Ephesians (New Covenant Commentary | NCCS)
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The New Covenant Commentary: Ephesians by New Testament scholar Lynn Cohick provides valuable, practical, and non-technical insights into Paul’s epistle to Ephesians, which speaks to our deepest questions about God: Ephesians addresses the redemptive plan of God written from ages past now revealed; the work of Christ complete and effective now and for eternity; the power of the Holy Spirit to change lives and build a community. The clear message of God’s unfathomable grace establishes the believer’s hope and undergirds the call for faithful living. Down through the centuries, the clarion call to unity that permeates Ephesians has inspired and challenged the faithful to live out the promises found in Christ. This short letter speaks to the twenty-first century’s longing for friendship and wholeness.
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- Section-by-section commentary
- Comprehensive introduction, abbreviations, bibliography, and index
- Exposition on the faithful promises of Christ
- Preface
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Ephesians 1
- Fusing the Horizons: God’s Plan, Uniting All Things in Christ
- Fusing the Horizons: Election, Predestination, and Free Will
- Ephesians 2
- Fusing the Horizons: Citizenship
- Ephesians 3
- Fusing the Horizons: Prison Ministry Then and Now
- Fusing the Horizons: Paul the Servant
- Ephesians 4
- Fusing the Horizons: Paul’s Sermons and Letters
- Fusing the Horizons: Ministry and the Church
- Fusing the Horizons: Refusing to Walk the Walk—So What?
- Ephesians 5
- Prolegomena to the Household Codes
- Fusing the Horizons: Marriage Then and Now
- Ephesians 6
- Fusing the Horizons: Infanticide and Abortion
- Fusing the Horizons: Seated with Christ and Standing Firm
- Fusing the Horizons: Christian Obedience
- Fusing the Horizons: Christian Nominalism and Life in the Spirit
- Bibliography
- Scripture Index
- Index of Ancient Sources
- Author Index
- Subject Index
Top Highlights
“Salvation for Paul is not a ticket into heaven for your soul, but the entrance into fellowship with God and his people” (Page 63)
“Ephesians pushes us toward a healthy vision of the church and away from a purely individualistic understanding of salvation.” (Page 4)
“Overall, Paul is concerned that the church (being light) presents a sharp contrast to the idolatrous darkness of the wider society.” (Page 123)
“The basis of growth in the Christian life is to understand who God is and who we are in Christ” (Page 57)
“In sum, Paul’s message about Christ’s gift to the church is that the ministers might serve the saints so that the saints might be well prepared to do the work of ministry. The goal for each group is a stronger, healthier body of Christ.” (Page 111)
The New Covenant Commentary Series, compiled by contributors form a diverse range of backgrounds, devotes itself to the task of biblical interpretation and theological reflection. It unwraps each biblical book section-by-section, providing a clear view of the theology and application within. Focusing on both the text and various contexts of each book, the series illustrates the impact they had on faith and tradition at the time of their composition—and the significance they continue to have in contemporary life, faith, and ministry.
Lynn Cohick’s commentary on Ephesians provides a practical explanation and appropriation of the letter. She demonstrates that she is well-informed about the issues, sane in her judgments, effective in her communication, and that she cares about the lives of modern Christians. Her knowledge of the ancient world allows her to bring historical and sociological information to bear on the text and its interpretation. People seeking an easily accessible and non-technical treatment of Ephesians will enjoy this commentary.
—Klyne Snodgrass, Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies, North Park Theological Seminary
- Title: New Covenant Commentary: Ephesians
- Author: Lynn H. Cohick
- Series: New Covenant Commentary
- Publisher: Cascade
- Publication Date: 2010
- Pages: 190
Lynn H. Cohick is associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College. She is the author of Women in the First Christian Century and co-author with Gary Burge and Gene L. Greene of The New Testament and Antiquity.
Reviews
4 ratings
Stephen J
4/10/2025
Overall, I think Cohick’s commentary is fair. The book of Ephesians is such a wonderfully dense book of rich theology and practical application, and Cohick does a good job with her commentary. It is written at a level technical enough to provide scholarly insights, yet not so technical as to become esoteric. I appreciated her treatment of the authorship controversy. I do have some criticisms, however: - I do wish Cohick had spent more time giving a historical background and context of Ephesus. There are 24 pages devoted to authorship, yet only about 1 page devoted to the context of the city. - Cohick is an egalitarian, which will color her interpretation of household/social codes in Ephesians 5:22-6:9. She views the command for a wife to submit to her husband and a husband to love his wife primarily through the lens of unity in one flesh and suggests that the patriarchal social ordering is “destabilized” by the passage. It seems that Cohick leans too heavily on the “one flesh” aspect and not enough on the mystery of marriage reflecting Christ and the church. Yes, we are unified with Christ, praise God! But although the church submits to Christ, Christ does not submit to the church. Thus unity does not necessarily yield the destabilization of marital hierarchy/roles. - I do also wish Cohick wrote a bit more on the first chapter of Ephesians, especially considering all the different soteriological views that reference it (Calvinism, Provisionism, Armenianism, namely).
CLEBER CEZARIO PINHEIRO
1/15/2019
Renee
5/31/2016
Seong Jin Kim
3/29/2014
