Acts

Open Your Bible Commentary, New Testament

by Ralph P. Martin

Luke, author of the third gospel, wrote the Acts of the Apostles to provide an accurate account of the origins of the church and its faith as well as its rapid spread across the known world. Acts also plays a pivotal role in the New Testament, linking the gospels at the beginning with the letters of Paul and others, to which it gives a context, in the last half.

This commentary is written by Professor Ralph P. Martin, known for his encyclopedic knowledge of the New Testament as well has his graciousness in dealing with controversial issues.

The Open Your Bible Commentary was written to encourage daily Bible study. Each reading is short, but the content is rich with careful explanation, devotional warmth, and practical relevance. Nearly 100 daily readings let you explore the exciting story of the beginning and growth of the church in depth.

The Open Your Bible Commentary has four great strengths:

* Accessible – it’s written for the average, thoughtful Christian without assuming a great deal of background, yet it is never superficial.
* Digestible – it’s written so you can read a section or two a day, working your way through an entire book of the Bible in days or weeks.
* Dependable – it’s written by an amazing group of scholars and trusted pastor-teachers.
* Practical – it’s a rich combination of specific application and encouragement to listen to God for guidance.

The commentary on Acts is introduced by an overview, summary, outline, key themes, and relevance of Acts for today.

249 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 26, 2014

About the author

Ralph Martin (1925-2013) was a distinguished New Testament scholar and a significant figure in the post-World War 2 resurgence of British evangelical scholarship. Born in Anfield, Liverpool, England, his early education was interrupted in 1939 by the war, and he was conscripted to work in the coal mines of Lancashire. After the war he pursued ministerial training at Manchester Baptist College and in 1949 earned his B.A. at the University of Manchester. In 1963 he completed his Ph.D. at King’s College, University of London. In 1969 Martin joined the faculty of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, where he would serve as professor of New Testament from 1969 to 1988, and director of the graduate studies program beginning in 1979. He resumed his teaching there in 1995 as Distinguished Scholar in Residence. Throughout his academic career he stayed involved in preaching, teaching laypeople and other pastoral ministry. He was the author of numerous studies and commentaries on the New Testament, including Worship in the Early Church, the volume on Philippians in The Tyndale New Testament Commentary series, and 2 Corinthians and James in the Word Biblical Commentary, for which he also served as New Testament editor.