Book Review: Dennis E. Johnson - Philippians

Philippians is one of the most inspiring epistles in the New Testament. One would never have thought that when Paul wrote it, he was in chains waiting to see if he would be executed.

This is the first commentary in the Reformed Expository Commentary series that I have had the privilege to read. After reading it, I will definitely be reading others. It is a good balance between information and application. There is a little technical jargon, but not enough to throw the new believer. When there is a deeper look into the grammar, it is in a footnote, so as not to take your focus away from the main text.

This commentary focuses on pastoral aspects of the epistle. How do we take Paul’s letter and translate it into application to everyday life? It is warm and easy to read but still has a depth of information.

Johnson doesn’t get bogged down in the nuances of doctrinal arguments, but spends his time exegeting the text. It is a good commentary to get your feet wet. You get a general overview of the text. After you have that overview, you can then move to a deeper study of the text with more technical commentaries from the footnotes.

It is a great read, especially for those who desire to teach through the epistle to a congregation or Sunday School. In fact, as stated in the introduction, this book is an edited version of a sermon series.

I highly recommend it and give it 5 out of 5 stars.

I received this book, free of charge, from P&R Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.