Basics for Believers: The Core of Christian Faith and Life

I bought this book only because I've read Exegetical Fallacies by Carson and I was doing a sermon series on Philippians. While comparing this book to other works on Philippians, it is lacking in technical detail on many issues, but it outshines my other resources in presenting the thrust of the book in a memorable and practical way. So for a preaching/teaching minister who is working through Philippians, I think this is a valuable resource. For example...when working through Philippians chapter 1 I had come to a summary conclusion on my own...and adjusted it after reading other commentaries. I had to rethink everything after reading Carson and eventually rewrote my sermon notes because of this perspective...I found it compellingly accurate. Instead of simply evaluating Paul's emphasis on thanksgiving and prayer as most works do...and showing the patterns in detail that relate to ancient forms of writing...Carson analyzes the content of these two paragraphs in Philippians 1 and says that the key is 'Put the gospel first'. He then applies that in different arenas...such as in your prayer life...fellowship with other believers and so on. When you reread Philippians 1 again it is clear that he has pointed out accurately what was going on. Fresh summary from a deeper perspective. I had lost that perspective in the details of the verse by verse analysis with my other commentaries (some of the very best included). So this is an excellent book. It's different than anything else I have on Philippians. Highly recommended!

This is a great little commentary. D A Carson has done an excellent job of teasing out the flow of the letter as Paul might have intended it. It is because of this and the exceptionally practical nature of Carson's exposition that I can recommend this book to every Christian. It is also set out in such a way as to be useful for group Bible studies.

Even though it is very small, Carson's book is deep, practical, straight-forward and challenging. It makes a great resource for pastors. It is like a mini-commentary on the book, full of great insight. Buy a copy soon and use it for personal devotion or as a starter for sermon ideas on Philipians.

Another one of Carson's books which began as expositions at a Christian conference. Reading this book, you can almost hear the author speaking to you.He tells a number of helpful stories throughout the book which powerfully bring home the points he is illustrating.The book is simple, but it shows a deep understanding of Paul and his theology. It will help you to fall in love with Paul's letter, but also with the Christ whom Paul urges us to emulate and serve.