Philippians

Description

A new commentary for today's world, The Story of God Bible Commentary explains and illuminates each passage of Scripture in light of the Bible's grand story.

The first commentary series to do so, SGBC offers a clear and compelling exposition of biblical texts, guiding everyday readers in how to creatively and faithfully live out the Bible in their own contexts. Its story-centric approach is ideal for pastors, students, Sunday school teachers, and laypeople alike.

Each volume employs three main, easy-to-use sections designed to help readers live out God's story:

• LISTEN to the Story: Includes complete NIV text with references to other texts at work in each passage, encouraging the reader to hear it within the Bible's grand story.
• EXPLAIN the Story: Explores and illuminates each text as embedded in its canonical and historical setting.
• LIVE the Story: Reflects on how each text can be lived today and includes contemporary stories and illustrations to aid preachers, teachers, and students.

—Philippians—

In Philippians, Paul speaks to the character of God, the character of the believer in Christ, and the character of believers together in Christ; and he invites theological reflection on the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ in ways that—were this letter absent from the New Testament—certain aspects of God's redemptive plan and our response to it would be shifted into the realm of speculation.

Edited by Scot McKnight and Tremper Longman III, and written by a number of top-notch theologians, The Story of God Bible Commentary series will bring relevant, balanced, and clear-minded theological insight to any biblical education or ministry.

About the Author

Lynn H. Cohick (PhD in New Testament/Christian Origins, University of Pennsylvania) is the provost at Denver Seminary. Lynn has written Philippians in the Story of God Bible Commentary (Zondervan, 2013) and Ephesians in the New Covenant Commentary (Cascade, 2010), as well as Women in the World of the Earliest Christians (Baker Academic, 2009). She explores early Jewish/Christian relations in her book, Melito of Sardis: Setting, Purpose, and Sources (Brown Judaic Studies, 2000), and in several articles on women in Early Judaism and earliest Christianity.

Endorsements

I’m a storyteller. Through writing and speaking I talk and teach about understanding the Story of God throughout Scripture and about letting God reveal more of His story as I live it out. Thus I am thrilled to have a commentary series based on the Story of God---a commentary that helps me to Listen to the Story, that Explains the Story, and then encourages me to probe how to Live the Story. A perfect tool for helping every follower of Jesus to walk in the story that God is writing for them. -- Judy Douglass, Author, speaker, encourager, Office of the President, Cru; Director of Women's Resources, Cru

The Bible is the story of God and his dealings with humanity from creation to new creation. The Bible is made up more of stories than of any other literary genre. Even the psalms, proverbs, prophecies, letters, and the Apocalypse make complete sense only when set in the context of the grand narrative of the entire Bible. This commentary series breaks new ground by taking all these observations seriously. It asks commentators to listen to the text, to explain the text, and to live the text. Some of the material in these sections overlaps with introduction, detailed textual analysis and application, respectively, but only some. The most riveting and valuable part of the commentaries are the stories that can appear in any of these sections, from any part of the globe and any part of church history, illustrating the text in any of these areas. Ideal for preaching and teaching. -- Craig L. Blomberg, PhD, Distinguished Professor of New Testament, Denver Seminary

Getting a story is about more than merely enjoying it. It means hearing it, understanding it, and above all, being impacted by it. This commentary series hopes that its readers not only hear and understand the story, but are impacted by it to live in as Christian a way as possible. The editors and contributors set that table very well and open up the biblical story in ways that move us to act with sensitivity and understanding. That makes hearing the story as these authors tell it well worth the time. Well done. -- Darrell L. Bock, Executive Director of cultural Engagement, Howard G. Hendricks Center for Christian Leadership and C

In this promising new series of commentaries, believing biblical scholars bring not only their expertise but their own commitment to Jesus and insights into today’s culture to the Scriptures. The result is a commentary series that is anchored in the text but lives and breathes in the world of today’s church with its variegated pattern of socioeconomic, ethnic, and national diversity. Pastors, Bible study leaders, and Christians of all types who are looking for a substantive and practical guide through the Scriptures will find these volumes helpful. -- Frank Thielman, Professor of Divinity, Beeson Divinity School

The Story of God Bible Commentary series invites readers to probe how the message of the text relates to our situations today. Engagingly readable, it not only explores the biblical text but offers a range of applications and interesting illustrations. -- Craig S. Keener, Professor of New Testament, Asbury Theological Seminary

'I love the SGBC series. It makes the text sing and helps us hear the story afresh.' -- John Ortberg, senior pastor of Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and author of Who Is This Man?

'[The] easy-to-use format and practical guidance brings God's grand story to modern-day life so anyone can understand how it applies today.' -- Andy Stanley, Senior Pastor, North Point Ministries