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EPHESIANS:
A Mentor Expository Commentary
By Richard D. Phillips
Christian Focus. 512 pages. £24.99
ISBN 978 1 781 913 178

With so many great commentaries on Ephesians (which I seem to have gathered over the years) I cannot help but be impressed by Richard D. Phillips’ courage as he attempts to squeeze just one more onto my bookshelf.

But why do we need another? Certainly, if you are looking for a commentary that delves deeply into the original Greek, the options that surround various grammatical issues, and extensive discussions about the central literary features, this is not the commentary for you.

However, if you’re looking for a commentary that clearly and methodically explains, illustrates and applies each phrase in Paul’s glorious letter, Phillips’ commentary is a very worthwhile purchase. For what you get in this commentary is essentially 65 sermons – one sermon for every one or two verses.

Well applied

As a result, few subjects in the letter are overlooked and each verse is well applied to both the believer and the unbeliever. Furthermore, the commentary does a very good job of citing others who have also written extensively on Ephesians – James Montgomery Boice, John Stott, F.F. Bruce, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Charles Hodge and John Calvin. A quoted paragraph from one of these renowned authors seems to crop up on every other page! Consequently, this book is a fine supplementary resource for a busy pastor preaching through the letter. Moreover, it serves as an excellent model for young preachers who are simply looking to be faithful to the text. Despite its rather intimidating size and the slightly frustrating omission of an introduction, which could have orientated the reader to the central themes and structure of the letter, the commentary is very easily accessible. In fact it works really well for Quiet Times. This is how I have been using it, albeit intermittently.

So, if you’re looking for a clear, faithful, well-illustrated and applied commentary that can be used in tandem with others, this is a super addition to any bookshelf – even one that is slightly over-subscribed in the Ephesians department.