Explore our collection of theological essays, biblical studies, and reflections on faith and culture.
Part 1 We do not understand the role of women in ministry because we do not understand the role of men in ministry. We do not understand the role of men in ministry because we do not understand the church. We do not understand the church because the consumer culture…
1. One structure The Creation account (G1:1-2:4) conspicuously conveys meaning using the literary shape of the text. The narrative is told with formulaic patterns, repetitions, and parallelism. The Garden account is different. It is viewed as a separate text, with its own author, employing its own structure. This second account’s…
I was reading James Jordan’s Creation in Six Days while also preparing for Trinity Sunday in which the gospel reading is John 3:1-15. As providence would have it Jordan dropped an easter egg for me along the lines of baptism. In chapter 5 he points out, “ On the second…
It's true. There is no verse in the New Testament that commands or records an infant baptism. This poses a problem for some Christians. Those who only look for explicit commands, or those whose theology is limited to the New Testament, will conclude that infant baptism is not biblical and…
1. Goal This paper’s goal is to identify and describe a literary strategy employed by scripture, namely using two episodes that cover similar territory or themes using details drawn from opposite ends of a number of spectrums. Once described the reader may recognize numerous other instances of this strategy in…
Numbers 14 records the tragic story of Israel’s decision to rebel against Yahweh and Moses. Twelve spies had been sent into the land to bring back a report to Israel. All twelve spies agreed: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey”…
Showing page 30 of 309
Showing page 33 of 43
Has God rejected Israel? Has Israel stumbled so as to fall? Not at all, Paul says (Roman 11:1, 11). On the contrary, He has preserved a remnant from Israel, as He did during the days of Ahab. Even Israel’s stumbling is directed toward her ultimate restoration, as the Lord’s welcome…
Andrew Wilson is teaching pastor at King’s Church in London, part of the Newfrontiers network. He co-authored Echoes of Exodus with Alastair Roberts, and recently published Spirit and Sacrament , a proposal for “eucharismatic” worship and church life. Wilson’s proposal is two-sided: He wants to deepen Evangelical worship, and to…
Paul introduces the notion of “jealousy” at the end of Romans 10. He has been discussing how Israel stumbles in their pursuit of God’s justice because they pursue it by works. Gentiles attain that justice because they trusted in the faithful One, Jesus. Israel hears, but doesn’t heed. And so…
Matthew Bates argued in Salvation by Allegiance Alone (2017) that “faith” (Greek pistis ) doesn’t merely mean “belief” or even “trust.” It includes those, but connotes loyalty and allegiance. We’re saved by staying loyal to Jesus. In September, Bates published a follow-up, Gospel Allegiance , where he explains in more…
Salvation is of the Jews. For Paul, this doesn’t simply mean Yahweh preserved Israel so the Jewish Messiah might be the Savior of the world. Salvation is of the Jews because the people of Israel is the object of salvation and, redeemed, God’s instrument for saving Gentiles. In short, Jesus…
Paul’s argument in Romans 9 begins from a fact: Israel didn’t receive the Messiah. That fact provokes an anguished question, Is there a scriptural way to make sense of that reality? How can God save through Israel when Israel fails in her mission? Paul begins his answer by noting a…
Showing page 37 of 2212
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.
