1 Corinthians

The cosmopolitan city of Corinth was the site of one of the apostle Paul’s greatest evangelistic successes. However, the church he founded was full of contention, ranging from questions about leadership to incest. Some Christians were taking fellow believers to court. There were issues concerning marriage, celibacy, food offered to idols, public worship and spiritual gifts. In response, Paul offered some of his most profound thinking on the body of Christ, love, and Jesus' cross and resurrection. Thomas Schreiner explains the text of the letter, highlights its major theological themes and offers perspectives on its relevance for today.

Publisher: IVP
Type: Paperback
ISBN: 9781783596683

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Thomas R. Schreiner (PhD, Fuller Theological Seminary) is James Buchanan Harrison Professor of New Testament Interpretation and professor of biblical theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. He has taught at SBTS for more than twenty years. Schreiner is the author or editor of numerous books, including Romans in the BECNT series, The King in His Beauty, New Testament Theology, Magnifying God in Christ, Interpreting the Pauline Epistles, and Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ.

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After a nice bibliography, Schreiner turns out a thoughtful, well-constructed Introduction. He surveys the city of Corinth, Paul’s ministry there, and the occasion of the epistle. His description of the letter’s occasion was perceptive and was strengthened by several appropriate tables. Next, he delves into the nature of the letter, which is a sane look at the letter’s unity. In the section on major theological themes, he begins with the Trinity and spreads to the church. Other themes include salvation, resurrection, the Christian life, food offered to idols, and spiritual gifts. He ends with a nice outline. The commentary itself is outstanding. If you want to see the quality of his work, look at a controversial passage like, say, I Corinthians 7 on marriage issues. Words like gentle and gracious come to mind. On the other hand, words like brave and certain come to mind as well. In other words, you will get the kind of things you are looking for when you pick up one of this kind of commentary. This commentary is a winner all around. It’s inexpensive too. What more could you ask for? Jimmy R. Reagan