Thru the Bible With J. Vernon McGee

Rating:
Summary: A neat commentary
Review: I had given my mother a copy of Talk Thru the Bible (my choice as a textbook for either O.T. or N.T. survey) as a guide to accompany her first straight through reading of the Bible. To my delight, afterwards, she asked me what would be a good commentary to use to further explore biblical themes and expand upon what she had already learned. I ordered her the five volume Thru the Bible commentary with the Topical Index taken from J. Vernon McGee's radio program to compliment her further studies.

While I don't always agree with McGee's tendency of hanging his own thoughts and commentary on a verse when not necessary, or his inclusion of Reformed dogmatics by way of presumption; more often than not I agree with the highlights of his message. I like the fact that he spent his time boiling down abstract ideas and doctrines by illustrating them through solid biblical theology in narrative tone that brings the Bible to life so that the reader can easily grasp and apply biblical themes in their own walk with the Lord. I also like the fact that McGee tends to engage popular pitfalls and misconceptions of understanding the Scriptures by frequently teaching why such assumptions fail before the whole council of our Lord. Though he clearly states that his intended audience was the layman, his commentary often exhibits surprising depth as McGee often illustrates key points in biblical typology, or the by pursuit of other rabbit trails which greatly enhance the readers understanding of the relationships between the Old and the New Testaments. Of further benefit, there is a sixth book available for this commentary that allows you to quickly look up specific topics quickly (Thru the Bible Topical Index). With the inclusion of this help, McGee's commentary can be obliged the double service of acting as a quick reference or a Thompson Chained Reference on steroids. This will save you the time and trouble involved with the tried and true "Sears Roebuck Catalog" flipping method of looking things up oftentimes employed with other commentaries when what you are looking for cannot be found by chapter and verse. In short, McGee's Thru the Bible is a neat commentary. It seems that others also agree with my assessment.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent; Easy to Understand; Exciting Journey thru Bible
Review: I have owned and read Dr. McGee's 5 volume set of commentaries for over 15 years now and highly recommend them. Dr. McGee has a way of taking complex teachings of Scripture and simplifying them so that they are easy to grasp. He takes the "cookies and puts them on the bottom shelf so that the kiddies can get to them" as opposed to some Bible teachers who complicate the Bible's teachings with high sounding talk. One way that Dr. McGee clarifies issues is by using homely illustrations to explain his point. He never loses sight of God's redemptive theme which runs from Genesis to Revelation. He also points out how OT and NT books complement/explain, etc. each other: i.e., Genesis and Matthew; Leviticus and Hebrews; Joshua and Ephesians; Revelation and Daniel, etc. These commentaries are well the worth the dollar and time investment.

Rating:
Summary: A good expository reflection on the scriptures
Review: I used to love to listen to J Vernon Mcgee's wonderful, down to earth commentaries on Holy Scripture over the radio. And thank God for the internet, because...I can tune in to him anytime I want.

This 5 volume commentary set digests some of his most helpful comments from his 5 year trip through the Bible. And in some passages, he is a wonderful help. And in other passages, he hardly says a word! So what this means for the preacher is that some Sundays, McGee will help you a lot, and on other Sundays, he won't help you at all. But the times he is helpful outweigh the times when he isn't, so I would still heartily recommend this set to your pastor.

Rating:
Summary: Great Supplementary Commentary
Review: If you are not familiar with J. Vernon McGee or his style, I would suggest that you try a single volume paperback commentary first to see if you like it. McGee reminds me of someone's grandfather...wise, opinionated, down-to-earth, and even gruff at times. If you have ever heard his radio broadcasts (from which these commentaries are derived), you know what I mean. McGee has a strong and distinct style, and he is always pressing us to seek God's will in our lives fervently. You can't fault the honesty of his vision or spirit!

These commentaries give you McGee's interpretation of each chapter of that particular book of the Bible. The thing I like best about his commentaries are that they are fresh and interesting. He rarely gets tied down in seemingly obscure details or debates. If he has an opinion, he'll tell you exactly what it is and why without beating around the bush like so many other bible commentaries. Although I don't agree with all of his opinions, I respect his perspective, and rarely do his works leave me without something to "chew on." This is also the only commentary that I have that can actually leave me laughing aloud at some point he's made. He had a great sense of humor!

I would recommend this series of five volumes to any student of the bible. They are a great commentary for the every day person, unintimidating and understandable.

Rating:
Summary: J. Vernon McGee reveals and exalts the Lord Jesus Christ
Review: J. Vernon McGee is the only radio Bible teacher that I know of who consistantly pointed his listeners/students to the greatness of the Lord Jesus Christ no matter which page of Scripture he was teaching from. The Lord Jesus Christ is always brought to the front and center of his teaching.
He was definitely gifted by God to teach from the Bible. He taught me how to interpret Scripture correctly by comparing Scripture with Scripture. The Spirit of God worked through J. Vernon McGee to lead me to saving faith in God our Saviour, and to turn me from the religion of Lutheranism (i.e., law and "gospel") that kept me from receiving God's GIFT of grace by faith alone, in Christ alone completely. Amen!

Dr. McGee had a saying that went something like this: "Put the cookies on the bottom shelf so that the kiddies can reach them." That was his approach to teaching the Word of God. He taught in a way that was able to be understood by every day, common people. Adults, as well as children, can become strong in their knowledge of the Word of God through the systematic teaching of Dr. McGee.

The only thing that I disagree with him on is when he would stray from the Authorized King James Version in favor of the "better"/corrupt manuscripts. Overall, his teaching is mostly taught from the Authorized Version.

When either listening or reading his program/commentary it is as if you are one-on-one with him. You will also discover that he has great sense of humor.

I have the five volume set and recommend that if you are looking for good solid Bible teaching, this is a good eternal investment.