Expository Thoughts on John

If the best way to understand the Christian faith is to read the Gospels, then the next most important books to read must be those which aid in the understanding of those Gospels. This is the aim of Ryle’s Expository Thoughts on the Gospels.

‘The Gospel of St. John, rightly interpreted, is the best and simplest answer to those who profess to admire a vague and indistinct Christianity.’ There were many such in J. C. Ryle’s day, as in our own, and these final three volumes of his Expository Thoughts on the Gospels series provide a detailed commentary upon, and ‘right interpretation’ of the fourth Gospel.

Originally published between published between 1869 and 1873, these volumes differ from those previously published in the series, in that they contain ‘full explanatory notes on every verse of the portions expounded, forming, in fact, a complete Commentary’. The long gap between the publication of Luke (1858) and the appearance of the first volume of John (1869) is explained by the loss of Ryle’s second wife, Jessie, in 1860), his being responsible for the care of his five children (the eldest being just thirteen years of age at the time), and his move to Helmingham to the much larger parish of Stradbroke in 1861, with the greater burden of work that entailed.

In these volumes Ryle shows again that, as in all his writing and preaching, he was first and foremost a pastor, and as J. I. Packer has pointed out, ‘alongside the question “Is it true?” the question “What effect will this have on ordinary people?” was always in his mind’.

Reprinted in fresh, new format Expository Thoughts will bring Ryle’s plain yet profound insights to a new generation.

KEY FEATURES
• A rich combination of doctrinal and practical comment on the Gospel text
• Excellent as a help in family worship, an aid in pastoral visitation, or simply as a companion in your private reading of Scripture
• Plain yet profound and compelling insights
• Reprinted in a fresh, new format (modern typeset)
• Quality cloth-bound and Smyth-sewn; made to last for generations

In 1837, John Charles Ryle was an outstanding athlete, excelling in cricket and rowing. But, when he became ill with a serious infection, he turned to his long-forgotten Bible and prayed. Then, one Sunday at church, he felt as though God was speaking to him, emphasizing the message that people are saved by grace through faith, which is a gift from God. Ryle ultimately entered the ministry in the Church of England, while also publishing popular tracts and books from a Biblical standpoint. J.C. Ryle’s Holiness is perhaps his best known book, describing the nature of holiness and the challenges of temptation, while Call to Prayer shares with readers the privileges of private prayer. J.C. Ryle’s Thoughts for Young Men offers up what one reviewer calls “true Puritan theology,” while Agency That Transformed a Nation shares timeless lessons gleaned from the 18-century Great Awakening.