Studying and reading God’s Word is such a joy and privilege for those that desire a vibrant relationship with and understanding of God. There are so many resources out there that give clarity and help as we seek to understand what His Word means and how best to interpret and apply these truths to our lives. This series of commentaries from Lexham Press (The Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary Series), is one of the most recent contributions to this endeavor, with a unique focus on biblical theology and how each book fits into the rest of Scripture. Kostenberger kicks off the series with 1-2 Timothy and Titus.
The base translation for the commentary (as well as the whole series) is the CSB. Personally, this is a huge plus for me since I have been reading from the CSB for a couple years now and have thoroughly enjoyed the translation.
Easily one of the most valuable parts of this commentary is its introduction. Though not the most detailed, it walks through the important issues such as authorship, canonicity, social and historical settings, and literary analysis and structure of the letters in an understandable way for any reader, showing how crucial these are to a solid understanding of Paul’s intent and purpose for writing these important letters to the church.
The rest of the commentary focuses on walking through each passage in detail. I have found the layout to be very helpful, with three main sections of focus for each passage. The first is the relation of each passage to the surrounding context, which shows how a set of verses is related to the letter as a whole, and even the Bible as a whole. Second is the structure of the passage which gives a solid verse by verse exegesis and exposition. Lastly is the “Bridge” section, where the gap is bridged between Paul’s world and our world, giving insights into how to apply each passage to our lives. The final section of the commentary really sets this series apart by reviewing and discussing the biblical and theological themes from the book or letter.
There are so many commentaries to choose from when studying a book of the Bible, but I am now considering the EBTC as one of my go-to resources for study. It has already been extremely helpful in gaining a better grasp of Paul’s letters and how they fit into the Bible as a whole. The layout is well-organized and easy to follow, even if you are picking up in the middle of a book. And if you are simply interested in the theological themes of the book, you can easily peruse the final section without having to wade through the main exposition of the passage.
I’m definitely looking forward to more releases from this series and am so thankful for such a rich and accessible resource for the church! Grab a copy from Lexham Press today!
*This book was provided by Lexham Press for an honest review.
Read & Repeat
read & repeat 
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