Book Notice: Reformation Commentary on Scripture

Gerald Bray (editor); Timothy George (general editor)

Reformation Commentary on Scripture: New Testament, Volume 10: Galatians, Ephesians
Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2011.
Available at Amazon.com.

After the booming success of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, the long awaited Reformation Commentary on Scripture series (RCS) has been launched by IVP with the first installment on Galatians and Ephesians compiled by Gerald L. Bray. For folks interested in reception history and historical theology, these volumes are sheer gold, and Bray’s first offerings sets a high standard. The general introduction by Timothy George introduces both the series and the various schools of Reformed exegesis like Luther/Wittenberg, Strasbourg/Basel, Zurich group, Genevan school, British Reformation, and Anabaptists and alone with worth the price of the book. Gerald Bray then introduces Galatians and Ephesians among its Reformed interpreters and he notes how this volume gives access in English for the first time to writings by Martin Bucer, Johann Bugenhagen, Heinrich Bullinger, Johannes Brenz, Jiovanni Diodati, Desiderius Erasmus, Rudolf Gwalther, Georg Maior, Wolfgang Musculus, Erasmus Sarcerius, Daniel Toussain and Johannes Wigand plus others too.

To give a few highlights:

Martin Luther on Gal 2:15: “Paul had been born into Judaism and raised in its righteousness according to the law, unlike the Gentiles. But no matter how Jewish he was or how much he could boast of a heritage of righteousness that the Gentiles did not have, it did not make him any better than they were in the sight of God” [NB: maybe Luther should tried for preaching NPP heresy!]. RCS: 70.

William Perkins on Gal 3:16: “By this we learn to acknowledge the communion that is between Christ and us. Christ as mediator is first of all elected and we in him; Christ is first justified, that is, acquit of our sins, and we justified in him. He is heir of the world as we are heirs in him. He died on the cross, not as a private person but as a public person representing all the elect, and all the elect died in him and with him. In the same manner they rise with him to life and sit at the right hand of God with him in glory” [NB: Was this guy Barthian or what?]  RCS: 111.

John Calvin on Gal 3:26: “This is added to check the pride of the Jews, who gloried in their privilege as if they alone were the people of God. They thought there was nothing better than to belong to the race of Abraham, so Paul makes this distinction common to all who believe in Christ” [Great, even Calvin capitulated to the NPP stuff!] RCS: 131.

Johannes Brenz on Gal 6:16: “The Israel of God consists of all those who are children of Abraham by faith … whether they are Gentiles on Jews.” RCS: 226.

Martin Bucer on Eph 1:7: “Paul explains and declares that the whole order of our salvation and how we must become partakers of eternal election. Whatever is redeemed was once under someone else’s control. So were were once bound to the tyranny of the devil because of our sin, for the devil works effectively in unbelievers. Let us therefore acknowledge sad state of our nature and our servile condition, from which only Christ was able to set us free by his blood … The gist of this passage therefore is that the cause of our redemption is in God, not in ourselves. It is adapted and applied to us by the Spirit, the Word, and the sacraments and by a living faith.” RCS: 248.

Lancelot Ridley on Eph 2:8: “To faith, in the Scripture, is attributed our justification, not because faith is the author of our justification, for the author of our justification is Christ, but justification is attributed to faith because faith receives the mercy of God and believes the promises of God made to just people and believers to be fulfilled. So faith is the organ and the means by which we perceive our justification to come of the only mercy of God, and it makes us believe the Scriptures that show that we are justified by grace through faith without any works. Good works do not go before faith, but they follow faith and make us certain that we are justified.” RCS: 286.