Rooted in Scripture.
Open about our sources.

Scripture comes first

Every note begins with the biblical text. The TWMC paraphrase of the New Testament is made from the Greek, using the Byzantine text (the Robinson–Pierpont edition), and is shown beside the King James Version, the Greek and a Romanized Greek line so that readers can compare the wording themselves. Our Greek word studies use the public-domain Robinson parsing, Strong's concordance data from its original public-domain edition, and the Dodson Greek lexicon. The Old Testament paraphrase, now in progress, is made from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek Old Testament) and checked against the Hebrew text, with a note wherever the two differ.

When a note quotes the Bible, it uses TWMC wording wherever TWMC has reached that verse. Where it has not yet, the note quotes a standard modern translation and names it.

Notes never take the place of Scripture. They are clearly separated from the text, and Scripture remains the final authority over every note, including the author's own conclusions.

The author's own study and writing

The study notes on the Gospels come from James Childers's own books: the published editions of The Word, Made Clear, beginning with The Gospel According to Matthew, and the companion study notes for Mark, Luke and John. His book commentary, such as Who Is Jesus, appears separately as commentary and is labeled that way. His Statement of Faith sets out the convictions behind all of this work, so that readers can see the perspective the notes are written from.

The church fathers and historical witnesses

The TWMC Biblioteca, our Historical and Theological Library, presents writings from the first centuries of the church and from later Christian history in plain modern English. It includes early Christian writings such as the Didache, 1 Clement, the letters of Ignatius and Polycarp, Justin Martyr, Athanasius and Lactantius; Reformation and Baptist texts such as the First London Confession of 1644, John Owen and the Philadelphia Confession; and witnesses from outside the church, such as Pliny, Tacitus and Josephus.

Each work is translated from a public-domain printed edition, and the original wording is kept beside the modern English so that readers can check it. We translate what each author actually meant, even where TWMC would say it differently. Where an author's view differs from ours, a note says so plainly, instead of bending his words to agree with us.

The church fathers are valuable witnesses to what early Christians believed and practiced. They are not Scripture, and their writings are never treated as having Scripture's authority.

Essays and study articles

Some notes point to longer TWMC essays and study articles, such as our historical articles on the troubles in the church at Corinth and on the Great Persecution. These are written for TWMC from the historical sources and from Scripture, and they are reviewed the same way as every other note.

What we do not do

We do not copy notes from modern commentaries, study Bibles or other publishers. We do not present a guess as a fact. When a historical detail cannot be confirmed, we leave it out or say plainly that it is uncertain.

How the notes are written and checked

James Childers is the author and editor of every note. He studies each passage in the original languages, sets the theological boundaries the notes must follow, and reads and approves every note before it is published, often reviewing each one multiple times for changes. He uses modern research tools in that work, including AI-assisted translation, and the credit line on each Biblioteca work says so. The conclusions, and the responsibility for them, are his. His convictions are set out in full in his Statement of Faith.

All of this work follows the TWMC Editorial Standards. Text and translation notes, which explain the wording, are kept separate from theology notes, which explain meaning. Each claim in a theology note carries a label. "A — Explicit biblical teaching" means Scripture states it directly. "B — Contextual interpretation" means it is a careful reading of the passage in its setting. "C — Debated interpretation" means faithful Christians disagree. "D — Discussion Topic" marks questions offered for study and conversation.

Where faithful Christians disagree, we present the main views fairly. When TWMC holds a particular view, the note says so and ends with these words: "This is the author's position, held humbly and faithfully after careful study. It is an interpretation, not Scripture, and not a matter of salvation; faithful believers may disagree."

Test everything

We would rather you read our notes like the believers in Berea than simply take our word for anything. Luke says of them: "They welcomed the message eagerly and examined the Scriptures each day to test whether what they heard was true" (Acts 17:11). If you find a note that does not agree with Scripture, we want to know.