Owen on Hebrews

I am getting acquainted with the commentary on the book of Hebrews by the Puritan great, John Owen. It does not disappoint! This seven volume set, just on Hebrews, starts off with a two-volume preamble (volumes 1 & 2) of Owen’s Exercitations on the book of Hebrews where he lays the ground work for a right approach to this magisterial Epistle. The actual exegesis and exposition of the text does not begin until volume 3. When considering his reason for undertaking this mammoth work, Owen says in his preface to the reader in volume 1…

…..casting my mite into this treasury…..after I had made a thorough perusal of all the comments, expositions, annotations, or observations on the Epistle, which by any means I could obtain, I returned again, upon sundry considerations, unto my former thoughts and resolutions. For, first I found the excellency of the writing to be such; the depths of the mysteries contained in it to be so great; the compass of the truth asserted, unfolded, and explained, so extensive and diffused through the whole body of the Christian religion; the usefulness of the things delivered in it so important and indispensably necessary; as that I was quickly satisfied that the wisdom, grace, and truth, treasured in this sacred storehouse, are so far from being exhausted and fully drawn forth by the endeavours of any or all that are gone before us…..

In volume 3, Owen spends no less than 80 pages on the first two verses. To give you a taste of Owen’s focus, the below excerpt is from the end of that particular portion of exposited scripture….

Now, the utmost end of God, in all his ways towards the sons of men, being the manifestation of his own glory by the way of justice and mercy, whatever tendeth thereunto is all jointly to be looked on as one entire means tending unto that end and purpose. The works, therefore, of the old and new creation being of this sort and nature, one joint and general means for the compassing of the forementioned end, nothing can hinder but that they may have that respect to each other which before we have declared.

Morris on Wrath

People today tend to see the truth that “God is love” as the one significant thing. They quite overlook the unyielding moral demand that runs through Scripture.
It is, of course, true that God is love. But it is not true that this rules out any realistic view of God’s wrath. We must bear in mind that the opposite of love is not wrath, but hate. Wrath is perhaps not an ideal term, for with us it so easily comes to denote an emotion characterized by loss of self-control and a violent concern for selfish interests. But these are not necessary constituents of wrath, and both are absent from the “righteous indignation” which gives us the best human analogy. In any case “wrath” is the word the Bible uses, and we need the strongest of reasons for abandoning it. It is a term that expresses the settled and active opposition of God’s holy nature to everything that is evil. What we should not do is to abandon the idea that the wrath is personal. This leads to the position that God does not care about sin, or at least does not care enough to act. It is impossible to reconcile such a morally neutral position with the scriptural teaching about God. The Bible in general and Paul in particular see God as personally active in opposing sin.

-Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, page 76

After reading this, I am reminded to revisit the practice of defining terms. What is love? What is wrath? What is hate? The question is not what do I think these words mean, but what does God say that they mean? James 1:20 says, “for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.” The Bible differentiates between the wrath of God versus the wrath of man. Man’s version of anything is corrupt and imperfect, and leads to sin. Wrath is righteous and godly, if it is the wrath of God.

Perseverance a Result of Study

Nisbet commenting on 1Peter 1:13 (Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;) :

The consideration of our spiritual privileges by Jesus Christ should stir us up to the study of holiness; our diligence in that study being the means of our perseverance and that which clears our right to take the comfort of those privileges,…
-Alexander Nisbet, 1&2 Peter; Geneva Series of Commentaries

Alexander Nisbet, Altogether Necessary

For some time I have had my eye on Alexander Nisbet’s commentary on 1&2 Peter, so I went ahead and bought a used copy through amazon, with curiosity getting the better of me. I haven’t been able to find much information about him or even find any scanned images of his writings. In fact, I not sure he wrote anything beyond this commentary. But, from what I have read of it so far, I highly recommend this treatment of the Petrine epistles. For writing that is over 350 years old, it is very readable and the content obviates the passion of a preacher of Christ.  Commenting on 1 Peter 1:11 about the incarnation of Christ as predicted by the prophets (searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow.) :

It is the way which the Lord usually keeps with the dearest of His servants to let out His mind to them by little and little, to make plain some things to them and keep up other things from them that He may humble them, quicken them to diligence, and keep up correspondence between Himself and them;…..yet they were kept dark concerning the particular time when He should come, and the distinct quality of His times, what form of worship and way of administration of Gospel ordinances there should be then.

God keeps His own counsel and timing. I’ll be quoting from Nisbet more in the future.

Because of Wrath

The gospel is necessary because there is such a thing as the wrath of God, because only the gospel of salvation by grace through faith (vv. 16-17) brings deliverance from that wrath.

-Leon Morris, The Epistle to the Romans, page 75

Born Again According To Abundant Mercy

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3)

We have just started going through 1 Peter in the men’s bible study. I only have a couple of commentaries at my disposal on this magnificent epistle, so it is encouraging me to be more dependent on praying and meditating on the text – there is certainly a sweetness to this that I had been neglecting up until recently. That being said, I did find something in Calvin’s commentary on the first letter of Peter that is worded quite well.

Commenting on 1 Peter 1:3:

According to his abundant mercy. He first mentions the efficient cause, and then he points out the mediating cause, as they say. He shews that God was induced by no merits of ours to regenerate us unto a living hope, because he assigns this wholly to his mercy. But that he might more completely reduce the merits of works to nothing, he says, great (multam) mercy. All, indeed, confess that God is the only author of our salvation, but they afterwards invent extraneous causes, which take away so much from his mercy. But Peter commends mercy alone; and he immediately connects the way or manner, by the resurrection of Christ; for God does not in any other way discover his mercy; hence Scripture ever directs our attention to this point. And that Christ’s death is not mentioned, but his resurrection, involves no inconsistency, for it is included; because a thing cannot be completed without having a beginning; and he especially brought forward the resurrection, because he was speaking of a new life.

Calvin explains why Peter is driving home, According to His abundant mercy. It is because he wants to get it through our heads that we are not born again because we believe but that we believe because we are born again and we are born again according to the abundant mercy of God.

Morris on The Gospel

Commenting on Romans 1:16, ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.’ Leon Morris yields some passion as he talks about the gospel.

“The gospel is not advice to people, suggesting that they lift themselves. It is power. It lifts them up. Paul does not say that the gospel brings power but that it is power, and God’s power at that. When the gospel is preached, this not simply so many words being uttered. The power of God is at work. When the gospel enters anyone’s life, it is as though the very fire of God had come upon him. There is warmth and light in His life.”

Reading this, I felt as if I had been preached at from the page. Great stuff!

MacArthur on the Importance of Election

Commenting on 1 Peter 1:2 :

“If Christians ignore the doctrine of Election, they fail to understand the glories of redemption, they fail to honor the sovereignty of God and Christ, and they fail to appreciate the immense spiritual privileges that are theirs. ……Election is such a powerful truth that when Christians understand it, the practical ramifications of election will transform the way they live their daily lives.”

-John MacArthur; The MacArthur New Testament Commentary; 1 Peter page 27

Alexander Nisbet?

I am starting a men’s bible study on I & II Peter within a week. When I start a bible study, I like to get a taste of perspectives from more than one century (i.e. not just my own) on commentaries that I use. I have been searching for a puritan commentary and I have been interested in one by Alexander Nisbet, but I don’t know about him at all and am having trouble getting any info on him.

Does anyone know anything about him or at least the quality of his commentary on I & II Peter? Any help or links would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!