1 Corinthians (Understanding the Bible Commentary | UBC)

by Marion L. Soards

Publisher:

Baker

, 2012

Overview

1 Corinthians is a clear, up-to-date, and thoroughly understandable treatment of Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, focusing attention on what the text actually means rather than scholarship about the text. It addresses many relevant issues, including sexual immorality, religious diversity, and the false teaching among leaders in Corinth. It also sheds light on how that culture affected the early church, revealing how many of those persistent problems are still faced by Christians in the world today.

Contents

Top Highlights

“Ultimately all gifts extend from God and are given for the good of the church. These gifts are not rendered to the disposition of the ones who receive them. They are given and established under the rule of Jesus the Lord. Variety exists in the unity of the church because of the reality of the divine that is manifested in such complex coherence.” (Page 257)

“To discern the body in the context of the Lord’s Supper is to see the reality of Christ in each and every other member of the ‘body’ (ch. 12) and to value each person for the part played and the place given by the Lord whose body all the believers now constitute.” (Page 247)

“Some of the Corinthians believe that there is life after death without a resurrection of the dead. The simplest, most sensible solution to understanding what some of the Corinthians were saying is to see them affirming a continuation of life after death through the survival of the spirit of the persons who have died, but not through an act of new creation by God in resurrection of the dead.” (Page 315)

“Whatever kind of meat and wherever someone may eat it, Paul’s point is this: if Christians give no thought to their actions when those actions are controversial, then although their actions are seemingly correct for them, others who do not share their convictions may misunderstand and be led astray.” (Page 178)

“Paul battles a particular theological explanation that is given to the experiences, not the experiences themselves. The situation seems to be that the Corinthians are taking spiritual gifts as the grounds for comparison among themselves, and that is leading to ranking of gifts and boasting. Among the Corinthians the flamboyant gifts are more cherished and more highly esteemed. Remarkably, some people in Corinth seem to have become so elevated in their spirituality that they had no use for, and even expressed disdain for, the all-too-human Jesus who suffered the disgrace of dying on the cross. Paul will have none of this kind of spiritual expression; he disavows such activity and tells the Corinthians how to distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate demonstrations of spiritual power.” (Page 252)

Praise for the Print Edition

Soards’ commentary is a clear, up-to-date, balanced, religiously sensitive treatment of 1 Corinthians. Aimed at the general reader, it will find a welcome home in college and seminary classrooms and in the pastor’s study.

—Charles H. Talbert, distinguished professor of religion, Baylor University

This commentary is solid but readable, welcoming yet challenging. It focuses attention on the biblical text rather than on scholarship about the text. This commentary should be the first one students read when studying 1 Corinthians.

—Alan Culpepper, dean, McAfee School of Theology, Mercer University

Here is a commentary abreast of contemporary scholarship communicated in a readable style. It fulfills the goal of the series for which it is written. I recommend it for college and seminary students.

—Restoration Quarterly

Product Details

• Title: 1 Corinthians
• Author: Marion L. Soards
• Series: Understanding the Bible Commentary Series
• Publisher: Baker
• Print Publication Date: 2012
• Logos Release Date: 2011
• Pages: 416
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subject: Bible. N.T. 1 Corinthians › Commentaries
• ISBNs: 9781441252050, 9780801047725, 1441252053, 0801047722
• Resource ID: LLS:NIBCNT67CO1
• Resource Type: Bible Commentary
• Metadata Last Updated: 2023-12-12T21:58:48Z

About Marion L. Soards

Marion Soards, an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA), joined the Louisville Seminary faculty in 1990 to teach New Testament. He has authored more than 60 articles in theological dictionaries and professional journals, as well as 22 books, including The Passion According to Luke: The Special Material of Luke 22, The Apostle Paul: An Introduction to His Writings and Teaching, and The Speeches in Acts: Their Context, Content, and Concerns. He has also been an editor of The New Interpreter’s Bible Project, the Mercer Library of Biblical Studies, and the Journal of Biblical Literature. He has been a Fellow of the National Conference of Christians and Jews, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Association of Theological Schools in the U.S. and Canada, the Catholic Biblical Association of America, and the Alexander von Humboldt-Foundation in Germany. He is active in the Society of Biblical Literature, the Catholic Biblical Association of America, and the International Society for New Testament Studies, Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, and has served as an associate editor of The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, the Journal of Biblical Literature, and The New Interpreter’s Bible. “In the testimony of Scripture to the grace of God and the lordship of Jesus Christ, the church has the essential resource for the revitalization of Christ’s body in the world today. Scripture study will impart vital vision and firm commitment to the church as we seek to live faithfully doing Christ’s work.â€