I taught a Sunday-morning Bible class on First Corinthians last fall and used this commentary as my primary reference. I was looking for an accessible, mainstream commentary that provided a survey of current scholarship in addition to the author’s views. Garland’s work fit the bill perfectly.

The outline of the book is easy to follow. It begins with an overview essay. Garland outlines 1 Corinthians into 12 major sections. Each major section gets its own, smaller, introduction. Then for each smaller subsection, Garland provides a very brief introduction, a translation, his commentary, and some closing notes. Bold-faced marginal notes allow the reader to quickly locate the exposition of any given verse.

Garland’s exegesis is very thorough and very clear. I cannot recall coming away confused from any part of the book. At those points where his views differ from the scholarly mainstream, he outlines his thoughts and objectsions with equal doses of clarity and humility.

Much of his thinking is based around his assessment that the major faultlines within the Corinthian congregation were social or socio-economic, not theological. Their behavior was sometimes scandalous, sometimes bordering on scandal. Paul’s response is not so much to correct them doctrinally, but to ensure that their behavior doesn’t become an offense, internally or externally.