Glen Menzies, Commentary on Romans

First, my brother has produced an exceptional commentary on Romans (of course, I’m entirely objective here). This book is a member of the “Pentecostal Commentary Series” and I am confident that it will serve the church well by stimulating reflection and discussion on a host of important theological themes.

To order, click on this link: https://amzn.to/4mmOP20

Publisher’s page: https://wipfandstock.com/9781532610240/a-pentecostal-commentary-on-romans/

Timothy Dresselhaus, The Crimson Thread

Second, Dr. Timothy Dresselhaus, a gifted medical doctor (Professor Emeritus at the UCSD School of Medicine) and a dedicated teaching elder of the church, has produced a wonderful resource for Christians at every stage of their spiritual development. This book, The Crimson Thread: Tracing the Story of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation, offers a sweeping overview of the biblical narrative.

To order, click on this link: https://amzn.to/4of4u5a

Robert Menzies and Craig Keener, Commentary on Acts

Finally, the commentary on Acts that Craig Keener and I have written for Baker’s “Word and Spirit” NT Commentary Series is now available! This commentary uniquely highlights Luke’s missiological purpose, his understanding of the church as a community of prophets called to be “a light for the nations” (Isa 49:6), and his invitation for every disciple of Jesus to minister in the power of the Spirit (Luke 11:13; Acts 1:8).

To order, click on this link: https://amzn.to/3HcvWjk

Publisher’s page: https://bakerpublishinggroup.com/books/acts/417270

Bob with the Acts commentary he and Craig Keener have produced.

Do you remember the last time you consulted a commentary? There is a high probability that you did not read it all the way through from cover to cover. Commentaries usually sit for quite some time on a bookshelf waiting to be used as reference material for a pastor’s next sermon, a student’s next research paper, or a professor’s next class lecture. Having referred to many types of commentaries over the years as both a student and pastor, I found Michael J. Gorman’s Romans to be a refreshing surprise thanks, in part, to its elevated level of readability. This expository commentary is for pastors, students, and laypeople who want to consider the contemporary, spiritual and pastoral implications of Paul’s letter; however, there is no reason academics should bypass this volume. Anyone interested in understanding Romans better should benefit from the erudite scholarship of this renowned New Testament scholar. In part, his goal for this commentary is to “help those who struggle with the letter to read it more intelligibly, and charitably and to embrace its call to participate in the life God offers in Christ by the Spirit more fully” (xviii). It is this volume’s emphases on the newness of life in Christ, participation and transformation, and “the life and mission of God in the world” which allows this commentary to stand out in a crowded market.

For anyone who is more familiar with verse-by-verse commentary, this one will require a slight adjustment period to become accustomed to Gorman’s panoramic exposition of the text. This refreshing view of Paul’s letter is helpful for discerning the overarching themes presented in both the individual chapters and the entirety of the letter. The Pauline themes which Gorman emphasizes are numerous and familiar; however, there are several themes which receive special attention that resonate with his longstanding scholarly interests—righteousness and justice, life and cruciformity, participation and transformation. For example, the reader will find several gray-box excursuses throughout the commentary section. One of these, The Vocabulary of Righteousness, Justice, and Justification, contains an explanation as to why the translational usage of two English word families, “right-” and “just-,” for one Greek word-family, dik,- is problematic vis-à-vis gaining an accurate understanding of Paul’s inspired motive for using the dik-family of words to articulate the righteousness or justice of God (70).

Paul may be referred to as a pastoral theologian, so this commentary may be considered “theological-pastoral” (xvii). It focuses on ‘discourse units,’ and mostly “comments on the text, not on other commentators” (xviii). The volume has seven major commentary sections (1:1-17; 1:18-4:25; 5:1-8:39; 9:1-11:36; 12:1-15:13; 15:14-33; 16:1-27) with each divided into subsections that are arranged beneath boldface subtitles (burgeoning editors might notice a few discrepancies within the Contents—missing are several boldface subtitles for sections 1:1-17 and 9:1-11:36, two subtitles as included on pages 77 and 180, and major section summaries; also, the usage of boldface and italics in the Contents does not match the corresponding text in the Body).  Four major section summaries are included within the volume’s pages (Rom. 1-4, 141; Rom. 5-8,  216-17; Rom. 9-11, 241; and Rom. 12-16, 300); subsection summaries are only occasionally provided for the reader. Reflections and Questions and For Further Reading are practical resources for the reader, helpfully placed after chapters one and two; thereafter, they follow each discourse unit.

