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joelc's Reviews (361)
Having read a few books on Paul, and his theology, I was pleasantly surprised that Schreiner really expanded the conversation beyond the usual topic of choice: Justification.
Schreiner presents a Pauline theology whose center is Jesus Christ himself. He has a very interesting chapter on suffering and how central it was to Paul's thinking. He does interact with other Pauline scholars, and their conclusions, though usually not to any great depth unlike Westerholm and his book on the New Perspectives on Paul.
I really enjoyed how it utilizes the Greek language, I learned some Greek! and takes conservative outcomes on Paul's usage in his other writings (And also non-biblical writings).
I thought the book could've been shorter. For example, there are two chapters that, I thought, should've been conflated: The Violation of God's Law and the Power of sin. Don't they go hand in hand?
Also, in the Chapter on "Living as Christians in the Culture", he addresses Paul's views on Marriage, amongst other topics. He references 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 and as far as Paul's writings are concerned, Paul never marries. But it would've been interesting if he used the reference of St. Ignatius of Antioch letter to Philadelphians (chapter 4) which states that Paul was married.
Overall, it's a good resource in the Pauline scholarship field. It's an easier read then most theological books. It's just refreshing to read scholarship work that credits all 13 epistles to Paul instead of the usual liberal answer of just six or seven.
Schreiner presents a Pauline theology whose center is Jesus Christ himself. He has a very interesting chapter on suffering and how central it was to Paul's thinking. He does interact with other Pauline scholars, and their conclusions, though usually not to any great depth unlike Westerholm and his book on the New Perspectives on Paul.
I really enjoyed how it utilizes the Greek language, I learned some Greek! and takes conservative outcomes on Paul's usage in his other writings (And also non-biblical writings).
I thought the book could've been shorter. For example, there are two chapters that, I thought, should've been conflated: The Violation of God's Law and the Power of sin. Don't they go hand in hand?
Also, in the Chapter on "Living as Christians in the Culture", he addresses Paul's views on Marriage, amongst other topics. He references 1 Corinthians 7:8-9 and as far as Paul's writings are concerned, Paul never marries. But it would've been interesting if he used the reference of St. Ignatius of Antioch letter to Philadelphians (chapter 4) which states that Paul was married.
Overall, it's a good resource in the Pauline scholarship field. It's an easier read then most theological books. It's just refreshing to read scholarship work that credits all 13 epistles to Paul instead of the usual liberal answer of just six or seven.
On pages 413-414, Dr. Sproul shares a story where his English teacher pinned his paper on a board and wrote to him saying, "Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't write." I say Amen to her comment. Dr. Sproul books can get pretty deep in the weeds in theology and philosophy. However, his writing style allows the reader to easily follow along and understand these complex ideas. His commentary on Romans is no exception to this.
He starts his book stating this commentary is not a comprehensive one. And it's not. Because of this I can't give it five stars. Chapters are no longer then 12 pages, which might cover one to two verses or half a chapter in Romans. He seems to rush through the last two Chapters of Romans as well.
His exegesis of the text is what you would come to expect if you are familiar with Dr. Sproul's theology (Calvinism). He does a masterful job of explaining the key words in the original language, words like dikaioo (or it's various forms).
Though it's not a comprehensive commentary, I highly recommended this book. Weighing in at a little more than 500 pages, it is a surprisingly quick read as well.
He starts his book stating this commentary is not a comprehensive one. And it's not. Because of this I can't give it five stars. Chapters are no longer then 12 pages, which might cover one to two verses or half a chapter in Romans. He seems to rush through the last two Chapters of Romans as well.
His exegesis of the text is what you would come to expect if you are familiar with Dr. Sproul's theology (Calvinism). He does a masterful job of explaining the key words in the original language, words like dikaioo (or it's various forms).
Though it's not a comprehensive commentary, I highly recommended this book. Weighing in at a little more than 500 pages, it is a surprisingly quick read as well.
