A deeper dive into the book of Ephesians. . . .
Ken J. Burge Sr. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians on F.I.R.E.: Apprehending and Applying God’s Timeless Truths. 230p., $18.99, Morgan James Faith.
Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians on F.I.R.E. is an inductive commentary that goes beyond mere explanation of the text, taking students of the Bible, pastors, and professors on a journey to discover its life changing wisdom for themselves.
Dr. Ken J. Burge, Sr.’s eleventh book in the F.I.R.E series helps readers develop the necessary skill set to become familiar with the Bible passage they are studying, interpret it accurately, relate it to its surrounding contexts, and employ it personally.
F.I.R.E. is the acronym used for the study. This mnemonic (or memory) device stands for familiarity, interpretation, relationship, and employment. The author uses all four of these steps each time the reader travels through a section of Scripture. The twenty-one chapters in Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians on F.I.R.E. explore the book of Ephesians beginning with the riches of the believer as espoused in the first major division (1:1–3:21) and explicates the second major division concerning how the saints are to practice their position (4:1–6:21).
Matthew through Old Testament Eyes
The first gospel, from the perspective of its original readers. . . .
David B. Capes. Matthew through Old Testament Eyes. Through Old Testament Eyes series; Andrew T. LePeau, ed. 400p., $30.99, Kregel Academic.
Through Old Testament Eyes is a new kind of commentary series that illuminates the Old Testament backgrounds, allusions, patterns, and references that saturate the New Testament. These links were second nature to the New Testament authors and their audiences, but today’s readers often cannot see them. Bible teachers, preachers, and students committed to understanding Scripture will gain insight through these rich Old Testament connections, which clarify puzzling passages and explain others in fresh ways.
The Gospel of Matthew contains both overt and subtle connections to the Old Testament, capitalizing on the scriptural literacy of the work’s original, first-century Jewish audience. These complex and multifaceted connections are not always recognized by today’s readers, meaning significant ideas can be easily missed or misappropriated. David B. Capes elucidates these extensive backgrounds, echoes, quotations, ways of thinking, and patterns of living, showing how God’s plan—introduced in the Hebrew Scriptures—is revealed through the very person, work, life, and ministry of Jesus.
Avoiding overly technical discussions and interpretive debates to concentrate on Old Testament influences, this book combines rigorous, focused New Testament scholarship with deep respect for the entire biblical text.