Journal: Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society
Volume: JOTGES 36:70 (Spring 2023)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

JOTGES 36:70 (Spring 2023) p. 89

Book Reviews

The Book of Romans. Ariel’s Bible Commentary. By Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum. San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries; 2022. 408 pp. Hardcover, $19.00.

Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum is founder and head of Ariel Ministries in San Antonio, Texas. Ariel is a ministry that evangelizes and also produces discipleship resources from a Messianic Jewish perspective. The ministry emphasizes taking the message to the Jew first. Fruchtenbaum is a speaker and writer with many books to his credit.

I am a fan of Fruchtenbaum and have appreciated his writings and study materials for many years. He brings the Jewishness of the Bible alive. He challenges me to ask, “How would a Jewish believer understand this verse?” After all, in human terms, the Bible was written by Jews to Jews.

He has now written a commentary on the Book of Romans. Like many of his other works, it is detailed, logical, well-written, and generally a good resource. It has 408 pages and includes two appendices. Appendix 1 references OT verses used in Romans. Appendix 2 discusses and refutes differing views of Romans 9–11 (i.e., covenant postmillennialism, covenant amillennialism, and covenant premillennialism).

The commentary is Free Grace friendly and generally holds to belief alone in Christ alone for eternal life. However, there are instances where readers of the JOTGES will find exceptions.

In discussing verses 1:16–17, the author states that the theme of Romans is, “the gospel that saves.” He describes the content of the gospel as the “substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection of the Messiah. Everyone who believes this simple message is saved.” So, Fruchtenbaum presents the view that in Romans, salvation or being saved, is rescue from hell. It is not deliverance from God’s temporal wrath. He also suggests that all who believe in Jesus’ substitutionary death, burial, and resurrection are born-again. However, he does not discuss people who believe this, but who also believe they must maintain their salvation by perseverance in good works.

JOTGES 36:70 (Spring 2023) p. 90

In his discussion of Romans 4 and its OT example of belief, (i.e., Abraham), he rightly says, “Abraham was fully convinced that God was able to do what He had promised. Abraham’s faith rested in a person.” In applying this, however, he writes:

The object of a believer’s faith is also God, but the content of their faith is different. It is the death, burial, and resurrection of Yeshua [Jesus] the Messiah, who died for th...