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1. Faithful Witnesses Who Proclaim God’s Word

Revelation 11:1-14

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... 14:15, 17; 15:5–6, 8; 16:1, 17; 21:22), as well as the use of temple as a metaphor for the church in the New Testament (e.g., 1 Cor. 3:16–17; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:19–22; Heb. 3:6; 1 Pet. 2:5). The measuring of the inner sanctuary of the temple ... ).5 The world’s response is viewed differently by evangelical commentators. Some (e.g., Mounce, Beale, Schnabel) fail to see a response of true repentance, while others (e.g., Smalley, Osborne, Keener) conclude that nine-tenths (i.e., the rest of humanity) are ...

2. God’s Love and Ours

1 John 4:7-21, 1 John 5:1-12

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... , in the letters of John; it occurs frequently in the Fourth Gospel (e.g., 6:51, 57–58; 11:25–26). Here its aorist tense (zēsōmen) connotes “come to life,” the start of a lifelong process (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, p. 242). Through him means “by means of him,” ... . 19:18)? While the author does not always separate clearly between God and Jesus in his writing, as we noted earlier in several passages (e.g., 1 John 1:5–7; 2:3–6; 2:26–29; 3:2–3; 4:17), the context here points to God as the source ...

3. Faith in the Son of God

1 John 5:1-12, 1 John 4:7-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

4. Walking in the Light

1 John 1:5--2:14, 1 John 2:15-17

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... . You can see where you are going morally and spiritually and, as a result, don’t fall yourself or cause others to do so (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, pp. 61–62). 2:11 Verse 11 directly contrasts to v. 10 and returns to the negative side of the ... , 17–18). We are in him. “To be in” (einai en) is one of the writer’s favorite expressions. It occurs eighteen times in these letters. See, e.g., 1:5 (“in him there is no darkness”), 1:7 (“as he is in the light”), 1:8 (“there is no truth in us”), 1: ...

5. Walking in the Light and the Problem of Sin

1 John 2:15-17, 1 John 1:5--2:14

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

6. Children of God

1 John 2:28--3:10

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... claim to have seen God/Christ, a claim which they deny to their adversaries? To see Jesus is to discern his real identity and to believe in him (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, p. 164). This is a common theme in the Gospel of John (1:34; 6:36; 9:40–41; 12:37–46; 14:7, ... the Synoptics. On the different yet compatible expressions of the core of NT theology in the Synoptics, John, and Paul, see G. E. Ladd, The Pattern of New Testament Truth (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1968). On the title Son of God, generally, see O. ...

7. Let Us Love One Another

2 John 1:1-13

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... readers as dear lady (lit., “lady,” kyria; cf. vv. 1, 13). It is the feminine form of the common address to Jesus as “lord” (kyrie; cf., e.g., John 4:11, 15, 19, 49; 5:7; 6:34, 68; 9:36, 38; 11:3, 12, 39; 12:21). He asks this house church, simply but ... even as you heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.” The NIV, along with several recent commentators (Bruce, Dodd, Marshall, Smalley, and Stott, but not Brown), interprets the it at the end of v. 6 as a reference to love, rather than as a ...

8. Assured by the Certainties of Faith

1 John 5:13-21

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... we have asked in faith for something, no matter what it is, that is God’s will for us. This is the uniform testimony of the New Testament (e.g., Matt. 7:7; 18:19; 21:22; John 14:13–14; 15:7; 16:23–24; Jas. 1:5–8; 4:2–3; 5:16b; 1 John 3:22 ... the need for protecting themselves from idols will presumably continue. “We are to ‘keep ourselves,’ even if the Son of God ‘keeps’ us” (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, p. 309; cf. 5:18, using tērei; cf. Jude 21, 24). What are the idols from which the writer ...

9. Encouragement to Be Faithful

2 Timothy 1:1-2:13

Understanding Series

Gordon D. Fee

... be articulated in 3:12, such suffering for the gospel has for Paul always been a part of the ongoing proclamation of the gospel (cf., e.g., 1 Thess. 1:6; 2:14; 3:4; 2 Cor. 4:7–15; Rom. 8:17; Col. 1:24; Phil. 1:12, 29). In Paul’s ... Background of ‘Shame’ in the New Testament,” in On Language, Culture, and Religion: In Honor of Eugene A. Nida, ed. M. Black and W. A. Smalley (The Hague: Mouton, 1974), pp. 133–47. 1:9–10 On the matter of these creedlike formulations in the PE, see disc. on Titus 2: ...

