1 Corinthians

A Brief Explanation of Each of the 10 Studies.

Lexical meaning and authorial meaning are not the same. Dictionaries identify the recognised possibilities a word can bear, but only the biblical author communicates the intended meaning. This study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own argument.

Dictionaries help us understand biblical words, but they cannot replace the biblical authors. This introductory study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own communication rather than treating Scripture as a collection of isolated word definitions.

Paul did not write collections of isolated verses. This study explains why readers must keep reading—and rereading—until Paul has completed his argument and the connections between its parts become clear.

Paul’s appeals to Genesis arise within particular historical and pastoral situations, but they also express enduring theological convictions. This study explains why the historical occasion and the theology of Genesis must be understood together.

How does Paul’s teaching about creation relate to his vision of the new creation in Christ? This study explores how Paul’s repeated appeal to Genesis ultimately finds its fulfilment in Christ, the last Adam, and the new humanity God is creating through the gospel.

Paul does not appeal merely to creation as an abstract idea but to the developing story of Adam and Eve in Genesis 2–3. This study explains why that appeal belongs to Paul’s wider theology of creation rather than functioning as a convenient illustration.

Paul’s letters are often interpreted through historical reconstructions, theological systems or modern controversies. This study argues that Paul should first be allowed to explain himself through the carefully developed arguments of his own letters.

These two passages are usually studied independently. This study examines their shared vocabulary, theological foundations, and rhetorical structure, asking whether together they reveal a unified Pauline theology of the gathered assembly.