The Gospel of John is so simple that it is often the first biblical book given to recent converts to help them understand Christian truth, and yet it is so difficult that only experienced scholars attempt to study it. It is paradoxically the most accessible and yet the most complex of the four Gospels. In his accessible commentary, Grant Osborne explains the core themes of the Gospel of John. After reading and studying John’s Gospel, a person might wonder how the great truths presented in it were lived out in the church. Readers might also wonder how they themselves can better understand and experience the truths revealed by Jesus—ideas such as “walking in the light,” “remaining in Christ,” and “loving one another.” The epistles of John tell how Christians in the late first century were practicing (or not practicing) the profound truths proclaimed by Jesus. In their commentary, Philip W. Comfort and Wendell C. Hawley show how the epistles of John provide key insights into how we today can live in the Spirit of Jesus to experience spiritual transformation and love for the members of Christ’s community, the church. 

Key Features 

• Introductions to the historical and cultural context, the literary style, and the major themes and theological concerns 
• Exegetical and textual notes 
• Commentary pays special attention to context and major theological themes 

Recommendations 

An enormously helpful series for the layperson and pastor alike because it centers on the theological message of each book and ties it directly to the text. This approach has been needed for some time and will be an invaluable supplement to other commentary series. 

—Grant Osborne 

A treasure house of insight into the biblical text. Written by some of the best scholars working today, it is an essential tool for pastors, students, church leaders, and lay people who want to understand the text and know how it relates to our lives today. Like the New Living Translation text it uses as its base, this commentary series is extremely readable. 

—Tremper Longman 

About the Authors  

Wendell C. Hawley graduated from the University of Oregon and from Western Baptist Seminary. He was awarded the L.L.D. from California Graduate School of Theology and the D.D. degree from Western Baptist Seminary, Portland, Oregon. 

Grant R. Osborne is professor of New Testament at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Prior to his work at Trinity, he served as a pastor for over four years and taught at Winnipeg Theological Seminary and the University of Aberdeen. He received his Master of Arts in New Testament from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the Doctor of Philosophy in New Testament from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland. He is author of The Hermeneutical Spiral, the commentary on Romans in the IVP New Testament Commentary, and co-editor of the Life Application Bible Commentary New Testament. 

Philip W. Comfort has studied English literature, Greek, and New Testament at the Ohio State University and the University of South Africa. He has taught these classes at a number of colleges, including Wheaton College, Trinity Episcopal Seminary, Columbia International University, and Coastal Carolina University. He is currently senior editor of Bible reference at Tyndale and served as New Testament editor for the New Living Translation. He has contributed a number of books to the Tyndale collection, both as author and editor. Among these are The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament, The Origin of the Bible, The Tyndale Bible Dictionary, The Complete Guide to Bible Versions, The Text of the Earliest New Testament Greek Manuscripts (with D. Barrett), and Who’s Who in Christian History. 

Series Introduction 

These accessible commentaries are for anyone who wants to enter a serious study of God's Word. Each volume guides the reader through the literary and theological issues in the text and provides correlation to multiple numbering systems for word study. This volume includes the entire NLT text of John and 1–3 John, translation notes, and fresh expository commentary.