Agonizing for Peace
“Paul’s letter to the Ephesians focuses heavily on peacemaking. The first three chapters provide a glorious description of God’s plan of salvation. In the fourth chapter, Paul begins to explain how we should respond to what Christ has done for us. Note carefully what Paul places at the top of his list of practical applications of the gospel: “As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Eph. 4:1-3). The Greek word that is translated “make every effort” in this passage means to strive eagerly, earnestly, and diligently. It is a word that a trainer of gladiators might have used when he sent men to fight to the death in the Coliseum: “Make every effort to stay alive today!” So too must a Christian agonize for peace and unity. Obviously, token efforts and halfhearted attempts at reconciliation fall far short of what Paul had in mind.”
Adapted from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict, by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) p. 66.
Paul: Missionary of Jesus
Paul: Missionary of Jesus, by Paul Barnett
“This wonderful book puts together Acts and Paul’s own writings in a fashion that is believable, attentive to the texts themselves, and full of life and vitality. …Insights into the biblical material leap from many pages. I hope this volume will circulate widely.”
~ D.A. Carson, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on Ephesians
The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians: A Socio-rhetorical Commentary on the Captivity Epistles (Eerdman’s Socio-rhetorical Series of Commentaries on the New Testament)
“Ben Witherington’s rhetorical approach to the letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians sheds important new light on questions that have puzzled and divided interpreters for generations. Fresh and insightful throughout, this reader-friendly commentary strongly supports Pauline authorship by clarifying the distinctive features of these interesting letters and the various circumstances of their respective recipients. Highly recommended!”
~ Craig A. Evans, Acadia Divinity College
“A solid commentary, a sane introcuction, and a superior integration of these letters historically and culturally. The Letters to Philemon, the Colossians, and the Ephesians is Witherington at his best. Anyone with questions about how these letters function and who wrote them would do well to start and finish here.”
~ Darrell Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary
Grace: The Message of Ephesians, by Mark Dever
THIS LINK will take you to the audio for a sermon on Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians preached my Mark Dever at Capital Hill Baptist Church while leading his church through a survey of the New Testament. These sermons were recapitulated in his book The Message of the New Testament:Promises Kept. I think well of the book and used it in a New Testament survey class that I taught to college freshmen.
