Resource Type: Commentary

A volume offering verse-by-verse or section-by-section exposition of a biblical book, written to help pastors, teachers, and serious students understand the meaning of Scripture in its context.

Joel (6.0)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Elizabeth Achtemeier
Bible Book: Joel
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This academic exposition of Joel reads the book as carefully shaped prophetic proclamation, centred on communal lament, repentance, and hope in the day of the Lord. It treats the text with attention to structure and rhetoric, tracing how catastrophe becomes a summons to seek the Lord together. The approach is critical rather than confessionally evangelical, yet it aims to take the theological claims of the book seriously within its own horizons.

The commentary emphasises corporate worship, the language of return, and the tension between judgment and mercy. It also gives space to Joel’s forward looking promises, including renewal and the gift of the Spirit, though it does not consistently trace those promises into a New Testament fulfilment frame.

Pastors will find useful observations for reading and teaching the book with coherence. For preaching, you will still need to do the canonical work that moves from Joel to the gospel.

Strengths

The discussion of communal repentance is a real strength. Joel is treated as a book that teaches God’s people how to respond when the world collapses, with prayer, fasting, and gathered lament. That is pastorally useful, because churches often do not know how to grieve together or how to confess together. The commentary helps you see that the call to return is grounded in the Lord’s character, not in mere self improvement.

There is also help with structure and flow. Joel can be difficult to outline, and this exposition provides guidance for following movement through crisis, summons, promise, and hope. Readers will also appreciate steady attention to imagery and to the way the book builds urgency.

Limitations

The main limitation for Christian preaching is that fulfilment is not consistently foregrounded. Joel is frequently read in relation to the Spirit and the coming day, and pastors will want confident connection to the gospel and to the church’s hope. This volume tends to stay within an academic horizon, leaving preachers to supply the Christ centred trajectory.

It can also lean into critical discussions that are more useful for classroom work than for sermon formation. Those sections may be worth reading, but they should not become the message.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a secondary resource for structure, rhetoric, and the dynamics of corporate repentance. It can help plan a series and avoid superficial handling. We would pair it with a more confessionally aligned commentary that traces Joel through the canon and helps with proclamation. In teaching settings for advanced students, it can serve as a solid example of careful reading within academic scholarship.

Closing Recommendation

A helpful academic guide for understanding Joel’s structure and focus on communal turning to the Lord. It is not a complete preaching companion, because it does not consistently move toward a Christ centred canonical synthesis. Use with caution, and rely on richer biblical theology for pulpit work.

Hosea (5.7)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Gale A. Yee
Bible Book: Hosea
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This academic reading of Hosea is shaped by critical scholarship and sustained attention to rhetoric, social world, and the ethical weight of prophetic imagery. It treats Hosea as a complex witness to covenant breakdown and divine persistence, while also probing how the book’s marriage language lands on modern readers. The approach is analytical rather than confessional, aiming to interpret the text within contested questions of power, language, and community identity.

The commentary is attentive to the intensity of Hosea, its abrupt turns, and its aching mixture of judgment and longing. It helps readers notice how accusation and promise are interwoven, and how the prophet presses Israel to recognise that turning from the Lord is both spiritual betrayal and moral collapse.

Pastors can learn from this careful engagement, especially where the text is difficult. Yet it does not naturally guide you toward a gospel shaped proclamation of covenant mercy. You will need to keep your bearings in the wider biblical storyline.

Strengths

The literary and rhetorical work is often strong. The commentary highlights repeated patterns of charge and appeal, the force of key metaphors, and the way Hosea’s language is meant to expose self deception. That can help a preacher avoid tame summaries and instead let the book confront complacency and counterfeit worship.

It is also willing to face hard passages without rushing. For pastors, that is useful, because Hosea can wound hearers if handled carelessly. The commentary offers language for acknowledging discomfort and for taking the moral stakes seriously, while still reading the book as purposeful prophetic speech rather than mere outrage.

Limitations

The main limitation is theological centre. The commentary often leans toward reader response and social critique, and it can underplay the covenantal logic of the book, namely that the Lord’s holiness and mercy are bound together and that restoration comes through divine initiative. Christian preaching also needs to show how Hosea’s mercy is not sentimental but costly, clarified by the saving work of Christ.

There is also a risk that modern lenses become controlling, so that judgment is reduced to politics and promise is reduced to communal resilience. Pastors will want to test every claim and keep the text’s own theology in the driving seat.

