I had the privilege to once again chat with Dr Matthew J. Thomas about Paul’s well-known phrase “works of the law.” When Paul says we are not justified by “works of the law” (see e.g., Gal 2:16), what does he mean? Is he saying good works are not necessary for salvation? Or by “works” is…
Here’s a fun video from Mike Heiser, who answers the question, “Was there only one version of the Old Testament in ancient times?” Many Christians are unaware of the various text traditions of the Old Testament, but it’s certainly an important topic that I recommend getting familiar with. Here’s the video description, followed by the…
Here is the final installment of my series with Mike Heiser at The Naked Bible Podcast. It’s been a lot of fun chatting with Mike these past few months about the Old Testament’s messianic profile. As we’ve discussed throughout the series, knowing that profile is essential if we want to understand how New Testament authors…
Here is Part 3 of my series with Mike Heiser at The Naked Bible Podcast. Episode Description: In the preceding episodes, we’ve seen how Paul reconfigures Old Testament faith, faithfulness, and Torah keeping in light of the work of Jesus and his own encounter with the risen Christ. In this episode we look at how Paul…
The latest installment of The Naked Bible Podcast takes us back to Romans for a second time. In the following episode, Mike and I chat about how Paul employs the Abraham story in Romans 4. I discuss how Paul’s exegesis of Genesis and his christological assumptions work together to further his larger argument about justification.…
Mike Heiser and I have been talking a lot about the Old Testament’s “messianic profile” in several episodes at The Naked Bible Podcast. We wanted to do this because it’s so foundational for understanding Jesus’ ministry in the New Testament. It’s also important for understanding the way in which New Testament writers (such as Paul)…
In previous episodes of the Naked Bible Podcast, Mike and I spent a lot of time observing how the Old Testament builds a “messianic profile.” It’s important for readers of the New Testament to have a working knowledge of that profile because it aids in understanding how, exactly, Jesus of Nazareth brings the biblical story…
In this episode of The Naked Bible Podcast, Mike and I return to the book of Daniel. This time we explore Daniel 9, which contains a passage where the word “messiah” (“anointed one”) is used a couple times, along with the verb “to anoint.” Are these prophecies about Jesus? How does this passage contribute to…
Below is the fourth installment of my ongoing series with Dr. Michael Heiser at The Naked Bible Podcast. Throughout this series, we have been discussing the “messianic profile” that is constructed in the Old Testament. Both Mike and I have said this profile cannot be reduced down to just those instances in the Old Testament…
Here’s the third installment of my ongoing series with Dr. Michael Heiser at The Naked Bible Podcast. This was a fun episode. As we continue to discuss the Old Testament’s messianic profile, we start by recognizing key motifs that occur throughout the Old Testament itself. In this episode, we talk about the “offspring” motif, which…