THE BIBLE EXPOSITION COMMENTRY

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 strikes against it; it was too long, and there was already a book by that title.
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 strikes against it; it was too long, and there was already a book by that title. Some anonymous Scripture Press employee, in a Title Committee meeting, said, “Why not just call it Be Real?" and the BE series was born. Now, twenty-three titles later, we have covered the entire New Testament, all of which are now assembled in The Bible Exposition Commentary. If you had told me this back in 1971, 1 would not have believed you! I want to praise the Lord for His kindness and mercy to me in allowing me the privilege of ministering in this way. I can think of many of my friends who could have done a far better job in this series, but the Lord graciously led Henry to challenge me. Over the years, He has given me the strength and wisdom needed, and for this I give Him thanks. How does a busy preacher find time to write? Much of the credit goes to my wife Betty who manages our household so well, and takes such good care of me, that I have the free time necessary for studying and writing. When I started this series, our four children were all at home. Now the New Testament BE series is ended, our children are all married, and we have seven grandchildren!.

The numerous readers of the BE series have been a great source of encouragement to me, even when they have written to disagree with me! I have received letters from many parts of the world, written by people in various walks of life, and they have gladdened my heart. Unless a writer hears from his readers, his writing becomes a one-way street; and he never knows if what he wrote did anybody any good. I want to thank the pastors, missionaries, Sunday School teachers, and other students of the Word, who have been land enough to write. We could compile a book of letters telling what God has done in the lives of people who have studied the BE series. To God be the glory!.

Second Path

My longtime friend and editor Jim Adair deserves special thanks for shepherding me through most of the BE books. I have worked with many different publishers and editors over the years, and I appreciate all of them; but working with Jim Adair, Lloyd Cory, Mark Sweeney, and the others on the Victor Books staff, has been a special Might. To the best of my knowledge, during all the years we have worked together, we have never had a cross word or a painful misunderstanding livery author should be that fortunate!
As I close, there are some other people who ought to be thanked. Dr. Donald Burdick taught me New Testament at Northern Baptist Seminary and showed me how to study the Word of God. Dr Lloyd Perry and the late Dr. Charles W. Koller both taught me how to "unlock" a Scripture passage and organize an exposition that was understandable and practical. I recommend their books on preaching to any preacher or teacher who wants to organize his or her material better. For ten happy years, I was privileged to pastor the Calvary Baptist Church in Covington, Kentucky, just across the river from Cincinnati One of my happy duties was writing Bible study notes for “The Whole Bible Study Course" which was developed by the late Dr. D.B. Eastep, who pastored the church for thirty-five fruitful years No church I have ever visited Or Ministered to has a greater love for the Bible or a deeper hunger for spiritual truth than the dear people at Calvary Baptist The BE series is, in many respects, a by-product of Dr. Eastep's kindness in sharing his ministry with me, and the church's love and encouragement while I was their pastor I honor his memory and thank God for their continued friendship and prayer support.

To you who study God's Word with me, - I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, winch is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified" (Acts 20:32).