Author: L. Jared Garcia

L. Jared Garcia (Ph.D. candidate, BJU Seminary) is married to Laurie, and they have one baby on the way (coming January 2022, Lord willing). Jared currently serves as one of the pastors of Emmanuel Bible Church in Mauldin, SC. He loves reading theology, drinking coffee, and playing basketball. Jared desires to train pastors and help plant churches in the Philippines in the near future. He blogs at www.leejaredgarcia.com.
Reviews

“Five Views on the New Testament Canon” — A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

How did we end up with 27 books in the New Testament? Are these books authoritative because they were selected as part of the NT canon, or were they selected because they were authoritative? Various groups within Christendom think about the NT canon differently. The contributors to this monograph are Darian R. Lockett (conservative evangelical), David R. Nienhuis (progressive evangelical), Jason David Beduhn (liberal Protestant), Ian Boxall (Roman Catholic), and George L. Parsenios (Eastern Orthodox). I am reading this monograph coming from a conservative evangelical viewpoint with a historic fundamentalist heritage. I am not unaware of my bias in this review, but I am not ashamed of it either. In all honesty, no one approaches the discussion with complete neutrality. So the editors, Stanley E. Porter and Benjamin P. Laird, write in the introduction, We further anticipate that many readers will be confronted with viewpoints and perspectives that they have not seriously considered and that they will be encouraged to carefully examine the merits of their own positions and to engage in further research and reflection.”

Reviews

“Revelation: Through Old Testament Eyes” by Tremper Longman III – A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

Revelation: Through Old Testament Eyes is an insightful resource for students of Scripture doing exegetical research in Revelation. This review consists of two parts. First, I will list key contributions of this commentary. Second, I will demonstrate how I used this commentary in preparing a recent sermon. I received a free copy of this commentary from the publisher, Kregel Academic, in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews

“James: An Exegetical Guide for Preaching and Teaching (Big Greek Idea Series)” by Herbert W. Bateman IV & William C. Varner– A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

The Big Greek Idea Series is an excellent resource for preachers and Greek students. The volume on James by Hebert W. Bateman IV and William C. Varner will invigorate pastors who have forgotten their Greek and persuade Greek students that mastering Greek is not in vain. I received a free copy of this commentary from the publisher, Kregel Academic, in exchange for an honest review. In this review, I will make comments on three areas. First, I want to present four ways this volume benefits pastors and Greek students. Second, I will examine the exegetical analysis given in this commentary on selected texts. Lastly, I have two very minor quibbles I observed from this volume.

Reviews

“Colossians and Philemon: A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching” (Kerux Commentaries) – A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

Adam Copenhaver and Jeffrey D. Arthurs have contributed a commentary designed for preachers and teachers. I received a copy of this commentary from the publisher, Kregel, in exchange for an honest review. When evaluating commentaries, I typically look at three areas: 1) key features (usually dictated by the commentary series); 2) discussion regarding introductory issues… Continue reading “Colossians and Philemon: A Commentary for Biblical Preaching and Teaching” (Kerux Commentaries) – A Book Review

Reviews

“A History of Evangelism in North America” edited by Thomas P. Johnston – A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

A History of Evangelism in North America is a collection of essays by various authors edited by Thomas P. Johnston. The goal of this collection is simple: “The goal was to offer a breadth of concurrent evangelism methodologies, which in some cases includes considerable interactions between the subjects. The result portrays God’s oversight of evangelism as North American Christians sought to obey Christ’s Great Commission in their generation.” This collection of biographical sketches and historic movements rekindles one’s passion in evangelism. I received a free copy of this collection from the publisher, Kregel Publications, in exchange for an honest review.

Reviews

Thompson Chain-Reference Bible – A Review

L. Jared Garcia

se it well until I was 25! Dr. Frank Charles Thompson first published the cross-reference notes in the wide margin of his Bible in 1908. The TCRB is a comprehensive cross-reference tool that has been used for Bible study since then. It has more than 4,000 topical listings and 100,000 marginal references. In light of search engines and the growing use of Bible study software, is there still a void that the TCRB can fill? This is the primary question I seek to answer in this review.

Reviews

“John through Old Testament Eyes: A Background and Application Commentary” by Karen H. Jobes — A Book Review

L. Jared Garcia

You cannot fully understand the New Testament without a solid grasp of the Old Testament. This is why I’m thankful for Karen Jobes’ contribution, John: Through Old Testament Eyes. This volume will aid teachers and preachers of God’s Word to see how the Old Testament illuminates our understanding of John’s Gospel. I received a free copy of this commentary from the publisher, Kregel Publications, in exchange for an honest review.

Research

The Irrevocable Nature of Salvation and the Warning Passages

L. Jared Garcia

Why are there warning passages if God has promised that our salvation will not be lost? This post is three years late. In 2018, I contributed an article on the topic of the irrevocable nature of salvation and the warning passages, focusing on John's Gospel. The online link to the article can be found here.… Continue reading The Irrevocable Nature of Salvation and the Warning Passages