1 Corinthians

David E. Garland

Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

©2003 by David E. Garland

Published by Baker Academic

a division of Baker Publishing Group

P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516–6287

www.bakeracademic.com

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Garland, David E.

1 Corinthians / David E. Garland.

p. cm. — (Baker exegetical commentary on the New Testament)

Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and indexes.

ISBN 0–8010-2630-X (cloth)

1. Bible. N.T. Corinthians, 1st—Commentaries. I. Title: First Corinthians. II. Title.

III. Series.

BS2675.53.G37 2003

227´.2077—dc21 2003041852

To John and Sarah

Contents

Series Preface

Author’s Preface

Abbreviations

Transliteration

Map

Introduction to 1 Corinthians

I. Letter Opening (1:1–3)

II. Thanksgiving for God’s Grace Given to Them (1:4–9)

III. Factions and Dissension in the Church (1:10–4:21)

A. The Report of Their Factions (1:10–17)

B. The Foolish Wisdom of the Cross (1:18–25)

C. God’s Choice of the Foolish (1:26–31)

D. Human Wisdom versus the Spirit and Power of God (2:1–5)

E. The Spirit’s Revelation of God’s Wisdom (2:6–16)

F. Evaluating the Work of God’s Servants (3:1–17)

G. How to Regard Oneself; How to Regard Others (3:18–4:5)

H. The Apostles as Models of the Wisdom of the Cross (4:6–13)

I. Appeal to Imitate Their Father Paul (4:14–21)

IV. Incest, Lawsuits, and Prostitution (5:1–6:20)

A. The Case of Incest (5:1–8)

B. Renewed Warnings about Tolerance of Sin in the Church (5:9–13)

C. Admonition against Lawsuits (6:1–11)

D. Admonition against Visiting Prostitutes (6:12–20)

V. Instructions about Sexual Relations, Divorce, and Marriage (7:1–40)

A. Sexual Relations within Marriage (7:1–5)

B. Celibacy or Marriage for the Unmarried and Widows (7:6–9)

C. Instructions about Divorce for Those Married to Christians and for Those Married to Non-Christians (7:10–16)

D. Guiding Principle Underlying the Discussion: Remain as You Are (7:17–24)

E. The Advisability of Marriage for the Betrothed and for Widows (7:25–40)

VI. The Dispute over Food Sacrificed to Idols (8:1–11:1)

A. Introduction of the Issue of Idol Food (8:1–6)

B. Refutation of Their Practice because of Its Danger to Fellow Christians (8:7–13)

C. Paul’s Own Example to Undergird His Counsel (9:1–27)

D. Refutation of Their Practice from the Negative Example of the History of Israel in the Wilderness (10:1–13)

E. Refutation of Their Practice from the Example of the Lord’s Supper (10:14–22)

F. Practical Advice for Dealing with the Issue of Idol Food in Pagan Settings (10:23–11:1)

VII. Headdress in Public Worship (11:2–16)

VIII. Divisions at the Lord’s Supper (11:17–34)

IX. The Use of Spiritual Gifts in Public ...