The

Bible

Exposition

Commentary

Warren W.

Wiersbe

VICTOR BOOKS

A DIVISION OF SCRIPTURE PRESS PUBLICATIONS INC.

USA CANADA ENGLAND

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are from the King James Version. Other quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version (niv), © 1973, 1978, 1984, International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Bible Publishers; the New American Standard Bible (nasb), © the Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977; The New Scofield Reference Bible (sco), © 1967 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Reprinted by permission; The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (ph), © J.B. Phillips, 1958, 1960, 1972, permission of Macmillan Publishing Co. and Collins Publishers; the New King James Version (nkjv), © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers; The New Testament: An Expanded Translation by Kenneth S. Wuest (wuest), © 1961 by the Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Used by permission; The New Testament in the Language of the People by Charles B. Williams (wms), © 1966 by Edith S. Willliams. Used by permission of Moody Press, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; The Living Bible (tlb), © 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL 60189; The Amplified Bible (amp), © 1954, 1958 the Lockman Foundation. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House; the Revised Standard Version of the Bible (rsv), © 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973, the Division of Christian Education, National Council of Churches of Christ; the American Standard Version (asv). Used by permission.

Recommended Dewey Decimal Classification: 220.7

Suggested Subject Headings: BIBLE, NEW TESTAMENT, COMMENTARY

Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 89–60158

ISBN: 0-89693-659-7

Copyright 1989 by SP Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in other books, articles, and critical reviews. For information, address Victor Books, P.O. Box 1825, Wheaton, Illinois 60189.

Electronic Edition, Copyright 1996, by SP Publications, Inc.

VICTOR BOOKS

A division of Scripture Press

Wheaton, Illinois 60187

Contents

Foreword

Matthew

Mark

Luke

John

Acts

Romans

1 Corinthians

2 Corinthians

Galatians

Ephesians

Philippians

Colossians

1 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians

1 Timothy

2 Timothy

Titus

Philemon

Hebrews

James

1 Peter

2 Peter

1 John

2 John

3 John

Jude

Revelation

Foreword

It was in November 1971 that Henry Jacobsen phoned me at the Moody Church and asked me to write a book on 1 John for Scripture Press. This was a gracious gesture on his part, because the current material on 1 John had been written by Henry and he was willing to have it dropped.

Had I known then what my work load was going to be for the next eighteen years, I would have told him no. But I agreed to do the book and dutifully sent them the manuscript in the spring of 1972. My original title was On Being a Real Christian, but it had two ...