James (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) [Hardcover]

Dan G. McCartney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2009 | Series: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

Dan McCartney, a highly regarded New Testament scholar and an expert on biblical interpretation, offers a substantive yet accessible commentary on James in this latest addition to the award-winning BECNT series. With extensive research and thoughtful chapter-by-chapter exegesis, McCartney leads readers through all aspects of the book of James--sociological, historical, and theological--to help them better understand its meaning and relevance. As with all BECNT volumes, this commentary features the author's detailed interaction with the Greek text and an acclaimed, user-friendly design. It admirably achieves the dual aims of the series--academic sophistication with pastoral sensitivity and accessibility.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"Dan McCartney has written an informed, scholarly, and evangelical commentary on James that is both readable and informative. It contains fresh perspectives in addition to covering the ground that all solid commentaries need to cover. It will be quite useful to evangelical pastors who want a solid basis for preaching or teaching on James."--Peter H. Davids, professor of biblical theology, St. Stephen's University

"Dan McCartney's commentary on James is a fresh and important contribution to the literature on James. He convincingly argues that faith plays a central role in the letter. McCartney writes lucidly and clearly while ably surveying various interpretations. This work is exegetically rewarding, theologically rooted, and pastorally wise."--Thomas R. Schreiner, James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

"McCartney shows firm control of the secondary literature while retaining an independent judgment on the original text itself. His exposition is thorough, clear, and consistently on target; and his extensive additional notes and excursuses are the icing on the cake. This work deserves a warm reception."--Moisés Silva, author of Philippians (BECNT)

About the Author

Dan G. McCartney (PhD, Westminster Theological Seminary) is professor of New Testament interpretation at Redeemer Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He previously taught at Westminster Theological Seminary in Philadelphia for more than twenty years. He is the author of Let the Reader Understand: A Guide to Interpreting and Applying the Bible and Why Does it Have to Hurt? The Meaning of Christian Suffering. McCartney also revised J. Gresham Machen's New Testament Greek for Beginners.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 335 pages
• Publisher: Baker Academic (November 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801026768
• ISBN-13: 978-0801026768
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #265,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars He Gives Us More Grace, January 3, 2010

By 

Jacques Schoeman (SA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: James (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

'Thus, to equate word and law is by no means to limit the word to God's moral demands; rather, it equates law of God with the totality of His saving revelation through Scripture.' p 122

Scripture consistently presents God as being 'perfect', and the NT writers used the imperative on more than one occasion to amplify that as the telos of our faith. Yet McCartney deliberately keeps in touch with reality: 'There is, of course, no thought of suggesting that anyone in this life ever reaches the goal of perfection and can then stop striving toward it.' p 87, n 9 On the importance of attaining the wisdom that is from above, McCartney proves the necessity of such wisdom itself, against the ever-growing tide of supplementing Scripture with one's own ideas: 'The most important thing not to lack is wisdom. Note, however, that this wisdom is not obtained by pursuing suffering, by hard work, or by any such effort; it is acquired by asking. At the very least, the believer needs to ask for it.' pp. 88-89 Miles Munroe claims that God is waiting for us to command Him in prayer what next to do. Worlds apart, Bishop JC Ryle put it this way: 'He loves to be entreated.' James' chief aim was to establish and mature faith, not speculative theories, so he paid much attention to the perseverance of the saints. 'Endurance under pressure is a means of growth toward this completeness, a completeness that is, to be sure, eschatologically determined, but already in development in the believer.' pp. 87-88 As to the charismatic notion of being 'most blessed', the Gk 'makarios' allows for no difference in degree for the recipient of God's favor. Trumpeting the clarity of Scripture, McCartney unequivocally states: 'In this case, the meaning is 'If someone is a doer, then he is blessed'.' p 124

The members of the intra-congregational community of believers were required to affirm love for one's neighbor as 'the royal law according to the Scripture' (2:8). John Calvin brilliantly argued that for us to be no respecter of persons, 'neighbor' must mean all mankind, as God expressly commends to us the most contemptible, even widows and orphans. Calvin judiciously asserted a double meaning to 'royal law according to the Scripture': 'When, in the second place, he says, that those who had respect of persons were convinced, or reproved by the law, the law is taken according to its proper meaning. For since we are bidden by God's command to embrace all mortals, every one who, with a few exceptions, rejects all the rest, breaks the bond of God, and inverts also His order, and is, therefore, rightly called a transgressor of the law.' Commentary on James 2:9 McCartney reiterates this sentiment: 'Thus, one who keeps the whole law save in one respect is a transgressor.' p 148 He skilfully concludes 2:8-9 that, unlike those who 'do well' by keeping the royal law, those who show favoritism, transgress it: 'James' use of terms for 'doing sin' is instructive. Literally, those who show favoritism 'work' [Gk: ergazomai] sin.' Ibid

Against the common charge that James is unusually harsh or prejudiced towards the rich, McCartney gleans the text to produce a gem: 'Further, the people of whom, in Jesus' words, 'all men speak well' typically are the wealthy or those with worldly power. But James holds out hope even for such (4:10). This again suits James' emphasis that God's grace surpasses His threats, just as His mercy triumphs over judgment (2:13).' p 218 But that does not deter McCartney from levelling a serious admonition: 'Coziness with the world and its values is not unknown in the church of our day either, and such coziness should be named for what it is: a manifestation of unbelief. Those who would be friends with the world thus stand in opposition to Abraham, whose faith made him a friend of God.' p 210 We too must be aware of God's demands of exclusivity as 'James hints at this when he refers to God causing the Spirit to dwell in us.' p 213 McCartney reinforces his message of dependence upon the right source of spiritual enablement: '...the divine Spirit is unavailable to the proud.' p 214 The Epistle of James speaks to everything that wars for pride of place in our hearts, not least being the pride in our own hearts.

In his emendation of Elijah as OT example (5:13-17), 'James gives no indication of any thing or person making the prayer effectual, and the stress is not on some unseen agent, but on prayer as having significant power. It is best to take the principle as modifying 'is powerful', explaining not under what conditions it is effective, but in what way prayer has power: it is powerful because it effects change.' p 258 What a wonderful privilege - but it is up to the believer to make time to pray. As respecting the sovereignty of God, Charles Spurgeon qualifies our reluctance to give our blessing to 'demand' in prayer, 'deliver' through prayer, even 'decree' by prayer, and has the touch of a pickpocket around Lakewood: 'It is well said that 'asking is the rule of the kingdom'. If the royal and divine Son of God cannot be exempted from the rule of asking that He may have, you and I cannot expect to have the rule relaxed in our favor. It is a rule that will never be altered in anybody's case. God will bless Elijah and send rain on Israel, but Elijah must pray for it.'

The four excurses at the end of the commentary are beautiful works designed to facilitate the thoughtful reader to a new appreciation of Holy Scripture, and especially the sound treatment of the theodicy of God should make McCartney's theological distinctives easy to receive. Those who prefer Luther and Calvin to Moo will especially appreciate his commentary.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Commentary, December 30, 2009

By 

Evangelical Scholar "Interested Reader" (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: James (Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament) (Hardcover)

The commentary has a good set up. The author has researched well. The material is a great source for study by anyone seeking to learn more accurately about the Letter of James.