James 4 traces quarrels to desires at war and calls believers back by grace. Submit to God, resist the devil, speak without slander, and plan with “if the Lord wills.”
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.
James 4 traces quarrels to desires at war and calls believers back by grace. Submit to God, resist the devil, speak without slander, and plan with “if the Lord wills.”
James 3 confronts the power of the tongue and the posture of the heart. It contrasts envy’s counterfeit “wisdom” with wisdom from above and calls the church to peacemaking that plants for a harvest.
James 2 brings the gospel into the room where people are seated and into the street where needs are met. It rejects favoritism and unmasks a faith that never acts, calling believers to mercy and to deeds that reveal live trust in Christ.
James 1 calls believers to joy in trials, prayer for wisdom, and a life that does the word. True religion guards the tongue, helps the vulnerable, and keeps clean in a world that stains.
Peter answers scoffers with Scripture’s memory and God’s timetable. He calls believers to holy, hopeful lives as we look for a new heavens and a new earth where righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 2 unmasks false teachers and reassures believers that God both rescues the godly and reserves the wicked for judgment. Learn how to spot counterfeits and stand firm in the freedom Christ gives.
God has given everything needed for a godly life through knowing Christ. 2 Peter 1 urges steady growth and attention to Scripture’s lamp until the day dawns.
Peter closes his letter by calling elders to eager service, the church to humility and vigilance, and all believers to cast care on the God who cares. This study follows 1 Peter 5 and anchors weary hearts in the promise that the God of all grace will restore and steady His people.
Peter teaches exiles to arm their minds with Christ’s resolve, pray with clear heads, love with stretched hearts, and serve as stewards of grace. When fiery trials come, believers rejoice, entrust themselves to the faithful Creator, and keep doing good until glory is revealed.
Peter brings the gospel into marriage, community life, and courageous witness before a watching world. This study traces 1 Peter 3 and shows how the risen Lord steadies hearts to bless, to answer, and to endure.
Peter forms a scattered church around the living Stone and sends it into a watching world. This chapter study shows how identity in Christ fuels holy conduct, public witness, and endurance under unjust suffering.
Peter lifts exiles into praise, anchors them in a living hope, and calls them to holiness and deep love. This chapter study follows the flow of 1 Peter 1 and shows how future grace fuels present faithfulness.
Revelation 22 closes Scripture with a river, a tree, and a cry: “Come.” It shows life without the curse and calls the church to hope and holiness.
Revelation 21 shows the city of God descending, the end of death and tears, and the nations walking by the Lamb’s light. Hope here is concrete and near.
Revelation 20 sets the King’s thousand-year reign in plain view, ends the serpent’s work, and opens the great white throne. Hope for the faithful, justice for the world.