This commentary does contain several intriguing approaches to texts that have proven to be difficult or divisive for decades, if not centuries. For example, Gorman does not shy away from controversial politics as seen in Reflections and Questions, as well as in the gray-box excursus, “Romans 13 and Nonconformity Today” (cf. 107, 213, 257-9, 263). His discussion on predestination “as a testimony to God’s mercy and faithfulness” may be a cause of concern for some who understand it differently (46, 221-23). Also, the author’s humble and respectful perspective on Romans 1:24-27 (same-gender sexual relations) will most certainly compel readers to either reevaluate or solidify their position on the subject. In all of these cases, some may believe Gorman to be relatively myopic; however, as he tells his hermeneutics students, “let whoever is without sin cast the first stone,” and reminds the reader, with sincere humility, that “our best interpretive efforts are never infallible.” (xviii, 91).

This review began with the supposition that most people have never read a commentary from cover to cover. Well, this will be a commentary you will want to read closely from beginning to end. Gorman states at the opening of his exposition that pastors, students, and laypeople may benefit from his work. However, it is not an exaggeration to make the assertion that everyone can benefit from this commentary.

Reviewed by Joseph R. Fiorentino

This book review previously appeared in Didaskalia: The Journal of Providence Theological Seminary, Volume 31, pp. 140-44 (2023-2024), ISSN 0847-1266. Used with permission.

Publisher’s page: https://www.eerdmans.com/9780802877628/romans/

To my surprise I received numerous negative comments. Some saying that Jews are offended by these “mixed” Jewish-Christian Passovers. That is hard to understand, as imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Several clergy from Orthodox and liturgical denominations strongly insisted that Jewish traditions and observances have no part in a Christian church. They seemed to take special offense at my claim that Passover was an Old Testament sacrament and could be observed by Christians to receive its grace.

Image: Gilabrand / Wikimedia Commons

I argued for the continuity of the Old Testament feasts as sacraments (that is, covenant rituals that are the occasion of God’s grace) in my previous work, Forgotten Power: The Significance of the Lord’s Supper in Revival.[1] Let me recap that argument. It contradicts the consensus of Medieval Western (and Eastern) theology which strongly affirms that sacraments were restricted to the New Testament period. For instance, the classic Catholic catechism definition of a sacrament is “An outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace.” Protestant definitions are similar, although often do not specifically mention Christ.  It is important to note that the Catholic definition was late in formulating and there was much discussion on the issue in the early Middle Ages. For instance, St. Bernard of Clairvaux argued that marriage was instituted directly by God and a valid source of grace even among non-Christians. However, St. Thomas Aquinas and his Christ-only view of the origins of the sacraments eventually won out and became official doctrine. Thomas’ view, of course, excluded the possibility that the God ordained rituals and festivals of the Old Testament were in any way sacramental and grace giving. His position passed on to Protestant sacramental theology where the mandated festivals such as Passover are termed “ordinances.”[2]

John’s Baptism as Jewish sacrament

What was missing in this consensus theology was an appreciation of what Paul said in Romans 11, that Jews are still a living root to Christianity. But before we get to that let me point out a critically important New Testament scripture that affirms St. Bernard and contradicts St. Thomas. It is found in Luke 7, where the writer (Luke) describes the spiritual effects of the ministry of John the Baptist:

All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus’ words, acknowledged that God’s way was right, because they had been baptized by John.  But the Pharisees and the experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John (vs 29-30).

Now, clearly John the Baptist is ministering as a Jew in the Old Testament era. He is identified by Jesus as such with the promise that Believers in Him will be even greater than the greatest Old Testament figures (Matt 11:11). From Acts we learn that John’s baptism was effective for repentance and the forgiveness of sins (Acts 19:2-4).  In any case, in the two verses above it is clear that those who receive John’s baptism had received a special grace for accepting God’s purposes. That is, an outward sign that gave a grace, i.e. a sacrament.