Journal: Pneumatikos
Volume: PNEUMATIKOS 15:1 (Spring 2024)
Article: Reviews
Author: Anonymous

Pneumatikos 15:1 (Spring 2024) p. 117

Reviews

Galatians: Gospel of Freedom, A Concise Commentary. 2^nd edition. By Jeremy Thomas. Spokane: Independently Published, 2023. Paperback. 98 pp. $10.99. ISBM: 979–8858408215.

Reviewed by:
Robert Dean, Jr.

West Houston Bible Church
Houston, Texas, USA

This short, easy to read commentary is evidence of the author’s diligent, in-depth study and analysis of the Greek text and the theological issues involved. The author’s intended audience is “pastors, teachers, and laymen” (p. v). He states his goal is to reach a happy medium between too many details and ignoring important details. His intent was to write “bite-sized chunks” (p. vi) explaining as succinctly as possible the author’s intent. Along with explanations of the meaning of the text, he also sought to address verses in light of relevant positions within several theological positions: the lordship salvation-free grace debate; dispensationalism issues related to hyper-dispensationalism, progressive dispensationalism, as well as interacting at a basic level with Roman Catholic doctrines, or those of Campbellism, Arminianism, and others.

Pastor Thomas has indeed written an accessible overview of Paul’s epistle to the Galatians with comments on every verse of the text. His outline is derived from the text and an understanding of the epistle as an integrated, well-thought-out whole. As such he provides a valuable tool for examining the author’s central theme, the structure of the epistle in addressing that theme, and how the different parts of the epistle relate back to that theme. Quality summaries of a book’s argument are beneficial for the student of the text to understand the meaning of the text within the topic or theme of the epistle or narrative. Thomas clearly expresses the structure and organization of the text in helpful, easy to understand language.

Pneumatikos 15:1 (Spring 2024) p. 118

His achievement of the second objective, to show how sections of the text related to current as well as long term theological debates, was somewhat less successful. In the first part of the commentary, he has extremely helpful counterpoints to various false conceptions of the gospel and interactions with other theological views pertaining to current debates on soteriology, eschatology, dispensationalism, or the spiritual life. As the commentary proceeds these appear less frequently. In the second edition, he has expanded on this.

The commentary begins with a succinct summary detailing the recipients, seven features unique to this epistle, a brief outline, and brief statements on the key word, the key theme, the key verse and the key ...