Podcasts about Old Testament theology

Hunger for Wholeness is back with a brand new season—and we're beginning with a deep and timely conversation about one the most timeless texts.In this season-opening episode, Ilia Delio speaks with biblical scholar and bestselling author Peter Enns. Known for his accessible, thoughtful takes on scripture, Pete invites us to rethink how we read the Bible in a world shaped by science, technology, and evolving consciousness.Together, Ilia and Pete ask:Can scripture still speak meaningfully to us in the 21st century?Is revelation a fixed moment, or an unfolding process?How do we read an ancient text with modern eyes—without losing its transformative power?This is part one of a two-part interview with Pete Enns, co-host of The Bible for Normal People podcast.ABOUT PETER ENNS“I think part of what it means for God to “reveal” himself is to keep us guessing, to come to terms with the idea that knowing God is also a form of not knowing God, of knowing that we cannot fully know, but only catch God in part—which is more than enough to keep us busy.”Peter Enns (Ph.D. Harvard University) is Abram S. Clemens professor of Biblical Studies at Eastern University (St. Davids, PA).  He has written several books including The Bible Tells Me So, The Sin of Certainty, How the Bible Actually Works, and his latest, Curveball: When Your Faith Takes Turns You Never Saw Coming. Pete is also cohost of the popular podcast The Bible for Normal People. The focus of his work centers on understanding the Bible as an ancient text and thinking through what it means to read that ancient text well today.The Center for Christogenesis' annual conference, Rethinking Religion in an Age of Science: From Institution to Evolution is coming up May 2-4. We're featuring many of our podcast guests including Bayo Akomolafe, our own Ilia Delio and more. Registration is open now, with scholarship discounts available for students. Visit christogenesis.org/conference to learn more and register. We hope to see you there!Support the showA huge thank you to all of you who subscribe and support our show! Support for A Hunger for Wholeness comes from the Fetzer Institute. Fetzer supports a movement of organizations who are applying spiritual solutions to society's toughest problems. Get involved at fetzer.org. Visit the Center for Christogenesis' website at christogenesis.org/podcast to browse all Hunger for Wholeness episodes and read more from Ilia Delio. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for episode releases and other updates.

Dr. Geoff Boyle of Concordia Theological Seminary-Fort Wayne, IN The post An Old Testament Theology of Marriage – Dr. Geoff Boyle,3/18/25 (0772) first appeared on Issues, Etc..