10. The Harvest of the Earth

Revelation 14:14-20

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... (14:6, 8, 9, 10, 15, 17, 18). The central interpretive question, much debated by commentators, is whether the first vision depicts the gathering of the righteous at the return of Christ (e.g., Bauckham, Osborne, Smalley) or whether both visions portray God’s judgment of the wicked (e.g., Mounce, Beale, Keener, Aune, Witherington). Both theological truths are affirmed elsewhere in Revelation, but the meaning of this passage remains difficult to discern (see the discussion below). Outline d. The harvest of ...

11. The Vision of the Great Prostitute

Revelation 17:1-18

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... of the Abyss and go to its destruction. Here we see another instance of evil trying to imitate good, since both God and Christ are described similarly (e.g., 1:4, 8, 18; 2:8; 4:8; 11:17; 16:5). The beast’s “dying and rising” also parodies Christ’s death and resurrection (cf. 1: ... , 21, where the wicked are devoured), and burning her with fire (a common image of judgment throughout Revelation). Smalley observes that “in the end, the powers of evil serve the purposes of the sovereign God, in addition ...

12. Freedom From Human Regulations Through Life With Christ

Colossians 2:6-23

Understanding Series

Arthur G. Patzia

... The Law and the Elements of the World: An Exegetical Study in Aspects of Paul’s Teaching (Kampen: J. H. Kok, 1964); G. R. Beasley-Murray, “The Second Chapter of Colossians,” RevExp 70 (1973), pp. 469–79; E. Burton, “The Elements of the Universe,” ... There False Teachers in Colossae?” in Christ and the Spirit in the New Testament, ed. B. Lindars and S. S. Smalley (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1973), pp. 315–31; Schweizer, “Christ in the Letter to the Colossians,” esp. pp. 451–55; ...

13. Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish

John 21:1-14

One Volume

Gary M. Burge

... in 21:2 (cf. 1:45–46; 11:16; 14:5; 20:24), the name of Simon’s father in 21:15 (see 1:42), and the double use of “truly/amen” in 21:18 (see, e.g., 5:19; 6:26; 8:34). This evidence suggests that chapter 21 is authentically Johannine but secondary to the original format of the Gospel (but see Smalley 1974). John 21:20–23 implies that John the apostle has died and that the community he founded is wrestling with his absence. Disciples who have survived their master identify themselves in 21:24 (“we ...

14. Love One Another

1 John 3:11-24

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... is the first occurrence of the death/life antithesis in these letters (cf. 3:15; 5:12, 16). It occurs much more frequently in the Gospel (e.g., 3:16, 36; 5:24–29; 10:17–18, 28; 11:21–25; 21:22–23). Verses 14a and b are set in sharp, dualistic contrast: on ... :37), but Peter’s deeds did not match his words (John 13:38; 1 John 3:18). On v. 16 the exegesis of Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, pp. 192–95 is particularly helpful. 3:17 BAGD defines bios (NIV, material possessions) as “means of subsistence” (p ...

15. The Celebration of the Great Multitude in Heaven

Revelation 7:9-17

Teach the Text

J. Scott Duvall

... sacrifice of the Lamb and to protect his people through tribulation. For this the Godhead is worthy of exuberant praise. Smalley observes that “the air is thick with angels in Revelation” as they encircle the throne and, along with the great ... recalls God’s protection and guidance of his people during their wilderness journey by covering them with the presence of his Shekinah glory (e.g., Exod. 13:21–22; 33:7–11; 40:34–38). 7:16–17 Never again will they hunger; . . . For the Lamb at the ...

16. Pressing on Toward the Goal

Philippians 3:12-4:1

Understanding Series

F. F. Bruce

... Paul were quoting a Christian hymn or confession without necessarily committing himself to every one of its details (so also E. Güttgemanns, Der leidende Apostel und sein Herr, pp. 246, 247; J. Becker, “Erwägungen zu Phil 3, 20–21,” TZ 27 ... 9. On the imminence and “delay” of the advent see A. L. Moore, The Parousia in the New Testament, pp. 108–74; also S. S. Smalley, “The Delay of the Parousia,” JBL 83 (1964), pp. 41–54. Exhortation to Stand Firm 4:1 Paul once more expresses his joy and ...

17. Test the Spirits

1 John 4:1-6

Understanding Series

Thomas F. Johnson

... century writers, there were many supernatural spirits to contend with, good and evil angels, demonic powers, and a host of invisible beings variously named (e.g., Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15; Heb. 1:4, 14). In the Dead Sea ... prophets, “the spirit of antichrist” (v. 3; cf. 2:18, 22), and “deceivers” (2 John 7; cf. 2:26; 3:7). They have “defected” (Smalley, 1, 2, 3 John, pp. 219–20) from the community and gone out into the world. The same thing is said about “the ...

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