as President. He served as either moderator or treasurer of several local associations and of the Louisiana State Association. He served as President of the American Baptist Association from 2012 to 2014. He served on the Standing Missionary Committee of the ABA from 2004 to 2017, and as chairman from 2012 to 2017. He has been a published writer since 1983, and is currently editor of the HPB Publications. Dr. Crain and his wife Beverly have two children and grandchildren. Dr. Crain served twice as a local missionary and has pastored churches in Arkansas and Louisiana.