Philemon shows the gospel at work in a household—love’s appeal, debt assumed, and a slave welcomed as a brother. Paul trusts the Spirit to form willing obedience and turns a painful story into reconciliation in Christ.
Bible Themes and Doctrines
This free resource includes detailed commentary on each book of the Bible (66) as well as a chapter-by-chapter study of each chapter of the Bible (1,189). The chapter studies are excluded from the normal search results and are best found by selecting from the list below.
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Genesis
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50.
Exodus
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40.
Leviticus
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27.
Numbers
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Deuteronomy
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34.
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Joshua
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
Judges
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
Ruth
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
1 Samuel
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31.
2 Samuel
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
1 Kings
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.
2 Kings
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25.
1 Chronicles
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29.
2 Chronicles
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36.
Ezra
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
Nehemiah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Esther
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10.
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Job
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42
Psalms
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 109, 110, 111, 112, 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 127, 128, 129, 130, 131, 132, 133, 134, 135, 136, 137, 138, 139, 140, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145, 146, 147, 148, 149, 150.
Proverbs
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31
Ecclesiastes
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Song of Songs (Song of Solomon)
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
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Isaiah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66.
Jeremiah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52.
Lamentations
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Ezekiel
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48.
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Daniel
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12.
Hosea
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
Joel
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
Amos
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Obadiah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1.
Jonah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Micah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7.
Nahum
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
Habakkuk
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
Zephaniah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
Haggai
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2.
Zechariah
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14.
Malachi
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
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Matthew
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.
Mark
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
Luke
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24.
John
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21.
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Acts (of the Apostles)
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28.
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Romans
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
1 Corinthians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16.
2 Corinthians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Galatians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Ephesians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Philippians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Colossians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
1 Thessalonians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2 Thessalonians
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
1 Timothy
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2 Timothy
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4.
Titus
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
Philemon
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1.
Hebrews
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
James
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
1 Peter
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2 Peter
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3.
1 John
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
2 John
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1.
3 John
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1.
Jude
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1.
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Revelation
Overview or Chapter Studies: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.
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Here’s a plain-language orientation to Dispensational Theology—what it is, why I’m using it beneath the surface of these chapter studies, and how to spot its thread even when the label itself doesn’t appear.
At heart, dispensationalism is a way of reading the Bible that pays close attention to God’s unfolding plan across history, takes promises and prophecies at face value (according to normal grammar and context), and keeps Israel and the church distinct without breaking the unity of God’s salvation in Christ. It notices that God has administered His will in recognizable stages—each with revealed responsibilities, clarifying tests, and fresh light—yet salvation is always by grace through faith because there has only ever been one Savior. The approach expects real fulfillment of God’s covenants to Israel in the future, while recognizing genuine foretastes of the kingdom in the present through the Spirit.
The classic stages (“dispensations”) at a glance
Writers describe the stages with minor variations; the classic seven are:
The point of mapping these stages is not to box God into charts but to recognize how Scripture itself marks turns in the road—from Eden to exile to Pentecost—and to let each passage speak within its historical setting while tracing the one plan that moves toward Christ’s reign and renewal.
Think of these as the load-bearing beams you’ll see throughout my essays:
The Chapter Studies do not to use the word dispensational (or its variants) in the body of each chapter study. That’s intentional. Labels can distract; Scripture should lead. Instead, I’ll use plain phrases that carry the same freight: “stage in God’s plan,” “administration under Moses,” “future fullness,” “the King’s rule tasted now,” and so on. You’ll also see a dedicated Redemptive-Plan Thread woven through each essay—especially in the “Theological Significance” section—that quietly does this work:
Within the dispensational family there are intramural debates (e.g., timing of the rapture, certain prophetic sequences). Those questions matter, but the pillars above are the bedrock beneath my essays. Where timing questions arise, I’ll keep the focus on what the passage clearly teaches, majoring on the hope of Christ’s return, the integrity of God’s promises, and our present calling.
Dispensational Theology, as I’m using it, is not a grid pasted on the Bible; it’s a commitment to let the Bible’s own storyline, covenants, and categories stand as written, to hear every text in its time, and to follow the thread to Christ—the one Savior for all who believe. You’ll rarely see the label. You will see the fruit: context-honoring exposition, covenant confidence, present power by the Spirit, and durable hope in the King who will keep every promise.
Philemon shows the gospel at work in a household—love’s appeal, debt assumed, and a slave welcomed as a brother. Paul trusts the Spirit to form willing obedience and turns a painful story into reconciliation in Christ.
Hebrews 13 turns deep doctrine into everyday holiness—brotherly love, open doors, shared burdens, faithful leaders, and praise that overflows in generous good. Under the God-of-peace blessing, we bear Christ’s reproach and look for the city to come.
Hebrews 12 shows how pilgrims endure—eyes fixed on Jesus, hearts trained by a loving Father, and hands lifted for one another. We run toward Zion and worship with awe because the kingdom we receive cannot be shaken.
Hebrews 11 is not a hall of heroes but a witness stand. It shows ordinary people who trusted God’s promises and lived as pilgrims, seeking a better country.
Christ’s obedient body and once-for-all offering open a new and living way. Draw near with a clean conscience, hold fast your hope, and strengthen others as the Day draws near.
Hebrews 9 moves from copy to reality. Jesus enters the true sanctuary with His own blood, cleanses the conscience, and will appear again to bring salvation to those who wait for Him.
Hebrews 8 centers on Jesus our seated Priest who serves in the true sanctuary. He mediates the new covenant with better promises that forgive and transform.
Hebrews 7 unveils Jesus as priest forever by God’s oath and indestructible life. He guarantees a better covenant, offered Himself once for all, and always intercedes for His people.
Hebrews 6 warns against settled rejection and calls believers to mature diligence. Assurance rests on God’s promise and oath, with our hope anchored in Jesus behind the veil.
Hebrews 5 reveals Jesus as our divinely appointed Priest who learned obedience through suffering and now saves forever. Come for mercy, grow in discernment, and hold fast in hope.
Hebrews 4 holds out God’s rest for weary hearts. Hear the Spirit’s “Today,” welcome the living Word, and come boldly to the throne of grace in Christ.
Hebrews 3 lifts Jesus above Moses and calls us to hear His voice “Today.” Hold fast your confidence and encourage one another toward God’s promised rest.
Hebrews 2 calls drifting hearts back to Christ. The Son shares our flesh, defeats death, and stands with us as a merciful and faithful High Priest.
Hebrews 1 lifts our eyes to the Son as God’s final word and the Lord of an unending throne. Angels serve, creation changes, but Jesus remains the same.
James 5 thunders against hoarded wealth and comforts the weary with the Lord’s nearness. It calls the church to patient hearts, plain words, earnest prayer, and gentle rescue of those who wander.