Guy Prentiss Waters has contributed to the EP Study Commentary series with his volume on the book of Acts. Acts is published by Evangelical Press (EP), and the series is edited by John Currid.
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About the Author: Guy Prentiss Waters
Waters is the Professor of New Testament at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS. I am particularly very excited that EP chose a Reformed theologian to produce the volume on the book Acts. Waters mentions that this book is being approached from a Reformed perspective by one who finds the Westminster Standards to be the best summary of biblical truth.
There are plenty of commentaries on Acts that are written by continuationists (those who believe that the sign/miraculous gifts continue to be performed today by Christians), so it is a blessing to the church to have a scholar write from a cessationist perspective (which teaches that the sign gifts were given to lay the foundation of the church, but with the close of the canon, these gifts are not normative). Not only that, but Waters has proven to be an excellent an excellent theologian who knows how to rightly handle the Word of Truth. I am grateful that Waters was chosen to be the writer of this volume!
Acts (EP Study Commentary Series)
I am a big fan of the EP Study Commentary series, and I highly recommend it to all. It is written to be an accessible series for anybody wishing to grow in their understanding of the Word of God, and yet it is academic/scholarly enough for the pastor and teacher as well.
This volume on Acts proves to be that case. Waters, who gives his own translation of the original Greek text, deals with technical and critical aspects of the book of Acts, and yet it is written in such an easy to understand manner. I appreciate how this volume provides footnotes for those who want to go deeper into the text (some other volumes use endnotes instead of footnotes).
Format and Content
I really appreciate the format of this commentary. It begins with a concise summary of the passage that will be discussed. Then, verse by verse, Waters provides commentary on those verses. The verse (or verses) are always placed in italics and always double spaced from the surrounding commentary, making it very easy to find specific verses (and this is particularly helpful when utilizing this commentary as a resource).
The Acts volume is divided into 18 chapters, and each chapter concludes with an application section, where Waters shows his pastoral heart. These sections are rather long as opposed to just a few sentences tacked on to the end of the chapter. These are very helpful sections!
Waters provides a great treatment on the entire book of Acts. Due to the nature of the events found in the book of Acts taking place directly after Christ’s ascension and during the days of the Apostles, there are some very difficult passages in this book, and Waters handles them very well. If one would turn to Acts 2:38-39, the reader would see how best to understand Peter’s comments that one must repent and be baptized in order to receive forgiveness of sins. Waters proves to be an excellent exegete as he works through this passage.
His comments, while not intended to be comprehensive, surely provide plenty of information about each verse. I also appreciate the amount of scholarship that Waters either refers to or engages with. He has a great understanding of the historical, critical, exegetical, and literary aspects of this biblical book. Anybody reading this commentary is going to definitely benefit from it!
I can’t recommend this commentary (and this entire series) highly enough! Please consider investing in this great series if you want to grow in your understanding of the Word of God!
Disclaimer: My thanks to Evangelical Press for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The opinions expressed are my own.
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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