Craig L. Blomberg

Craig L. Blomberg is an American broadly evangelical New Testament scholar of the contemporary era. He is known for wide ranging work on the Gospels and for careful engagement with the teaching of Jesus.

We value his balanced approach, because he combines historical awareness with close attention to the text’s purpose. He helps pastors avoid shallow readings by pressing us to see what the passage is doing and how it shapes the church’s faith and obedience.

His writing remains valued because it is clear, fair minded, and consistently useful for teaching and preaching.

Recommended titles include James in ZECNT, Matthew in NAC, and Interpreting the Parables.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Craig L. Blomberg

Craig L. Blomberg is an American broadly evangelical New Testament scholar of the contemporary era. He is known for wide ranging work on the Gospels and for careful engagement with the teaching of Jesus.

We value his balanced approach, because he combines historical awareness with close attention to the text’s purpose. He helps pastors avoid shallow readings by pressing us to see what the passage is doing and how it shapes the church’s faith and obedience.

His writing remains valued because it is clear, fair minded, and consistently useful for teaching and preaching.

Recommended titles include James in ZECNT, Matthew in NAC, and Interpreting the Parables.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

Craig L. Blomberg

Craig L. Blomberg

Craig L. Blomberg is an American broadly evangelical New Testament scholar of the contemporary era. He is known for wide ranging work on the Gospels and for careful engagement with the teaching of Jesus.

We value his balanced approach, because he combines historical awareness with close attention to the text’s purpose. He helps pastors avoid shallow readings by pressing us to see what the passage is doing and how it shapes the church’s faith and obedience.

His writing remains valued because it is clear, fair minded, and consistently useful for teaching and preaching.

Recommended titles include James in ZECNT, Matthew in NAC, and Interpreting the Parables.

Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical

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1 Corinthians

Mid-levelBusy pastors, General readers, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.3
Author: Craig L. Blomberg
Bible Book: 1 Corinthians
Series: NIV Application Commentary
Type: Application
Publisher: Zondervan
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

We find Craig L. Blomberg’s 1 Corinthians in the NIV Application Commentary series a clear guide through a complex church letter. He keeps the argument moving, pays attention to the pastoral mess in Corinth, and helps us see how Paul applies the gospel to a divided congregation.

The series structure serves us well here. It anchors us in the passage’s original setting, then presses us to ask how the same truth confronts our own church habits, our pride, and our confusion about freedom and holiness.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary when we need help preaching 1 Corinthians with both courage and care. Blomberg helps us keep Paul’s priorities in view, so we do not major on side issues while missing the rebuke of loveless knowledge and self-seeking spirituality.

We also benefit from the steady bridge building. The application work is not gimmicky or thin. It is shaped by the text, and it repeatedly pushes us toward congregational repentance, clearer worship, and more serious discipleship.

For weekly preparation, it is a reliable mid level companion that supports exposition which both corrects and builds up.

Closing Recommendation

We recommend this as a strong mid level commentary for preaching and teaching 1 Corinthians, especially when we want help moving from careful explanation to church shaping application. Pair it with a more technical volume if you need deeper detail on particular debates.

As pastoral next steps, we can visit the Bible Book Overview, browse Top Recommendations, and use the Reformed Commentary Index to build a wiser working library.


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James

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholars, Busy pastors, Pastors-in-trainingStrong recommendation
8.0
Author: Craig L. Blomberg Mariam J. Kamell-Kovalishyn
Bible Book: James
Series: Exegetical Commentary On The New Testament
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Publisher: Zondervan
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

We find Blomberg and Kamell Kovalishyn’s James to be a tightly organised, pastor-facing technical commentary that works hard to keep the letter’s movement in view. James can be preached as a string of moral sayings, or treated as a problem to be solved. This volume helps us read it as a coherent, purposeful word that exposes double mindedness and calls the church to whole hearted obedience.

We are helped by the commentary’s disciplined layout and its steady attention to flow. It serves us in the hard places, where James presses on trials, speech, wisdom, partiality, and faith that works. The discussion is detailed enough to support serious study, yet shaped toward those who must teach the text clearly and apply it wisely.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary if we want exegetical help that keeps James tethered to its argument and intent. James is wonderfully direct, but it is not simplistic. We need to follow the turns of thought, the repeated themes, and the way James confronts the heart behind the behaviour. Blomberg and Kamell Kovalishyn help us avoid shallow moralism by showing how James’s imperatives arise from a theological vision of God’s character, God’s word, and the transforming work of grace.

We also benefit from the balanced tone. James contains sharp rebukes and urgent warnings, but also tender encouragement for sufferers and practical counsel for the ordinary pressures of church life. This commentary supports preaching that speaks with James’s honesty, while still aiming at repentance that leads to comfort, stability, and joy in the Lord.

We should be realistic about what the volume is and is not. It is not a collection of sermon outlines. It is a technical commentary designed to strengthen our grasp of the text. Yet if we use it early in the week, it can sharpen our main point, steady our applications, and help us preach James as Scripture that exposes, heals, and rebuilds.

Closing Recommendation

We strongly recommend this James commentary for pastors and teachers who want a dependable evangelical technical resource that stays close to the text and serves faithful proclamation. It is especially useful for a series through James, where we need help keeping the letter’s unity and pastoral purpose in view while addressing its searching calls to holiness and integrity.

As a next step, see the Bible Book Overview for James, browse Top Recommendations, or use the Reformed Commentary Index for a fuller shelf.


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