Got Questions? Bible Questions and the Role of the New American Commentary

If you're a pastor, a Minister of Education, or an adult Sunday School teacher, you probably feel it every week: people in your church have questions. Real questions. Bible questions about tough passages, confusing themes, and practical issues of obedience.

And if you're honest, you probably have your own questions too.

So where do you turn when you've got Bible questions that need clear, trustworthy answers? With so many commentaries and tools out there, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Some resources are too technical, some are too shallow, and some raise more doubts than they settle.

In many evangelical circles-especially among Southern Baptists-one series comes up again and again: the New American Commentary (NAC). But how does it fit into your toolbox when you're trying to respond to the Bible questions your people bring week after week? Let's take a closer look.

A Conservative, Evangelical Anchor When You've Got Bible Questions

When you're trying to answer people's Bible questions, you don't just need information-you need reliable information. The NAC is written mainly by Southern Baptist scholars, many of whom teach in Baptist seminaries. That gives the series a steady theological frame.

The NAC:

- Affirms the authority and inspiration of Scripture.

- Treats the biblical text as the Word of God, not just a religious document.

- Approaches interpretation from a conservative evangelical standpoint.

For pastors and teachers in Baptist or similar churches, that makes the series a safe anchor when questions are coming from all directions. You can engage with serious scholarship without feeling like the ground is shifting beneath you.

Accessible Without Being Shallow

One of the NAC's biggest strengths is what it doesn't do. It doesn't dump you in a pile of technical notes or assume seminary training. It also doesn't talk down to you.

The series aims for a middle ground:

- Language insights are explained when they help-without turning every page into a Greek-and-Hebrew lesson.

- The tone is clear, pastoral, and practical, not academic for its own sake.

- Each volume moves through the text passage by passage, giving context, exposition, and theological reflection.

If you're a busy volunteer teacher or a single-staff pastor, that balance matters. When your people have questions about a passage you're teaching this Sunday, you don't have time to translate a technical commentary into something your class can understand. The NAC does much of that work for you.

How the NAC Helps You Serve Real People with Real Questions

In the local church, commentaries aren't collector's items. They're tools. You're not buying them to decorate a shelf-you're using them because your people bring Bible questions into the room every week.

Here's how the NAC can serve that real-life ministry:

- Passage-by-passage structure: It follows the natural flow of the text. When someone asks a question about a specific verse or section, you can quickly see how it fits into the larger context.

- Attention to theology and application: While it isn't a "devotional commentary", many volumes help you see how doctrine connects to life. That matters when you're moving from "What does this mean?" to "What does this mean for us?"

- Consistency across volumes: Once you're used to the layout of one volume, you'll feel at home in others. That makes it easier to use the series for preaching, teaching, and teacher training.

- Theological reliability: Because the authors are evangelical scholars, you're not constantly guarding against interpretations that undermine faith.

When you've got questions-Bible questions from a class member wrestling with suffering, assurance, or obedience-this kind of commentary gives you a stable starting point.

Limitations You Should Know About

No series is perfect. The NAC isn't a magic answer key, and it isn't the most technical option out there.

A few limitations:

- If you want detailed linguistic or critical discussions, you'll sometimes need a second resource alongside it.

- Like any multi-author series, some volumes are stronger than others in style and clarity.

- It isn't written as a small-group guide; you'll still need to think through how to translate the insights into good discussion questions.

That said, many volumes are excellent. For example, the NAC on 1, 2, and 3 John (by Daniel Akin) is widely appreciated for its clarity and usefulness. Taken as a whole, the series is reliable, especially for pastors and teachers rooted in conservative evangelical and Southern Baptist traditions.

Where It Fits in Your Teacher Training and Support

The real test for any resource is how it helps you serve your people. Here's how the New American Commentary can fit into your broader plan for handling the Bible questions in your church:

- For pastors and staff: A dependable reference for sermon prep, long-range planning, and the harder questions that come your way.

- For volunteer teachers: A commentary they can actually read and use-even if they've never been to seminary.

- For small-church leaders: A "middle lane" resource-rich enough to offer substance, but not so technical that it discourages lay leaders.

In other words, the NAC is a solid partner when you're trying to form teachers who can say, "I've got questions too-but here's how we can walk through the text together."

Pairing the NAC with Other Helps When You've Got Questions

Even the best commentary shouldn't stand alone. When you're dealing with real people and their real Bible questions, it helps to have a balanced set of tools.

You might pair the NAC with:

- A more application-driven commentary, like the NIV Application Commentary, to bridge from then to now.

- A concise series such as Tyndale Commentaries for quick overview work.

- Ready-to-use discussion resources, like the weekly adult Bible discussion worksheets at StevesBibleQuestions.com, to give your teachers questions they can use in the room.

That combo lets you:

- Go deep enough to answer hard questions faithfully.

- Prepare lessons without burning out.

- Put practical, well-crafted questions in the hands of your teachers-so they can guide conversation instead of just lecturing.

So...Is the New American Commentary a Good Source When You've Got Bible Questions? For many Baptist and conservative evangelical churches, the answer is yes.

The NAC offers:

- A trustworthy, conservative approach to Scripture

- A readable style that works for non-specialists

- A structure that serves real-world teaching and preaching

- A depth that helps you respond to the Bible questions your people are actually asking

It doesn't replace the Bible. It doesn't erase the need for patient, prayerful study. But it does make faithful preparation more attainable, especially for pastors and teachers carrying heavy loads.

At StevesBibleQuestions.com, the goal isn't to replace the Bible either. It's to help you respond well when your people have questions-Bible questions about life, faith, and obedience. The NAC can help you understand the text; our weekly discussion worksheets can help you turn that understanding into clear, open-ended questions that invite adults into honest conversation around God's Word.

Put together, they can help your classes move beyond "gotcha" trivia and into the kind of shared study where real growth happens.