Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
God is a righteous judge, And a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready (Psalm 7.11, 12). David’s inspired lyrics do not sound very encouraging to modern ears–especially to modern Christian…
The story of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) is one of the best known and most loved of Jesus’ parables. I am not going to attempt to exegete the passage, as that has been done admirably and ably by others. Rather, I want to briefly examine what bearing the passage…
In Romans 2.6-16, Paul writes, He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there…
It was still dark as David approached the crest of the little ridge. The eastern horizon was not even gray. It was early. But he knew this trail well. Every morning before dawn and every evening before dark, he would walk down to the well and carry water back to…
The theme of Romans is the righteousness of God (Rom. 1:16-17). That is to say, Romans is something of a theodicy. Paul is defending God’s covenant faithfulness, particularly in light of Jewish unfaithfulness. How does it work? Without getting into exegetical details, we can still sketch out the big picture.…
The New Perspective on Paul (NPP) is a loosely defined movement held together primarily by a common understanding of Second Temple Judaism. All NPP theologians basically adhere, with varying degrees of intensity and consistency, to Ed Sanders’ claims with regard to the nature of pre-70 A.D. Judaism. Sanders has sought…
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Paul’s discussion of Adam and Christ (Romans 5) is chiastically arranged: A. Sin enters the world and death through sin, vv 12 B. Sin before Law, but sin not imputed where there is no law, v 13 C. Transgression of Adam v free gift vv 14-16 D. Death reigned/reign in…
Romans 4 has been a central text in historic debates about justification. Naturally so, since here Abraham is presented as the model believer, who is reckoned righteous because he believes God’s promises. That’s accurate. Despite some denials from New Perspective commentators, Romans 4 does speak of Abraham as a model…
In a brief discussion of Genesis 1 in his Reading Genesis Well , C. John Collins summarizes the "illocution or rhetorical force" of the passage. What's the author trying to persuade his readers about? The narrative, he says, "shapes for Israel their vision of the good human life, as participating…
Alessandra Bocchi writes about the fate of Hong Kong's Christians at FirstThings.com . The freedom struggle there is about Hong Kong's independence. It's also a struggle for the freedom of the churches. Bocchi writes that "Hong Kong citizens fear that this extradition bill would give the Chinese government power to…
In Romans 3:21-22, Paul writes, "But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe." Paul has already mentioned the righteousness of God. It's…
David French writes that the civil rights movement should give beleaguered Evangelicals hope in the current cultural malaise. He's partly right, partly wrong. He's right that white Christians have much to learn from the history of African American Christianity. Once Protestants formed the American elite. Nowadays, though theologically conservative Protestants…
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