While I was teaching in Myanmar/Burma in March 2019, some of my long-term, advanced students suggested that I go through the New Testament and provide basic notes, which they could then be able print as a study Bible. They specifically asked that I focus on issues that are a major area of confusion in the churches where they work. Therefore, the following commentary will focus on these five primary areas:
- What is the nature of God’s grace and how is it received?
- What is God’s plan of salvation and the clear message of the Gospel?
- What is the Bible’s teaching on the security and assurance of the believer?
- How is the believer to live the Christian life and be effective in witness/service?
- What does prophecy say about the last days and the order of end-times events?
Practical Suggestions
These notes are purposely brief in nature. This work is not intended to be a complete commentary. All through the work I have kept in mind those who live in remote areas of our world, who labor to both understand and to teach others the Word of God. They do not have access to Bible school or seminary training. Neither are they able to afford the vast array of books available to pastors and teachers who live in more advanced countries.
I encourage all who utilize these notes to study them with an open Bible. Pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:15–23; 3:14–21) as you study. Read the context of the passage carefully. Look up and compare the references that are provided. Above all, let the Word of God, and not these notes, guide your insight into God’s Word. As I always tell my students: “Never take my word for anything; search the Scriptures and prove what is true” (Acts 17:10–12; 1 John 4:1).
Stay tuned for the rest of the New Testament!
Gene
If you do not see the document below, click on the title to see it on the website.
The Gospel According to Matthew
INTRODUCTION
The book of Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels. Its theme is the presentation of the King and the offer of His kingdom, and His rejection by the Nation of Israel as a whole. The result was His crucifixion and resurrection. The book begins, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1). It reaches its climax with the crucifixion of Jesus, under the sign posted by Pilate, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Matt. 27:37). The conclusion of the book is the commissioning of the apostles to carry the message of the Gospel to all nations (Matt. 28:18–20). Matthew has been called “the Gospel of Judgment” because of Jesus’ condemnation for their unbelief (Matt. 8:12; 23:13–39) and His prophecies of future judgment (Matthew 24–25). However, Israel’s rejection of the Savior opened the door for the formation of the Church, fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 9:26–27, and the grafting in of the Gentiles into the root of Israel (Rom. 1:16, 11:24–28) until the time of the Rapture of the Church (1 Thess. 4:13–18) and the restoration of Israel through faith in Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew was completed by the year 60 A.D. This was just six years before the beginning of the Jewish-Roman war that resulted in the destruction of the Temple, Jerusalem, and the Nation of Israel. This Gospel was a final warning to Israel of God’s impending wrath for their unbelief.