Here’s something you might not have considered before: You will never be able to read the Bible objectively. There will always be some level of bias in play. To read the Bible is to interpret the Bible, after all. That’s why it’s wise to be mindful of the assumptions you bring to the text. The…
I’m excited to announce that my book, Paul and the Meaning of Scripture, has just been released. Here’s the link to the Amazon page. This has been a labor of love, and I’m happy to see it published. It’s a project that, in many ways, began over ten years ago during my my master’s research.…
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 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)…
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…
I’ve been honored to chat with the well-known biblical scholar Mike Heiser at The Naked Bible Podcast these past two weeks. Mike is a hero of mine, and it’s a real blessing to be on his show. We are currently in the middle of doing an extended series on Paul’s use of the Old Testament.…