How We Would Use It

We would use this volume as a secondary partner when preparing to preach difficult sections, especially where imagery is pastorally sensitive. It can sharpen your reading and help you avoid superficial handling. We would pair it with a stronger canonical and gospel rich commentary, then build sermons that hold together God’s holiness, covenant faithfulness, and the grace that restores sinners. It is also suitable for advanced students learning to engage critical approaches responsibly.

Closing Recommendation

Challenging and often illuminating, particularly on rhetoric and ethical tensions. It is not a safe primary pulpit guide, because it does not consistently move toward a Christ centred, canonical synthesis. Use with caution, and rely on more theologically robust resources for proclamation.

Daniel (5.7)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Daniel L. Smith-Christopher
Bible Book: Daniel
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This volume offers a firmly academic reading of Daniel, with sustained interest in historical setting, literary shape, and the way the book functions for communities living under pressure. The tone is confident with critical methods and frequently frames Daniel in terms of identity, empire, and endurance. It gives careful attention to the shift from court narratives to apocalyptic visions, treating that movement as purposeful rather than awkward.

Readers will find a strong emphasis on the social world of the text and the rhetorical force of its imagery. The commentary is often at its best when it slows down to observe patterns of testing, public confession, and the repeated insistence that the God of heaven rules over kings. It can help you see how Daniel forms courage and patience in a hostile environment.

At the same time, the theological centre is not consistently shaped by a confessional or canonical approach. Pastors will benefit from the questions it raises and the literary sensitivity it models, but they will need to weigh conclusions carefully and do additional work to preach Daniel with clear gospel trajectory.

Strengths

The strongest contribution is its alertness to pressure and power. Daniel is read as Scripture that speaks into displacement, threat, and the temptation to compromise. That can help preachers avoid sentimental readings and instead feel the heat of the furnace, the cost of prayer, and the peril of public faithfulness. The commentary also offers helpful observations on how the stories shape imagination, training hearers to trust God when visible structures look immovable.

There is also sustained attention to literary craft. The narrative scenes are handled with care, and the vision material is treated as a deliberate expansion of hope rather than mere puzzle. For advanced students, the engagement with scholarly discussion can be a useful map of key debates, even when you do not share the author’s assumptions.

Limitations

The main limitation for pastoral use is theological direction. The volume is stronger at describing functions of the text than at tracing the message of Daniel within the wider biblical storyline. It can underplay how Daniel teaches the church to wait for the kingdom of God, and how its hope finds clarity in the coming of Christ, His suffering, and His exaltation.

There is also a risk that historical reconstruction and modern categories begin to steer the reading more than the book’s own claims. That does not make the commentary useless, but it does mean you should treat it as a conversation partner rather than a guide you follow line by line into the pulpit.

How We Would Use It

We would use this as a secondary resource, especially when preparing to teach Daniel in an academic or training context. It can sharpen awareness of genre, context, and rhetorical force. For sermon preparation, we would consult it after doing primary exegesis, then pair it with a more confessionally aligned commentary that helps with biblical theology and proclamation. The best use is selective, extracting observations that clarify the text without adopting controlling assumptions.

Closing Recommendation

A substantial academic reading that will stretch and sometimes sharpen an advanced reader. It is not a safe primary companion for preaching, because it does not consistently move toward a canonical and Christ centred resolution. Use with caution, keep Scripture itself central, and pair it with a more theologically robust guide for pulpit work.

1 Corinthians (5.4)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: J. Paul Sampley
Bible Book: 1 Corinthians
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary on 1 Corinthians offers an academic account of Paul letter to a divided and morally confused church. The author works through the argument unit by unit, often explaining social background, rhetorical strategy, and the ecclesial problems that Paul addresses. The work aims to interpret the letter within its historical setting and within the life of an early Christian community, rather than to provide a direct confessional guide for preaching.

Strengths

There is useful attention to the practical and communal nature of the letter. The commentary often clarifies how individual issues, such as factions, sexual immorality, lawsuits, idol food, and disorder in worship, connect to the deeper theological centre: the cross, the Spirit, and the call to holiness as the people of God. Background discussion can illuminate why certain Corinthian behaviours were socially plausible and why Paul responds as he does. The author may also help readers see the rhetorical force of Paul argumentation, including irony, rebuke, and appeal, which can sharpen the reader sense of pastoral strategy within the text.

