Acts (EP Study Commentary) by Guy Prentiss Waters

Guy Prentiss Waters asked, “Why one more?” Perhaps one way to answer this is to highlight three features of this particular exposition of Acts. It is, first of all, relatively brief. Guy Prentiss Waters follows John Calvin’s principle of “claritas et brevitas”—‘clarity and brevity’.

Commentaries on the book of Acts can range from 100 pages to as much as 4,000 pages. “Readers can easily get lost in a welter of detail, missing not only the ‘big picture’ or the ‘main point’ of a particular text, but also a sense of what holds the biblical book together.” You don’t have to worry about this because Guy Prentiss Waters dealt with the ‘main point’ of each particular text with clarity, by citing Greek text (you don’t have to be a Greek scholar) and other Christians (pg. 32-33 and throughout this Commentary). He paints the ‘pig picture’ by pointing to what the author or the person is saying, and not what others are saying.

The second feature is that this Commentary “strives to offer exegesis in the service of exposition”. For those who want to understand the text better, and especially for those who are called to explain it to others, look no further—this is the right commentary for you.

The third and final feature of this Commentary is that it is Reformed in its orientation. You don’t have to be Reformed in order to own this Commentary. You will find plenty of footnotes from Reformed Christians.
I personally own about 30 commentaries on Acts, as I mentioned earlier that these commentaries can range from 100 pages to as much as 4,000 pages. However, I found that this Commentary has kept me intrigued page after page.

I want to close out my review by pointing out one more feature: I personally believe that the “APPLICATION” portion at the end of each section is very helpful. The application brings out not only clarity but also application you can apply what you have just learned. For those who teach a Small Group or Sunday School Class, you will want to have this Commentary on your shelf for your own study.

I received this book for free from EP Books via Cross Focused Reviews for this review. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”