The Pentecostal Commentary: Galatians

• The distinctive Pentecostal pneumatology is sustained • Key doctrines are identified and expounded • Important cross references within Scripture are noted • Historical connections in Church history are mentioned • Erroneous teachings are scrutinized • Comments are based on the King James Version • The KJV text is printed in the body of the commentary With a modern style of readability, this commentary series is appropriate for anyone seeking to grow and understand the truths of Scripture and is especially helpful to pastors as well as college and seminary students. Author's Foreward As a Pentecostal student attending a Pentecostal Bible college, I went to the college bookstore to purchase my textbooks without knowing that the commentaries on my book list were written by non-Pentecostals. Even though my classes required commentaries from various publishers, none of the publishers were Pentecostal. I often wondered why a Pentecostal Bible school would use non-Pentecostal commentaries for class. What I did not know at the time was that there really was no such thing as a Pentecostal commentary written for and by Pentecostals. Since then, there have been a few Pentecostals who have written on individual books, but there are significant portions of even the New Testament that have had little or no Pentecostal voice. As a result, serious Pentecostal students have no other choice but to learn at the feet of non-Pentecostals. I am not opposed to non-Pentecostal commentaries. Indeed, I have gained considerable insights from reading such, but there are two points of theology that I must consciously filter out every time I read them. The most important concern to a Pentecostal is that the pneumatology (the study of the Holy Spirit) presented by non-Pentecostals is very different than that of a Pentecostal. The second point is the emphasis on Calvinistic doctrines especially eternal security with which most Pentecostals do not agree. In addition, there are other theological differences and substantially different hermeneutical principals that can dramatically alter the interpretation of texts in non-Pentecostal ways. In my studies, I have always desired to have a commentary that was thoroughly Pentecostal, but I never imagined that I would write one. From one Pentecostal to another, I hope you will find this series to be a breath of fresh Spirit anointed air. Series Preface While it is hoped that Bible students from other theological traditions will study and benefit from its contents, it is first and foremost Pentecostal. As such, this commentary does not include surveys of other viewpoints unless such inclusion is necessary for clarity of argument. In addition, with all due respect to our Charismatic brethren, it may be said that this series is not meant to be inclusive of Charismatic interpretations related to pneumatology. The Pentecostal Commentary series intentionally excludes views of Scripture that do not hold to its inspiration, inerrancy, and infallibility, and also excludes modern liberal arguments of authorship, date, purpose, and so on. Traditional viewpoints on these subjects will be discussed without confusing the issue. In addition, 19th century criticism methods and concerns over source documents will not often be discussed. In other words, this series assumes that the Biblical text is as God wants it to be and that it was written by the person and at the time traditionally ascribed.