LET’S STUDY COLOSSIANS AND PHILEMON
By Mark G. Johnston
Banner of Truth. 179 pages. £7.75
ISBN 978 1 848 712 393
This commentary is the latest to take its place in the Banner of Truth’s ‘Let’s Study’ series. It owes its genesis to a series of sermons preached by the author when he was the minister at Grove Chapel, Camberwell, London, and to a certain extent the sermonic form is still evident. Readers most likely to benefit from it will be Christians of some years’ experience who are comfortable with such a style.
Aside from the introductory chapter for each book, Colossians is covered in 17 chapters, Philemon in three, and each chapter is short enough to be read on, say, a daily basis. A helpful study guide is provided for each book and could be used by an individual reader or a group. Readers looking for a detailed discussion of potentially controversial areas — such as the instructions relating to Sabbath days in Colossians 2 — will need to look elsewhere. The author wisely focusses on the bigger picture.
Each chapter is divided into sections with headings, somewhat like the main points in a sermon. Further sub-divisions and paragraph titles are not included, which is something of a pity. Their presence would have made the material a little easier for the reader to assimilate.
This is a solid and dependable book which covers much the same ground, and seems aimed at much the same readership, as the equivalent Bible Speaks Today (BST) commentary. The latter is, to this reviewer’s mind, somewhat more accessible in language and tone. Readers in need of a commentary on Colossians and Philemon will be safely guided by Mark Johnston’s work; those already in possession of the BST commentary may not find a compelling reason to add this to their shelves.