Limitations

The limitations for evangelical and Reformed preaching are found in the overall approach. The commentary is more focused on social and rhetorical analysis than on doctrinal synthesis, and it can treat theological claims with a reserve that does not match the apostolic urgency of the letter. Paul repeatedly grounds his commands in union with Christ and in the gospel of the crucified and risen Lord, and the preacher will need to ensure those gospel foundations are not overshadowed by background detail. Application is not consistently developed, and in sections such as spiritual gifts and resurrection, the volume may not provide the kind of theological clarity and confidence that pastors require for proclamation.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a secondary tool for understanding the social dynamics of Corinth and the rhetorical shape of Paul pastoral intervention. It can help you see what a passage is doing in its immediate context and what assumptions Paul is correcting. For preaching, ensure that the cross and resurrection remain central, and use a more confessionally aligned commentary to support doctrinal clarity. In teaching settings for advanced students, this volume may be helpful for learning how to read the letter against its historical backdrop while still keeping the text itself primary.

Closing Recommendation

A useful academic commentary for background and rhetorical observation, but it is not a primary preaching companion. Consult with caution and with gospel priorities in place.

Romans (5.9)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: N.T. Wright
Bible Book: Romans
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary on Romans offers an academically engaged reading that emphasises the letter within its first century Jewish and Gentile setting and within the storyline of Scripture as understood by Paul. The author aims to trace the argument with care, especially where Paul discusses the righteousness of God, the place of Israel, and the formation of a unified people in Christ. It is a substantial interpretive work that interacts with scholarly debate and does not align neatly with classic Reformed formulations at several key points.

Strengths

The commentary is often strong in tracking the flow of argument. Romans is a tightly reasoned letter, and readers will find help in seeing how chapters relate and how themes develop across the whole. There is careful attention to the Old Testament background and to the way Paul uses Scripture. The discussion of the Jew and Gentile question, the unity of the church, and the ethical implications of the gospel can be stimulating. Advanced readers may value the clarity with which the author frames big interpretive questions and the way he presses for Romans to be read in its historical and covenantal context rather than as a set of disconnected doctrinal propositions.

Limitations

The principal limitation for many evangelical and Reformed pastors is theological. The author readings on justification, imputation, and related themes have been widely debated, and the commentary may not provide the kind of doctrinal stability and clarity that pastors need for preaching and teaching. There is a risk of reframing central Pauline categories in ways that underplay the personal problem of guilt before God and the gracious provision of righteousness in Christ received by faith alone. Even where the commentary offers genuine insight, the preacher must weigh it carefully against the text itself and against the wider witness of Scripture. It is also not consistently geared toward pastoral application, and the interpretive debates may distract from proclaiming Christ and calling sinners to trust him.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a conversation partner for seeing one influential reading of Romans that highlights history, covenant, and the Jew Gentile question. It can sharpen your exegesis by forcing you to articulate why you read a key phrase or argument as you do. But do not let it set your doctrinal frame without careful testing. Pair it with a commentary that represents classic evangelical and Reformed exegesis, and use Romans itself, in its flow and logic, as your governor. In teaching, this may be most appropriate for advanced students who can engage debate without losing the gospel centre.

Closing Recommendation

A stimulating and often insightful commentary, but it is the sort of tool that must be used with caution, especially on justification and related doctrines. Consult selectively, and keep confessional clarity close.

Acts (5.3)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Robert W. Wall
Bible Book: Acts
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary reads Acts as a theological narrative of the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the apostolic mission. The author engages issues of history, rhetoric, and ecclesial identity, and pays attention to how speeches and travel narratives shape the message of the book. It is an academic work that often interacts with wider scholarship and does not aim primarily at confessional exposition for preaching.

Strengths

Acts requires readers to track geography, argument, and the unfolding mission, and the commentary often helps with that task. There is useful attention to the structure of the book, the function of speeches, and the portrayal of the church as a Spirit formed community. Discussion can clarify how key episodes, such as the inclusion of Gentiles and the conflicts around the law, advance the narrative and theological purpose. The author also frequently notes ecclesial implications, which can help readers reflect on the identity and calling of the church. When the commentary stays close to the text, it can be illuminating for understanding Luke second volume and its theological emphases.

