The Message of 1 Peter

While serving for many years as professor and president at Westminster Theological Seminary, the late Dr. Edmund Clowney produced a helpful tool that joins his theological acumen with his passion for practical godly living. The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross is a part of the larger work The Bible Speaks Today New Testament commentary series edited by John Stott. There are several legitimate strengths to Clowney's work. First, the devotional quality of the book is outstanding. It is apparent that the author has done his homework and is no slouch on the technical issues in the text. However, he wisely reserves these concerns for footnotes or appendices. Clowney's intent in this work is noted in the opening sentence of the preface, "This exposition has been written in the hope that it will be read and not just consulted." The NIV text is interspersed throughout the comments so the reader can very easily move through the book and not even have to look back and forth from Bible to commentary. The text divisions are relatively short allowing the reader to sit down and easily read a complete section on a specific passage in 10-15 minutes. Clowney has also labored to use illustrations from life and history in his exposition of 1 Peter, rendering something that reads more like a well-researched sermon than a cold commentary. Second, Clowney draws his research from both contemporary commentaries and early church fathers. This adds considerable breadth and interest. Lastly, Clowney is a relative expert in the field of biblical theology which focuses on putting the story of the Bible together. 1 Peter, with its numerous Old Testament quotations and allusions, provides a worthy proving ground for Clowney's biblical-theological enterprise. A perfect example is the 14 pages where he delves into one of the most illusive passages in the New Testament, "He [Jesus] was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit, through whom also he went and preached to the spirits in prison who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah," (1 Pet. 3:18ff.). Clowney concludes his excursus arguing that the preaching took place at the resurrection and ascension of Christ, while the spirits are in fact people who were presently dead at that time but where disobedient during the days of Noah. Some weaknesses of the work are the seemingly repetitive flashbacks to Peter's former ministry alongside Jesus. Certainly, we can draw much from the apostle's experiences recorded in the gospels, but Clowney may go too far in creating a veritable "psyche" for Peter's writing. Also, the study guide questions in the back are not very good. They simply walk through the content and do not encourage further thinking on the passages covered. They would not even be helpful if the book was used as a small group study. Without a doubt the strengths of this commentary outnumber its weaknesses. I would highly recommend this commentary for anyone

This is a great supplement to 1 Peter. Clowney isn't too into deep exegesis, but he goes phrase by phrase and verse by verse to be sure not to leave anything out. D.A. Carson also recommends this in his "New Testament Commentary Survey 4th Ed."

Clowney gives a straightforward and helpful exposition of this significant epistle. This series is highly readable, and Clowney's contribution on I Peter is no different. He has clearly thought long and hard about most of what he says, even if some of the argumentation for his views is left out of the book.For a more serious exegetical commentary, look to Paul Achtemeier's Hermeneia volume, J. Ramsay Michaels' work in the Word Biblical Commentary series, or Peter Davids' NIC volume. For a more expository commentary, this book stands with I. Howard Marshall's IVP New Testament Commentary as the best you can find.Marshall has more of a scholarly bent, and his footnotes contain much information that Clowney either leaves out or works into the text, which makes Clowney's work a little more uneven. Sometimes he devotes much attention to an issue (e.g. his excellent treatment of the spirits in prison passage, encapsulating some of the material and arguments Wayne Grudem presents in his excellent appendix on the topic in his Tyndale commentary, but Clowney does so in a more shorter and more readable manner).Other subjects get shorter shrift, and you would need a more in-depth commentary to get more background on those. Marshall seems to give a little more depth to more issues with some exegetical help in the footnotes and for that reason may be more helpful to someone who asks questions about that sort of thing. But I enjoyed Clowney more out of the two and got more out of his work personally. As straightforward exposition, this is great work.