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Words of Endearment: The Ten Commandments as a Revelation of God's Love
Words of Endearment looks at the Ten Commandments as God's words of love to His people. The messages (chapters) are derived from the author's sermons at his last pastorate. Twelve chapters include an Introduction on The Decalogue, one chapter on each commandment (word), and a closing chapter on Rightly Handling the Word of Truth. William Coker, the author, uses his knowledge of biblical languages but speaks on the level of anyone who wants to learn the truth. After each chapter, discussion questions assist readers or groups with applying the lessons.
200 pages, Paperback
First published December 16, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
December 17, 2025
Excellent!
October 16, 2020
As Bill Coker's wife, I served as his editor, moving the preaching voice into a reading voice. I heard these messages at his last pastorate, and I wanted to see them in print for better and wider distribution. For there are those who learned from him when he taught at Asbury College and served the Emmaus community. This paperback book and ebook verify Bill's influence on those who heard him preach and teach. Specifically, this book on the ten commandments serves as a touchstone of his biblical studies and preaching ministry. His commitment has always been to express the truth of God's Word. Now in print, Words of Endearment does just that. ~ Ann L. Coker
June 19, 2021
Bill Coker has turned The Ten Commandments inside out, in his book, Words of Endearment. Bill says The Ten are a revelation of God’s love. Is that a new thought for you? It was for me.
Dr. William B. Coker, Sr. is the pastor behind the sermon. “Most of Bill’s ministry has been connected with teaching and pastoring. He served as a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, and professor and dean at Asbury College (University). His pastoral ministry started in Louisiana, then Mississippi and Kentucky, and ended in Indiana at World Gospel Church as senior pastor for 19 years. He retired in 2008.”
Ann Coker, Bill’s wife, partnered to bring the sermons to life in written form. Also a writer of her own works, “Ann has written a companion book for John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, connecting Scripture and personal life.”
Words of Endearment promises to unveil God’s expression of love through
• integrity, not perfection
• healthy boundaries
• relevant questions in society
• developing social conscience
• action steps
Words of Endearment brings context to The Ten Commandments as a revelation of who God is and has always been. As it unwraps the layers of meaning surrounding each commandment, it shows how the commandments link together and set the pattern for the new commandment of the Savior to come.
An interesting point, monotheism, or the worship of one God, began with Israel. All nations surrounding them were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. Israel needed guidelines to know how to approach a holy God. Bill says, “Where the first four words (commandments) direct our attention to God’s place in our lives, in our speech, and in our worship, the fifth word looks to the significance of the family. It would be easy to say the fifth word marks a break, but when we look at it more closely in terms of the first four words, we find a natural progression taking place.”
“The next set of commandments - thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not bear false witness, and thou shall not covet – all flow out of the relationship first established in the home.”
Bill says, “We do this… so our culture itself might survive.”
Words of Endearment presents an important look at how God provided a way for His people to deal with the fallenness of the human heart in order to thrive in the world He provided.
Written in conversational tone, Words of Endearment is a book you’ll love to dig into and savor. There are questions at the end of each chapter to help process the material, whether for personal reflection or group interaction, and the text will wash over you in a loving response to the message.
Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of Words of Endearment from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Dr. William B. Coker, Sr. is the pastor behind the sermon. “Most of Bill’s ministry has been connected with teaching and pastoring. He served as a professor at Asbury Theological Seminary, and professor and dean at Asbury College (University). His pastoral ministry started in Louisiana, then Mississippi and Kentucky, and ended in Indiana at World Gospel Church as senior pastor for 19 years. He retired in 2008.”
Ann Coker, Bill’s wife, partnered to bring the sermons to life in written form. Also a writer of her own works, “Ann has written a companion book for John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, connecting Scripture and personal life.”
Words of Endearment promises to unveil God’s expression of love through
• integrity, not perfection
• healthy boundaries
• relevant questions in society
• developing social conscience
• action steps
Words of Endearment brings context to The Ten Commandments as a revelation of who God is and has always been. As it unwraps the layers of meaning surrounding each commandment, it shows how the commandments link together and set the pattern for the new commandment of the Savior to come.
An interesting point, monotheism, or the worship of one God, began with Israel. All nations surrounding them were polytheistic, worshipping many gods. Israel needed guidelines to know how to approach a holy God. Bill says, “Where the first four words (commandments) direct our attention to God’s place in our lives, in our speech, and in our worship, the fifth word looks to the significance of the family. It would be easy to say the fifth word marks a break, but when we look at it more closely in terms of the first four words, we find a natural progression taking place.”