Limitations

The limitations are similar to the other volumes in this context. Critical assumptions can influence how Acts is treated as history and testimony, and pastors may need to supply greater confidence in the apostolic witness than the commentary provides. There can also be a tendency to treat Acts chiefly as a model for community identity rather than as a proclamation of Christ and his kingdom that demands repentance and faith. Application for preaching is not consistently developed, and the reader may need to do substantial work to draw out the gospel centre and the pastoral urgency that Acts itself carries.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a background tool for structural clarity, rhetorical analysis, and engagement with scholarly debates about Acts as narrative and history. It may also help in thinking through church identity and mission, especially for advanced teaching contexts. For preaching and church application, keep a confessional commentary alongside it and let Acts set the agenda: the risen Lord, the Spirit empowered witness, the proclamation of forgiveness in Christ, and the call to turn to him. This volume can sharpen questions, but it should not set your theological tone.

Closing Recommendation

A substantial academic commentary that can clarify structure and speeches, but it requires discernment for evangelical preaching. Best used as a secondary consultation.

John (5.3)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Gail R. O'Day
Bible Book: John
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary treats the Gospel of John as a theological narrative shaped by distinctive language, symbolism, and a strong concern for belief. The author discusses structure, major motifs, and the rhetorical force of the signs and discourses, while also engaging scholarship on the community behind the Gospel and its relationship to Jewish and Greco Roman contexts. It is a serious academic work and does not primarily serve confessional preaching aims.

Strengths

John repays careful attention to language and theme, and the commentary often delivers thoughtful observation. Readers will find help with the repetition of key words, the use of misunderstanding as a narrative device, and the way John frames Jesus as the revealer of God. The treatment of signs and the discourse material can be illuminating, especially where the Gospel presses questions of identity, belief, and eternal life. The commentary also helps readers notice how John builds tension toward the passion and how the cross is presented as glory and victory, even if the theological synthesis is not framed confessionally.

Limitations

The limitations for evangelical and Reformed use arise in method and theological endpoint. Critical reconstructions and community hypotheses can shape interpretation, and the volume may not treat the Gospel as straightforward apostolic testimony with the authority that John himself claims. Pastors will also need to supply clearer christological and soteriological synthesis for preaching, especially where John summons hearers to faith in the Son. Application is not developed in a way that easily transfers to the pulpit, and some discussions can remain within academic categories rather than moving toward doxology and gospel appeal.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a secondary resource for close reading of Johannine language, themes, and narrative strategy. It can help you see patterns you might miss and can provide a useful contrast with more confessional readings. When preaching John, keep the Gospel purpose statement and the call to belief central, and let the text itself set your tone: witness, invitation, and assurance. Pair this volume with a commentary that emphasises the authority of Scripture and the centrality of Christ for salvation.

Closing Recommendation

A capable academic guide with many helpful literary observations, but it requires discernment and supplementation for Christian proclamation. Consult with caution.

Luke (5.3)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: R. Alan Culpepper
Bible Book: Luke
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary on Luke is an academic reading that treats the Gospel as a crafted narrative with theological aims, shaped for a believing community. The author works through major sections, notes the Lukan themes of salvation, reversal, and the work of the Spirit, and engages common scholarly questions about sources, history, and genre. It is designed for advanced study and does not primarily aim to serve sermon preparation within a confessional framework.

Strengths

Luke invites readers to follow the story of salvation with careful attention to detail, and the commentary often helps with that narrative movement. There are useful observations on how Luke frames the ministry of Jesus, the role of prayer, the concern for the poor, and the unfolding journey to Jerusalem. Literary and rhetorical comments can clarify how scenes and speeches function within the wider argument. The author may also help readers see the distinctive Lukan voice in parables and in the shaping of conflict and compassion throughout the ministry.

Limitations

The limitations appear where the critical approach becomes the main interpretive lens and where theological claims are handled with reserve. Luke writes so that readers may have certainty about the gospel, and a confessional reading will naturally press toward the authority of the apostolic witness and the centrality of Christ in salvation history. This commentary can describe that intention but may not embrace it in a way that supports preaching. Pastors will often need to supply canonical connections, christological fulfilment, and clear application, especially when Luke presents the mission of Jesus as good news for sinners and outsiders.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a reference for narrative flow, literary observation, and engagement with scholarly debate. It can help you see how a passage relates to broader Lukan themes and how Luke shapes material to make theological points. For preaching, keep a confessionally aligned commentary alongside it. Let the immediate context set your boundaries, and keep the gospel centre clear: the saving mission of the Son, the call to repentance and faith, and the joy of salvation in the kingdom of God.

