In 1 Cor 8-10, Paul provides instruction about interactions with idols, and his practical instruction is based on his theology, which was adopted from Hellenistic Judaism and adapted radically in the light of Jesus Christ. Trent A. Rogers shows that understanding Paul's ethical reasoning is helped significantly by understanding how he and his predecessors represent God in their arguments. - back of book.

It’s easy to talk about changing your life.Here’s how to actually do it.If you long to experience transformation in the most significant areas of life, this book will become your road map. Seismic Shifts is about change—positive, quality change that can help you? experience deep and lasting joy ? engage in a growing and dynamic relationship with God ? feel healthy, rested, and peaceful ? build intimate relationships marked by honest communication ? attain financial security and contentment ? enjoy sharing your faith naturally and consistentlyBy making small adjustments in just the right places, you can set off a chain reaction that will redefine the landscape of your life. Dreams really do come true when you learn how to take little steps that make a big difference.Small changes can yield huge transformations in the most important areas of your life. My friend Kevin Harney shows you how in his inspiring and practical book. —Lee Strobel, author, The Case for Christ and The Case for a CreatorKevin Harney is both a gifted communicator and a seasoned pastor. Seismic Shifts will be a gift to individuals and churches alike.—John Ortberg, Teaching Pastor, Menlo Park Presbyterian Church and author of God Is Closer Than You Think and The Life You’ve Always WantedKevin Harney is totally on track with Seismic Shifts. With skillful pen, Kevin teaches us how to create powerful movement in our lives.—Randy Frazee, Teaching Pastor at Willow Creek Community Church and author of The Connecting Church and Making Room for Life

This Catholic commentary on First Corinthians interprets Scripture from within the living tradition of the Church for pastoral ministers and lay readers alike.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians is one of the most important epistles in the New Testament. David Garland's thoughtful new commentary draws on extensive research and engages the best of contemporary scholarship while providing a readable study that will be accessible to thoughtful readers as well as students, pastors, and scholars. After considering the context of the letter and the social and cultural setting of Corinth, Garland turns to his exegetical work. An introduction to each major unit of thought is followed by the author's own translation of the Greek text. In the course of his verse-by-verse commentary, he incorporates references to other ancient writings that help explain particular aspects of Paul's meaning or provide information on the social and cultural context. He also refers to the work of other commentators and provides extensive notes for further reading and research.

Paul's first letter to the Corinthians contains both emphatic warnings and strong statements of assurance, and the relationship between them has often puzzled interpreters. At times, it sounds as if Paul is warning the Corinthians lest they forfeit their eschatological salvation; at others, it sounds like he is assuring them that they will not. Attempts to harmonise the two stances have often ended up nullifying the warnings, or the assurances, or both. In this fresh analysis of all the relevant texts, Andrew J. Wilson demonstrates that Paul's warnings and assurances stand in tension with each other, and suggests that this tension is both coherent, and, in actual fact, deliberate on Paul's part. Discussions of perseverance and apostasy in Paul, grace and works, and the relationship between divine and human agency, will all now need to reckon with this important contribution.

In this study, Andrew Bowden analyzes Paul's use of "desire" (ἐπιθυμέω, ἐπιθυμητής, and ἐπιθυμία) in his undisputed epistles. After introducing critical research on these lexemes, the author applies John Lyons's theory of semantic analysis to the use of ἐπιθυμέω κτλ in Roman imperial texts. Based on these observations, he makes a hypothesis concerning the common co-occurrences of "desire" in Roman imperial texts, its antonyms, the objects it longs for, and its use within metaphorical discourse. This hypothesis is then tested by looking at the use of "desire" in Dio Chrysostom, Epictetus, Lucian of Samosata, the Cynic epistles, and Second Temple Jewish texts. Andrew Bowden illustrates how, contrary to the view of many scholars, these Roman imperial authors consistently mention positive objects of "desire." He then applies these findings concerning "desire" to Paul, yielding important and sometimes unexpected discoveries. --