The series is aimed at students, preachers and interested laypeople. My take is this volume veered more towards the student end of this spectrum as a first reference point. I think it will help preachers to the extent it compiles the Christological material in the letters and joins the dots to other Pauline teaching; chapter 2 will help the preacher in more detail with the Christ hymn…That said the book is a reliable and stimulating guide to Paul’s thinking about Christ and for that we can be grateful.

When we read the Bible, sometimes we read like tourists and sometimes we read like explorers. Tourists tend to look for the main sights, the big-ticket items, while explorers get down and dirty, searching out the byways and backstreets, immersing themselves in the detail.

Most commentaries are of the ‘explorer’ variety. Usually, they have a tourist section at the front, but this is often very general.

Crossway’s New Testament Theology series presents what I would call a ‘tourist enthusiast’ view. Although not pretending to be full-blown, they deal seriously with the text as they present a detailed summary of its theology centred on a particular theme. They are a tour guide—extended edition.

One such tour guide is Hidden With Christ in God: A Theology of Colossians and Philemon. Author Kevin W. McFadden sets the scene for his examination of the two letters in his opening chapter entitled, ‘Hope in Difficult Circumstances’. This title gives a clear indication of his overall homiletical thrust. The difficult circumstance in Colossians is the temptation to look elsewhere than the Christian faith for fear of missing out, while in Philemon it is a delicate pastoral situation. In both letters, the Apostle Paul holds out the hope found in the person and work of Christ.

The Unifying Theme

McFadden’s commentary centres on Christology. In four chapters he outlines what Colossians teaches about Christ—our hope, God’s Son, our life above, and our life below. These chapters roughly follow the contours of the letter to the Colossians but do not slavishly exegete it.

The book’s heart is its discussion of ‘Christ as God’s Son’, where the ‘hymn’ of Colossians 1:15–20 is carefully worked through. This is a clear but often dense account and takes time and careful reading to fully digest (just like the passage itself). A rich exposition, McFadden shows how Paul convinces the Colossians and us to see Christ in all his fullness and glory and therefore not to look beyond him for wisdom or hope; to embrace his pre-eminence and thus sufficiency for our lives.

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