Closing Recommendation

A useful academic tool for advanced study, especially for narrative and thematic observation, but it is not a safe primary guide for proclamation. Use with caution and with clear theological priorities.

Mark (5.3)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: Pheme Perkins
Bible Book: Mark
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary on Mark offers an academic treatment of the Gospel with attention to narrative, community setting, and interpretive history. The author explores how Mark portrays Jesus, the disciples, and the conflict that intensifies toward the cross, while also engaging scholarly debates about sources and tradition. It is designed primarily for serious study rather than for preaching, and it does not aim to work within a confessional evangelical framework.

Strengths

Mark benefits from careful narrative reading, and this volume often provides it. The author highlights the pace and urgency of the Gospel, the repeated misunderstandings of the disciples, and the way Mark frames the identity of Jesus through actions, conflict, and suffering. Readers may find helpful observations on the secrecy motif, the escalating opposition, and the central role of the passion narrative. Background and historical discussion can help clarify social and religious settings, and the commentary often points out how a scene functions within the wider argument of the Gospel.

Limitations

The limitations arise where critical approaches become determinative and where theological conclusions are held with more distance than Christian proclamation requires. Mark is a Gospel that presses the reader to confess Jesus as the Christ who suffers and reigns, and the commentary may describe that pressure without drawing it to a confessional conclusion. Pastoral usefulness is also limited by the lack of guidance on application and by a tendency to treat interpretive questions as primarily academic rather than as matters of faith, repentance, and discipleship. Preachers will often need to do significant synthesis work to move from analysis to proclamation.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a study resource for checking narrative observations, understanding debated questions, and seeing how scholarly discussion frames key Markan themes. It may be particularly helpful when preparing to teach Mark in an academic or advanced Bible study setting. For sermon work, use it as a secondary source, and keep a clear confessional companion at hand. Let the immediate context and the Gospel as a whole drive your sermon structure, and let the cross and resurrection sit at the centre of your application.

Closing Recommendation

A competent academic commentary with useful narrative observations, but it should be used with caution as a primary guide for preaching. Best consulted selectively alongside more confessionally aligned works.

Matthew (5.1)

AdvancedAdvanced students / scholarsUse with caution
Author: M. Eugene Boring
Bible Book: Matthew
Series: New Interpreter's Bible
Type: Academic
Publisher: Abingdon Press
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical / Critical
Resource Type: Commentary

Summary

This commentary on Matthew is a substantial academic reading that engages the Gospel as a carefully crafted narrative shaped for a community of disciples. The author discusses structure, themes, and the distinctive features of Matthew, often interacting with scholarship on sources, tradition history, and the Gospel genre. The work aims to explain how Matthew communicates its message within its first context rather than to serve as a confessional guide for preaching Christ from Matthew.

Strengths

There is often good help with Matthew as a whole. The author pays attention to narrative movement, repeated patterns, and the way major teaching blocks function within the book. Readers will gain from the discussion of discipleship, the kingdom of heaven, and the sharp moral seriousness that marks Matthew. Literary observations can be strong, especially where Matthew uses fulfilment language, frames conflicts with religious leaders, and portrays Jesus as teacher and authority. The commentary may also help readers see how Matthew addresses a community under pressure, calling for perseverance, humility, and integrity.

Limitations

The limitations are significant for confessional use. The volume frequently treats historical and critical questions as primary and may handle fulfilment and christology in ways that flatten the evangelists theological intent. For pastors who preach Matthew as Scripture that bears witness to Christ as the promised Messiah and risen Lord, this can be a real constraint. The commentary can also be less helpful in showing how individual pericopes land on the congregation with gospel force. Application is not developed in a way that naturally serves sermon preparation, and the theological conclusions can remain within a horizon that does not speak with the clarity expected in Christian proclamation.

How We Would Use It

Use this as a background consultation when you want to understand a debated interpretive issue, examine how critical scholarship frames a passage, or check literary observations about structure and flow. If you do so, hold tightly to your own hermeneutical priorities: the immediate context, the argument of Matthew as a whole, and the canonical witness to Christ. Pair this with a more confessionally aligned commentary for preaching. It may also be used in advanced study settings where students can evaluate method and presuppositions rather than absorb them uncritically.

Closing Recommendation

A serious academic resource with real strengths in literary and structural observation, but it is not a safe primary companion for preaching. Consult selectively and with discernment.