Evaluation

Overall Score: 8.6/10

A substantial, evangelical, and text led Romans commentary that strengthens serious study and steadies preaching.

Publication Date(s): 2018

Pages: 816

ISBN: 9780310104032

Faithfulness to the Text: 9/10

We are repeatedly anchored in Paul’s wording and flow of thought, with careful attention to context, argument, and connection.

Christ Centredness: 9/10

We are helped to preach Romans as the gospel of God concerning His Son, shaping doctrine and life around Christ Himself.

Depth of Insight: 9/10

We receive sustained help with difficult sections, key terms, and major turns in the argument, without losing the whole.

Clarity of Writing: 8/10

We find the explanations lucid for a technical commentary, with arguments that are usually easy to follow.

Pastoral Usefulness: 8/10

We are well served for preaching, especially when translating dense theology into faithful, congregation shaped proclamation.

Readability: 7/10

We will benefit most in focused use alongside the text, rather than reading large stretches at speed.

Summary

At a Glance

Length: 816 pages
Type: Exegetical (Technical)
Theo. Perspective: Broadly Evangelical
Overall score: 8.6 / 10
Strength: Clear tracking of Paul’s argument across Romans, with strong exegetical and theological control.
Limitation: Technical weight and detail demand time and careful distillation for the pulpit.

We find Thielman’s Romans to be a robust, pastor facing technical commentary that keeps close to Paul’s argument while refusing to lose the letter’s theological centre. The work is designed for careful readers who want to trace the flow of thought, weigh key terms, and see how each paragraph advances the whole.

We are helped by the disciplined attention to structure and logic. Romans is not a string of doctrines, it is a sustained gospel argument that moves with purpose. Thielman repeatedly assists us in following Paul’s reasoning step by step, especially where familiar phrases can tempt us to stop thinking and start assuming.

Why Should I Own This Commentary?

We should own this commentary if we want a serious guide for preaching Romans with clarity and control. Many of us love Romans, but we can mishandle it by turning it into a theological filing cabinet. Thielman helps us keep the text moving, so that our sermons follow Paul’s burden rather than our favourite debates. That is a gift to the church, because Romans was written to produce humble faith, united worship, and obedient living under the gospel of Christ.

We also benefit from the steady evangelical posture of the volume. We are not being nudged toward scepticism or forced novelty. Instead, we are helped to read Romans as Scripture, to take Paul’s claims seriously, and to preach justification, union with Christ, sanctification, and assurance with appropriate weight. The commentary often proves its worth in the places where Romans is hardest to preach, where the argument is dense, the objections are sharp, and the pastoral implications are enormous.

We should be realistic about how we will use it. This is not a lightweight sermon aid, and it will not do the work of simplification for us. Yet if we give it time earlier in the week, it strengthens our confidence in the text, helps us avoid sloppy shortcuts, and supports preaching that is both doctrinally firm and pastorally steady.

Closing Recommendation

We strongly recommend Thielman’s Romans for pastors and teachers who want a careful technical companion that keeps Paul’s argument in view and serves faithful proclamation. It is especially valuable for sustained series preaching, where we need help holding together detail and direction across the whole letter. Used well, it will make our exposition more controlled, more convincing, and more worshipful.

As a next step, see the Bible Book Overview for Romans, browse Top Recommendations, or use the Reformed Commentary Index for a fuller shelf.

Where to buy

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