Product Description

Written for people from every walk of life, the Believer's Bible Commentary is clear and understandable enough for everyday use--turning complicated theology into practical understanding. Yet it also provides plenty of resource material for more advanced students, as well as for preachers, teachers, and writers.

Keyed to the New King James Version, but usefulwith any translation, the Believer's Bible Commentary will enrich your understanding of Scripture. It is a friendly guide to exploring the deeper meanings of every book, with numerous photographs, maps and charts interspersed throughout. MacDonald tackles the controversial issues head-on, taking a theologically conservative stand, yet presenting alternate views with fairness.

Make a personal, systematic study of the Bible a part of your daily life with the thorough yet easy-to-use Believer's Bible Commentary.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #21005 in Books
• Published on: 1995-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 2462 pages

Customer Reviews

Outstanding! Rich exposition and practical application!
As a student of the Bible, Sunday school teacher, and ordained deacon, I can enthusiastically recommend the Believer's Bible Commentary as a must for every Christian's library! Mr. MacDonald has written a scholarly yet friendly commentary that is useful for both personal daily Bible study as well as Sunday school lesson and sermon preparation. Following the New King James Version of the Bible, the central focus of this commentary is on clear, concise, direct, and conservative exposition of Scripture; seeing the person and work of Jesus Christ throughout the entire Bible; and applying Christian principles to modern living. The book also possesses a highly devotional quality as well. All this is done from a devout and conservative position, and difficult or controversial biblical issues are tackled rationally in the overall light of Scripture rather than dogmatically. Both Old and New Testaments are covered, with the OT receiving a slightly more superficial exposition. Mr. MacDonald's rich expositions provide a lasting impression of the deeper meanings of scriptural passages, rather than the conveyance of mere fact after dry fact or superficial, uninteresting coverage found so often in one-volume commentaries. Yet his exegeses are skillfully worded and concise enough so as not to be overwhelming to the user seeking a book for daily devotional study. I would, however, like to have seen the OT covered with a little more depth of exposition; the finer points of the NT are "dissected out" a little more. Still, even though I have long enjoyed reading Matthew Henry's Commentary, my #1 Bible study help--for my personal studies as well as my Sunday school lesson preparations--is the Believer's Bible Commentary. This book provides plenty of thorough and practical understanding of Christian theology, and I rarely prepare a lesson without it!

An excellent, God-honoring resource!
As a Sunday School teacher I was looking for a solid reference book from which I could base my lessons on and also do my personal devotions and study. I found just what I wanted with the Believer's Bible Commentary. It is packed with many articles on various topics including elders, divorce and remarriage, the concepts of the N.T. church, sin, the law, baptism, election, and much, much more. The summary article following the book of Acts is a must-read. There is a good amount of maps and tables depicting various themes. The author quotes from many other Christian writers so you are not getting the musings of just one man. The endnotes at the end of each bible book contain more details on certain verses and a bibliography for that book of the bible. There is a nice section of supplements at the end of the entire volume as well as a complete bibliography. MacDonald's writing is detailed, devotional and thought provoking. The editor notes that there is "a serious interaction with the details of the text... with no dodging of difficult passages or convicting applications." This is a commentary, systematic theology, general bible handbook, and practical guide all rolled into one package. And of course, the entire work speaks to the centrality of Jesus Christ in our lives. As the introduction reads, the aim of the Believer's Bible Commentary "is to help produce, not merely garden-variety, lowest-common-denominator Christians, but "disciples."" This central theme is expounded on time and again throughout the commentary. This is an excellent, God-honoring resource that I absolutely love.

Good choice for general purpose commentary
I have used this commentary for years and I own many others. It is well written and tends to stay close to the Bible with only minimal departures. I am a seminary student so I study different theological systems. This is not a technical or advanced commentary. It is very suitable for anyone trying to understand a particular set of verses. In some cases it goes verse by verse, but in the Old Testament especially it is often paragraph to paragraph. This works out well for most uses.

McFarland is a mainstream evangelical interpreter of the Bible. He takes the Bible very literally - commenting from a dispensational, pre-millennial theology perspective. This is the perspective of the Left Behind series of books. If you are Baptist, Pentecostal or from a similar congregational denomination you will probably be very comfortable with this commentary; it likely fits the teaching of your church very well. If you only plan to buy one full Bible commentary for your family this is a good choice.

Presbyterian, Lutheran and other Reformed backgrounds may want to consider something else if you plan to use it as a teaching resource. Though this is still a useful commentary on the key tenets of the faith, some important secondary doctrines do not agree with a Reformed view. Matthew Henry of course is always a great choice but he is by no means as easy to read or contemporary as this much newer commentary.