Malachi 3:18 - Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Bible Study & Commentary

Verse 18

"Then shall ye return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."

"Him that serveth God ... serveth not ..." Again, in the Bible there appears here the grand cleavage of human kind into two, and only two classes, a division that appears repeatedly throughout the Bible. The wheat and the chaff, the good and the bad, the right hand and the left, the keepers and the rejects, the wheat and the tares, the wise and the foolish there are many examples.

Gasque gave the meaning here as: "Therefore, it does make sense to serve God even in a day when it seems that the majority have forsaken him."[33]

"The parallelism here identifies the righteous as one who served God, and the wicked with one who does not serve him."[34] The relationship of the soul to God is determinative; and that relationship is either proved or disproved by whether or not one does or does not serve God. Jesus strictly advocated the same principle:

"The people who hear Jesus' words and do them will be saved; the people who hear his words and do them not will be lost" (Matthew 7:24-27).
"Not everyone that saith, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of God; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:21).

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible

Be the first to react on this!

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible

James Burton Coffman was a prolific author, preacher, teacher and leader among churches of Christ in the 20th century.He was born May 24, 1905, in Taylor County to pioneer West Texans "so far out in the country it took two days to go to town and back." He became a Christian in 1923. In Texas, Coffman graduated from Abilene High School and enrolled in Abilene Christian College (now University), graduating in 1927 with a B.A. in history and music.After earning his degree, Coffman served as a high school principal for two years in Callahan County, then taught history and English at Abilene High School.In 1930, he was offered a position as associate minister and song leader in Wichita Falls, the beginning of his career as a minister. Then, he married Thelma "Sissy" Bradford in 1931. Coffman preached for congregations in Texas; Oklahoma; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. In his lifetime, Coffman received 3 honorary doctorates.While in Washington, he was offered the opportunity to serve as guest chaplain for the U.S. Armed Forces in Japan and Korea and served 90 days, holding Gospel meetings throughout both countries.Coffman conducted hundreds of gospel meetings throughout the U.S. and, at one count, baptized more than 3,000 souls.Retiring in 1971, he returned to Houston. One of his most notable accomplishments was writing a 37-volume commentary of the entire Bible, verse by verse, which was finished in 1992. This commentary is being sold all over the world. Many people consider the Coffman series to be one of the finest modern, conservative commentary sets written.Coffman's conservative interpretations affirm the inerrancy of the Bible and clearly point readers toward Scripture as the final basis for Christian belief and practice. This series was written with the thorough care of a research scholar, yet it is easy to read. The series includes every book of the Old and New Testaments.After being married to Sissy for 64 years, she passed away. Coffman then married June Bristow Coffman. James Burton Coffman died on Friday, June 30, 2006, at the age of 101.... Show more

One of the leading authorities in the Church of Christ, Dr. Coffman presents a verse by verse look at God's Word.... Show more

Scroll to Top

Group of Brands