Strengthening Christ's Church: On 1 Corinthians
By Roger Ellsworth
Welwyn Commentary Series. Evangelical Press. 272 pages. £7.95
ISBN 085 234 33 37
This addition to the excellent Welwyn Series helpfully relates the difficult issues and hot topics in 1 Corinthians to the situation in Corinth, then gives principles for today.
Ellsworth captures the flow of the whole of Paul's letter, showing how his arguments develop. The concise summaries of the main teachings in the letter and its penetrating analysis of the cultural climate of Corinth, clearly set out the main principles on interpreting the difficult chapters.
You may not agree with the author's conclusions at every point - re-marriage for adultery and desertion, revelatory gifts ceased, service gifts not, tongues are foreign languages, prophecy being the giving of the Scriptures. Nevertheless, it is the clear principles that Ellsworth draws from the biblical text that makes this book most helpful in interpreting these sections.
If you are looking for a thorough treatment of the differing views on some of the hot topics, that is beyond the scope of this commentary. The author is an American pastor preaching to an American church. So the few illustrations given are American giving little application to the British scene.
Apart from these drawbacks, Strengthening Christ's Church will strengthen both your understanding of Paul's letter and your faith, enabling Christ's church to be strengthened.
