1 & 2 Thessalonians

Reformed Expository Commentary

by Richard D. Phillips

Years before writing Romans or Ephesians, Paul sent a pair of letters to a new church in Thessalonica. Three concerns governed Paul’s teaching in these letters: What makes a healthy church? How should we view God’s Word? What does a Christian life look like? Richard D. Phillips’s commentary considers these foundational issues in a scholarly, pastoral, and practical manner and also explores Paul’s end-times teaching—the clearest found in the New Testament. Through these studies, readers will find a refreshingly clear biblical summary of what will happen before, during, and after the Second Coming. Just as importantly, by touring Paul’s singular teaching in 1 and 2 Thessalonians, readers will recover a joyful anticipation of Christ’s return and receive hope for life in a challenging world.

452 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 1, 2015

About the author

Richard D. Phillips (MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is the senior minister of Second Presbyterian Church of Greenville, South Carolina. He is a council member of the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, chairman of the Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, and coeditor of the Reformed Expository Commentary series.

Reviews

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like other books from this series I've read, this commentary was great - provides historical context, a Reformed perspective, Greek vocabulary notes, etc. I especially appreciated the chapters on eschatology. Phillips writing style had a bit more "example" story-telling at the beginning of each chapter (which always strikes me as kind of pointless in a commentary), but outside that, I had no complaints.

[Will Turner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Phillips provides a solid expositional work on 1 & 2 Thessalonians. I did not find it as helpful or engaging as O'Donnell's work on Ecclesiastes. I think what I liked more about O'Donnell's work was that he was more personable in his writing, particularly with his illustrations.

As I move on to Zechariah it will be Phillips again. Hopefully his work there will be more engaging.

He does do a excellent job explaining the text, particularly Paul's eschatological focus as he seeks to correct the young church's theological confusion regarding Jesus' return.

I personally found chapter 13 (1 Thess. 4:3-8), chapter 27 (on 1 Thess. 1:5-8), and chapter 30 (2 Thess. 2:1-3) the most helpful.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know about you, but I’ve often heard preachers comment that the Thessalonians are a ‘model’ church but strangely I seldom hear preachers preach on Thessalonians. This is why I’m glad I was given the opportunity to review this book.

Richard D. Phillips pens another great commentary in the Reformed Expository Commentary Series. As with every commentary in this series, it seeks to present expository sermons on the passages to the readers. Each of the sermons reads excellently and will help budding preacher see how preaching can be exegetical and applicational.

Do note that Phillips prefers to preach on smaller sets of verses. For example, Phillips preaches 5 sermons on the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians, which consists of 10 verses. There are also situations when Phillips preaches a larger set of sermon (e.g. 1 Thess 4:13-18), and then proceed to break the verses down into 3 sermons (4:13-14; 4:14-17; 4:16-18). Although I prefer exposition that takes a bigger chunk of verses, this commentary is still helpful as it allows me to slow down and examine the verses in smaller segments.

I especially like the chapter on the rapture, where Phillips goes against the popular teachings of the ‘secret rapture’. He shows the error in such teaching and then aims to give a correct and biblical understanding of the rapture. As with every commentary in this series. Each chapter seeks to be exegetical, expositional and applicational. Preachers who needs help or guidance in these areas ought to consult these and perhaps use these as their devotional/evening reading everyday as they prepare their preaching series.

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Disclaimer: I was given this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

[Studentofparables · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Christian life and ministry will always have a local feel and flavor. There is a tendency today, however, to exaggerate those differences when it comes to the witness of the gospel. When we think of Paul’s various places of ministry, we should note that his strategy varied little, and his doctrine not at all, despite the wide variety of cultural and social contexts in which he served.”

This is just one of the many, many quotes I marked in this book! There are so many good moments of deep insight – over and over I had to stop and re-read to fully digest everything Mr. Phillips had pulled out from each verse.

This book is a call to action, urging you to get up and go! How you live your life and faith, how you support your pastor and church, and how you reach out to the people you come across in your day, is given sound instruction through careful examination of Paul’s teaching. Each piece of his letter is broken down, explained in further context and deeper meaning.

As this book started as a collection of sermons, the language and topics are very approachable and open, allowing anyone to dive in. A great book to use as a Bible study, both personal and group. The truths within are impactful, and will change your worldview!

I received a review copy of this work from the publisher through NetGalley

[Becca Rudy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Phillips writes clearly and with lovely forthrightness. This series is a great accompaniment to morning bible reading, with exposition easy enough for any lay person to chew upon. I also love that most of his stories are simply integrated from other parts of scripture or church history, no silly examples that are a stretch to relate.