Book Notice: NAVIGATING TOUGH TEXTS: A GUIDE TO PROBLEM PASSAGES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, by Murray J. Harris

A Brief Book Notice from Books At a Glance

by Fred G. Zaspel

Murray Harris is among the top Greek scholars of our day, and so when I saw this book become available I had to check it out. I’ve only perused it so far, but, as expected, it did not disappoint.

As the title suggests, in this book Harris leads the reader through selected verses through the New Testament that present some difficulty or are otherwise often misunderstood and carefully and simply explains the deciding considerations necessary for a right understanding.

The treatment of each selected verse is rather brief yet complete enough to give the reader a firm grasp of the text. It’s expert help on “tough texts” – a handy reference book that deserves to be on the desk, ready at hand, of every expositor. Highly recommended!

Table of Contents

PART 1: GOSPELS AND ACTS

MATTHEW

1. Mary’s Perpetual Virginity? (Matt 1:25)
2. God and Satan Acting Together? (Matt 4:1; 2 Cor 12:7)
3. Heading for Hellfire (Matt 5:22)
4. “Lead Us Not into Temptation” (Matt 6:13)
5. Forgive and Forget? (Matt 6:14)
6. No Pearls to the Pigs! (Matt 7:6)
7. A Father Who Knows and Superintends Everything (Matt 10:29)
8. Misguided Expectations (Matt 11:2–6)
9. Being Greater than the Forerunner of the Messiah (Matt 11:11)
10. Violence and the Kingdom (Matt 11:12)
11. Peter and the Rock (Matt 16:18)
12. “Binding” and “Loosing” (Matt 16:19; 18:18)
13. Forgiveness May Prevent Divorce (Matt 19:9)
14. “Go and Make Disciples” (Matt 28:19–20)

MARK

15. The Unpardonable Sin (Mark 3:29; Luke 12:10)
16. Mary’s Perpetual Virginity? (Mark 6:3)
17. Feed the Children First! (Mark 7:27)
18. “Get Away Behind Me, Satan!” (Mark 8:33)
19. A Substitutionary Ransom (Mark 10:45)
20. An Acted Parable about a Fig Tree (Mark 11:12–14, 20–25)
21. “Eloi, Eloi Lema Sabachthani?” (Mark 15:34)

LUKE

22. A Daunting Journey (Luke 2:1–6)
23. Loving Because Forgiven (Luke 7:47)
24. Watching Satan Fall from Heaven (Luke 10:18)
25. Hating One’s Parents? (Luke 14:26)
26. “The Kingdom of God Is in Your Midst” (Luke 17:21)
27. Forgiven Because Ignorant? (Luke 23:34)
28. With Christ after Death (Luke 23:43)
29. A Jewish Evening Prayer (Luke 23:46)
30. “Now You See Him—Now You Don’t!” (Luke 24:31)

JOHN

31. “The Word Had the Same Nature as God” (John 1:1c)
32. Becoming God’s Children (John 1:12c–13)
33. When Did the Word Become Incarnate? (John 1:14)
34. After—Yet Before! (John 1:15)
35. Uninterrupted Grace (John 1:16)
36. The Father’s Perfect Expression (John 1:18)
37. “Born by Water and the Spirit” (John 3:5)
38. Unique Giving by Unique Love (John 3:16)
39. “Believing That” and “Believing In” (John 3:36)
40. Eating Flesh and Drinking Blood (John 6:53)
41. Legitimate Anger (John 11:33, 38)
42. “Jesus Burst into Tears” (John 11:35)
43. Jesus my Friend? (John 15:15)
44. “Dear Woman, Look, Your Son!” (John 19:26)
45. Jesus’ Real Humanity (John 19:28)
46. Mission Accomplished! (John 19:30)
47. Is Doubt Always Sinful? (John 20:27)
48. A Climactic Confession: “(You Are) My Lord and My God!” (John 20:28)
49. A Painful Reinstatement (John 21:15–17)
50. First Things First! (John 21:15–22)

ACTS

51. “Under New Management” (Acts 8:16)
52. A Sharp Dispute—and Beyond (Acts 15:37–39)
53. Mutual Devotion in Marriage (Acts 18:2–3)
54. Devoted to Christian Doctrine (Acts 18:24–26)
55. A Trinitarian Project (Acts 20:28)
56. To Go or Not to Go? (Acts 21:4)
57. “Get Your Sins Washed Away” (Acts 22:16)

