Summary
Preaching 1 Corinthians is rarely comfortable, and that is part of its kindness. The letter exposes a church that wants the benefits of Christ while still thinking in the categories of the world. Paul refuses that compromise. He insists that Christ crucified reshapes wisdom, identity, sexuality, worship, and community life. A second edition of a major technical commentary can be especially helpful here, because pastors need steady tools when dealing with passages that touch conscience and conflict.
David E. Garland’s 1 Corinthians (2nd Edition) sits in the technical category. It is designed to help the reader handle the text carefully, track Paul’s argument, and make responsible decisions in difficult sections. 1 Corinthians is full of places where preachers can become either timid or reckless. Timid, by avoiding the hard texts or softening them into harmless advice. Reckless, by pressing the text into modern disputes without patient attention to context. A technical commentary is meant to guard us from both, and Garland aims to do that by careful reading and clear reasoning.
The heart of the letter remains the same. Paul sets Christ at the centre and calls the church to love. The Corinthians prize status, rhetoric, and self expression. Paul points them to the foolishness of the cross, the power of the Spirit, and the way of building up others. That theme binds the whole letter together, from the opening rebuke of factions to the final call to steadfastness in resurrection hope. Garland helps us keep that centre visible so that we do not reduce the letter to a list of disconnected problems.
For pastors and church leaders, this matters because the letter addresses issues that still trouble congregations. We meet moral compromise, misuse of freedom, confusion over worship, and tensions over authority and giftedness. Paul does not treat these as mere etiquette. He treats them as expressions of spiritual immaturity that must be corrected by the gospel. Garland’s approach supports that pastoral aim. He wants us to read Paul as a shepherd of souls, not as a distant lecturer.
Strengths
One strength is assistance with structure. Many preachers struggle to divide 1 Corinthians into coherent units. Garland helps identify the flow of thought and the pastoral objective of each section. That makes sermon planning more faithful and more comprehensible for the congregation. It also reduces the temptation to preach fragments and miss Paul’s argument.
A second strength is careful engagement with texts that often cause division. Passages about marriage and singleness, head coverings, the Lord’s Supper, and spiritual gifts can become flashpoints. Garland helps by clarifying the issues Paul addresses, the reasoning he uses, and the boundaries we should respect in application. That does not remove all debate, but it does move the debate onto better ground, namely the text itself.
A third strength is the way Garland connects doctrine to discipleship. The cross is not merely the entry point of the Christian life. It is the shape of the Christian life. The resurrection is not merely a doctrine to affirm. It is the foundation for steadfast labour and holy courage. Garland helps draw those connections out. That supports preaching that calls for obedience without becoming moralistic, because the call is always rooted in what Christ has done and who the church is in Him.
Finally, this commentary can serve training. Those learning to preach need to see how careful exegesis and pastoral sensitivity work together. Garland encourages a posture that is firm in conviction and careful in reasoning, which is a healthy pattern for future ministry.
Limitations
The limitation is the technical weight. Some discussions will be more detailed than a preacher needs for a given sermon, and it can be easy to spend too long in background at the expense of proclamation. We must use the tool with discernment. A technical commentary equips us for clarity, but it does not replace the preacher’s task of speaking to the heart.
How We Would Use It
We would use this volume as a primary technical companion in a 1 Corinthians series, especially for planning sermon units and checking interpretive decisions in disputed passages. We would begin with repeated reading and outlining, then consult Garland to test our conclusions and refine application. We would also use it in leadership training, because 1 Corinthians shapes a church’s instincts about love, holiness, and worship.
Closing Recommendation
This is a strong technical guide for serious work in 1 Corinthians. For pastors and trainees who want help handling difficult texts carefully and preaching the letter with gospel centred clarity, it is a valuable resource.
David E. Garland
David E. Garland is an American broadly evangelical New Testament scholar of the modern era. He has served the church through work that joins literary sensitivity with pastoral wisdom.
We value the way he helps us follow narrative movement and theological purpose, so we do not treat passages as isolated fragments. He is alert to tone, context, and the pastoral aim of the writer, which supports preaching that both instructs and shepherds.
His writing remains prized because it is clear, balanced, and consistently useful for those preparing to teach Scripture well.
Recommended titles include Luke in ZECNT, 2 Corinthians in NAC, and Reading the Gospels Wisely.
Theological Perspective: Broadly Evangelical