1 Corinthians: Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament [ZECNT]

Paul’s Corinthian epistles have fascinated, encouraged, and challenged Christians throughout the centuries. First Corinthians engages matters as diverse as marriage and singleness, sexual conduct and immorality, idolatry, use of spiritual gifts, the last things, the wisdom of the world, pride, and church unity. It is also replete with episodes of great theological depth, from Paul’s longest exposition on the nature of love, to his treatment of the resurrection. In this commentary, Paul Gardner shows that the underlying issue concerns the possession of wisdom and knowledge. Gardner argues that the Corinthians regarded these as spiritual gifts and gave them a significance and importance that caused spiritual arrogance among some. Paul’s response is to return to the humbling centrality of the gospel message in which Christ is preached as the crucified and resurrected Lord.

Designed for the pastor and Bible teacher, the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament brings together commentary features rarely gathered together in one volume. Written by notable evangelical scholars, each volume treats the literary context and structure of the passage in the original Greek, and each author provides an original translation based on the literary structure. The series consistently provides the main point, an exegetical outline, verse-by-verse commentary, and theology in application in each section of every commentary. Critical scholarship informs each step but does not dominate the commentary, allowing readers to concentrate on the biblical author’s message as it unfolds. While primarily designed for those with a basic knowledge of biblical Greek, all who strive to understand and teach the New Testament will find this series beneficial.