Bible commentaries can be very useful in helping the Christian to understand the Scriptures. After all, we are nearly 2000 years removed from the culture, background, and language of the New Testament. There are many details and things which we cannot learn or know about if we don't turn to a commentary (i.e. history, culture, or original meaning of the language). As useful as these tools may be though, we want always to remember that they are written by fallible men and are not inspired by God, even though they may often times speak correctly about things that are inspired by God. The Bible itself must always be our first and last resource. It was said of George Whitefield that he primarily read 3 books: His English Bible, the Greek New Testament, and Matthew Henry's Commentary of the Bible. Those men of old knew God well, and had but few resources compared to the wealth of writings available to us today. This is not to say in any way though that we should not use the resources available to us, indeed we should use and consult them, though not in an unhealthy way.
There are many different Bible commentaries today, some are good, some are not so good. Some are written by trustworthy men of doctrinal integrity, some are written by men which lean more toward a liberal or critical approach. Some fall in between. As always, this is a matter in which we must exercise great discernment. We would not want to read a commentary written by an unreferenced source. Our selection should be based on some reliable knowledge or hearty recommendation of the author by men whom we know and trust. At the same time, it is so important to remember that no commentary will see eye to eye theologically with everything in which we believe. We will at times find ourselves disagreeing with the writer's interpretation of this or that passage or of other important issues. This should not at all though discourage us from consulting them. It is helpful when reading commentaries to always remember to, "chew up the meat and spit out the bones" or "take the good and leave the bad". Who is to say that we are always right anyway?
More so, commentaries are not all the same, different types of commentaries serve different purposes. Many are good in their respective areas of attention. I have chosen to divide them up into three groups of my choice to see the differences and purposes of use more clearly: Devotional, General, and Greek Exegetical:
There are many different Bible commentaries today, some are good, some are not so good. Some are written by trustworthy men of doctrinal integrity, some are written by men which lean more toward a liberal or critical approach. Some fall in between. As always, this is a matter in which we must exercise great discernment. We would not want to read a commentary written by an unreferenced source. Our selection should be based on some reliable knowledge or hearty recommendation of the author by men whom we know and trust. At the same time, it is so important to remember that no commentary will see eye to eye theologically with everything in which we believe. We will at times find ourselves disagreeing with the writer's interpretation of this or that passage or of other important issues. This should not at all though discourage us from consulting them. It is helpful when reading commentaries to always remember to, "chew up the meat and spit out the bones" or "take the good and leave the bad". Who is to say that we are always right anyway?
More so, commentaries are not all the same, different types of commentaries serve different purposes. Many are good in their respective areas of attention. I have chosen to divide them up into three groups of my choice to see the differences and purposes of use more clearly: Devotional, General, and Greek Exegetical: