Book Review: Christ All Sufficient

I find it difficult to write a review of a exposition on a biblical book, because I don’t want to inadvertently critique the Scriptures. However, expositional texts are important because they can help illuminate a specific Scripture verse, passage, or book for use in the church. Expositional texts or commentaries can be separated into two basic categories (1) academic and (2) layman. An academic commentary will be based in the original Hebrew or Greek and can be difficult to use unless a person is proficient in those languages. A layman’s commentary may reference the original language but will breakdown the text in such a way that it is conducive for preaching, teaching, or personal study. This is what Brian Hedges does in his new book Christ All Sufficient: An Exposition of Colossians.

Many Christians might think that a commentary is only for pastors. It is true that the average churchgoer does not know Hebrew or Greek. However, this is no excuse for not diving into the Word for further study. Resources like Christ All Sufficient, which I would consider a layman’s commentary, provide great tools for deeper study.

At this point I will review a few of the features in the book that aide in further study of the book of Colossians for preaching/teaching or personal study. First, Hedges provides a great outline which walks systematically through the text. The book of Colossians was originally written as a letter from the Apostle Paul to the church at Colossae. A good outline allows the reader to put each verse in context and help understand the Apostle’s train of thought. Hedges not only breaks down the text in a basic outline, but breaks it down verse by verse. This aides a more comprehensive study of the text.

Second, the book provides good exposition of the text. Not all books that claim to be expositional are good. The point of an expositional resource is to “expose” the text and reveal what it is trying to say. Some “expositional” books impose on the text the agenda of the author. Hedges, of course, adds his own voice, viewpoint, and style into the writing. However, he does an excellent job of exposing what the text is saying. He does this in a few ways: (1) he references keywords, defines them, and applies them in context. (2) He cross references with other scriptures to provide a biblical theology of what is being discussed. (3) He references other sources such as commentaries, dictionaries, and other resources.

Lastly, Hedges writes the book with a pastoral heart. When the Apostle Paul originally wrote the letter to the church at Colossae he did so for the purpose of reminding the church of Christ’s sufficientcy. In the same way, Hedges exposes what Paul is saying and applies to the church today. We can get distracted by many things in this world, but when we remember that Jesus is enough and can provide the strength we need to face any circumstance.

I highly reccomend Christ All Sufficient as a resource for studying the book of Colossians. Whether you are preparing for a sermon series, Sunday School class, small group, or personal study Christ All Sufficient is a great resource.

I received this book in participation with the Cross Focused Reviews blog tour program in exchange for an honest review of the book.