“The next set of commandments - thou shall not kill, thou shall not steal, thou shall not commit adultery, thou shall not bear false witness, and thou shall not covet – all flow out of the relationship first established in the home.”
Bill says, “We do this… so our culture itself might survive.”
Words of Endearment presents an important look at how God provided a way for His people to deal with the fallenness of the human heart in order to thrive in the world He provided.
Written in conversational tone, Words of Endearment is a book you’ll love to dig into and savor. There are questions at the end of each chapter to help process the material, whether for personal reflection or group interaction, and the text will wash over you in a loving response to the message.
Disclosure of Material: I received a copy of Words of Endearment from the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.
July 16, 2022
Dr. Bill Coker’s book, “Words of Endearment,” presents The Ten Commandments – the Decalogue – as a spiritual photograph of God. It presents us with a way to see God and know His character.
Dr. Coker refers to The Decalogue as “Words.” They are God’s expression of love for us. Hence, the title of his book, “Words of Endearment: The Ten Commandments As a Revelation of God’s Love.” I found this to be a profound insight into our Lord’s nature. God gives us these words because they are the way to know Jesus, who is the Truth and the Life. Thus, these Ten Words of Endearment are designed to develop in us the character of Christ for our own benefit, which also allows us to more fully worship God in spirit and in truth.
Dr. Coker’s discussion of marriage in Chapter 7 is prescient, as he delves into a topic which has been brought to the forefront of the nation’s conscience in recent weeks – abortion. The Seventh Word deals with the covenant of marriage. When we engage in sex outside of this covenant relationship, unintended consequences are bound to happen. He states that “The abortion industry makes its profits from the unwanted consequences of our sin. … When we promote and perform this kind of sinful behavior, we need something to take care of unwanted circumstances.”
Later in the chapter, Dr. Coker concludes with this statement: “We are not going to solve the breakdown of the family until we repent of the root cause of its demise. We are living in a society where the absence of commitment to God makes it almost impossible to talk about a covenant like marriage.”
I think this is the greatest contribution Dr. Coker makes to the discussion of the challenges caused by the breakdown of the American family. More pastors need to preach this message. They are aware of the problems. They know that pornography is one of the greatest issues facing men – including Christian men. It's my prayer that more pastors will read his book and be convicted by God to preach a return to the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.
As Dr. Coker states “As the family is, so society will be. … We may seek to lay the blame for our decline at several different doorsteps, but ultimately it comes back to the decline of the family.”
Preach it, Dr. Coker!
Dr. Coker refers to The Decalogue as “Words.” They are God’s expression of love for us. Hence, the title of his book, “Words of Endearment: The Ten Commandments As a Revelation of God’s Love.” I found this to be a profound insight into our Lord’s nature. God gives us these words because they are the way to know Jesus, who is the Truth and the Life. Thus, these Ten Words of Endearment are designed to develop in us the character of Christ for our own benefit, which also allows us to more fully worship God in spirit and in truth.
Dr. Coker’s discussion of marriage in Chapter 7 is prescient, as he delves into a topic which has been brought to the forefront of the nation’s conscience in recent weeks – abortion. The Seventh Word deals with the covenant of marriage. When we engage in sex outside of this covenant relationship, unintended consequences are bound to happen. He states that “The abortion industry makes its profits from the unwanted consequences of our sin. … When we promote and perform this kind of sinful behavior, we need something to take care of unwanted circumstances.”
Later in the chapter, Dr. Coker concludes with this statement: “We are not going to solve the breakdown of the family until we repent of the root cause of its demise. We are living in a society where the absence of commitment to God makes it almost impossible to talk about a covenant like marriage.”
I think this is the greatest contribution Dr. Coker makes to the discussion of the challenges caused by the breakdown of the American family. More pastors need to preach this message. They are aware of the problems. They know that pornography is one of the greatest issues facing men – including Christian men. It's my prayer that more pastors will read his book and be convicted by God to preach a return to the covenant of marriage between a man and a woman.
As Dr. Coker states “As the family is, so society will be. … We may seek to lay the blame for our decline at several different doorsteps, but ultimately it comes back to the decline of the family.”
Preach it, Dr. Coker!
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