Arthur Walkington Pink was born in Nottingham, England on April 1, 1886 and became a Christian in his early 20s. Though born to Christian parents, prior to conversion he migrated into a Theosophical society (an occult gnostic group popular in England during that time), and quickly rose in prominence within their ranks. His conversion came from his father's patient admonitions from Scripture. It was Proverbs 14:12, 'there is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death,' which particularly struck his heart and compelled him to renounce Theosophy and follow Jesus.
Desiring to grow in knowledge of the Bible, Pink migrated to the United States to study at Moody Bible Institute. In 1916 he married Vera E. Russell, from Kentucky. However, he left after just two months for Colorado, then California, then Britain. From 1925 to 1928 he served in Australia, including as pastor of two congregations from 1926 to 1928, when he returned to England, and to the United States the following year. He eventually pastored churches Colorado, California, Kentucky and South Carolina.
In 1922 he started a monthly magazine entitled Studies in Scriptures which circulated among English-speaking Christians worldwide, though only to a relatively small circulation list of around 1,000.
In 1934 Pink returned to England, and within a few years turned his Christian service to writing books and pamphlets. Pink died in Stornoway, Scotland on July 15, 1952. The cause of death was anemia.
After Pink's death, his works were republished by the Banner of Truth Trust and reached a much wider audience as a result. Biographer Iain Murray observes of Pink, "the widespread circulation of his writings after his death made him one of the most influential evangelical authors in the second half of the twentieth century." His writing sparked a revival of expository preaching and focused readers' hearts on biblical living.
I'm pretty sure I have never rated a A. W. Pink book lower than five stars. I love his writing, insights, and wise commentary on the Scriptures. I have minor disagreements with some of his conclusions but those are truly minor. This Exposition of the Gospel of John is the most thorough study of the book I have ever read and helped me to understand the point of each verse. We are studying John in Sunday School and while it is helpful and enjoyable, it cannot compare to the depth of this study. Pink's recommendations on how to study the Word were very helpful and timely. At 1154 pages, this is no beach book but as a secondary reading to Scriptures, it should be read by all serious students of the Word. I cannot recommend it highly enough!
I only got about 20% in, but the author, while he made good points, didn't know when enough was enough. I found myself skimming for answers to the questions pertinent to the chapter. Very disappointed.
I am studying each book of the Bible and this commentary had more than I imagined. The author delves deep into explaining, comparing, and showing all of the parallels between the different books of the bible. It was so helpful! Our God is an awesome God! Thank you Arthur Pink!
I received a copy of The Gospel of John from a man whom I met a few months ago on the streets.
The man just stood there near a train station, and we had a nice conversation. He told me about Nicodemus and Barabbas.
I was triggered because I did not know the name Nicodemus, although I was raised as a Catholic (and I am a proud Godfather). So he encouraged me in a friendly way to read The Gospel of John.
I am glad I did.
I have the feeling I only got served some pieces of The Gospel of John throughout my upbringing, and not the essence of the story.
I am not a Believer in the sense that I believe there is a God that is there only for humans. But I notice there is more going on than only our dwelling on Earth.
One thing that struck me while reading is that many of Jesus’ followers required signs to keep believing. They did not understand themselves and were struck with fear.
Which is not very surprising to me, since the Authority did not recognise Love, the message that Jesus distributed.
Autocratic regimes cost a lot of energy to uphold.
Fast forward 2000 years, and we are in the same situation, now powered by the rush to get Earth metals for global hegemony though AI…
So far this part of the New Testament.
Let the Old Testament run its course (which is a story about Nature including cosmic events).
Truth be told.... I only slogged through 20%-ish of Arthur Pink's commentary on my favorite gospel, The Book of John. The author had a long-winded writing style and shared biblical parallels that seemed a bit far-fetched. The book comes with 7 (and always 7.... at least for the first part of the book that I managed to read) questions that were fairly straightforward and somewhat discussion-worthy. Why always 7, I wondered... My understanding is that "the number 7 is represented in the bible as meaning the completion and perfection of things that are both physical and spiritual." Alas, I didn't get the same sense of completion and perfection when trying to read this book!
A good teaching exploration with solid biblical doctrine
It took Pink 10 years to write and took me 3 years to read and study. It was worth every moment of meditation, prayer, self examination, and study. My bible is now filled with notes from this study, and I'm sure I will look back on them and this book for years to come for instruction, reproof, exhortation, and inspiration.
If you really want to study the bible and get deep into the word of God, then you'd like Arthur Pink's expositions. And he does go deep. To me it was worth the time to expand my knowledge and understanding of the Truth. Over 1100 pages. The more diligently we seek after its hidden treasures, the greater will be our reward.
This is not a scholarly commentary, but it is one of the most influential books that I have ever read. Recently converted, and shortly after coming to Calvinism within the Baptist church, the turn to the gospel of John with Pink solidified a rock solid theology that has remained in tact for many years now. I am profoundly grateful for these 3 volumes.
Very informative with lots of nuggets in here to dig out by one of my favorite bible teachers. Mr. Pink is a great teacher.For any of my reformed folk out there, I highly recommend.