“To live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Get the FREE Philippians eBook today!

Free eBook on PhilippiansWhat does Paul mean when he writes “To live is Christ and to die is gain”? How can we share in that same unshakeable confidence?

Find out when you get the FREE new eBook on Philippians by Lynn H. Cohick.

Selected from Cohick’s new book The Story of God Bible Commentary: Philippians, this eBook will help you:

  • Discover the source of Paul’s hope and confidence
  • Find encouragement to face your own struggles, and courage to run the race
  • Grow in unity – and in joy – with your church and fellow Christians
  • Escape the trap of comparing yourself to others
  • Live faithfully and creatively in what God calls you to do

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What are people saying about The Story of God Bible Commentary series?

Philippians Bible Commentary eBook

The editors and contributors open up the biblical story in ways that move us to act with sensitivity and understanding… Well done.”

—Darrell L. Bock, Dallas Theological Seminary

Unique in its approach to exploring the Bible. Its easy-to-use format and practical guidance brings God’s grand story to modern-day life so anyone can understand how it applies today.”

—Andy Stanley, North Point Ministries

Aperfect tool for helping every follower of Jesus to walk in the story that God is writing for them.

—Judy Douglass, Cru

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What’s inside the eBook?

Philippians Bible Commentary eBook

In the free eBook Eager Expectations, Lynn H. Cohick engages Scripture with a deep knowledge of the biblical world, helping you rediscover the treasure trove of good news in Philippians. You will gain insight into how you can live out the biblical text in the world today.

Cohick interweaves her insights with storiesfrom the history of the church, the culture today, and from Cohick’s own experiences as a Bible scholar, missionary, wife, and mother. Here’s a sample from the eBook:

We might say that we live for Christ, but what we mean is that we live for Christ and for work, family, ministry, wealth, and so on.

How can we get to Paul’s place of living for Christ period?

It is not as though Paul did not have a ministry or friends. He knew what his ministry or call was — to preach Christ and not to baptize, for example (1 Cor 1:10–17). He submitted to God’s teaching — he learned to be content (Phil 4:10–13), and he discovered that God’s grace is sufficient (2 Cor 12:7–10). He actively critiqued the wider world’s social and cultural definitions of success (Phil 3:4–14). He devoted himself to love (1 Cor 13) and never forgot that this present age is passing away.

Sometimes God reminds us of these truths in direct ways. In the mid-1990s, my husband, Jim, was drawn to join a new ministry that involved building and managing a pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Kenya. I had just completed my PhD and was eager to start looking for full-time work.

During those long years of dissertation writing, I promised God that this degree was his to do with as he pleased. After much prayer, it was clear to both Jim and me that God was calling us to Kenya. However, I had no teaching job lined up — in fact, no job at all.

I realized then that when I thought I was giving my degree to God, what I was really saying was that I’d take (just about) any teaching job. I never expected that God might decide to closet the degree altogether.

As it turned out, I did have teaching opportunities in Nairobi, but these emerged after we arrived in Kenya. It was an important lesson for me, challenging me as to whether God really has providential and wise authority over my life, work, and family.”

Eager Expectations by Lynn H. Cohick

As a further taste, here are 10 quotes from Lynn H. Cohick’s eBook on Philippians:

  1. Paul does not see himself as a “lone ranger” … He embraces the help of his teammates, the Philippians, whose prayers make a difference.
  2. Labor is not limited to the apostles, pastors, or missionaries; fruitful labor is the birthright and responsibility of all those born anew in Christ.
  3. Paul declares that his fate is secure — he is in Christ. Thus life and death hold importance only as they shape his relationship with Christ.
  4. Possible torture and hideous death might await [Paul]. So how can Paul have any hope? [His] hope is not wishful thinking but is based on the sure reality of Christ’s glorification and honor.
  5. Labor is not limited to the apostles, pastors, or missionaries; fruitful labor is the birthright and responsibility of all those born anew in Christ.
  6. Paul defines “progress” relative to God’s call on every believer’s life to be obedient. In this Paul’s message differs from the philosophers of the day, who stressed progress as working hard. Such people could boast in their own efforts. But Paul makes clear that believers’ progress is grounded solely in God’s work in and through them.
  7. Paul sees even more clearly than did Job that suffering [signals] the disorder of this present age. But that is not the last word. Christ has been raised, and we now know that the end is closer than when we first believed (Rom 13:11).
  8. A word to pastors and lay leaders: notice Paul’s personal goal in ministry — joy. What does ministry look like if one’s goal is joy? It means, at least, that numbers don’t matter.
  9. Paul teaches that salvation includes becoming a member of Christ’s body. No believer lives only unto himself or herself.
  10. The missionary is no more obedient to God’s call than the housewife and stay-at-home mother. I’ve been both — I know. In each case, obedience is the operating factor.

The Eager Expectations eBook features:

  • 37 thoughtful pages from Lynn H. Cohick’s new Bible commentary The Story of God Bible Commentary: Philippians
  • Insight into Paul’s surprising teachings on success and faithfulness
  • A probing investigation of Paul’s views on life and death
  • Ideas on for how Paul’s mindset can transform our lives
  • Practical suggestions for pursuing unity, which brings joy

Get the FREE eBook today!

Sign up to receive the FREE eBook & newsletter from Zondervan Academic. By submitting, you understand that you may receive commercial email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing and that you may unsubscribe at any time. Learn more.

 

An added benefit — a FREE newsletter from Zondervan Academic.

With the free Kingdom Vision eBook you will also begin to receive the free Academic Update e-newsletter from Zondervan Academic. You’ll learn about new volumes in The Story of God Bible Commentary series and more — including new commentaries, monographs, textbooks, and Bible reference books by exceptional scholars and authors such as:

  • Lynn H. Cohick
  • Michael Bird
  • John Walton
  • Michael Horton
  • Scot McKnight
  • Craig Blomberg
  • Joel Willitts
  • Wayne Grudem

Get the FREE Bible commentary eBook today!

Rediscover all of the good news in Philippians. Enter your email to get the Eager Expectations FREE eBook today!

 

Get the FREE eBook today!

Sign up to receive the FREE eBook & newsletter from Zondervan Academic. By submitting, you understand that you may receive commercial email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing and that you may unsubscribe at any time. Learn more.

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Get the FREE eBook today!

Sign up to receive the FREE eBook & newsletter from Zondervan Academic. By submitting, you understand that you may receive commercial email communications from HarperCollins Christian Publishing and that you may unsubscribe at any time. Learn more.