One New Man

""If the book of Ephesians is like a treasury of Pauline doctrine, containing shelf after shelf of priceless jewels and gems, the book of Galatians is like a firefight with the security team in the hallway outside.... The doctrine contained in the two books comes from the same mind, the same heart, the same man. It is obviously consistent. But in the former you have a husband, fighting to protect his wife from assailants, and in the latter you have a husband and wife sharing a quiet dinner together, talking about what is most important to them. If someone is important to you, and you love her, you will fight for her. And if someone is important to you, and you love her, you will also talk with her. There is no inconsistency." From the Introduction In this pair of commentaries, Douglas Wilson goes passage by passage through two of Paul's most famous epistles. The book of Galatians is Paul defending the church from error and how the law was God's way of working in history: it was never meant to be our final destination. In Ephesians, we see Paul lay out the fullest, most detailed explanation of the Gospel, beginning with our forgiveness and reconciliation in Christ and then showing how that Gospel changes everything, from Jew Gentile relations to marriage, and to politics. Readers familiar with these epistles will find many new insights. However, both commentaries remind us that the gospel tore down the massive dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. In an age where political, racial, and social divisions are greater than ever, Paul's words remind us that the Gospel is not something that only deals with individuals in private. The Gospel is a potent force that transforms each individual and reconciles him with his enemies. These letters are about how divided humanity is truly made one new man"--