The Message of 1 Corinthians: Life in the Local Church: Study Guide

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament

by David Prior

In ancient Greece this phrase was an insult cast at vagrants, drunkards and sexual deviates. The city of Corinth was infamous as a center of intellectual pride and moral laxity. Any church planted there was bound to have problems. The Corinthian church was no exception.Snobbishness, factionalism, insensitivity to other believers, doctrinal lookseness and overexuberance all flourished in the Corinthian church. When the apostle Paul heard about the difficulties, he was grieved bcause he had founded the church and felt closely tied to it. He therefore wrote an intense and pointed letter.In this fresh and gripping exposition of 1 Corinthians, David Prior plainly shows the relevance of Paul's letter for our times. His hope is that all churches may better live out the lordship of Christ in today's cosmopolitan world.

Genres: Christian, Theology, Reference, Biblical Studies

320 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1985

Reviews

[Dan]

Prior provides a solid layman’s commentary on First Corinthians. He provides good exposition on most passages, with solid and helpful application, as is expected in this staple commentary set. Another reviewer mentioned that it starts quite dry but becomes deeper and more engaging with time, I definitely second this.

Where he deals with contended topics and passages, he usually approaches with care, providing the reader with both sides of the argument. However, this was sorely lacking when he came to 1 Cor 14:34-36 (women “remaining silent”), where he only provides a few hundred words to seemingly argue “Paul couldn’t mean this”. I’d expect most readers would be disappointed to not have even a few of the historic and current views of this passage put forward, both Egalitarian and Complementarian.

[Sammi L]

David Prior does a terrific job of charting a balanced and Christ-centred course through a pastoral exposition of 1 Corinthians. A letter I had always felt was a little here and there and like jumping around in the mind of the Apostle Paul, now I see more ways to approach it thematically, systematically and above all pastorally. The real people, real situations and the REAL Holy Spirit at work in a church of saints - though sinners - with messy lives, working out their faith in a challenging multi-cultural and relativistic context. I think it is one of the most relevant letters to the Church today as we deal with so many of the same issues and must continue to point ourselves and others to the person and saving work of Christ.

[Rachel]

Found the writing style a shower read than other title in this series

[Donnie]

This is a nice help to an in-depth study of 1 Corinthians. It's not for the run of the mill Sunday School class, but it'll even help turn that into a fine discussion group.

[Bob Wolniak]

Classic set of expositions and notes from the mid-80's in about sixteen sections from someone who pastored churches in Cape Town, Africa and Oxford, England.

[Schroedette]

Great commentary on 1 Corinthians!

[Rachelle Bachiu]

Very well written.

[Jon Barker]

A personal view, meant to be helpful not critical.

Not always the easiest read but informative and challenging. Appesred dry at first but the more I read the better it got.
I did not find the study guide questions until I had finished the rest of the book.The would be better placed at the end of each chapter or at the very least signposted at that point.
The questions are thought provoking in the main, which is what is needed.