Maureen Trowbridge reviews ‘The God-Life’ by Jim Graham (2016, Sovereign World).

This book by Jim Graham is an inspiring paraphrase of the epistles of Paul and, to quote the writer of the Foreword to this book, “the Word of God will impact our lives in a deeply informing way as we allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the will and Word of God to us”.

Not every one of Paul’s letters is covered here, the selected seven being Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 and 2 Thessalonians. It is also fair to add that this is a very expansive paraphrase. What was originally a single verse or sentence has become a paragraph, often quite lengthy. The letter to the Romans, for example, takes over 70 pages of the book. But this arguably adds to the appeal of the book, making it a ‘proper read’. It also explains why the subtitle mentions that the letter are ‘as personalised’ by the author.

Reading through Jim Graham’s profound insights into Paul’s letters to the early churches, one feels again the safety and security we have with God in the Lord Jesus and all he accomplished for us through the Cross. As Graham sums it up, we must allow the God-life in us to be expressed through us.

Reading this book was such a blessing, and such a good way of understanding and taking in what God says in his word, that I have used it for some weeks as my daily reading book. It has reminded me constantly of the love and power of the Lord.

I strongly recommend this remarkable book for a deeper understanding of Paul’s letters to the churches. His teaching is brought to life in this paraphrase; I wish the book had been written some years ago so that I could have read it sooner!

‘The God-Life: Letters of the Apostle Paul as personalised by Jim Graham’ (228pp, paperback) is available from the publisher for £12.50. Also available as an e-book.