The Gospel of John: Believe and Live (Volume 4) (21st Century Biblical Commentary Series)

Elmer Towns is a proven author and great teacher of the Word of God. This commentary on the book of John is a wonderful and easy read as Dr. Towns breaks down hard theological concepts from the book into every day language. A must-have for every Christian's personal library!

This book was required reading for my class at Liberty University. I found the book quite informative and learned many attributes about the apostle John and his Gospel message.The 21 book chapters begin with a preview, then a commentary on the Gospel, followed by a conclusion and study questions. I especially enjoyed the Greek language and references to historical documents. Equally valuable are the summary charts such as:Titles of Christ in John 1Eight Signs of Jesus' PowerBorn of Water and SpiritJohn 3:16Excuses by the PoolI'd read this book even if it were not required reading, because it's excellent!

This is a well done commentary that brings in the historical and cultural settings. This is a good volume for your resource library.

Excellent

too much Greek

The Gospel of John: Believe and Live, by Elmer Towns, is the Twenty-First Century Commentary Series' contribution on the Book of John. This to-the-point commentary contains several charts, maps, and visual representations of the many literary devices the reader may not even realize John uses in his gospel. A bibliography and endnotes facilitate additional study. The book is written for all Bible students, formal and laymen alike. Towns' commentary is easy to understand and is well written in a structured, yet relaxed style. Although at times he does demonstrate the use of the original Greek text, the reader does not by any means need to be a Bible scholar to comprehend his meaning. The commentary is simply organized. It is divided into 22 chapters, and as with other commentaries in the series, each chapter begins with a Twitter-esque preview, followed by the exposition and wrapped up with study questions. This is not what I would call a scholarly commentary. It does not contain the Scripture passages with a painstaking exegesis of the text like the larger commentaries. While it does include some exegesis, the book is largely expositional. Undergraduates may find it a little light, but Town's offers unique insights in this volume that won't be found anywhere else. For example, Towns' consistently highlights John's use of certain key words (e.g. believe, live), the number 8, and an integral chronology in his gospel. The best thing about this commentary is that it is quite substantial for a shorter volume. I used this commentary as a required text in a 300 level Bible course, and it served me well. I got the book used, and it is still in great shape after much use. I would recommend it to any adult who desires to dig beneath the surface of John's gospel. It's a good one to read before jumping into something like the NICOT, Baker Exegetical, or even the NIV Application Commentary. This one is just right.

This book by the author Elmer Towns on John is an excellent survey concerning the message of John's gospel. It can be used for a deeper study of John or information may be easily used for devotional and sermon material. Elmer Towns is a great writer and his ability for smooth material and easy reading and understanding is manifested in this book. For those wanting to know what John's Gospel is about may read this book along the Gospel and be able to understand the message of some parts which might otherwise be difficult. I recommend this book for reading and study.

I was expecting a more thorough commentary but this one just doesn't go deep enough. I will say though that the book arrived quickly, and for that I am thankful.

I bought this book for a friend with terminal cancer, hoping it might encourage him to think about eternal things. I started reading it myself,and soon came to the conclusion that this book would be alright as a theology seminary text, but not as a primer for the wonderful Gospel of John.