Expository Thoughts on Matthew (Expository Thoughts on the Gospels)

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.

As the first Gospel in the New Testament, Matthew was, not surprisingly, the first to be published in J. C. Ryle’s series of Expository Thoughts on the Gospels (1856). Ryle’s expositions are a rich combination of doctrinal and practical comments on the Gospel text.

Ryle loved the Gospels because they were so full of the Lord Jesus Christ. ‘No part of the Bible is so important as this’, he wrote, ‘and no part is so full and complete. Four distinct Gospels tell us the story of Christ’s doings and dying. Four times we read the precious account of his works and words. How thankful we ought to be for this! To know Christ is to have peace with God. To follow Christ is to be a true Christian. To be with Christ will be heaven itself. We can never hear too much about the Lord Jesus Christ.’

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.