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Ephesians: Encouragement and Joy in Christ (Focus on the Bible)
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Item Description...
Ephesians is a letter to a church very like yours. Paul is obviously commended that this young church gets its foundations right.It is intriguing that later, when writing to Timothy, he says that there are some there promoting 'false doctrines'. The leadership was in revolt Yet in the Revelation given to John, Jesus commends the Ephesian church that they have thrown out the false teachers and are a congregation who have staying power despite their setbacks.So a church that had been through the mill but back out the other side What was their secret? You will find out as you explore this letter to the church, ably expounded by Paul Gardner.Paul Gardner is also the author of 2 Peter and Jude (9781857923384) and Revelation: Compassion and protection of Christ (9781857923292) in ther series "Focus on the Bible" commentaries. |
Item Specifications...
Pages 192
Dimensions: Length: 8.61" Width: 5.48" Height: 0.62"
Weight: 0.47 lbs.
Binding Softcover
Release Date Jul 1, 2007
Publisher Christian Focus Publications
ISBN 1845502647
EAN 9781845502645
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Availability 52 units.
Availability accurate as of May 26, 2012 09:17.
Usually ships within one to two business days from Johnson City, TN.
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Reviews - What do our customers think?
 | Extremely simplistic May 16, 2008 |
In a nutshell, Focus on the Bible's commentary on Ephesians titled Encouragement and Joy in Christ written by Paul Gardner was simply written, simply structured, simply stated and just all around simple; which may be perfect, depending on why you're reading.
I began reading this commentary before I had finished the very robust PNT Commentary on Romans. This probably skewed by view a bit in terms of this shorter work on Ephesians. On the backdrop of the more scholarly commentary on Romans, this one seemed almost unbearably simple. However, after finishing Romans, this one's colors were able to shine. It's my belief that few other readers will read this commentary with similar sentiments as my own here.
When I purchased this commentary, my intention was to give me a sweeping overview of the book; to expand somewhat on the themes and metaphors throughout, without getting weighed down by linguistics and other textually intricate details. Coming in at about 180 pages, it was perfect for my purposes. However, my purposes aren't typical and I'm convinced this commentary has a great deal more to offer the average reader.
Gardner is clearly of reformed thought and treats all of the text plainly as it appears in the book. He takes into account historical and cultural thought to aide in bringing out the meaning, then gently helps bring that meaning to modern application. Readers have a great deal to learn from the book of Ephesians and Gardner helps make that more accessible.
Two instances in this book stand out to me as particularly well commented. The first is in his section dealing with Ephesians 1:3-14 he needed to address the topic of adoption and predestination. He doesn't attempt whatsoever to tackle the debate, but rather takes the meaning of both as plain and teaches the text in a simple, clear, manner as can be easily understood. The second worth noting is his treatment of family, particularly husband and wife, relationships in Ephesians 5:21-33. This might be one of the few places in his commentary that he becomes aggressive with truly current issues. He treats the topic of marriage relationships with great care and earnestness; it is certainly worth taking notice.
There was only one instance in this commentary that I would question Gardner on his meaning/theology. Toward the end of his section dealing with father-son relationships, he makes the statement: "But scriptures do teach that following the will of the Lord will lead to a better and more enjoyable life generally...". Now, in one sense this is true, however, without further explaining the thought, it would be easy to digress into a Joel Osteen type heresy. I doubt that Gardner is from Osteen's school of thought, so I would criticize him from not expanding on the statement.
Aside from a single criticism, Gardner has written a sound and accessible commentary. I recommend this to anyone desiring to learn more about the Jesus, especially in the book of Ephesians. | | | Write your own review about Ephesians: Encouragement and Joy in Christ (Focus on the Bible)
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