The Message of Ephesians

Stott’s exposition shows the relevance of the Ephesians text for the contemporary church. Though many years have passed since he originally wrote, Stott’s portrayal of Paul’s vision for “God’s New Society” remains crucially important. Stott writes with clarity and winsomeness, and in a way accessible to all readers. [Full Review]

John Stott is a prominent name within Evangelical circles and was a primary leader of Evangelicalism until his death in 2011. He’s authored numerous commentaries and books, some of which are classics. This Ephesians commentary is among his better works. Unlike, the other commentaries on the list Stott’s commentary is not technical. He deals sparingly with the Greek text and focuses more on the flow of the letter, pastoral insights, and devotional applications... [Full Review]

John Stott's expositions are always some of my favorites. Ephesians was no exception. The great strength of this commentary is the expository outlines. Stott had a gift for helping his readers discover the flow of the text and its theological import in a way that is exegetically informed and homiletically helpful. He writes from a basically Anglican Reformed perspective, and his commentary bears this out. The only strike I would give this commentary is simply that it is now a bit dated. Exegetically, Stott interacts with the best resources up to the date of publication (1979), but there has been great work done since, so one will want to consult more recent commentaries. Homiletically, one of Stott's working metaphors through the exposition is contrasting Paul's vision for the church with Karl Marx's vision of a New Man and a New Society. This cultural connection was a live and relevant one in England in the late 70's and early 80's, but now is less helpful. Even so, Stott gives an exemplary model for how to apply the Word of God to a local body of believers. I found this very helpful in preaching through Ephesians. IVP gave me a free review copy with no expectation of a positive review.

I always like to include at least one relatively short, readable, popular-level commentary for those who may be looking for a simpler treatment of the text. Stott’s work has received excellent reviews and fits the criteria. I always benefit from Stott’s commentaries and have referred to this one many times. [Full Review]

[Full Review]