PART 2: EPISTLES AND REVELATION

ROMANS

1. The Highest Privilege of All—to Be a Slave of the Supreme Master (Rom 1:1)
2. “By Faith to Faith” (Rom 1:17)
3. The Most Important Verse and Word in the Bible? (Rom 3:25)
4. “Abraham Believed God” (Rom 4:3)
5. Two Contrasting Ways of Living (Rom 8:4–5)
6. Christ as “God Blessed Forever” (Rom 9:5)
7. Christ, the End of the Law? (Rom 10:4)
8. “Jesus Is Lord” (Rom 10:9)
9. Repaying Spiritual Indebtedness (Rom 15:26–27)

1 CORINTHIANS

10. Boasting in the Lord (1 Cor 1:31; 2 Cor 10:17)
11. Sanctification by Imitation (1 Cor 4:16)
12. Sexual Sin Is Unique (1 Cor 6:18)
13. Divorce and Remarriage (1 Cor 7:15)
14. A Christianized Shema (1 Cor 8:6)
15. Raised—Never to Die Again (1 Cor 15:4)
16. Christ as “Firstfruits” (1 Cor 15:20, 23)
17. How Should Christians View Death? (1 Cor 15:26, 54–55; 2 Cor 5:8)
18. Baptism for the Dead (1 Cor 15:29)
19. What Is a “Spiritual Body”? (1 Cor 15:42–44)
20. Are Humans Immortal? (1 Cor 15:52)
21. Regular, Proportionate Giving (1 Cor 16:2)

2 CORINTHIANS

22. Equipped to Dispense Comfort (2 Cor 1:4)
23. Thwarting Satan’s Stratagems (2 Cor 2:11)
24. Participating in God’s Triumphal Procession (2 Cor 2:14)
25. Pleasing the Master (2 Cor 5:9)
26. A Dramatic Change of Outlook (2 Cor 5:16–17)
27. The Sinless One for the Sinful (2 Cor 5:21)
28. Paul’s Three Low Points (2 Cor 7:5–7)
29. Paul’s Favorite Word (2 Cor 8:9)
30. An Intentional Prolonged Silence (2 Cor 12:2)
31. “A Thorn in the Flesh” (2 Cor 12:7)

GALATIANS

32. Should “Abba” Be Translated as “Daddy”? (Gal 4:6)
33. Reveling in Newfound Freedom (Gal 5:1)
34. Freedom for Slavery (Gal 5:13)

EPHESIANS

35. The Holy Spirit as Both Down Payment and Pledge (Eph 1:13–14)
36. A Normative Pattern: “To—Through—By” (Eph 2:18)
37. Evidences of the Spirit’s Filling (Eph 5:18–21)

PHILIPPIANS

38. The Self-Emptying of Christ (Phil 2:7)
39. Contentment with Circumstances (Phil 4:12–13)

COLOSSIANS

40. Jesus—First in Time and Rank (Col 1:15)
41. “God in All His Fullness” (Col 1:19; 2:9)
42. What Is Lacking in Christ’s Afflictions? (Col 1:24)
43. A Canceled IOU (Col 2:14)
44. Love-in-Action as the Crowning Virtue (Col 3:14)

1 THESSALONIANS

45. Are Deceased Christians “Asleep”? (1 Thess 4:13–15)
46. Stifling the Spirit (1 Thess 5:19)

1 TIMOTHY

47. Is Tradition Outdated? (1 Tim 6:20)

2 TIMOTHY

48. “Salvation in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim 2:10)
49. Divine Exhalation (2 Tim 3:16)

TITUS

50. Jesus Christ as “Our Great God and Savior” (Titus 2:13)

PHILEMON

51. Paul and Slavery (Phlm 15–16)

HEBREWS

52. Different Yet Similar (Heb 1:1–2a)
53. The Eternality of Christ (Heb 1:8–9)
54. Three Crucial Appearances (Heb 9:23–28)
55. Pain Instead of Joy (Heb 12:2)

JAMES

56. “Not by Faith Alone”? (Jas 2:24)

1 PETER

57. Glory Follows Suffering (1 Pet 1:11)
58. Jesus as Shepherd (1 Pet 5:4)

2 PETER

59. Sharing the Divine Nature (2 Pet 1:4)
60. Death as Departure and Arrival (2 Pet 1:11, 14–15)

1 JOHN

61. No Sinless Perfection—Yet! (1 John 2:1; 3:6, 9; 5:18)
62. No Teachers Needed? (1 John 2:27)
63. “A Sin that Leads to Death” (1 John 5:16–17)

JUDE

64. An Unparalleled Doxology (Jude 25)

REVELATION

65. Commendable Intolerance (Rev 2:20)
66. The Centrality of the Lamb in Heaven (Rev 7:17)

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NAVIGATING TOUGH TEXTS: A GUIDE TO PROBLEM PASSAGES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, by Murray J. Harris

Lexham Press, 2020 | 288 pages

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