Seventeen centuries ago, in the bustling town of Nicaea, over 300 bishops from across the Roman Empire gathered, summoned by Emperor Constantine to resolve a crisis shaking the very foundations of Christianity. At stake was nothing less than the identity of Jesus Christ: was He truly God, co-eternal and of the same substance as the Father, or merely a created being—a divine yet lesser creature? Today, the fruit of that monumental gathering—the Nicene Creed—remains the definitive measure of Christian identity.  The Rev. John David Duke, pastor of Salem Lutheran Church in Buffalo, NY and adjunct professor of Old Testament Theology at Concordia Lutheran Theological Seminary in St. Catherines, Ontario, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to discuss the Nicene Creed.  Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God's Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Believers Must Meditate on Scripture      The Lord instructed Joshua, saying, “This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success” (Josh 1:8). This command involves a deep, reflective engagement with Scripture, allowing its truths to shape one's thoughts, actions, and decisions. The word “meditate” translates the Hebrew verb hagah (הָגָה), which means “to growl…to moan…to read in an undertone…to mutter while meditating.”[1] According to Warren Wiersbe, “It was the practice of the Jews to read Scripture aloud (Acts 8:26–40) and talk about it to themselves and to one another (Deut 6:6–9). This explains why God warned Joshua that the Book of the Law was not to depart out of his mouth (Josh 1:8).”[2] The practice of speaking the text while reading it implies concentration, allowing the mind to process and absorb its content.      Similarly, David wrote of the righteous man, saying, “His delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night” (Psa 1:2; cf. Psa 119:148; Phil 4:8-13). The word “law” translates the Hebrew noun torah (תּוֹרָה), which means “direction, instruction, the law.”[3] Allen Ross states, “To be blessed and remain untarnished in the world, the faithful must live according to God's word. The word ‘law' (תּוֹרָה) can refer to instruction in general, or an individual teaching, or the commandments, or the books of the Law, or Scriptures as a whole.”[4] And the one who adheres to this pattern of meditating on God's Word “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers” (Psa 1:3). The imagery of a tree firmly planted by streams of water vividly illustrates the stability, nourishment, and fruitfulness that comes from a life rooted in Scripture. Just as a tree by the water remains lush and productive regardless of external conditions, so too does the person who immerses themselves in God's Word remain spiritually vibrant and effective, no matter the challenges they face. Peter Craigie states: "A tree may flourish or fade, depending upon its location and access to water. A tree transplanted from some dry spot to a location beside an irrigation channel, where water never ceases to flow, would inevitably flourish. It would become a green and fruitful tree. The simile not only illustrates colorfully the prosperity of the righteous, but also makes a theological point. The state of blessedness or happiness is not a reward; rather, it is the result of a particular type of life. Just as a tree with a constant water supply naturally flourishes, so too the person who avoids evil and delights in Torah naturally prospers, for such a person is living within the guidelines set down by the Creator. Thus the prosperity of the righteous reflects the wisdom of a life lived according to the plan of the Giver of all life."[5]      James wrote, “The one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:25). The word “intently” translates the Greek verb parakuptō (παρακύπτω), which carries the idea of stooping down or bending over to take a closer look at something with careful attention. The aorist tense suggests a focused and intentional effort at one point to deeply examine the law of God. The active voice means the Christian is performing the action, showing that the believer must actively engage in this careful examination of God's Word. Once learned, the believer must be “an effectual doer” of what God commands, and the one who obeys the Lord “will be blessed in what he does.” Fruchtenbaum notes, “The blessing lies in the doing, and he will be blessed further in the future life as the future tense of the verb indicates. The voluntary doing of God's will, as revealed by Scripture, is the secret of true happiness.”[6] Christians who are “doers” of the Word are blessed not merely because they follow God's rules for life, but because living in harmony with God's truth brings divine favor.[7] This includes experiencing the benefits of God's wisdom and protection, a growing relationship with Him, and, ultimately, spiritual fruitfulness (Gal 5:22-23). By obeying God, the believer moves beyond theoretical faith into a transformative, lived experience of grace and divine blessing.      Master the doctrines you learn from God's Word. Let them consciously and constantly circulate in your thoughts. Saturate your mind with Bible doctrine, reviewing and reflecting until it becomes integrated into your thinking. The spiritual life is built by repeatedly studying, processing, and applying God's truth, not by racing through it. A slow, steady rain results in greater ground saturation than a flash flood, where most of the water runs across the surface. Likewise, slow reading with thoughtful meditation penetrates more deeply into the heart. Take in the Word deeply—study it, think about it, live it. God Uses Bible Teachers to Help Us Grow Spiritually      Almost anyone can be used by the Lord to communicate divine revelation. Even a jackass can be the mouthpiece of God (Num 22:28-30). Biblically, Christians are directed to “teach and admonish one another” (Col 3:16), which shows that all believers can teach and counsel one another with the Word of God. Of course, this assumes they've been “constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine” (1 Tim 4:6), are spiritually mature in their walk with the Lord (Heb 5:14), and can “speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine” (Tit 2:1). New believers are to “long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet 2:2).      Throughout Scripture, God has used various persons to communicate His Word to others for their instruction and edification. God used mothers and fathers (Deut 6:6-7; Eph 6:4; 2 Tim 1:5; 3:15),[8] wise men (Prov 13:14), noble women (Prov 31:26), older mature women (Tit 2:3), prophets (Deut 4:1; 4:5; Eph 4:11), ruling officials and Levites (2 Ch 17:7-9; Neh 8:7-8), and priests (Lev 10:11; Mal 2:7; Ezra 7:10). In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul listed several communication gifts that Christ gave to His church, saying, “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers” (Eph 4:11). This is a list of gifted men who are tasked by the Lord to provide education to Christians. Jesus gave these men to His church “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature person, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:12-13). Christ gave these gifted men to His church to help Christians advance spiritually so that they, in turn, can serve others in their walk with the Lord. Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 237. [2] Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Strong, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 27–28. [3] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 284. [4] Allen P. Ross, A Commentary on the Psalms 1–89: Commentary, vol. 1, Kregel Exegetical Library (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2011–2013), 188. [5] Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1–50, vol. 19, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1983), 60–61. [6] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, First Peter, Second Peter, Jude, 1st ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2005), 237. [7] God's Word also strengthens the heart of the believer who regularly meditates on it. The psalmist wrote, “My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to Your word” (Psa 119:25), and “My soul weeps because of grief; strengthen me according to Your word” (Psa 119:28), and “This is my comfort in my affliction, that Your word has revived me” (Psa 119:50), and “I am exceedingly afflicted; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word” (Psa 119:107), and “Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live” (Psa 119:116a), and “Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word” (Psa 119:154). The idea in these verses is that stressed-out-believers recharge their batteries by means of God's Word, which is “alive and powerful” (Heb 4:12). [8] The Mosaic Law instructed the parents, saying, “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up (Deut 6:6-7). The phrase, teach them diligently, translates the Hebrew verb שָׁנָן shanan, which means to engrave or chisel on stone. The verb is in the Piel stem, which makes it intensive (i.e., teach diligently). Here, the tongue of the parents is likened to a chisel they keep applying to their children's minds in order to engrave God's Word into their thinking (cf. Prov 6:20-23). Where and when was this activity of training to take place? Moses says, you “shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up” (Deut 6:7b). Sitting suggests times of rest, and walking speaks of activity. When you lie down suggests evening time, and when you rise up suggests the morning hours. These form a double merism which encompass of all of life. In this way, Deuteronomy is aimed at subsequent generations, that they might learn God's will and faithfully transmit it to their children, who will pass it along to their children, and so on.

Session NotesLearn more about Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary at https://dbts.edu.

Send us a Text Message.Today on the Podcast we have a replay of an episode we did 3 years ago where we sat down with Dr Brandon Crowe. On this episode we talked about productivity and how we reimagine our effectiveness from a biblical and theological perspective.Brandon is Associate Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books on Old Testament Theology.  This time, however, he's written a book on productivity from a Theological framework entitled, Every Day Matters. Find Brandon at:Westminster Faculty Page:  www.faculty.wts.eduTwitter:  @brandondcroweBrandon's new book:  Everyday MattersThe Westminster Book Store:  www.wtsbooks.comDon't forget to check out our website and share it with a friend:  www.reimaginecast.com

In this episode, Brian Russell reflects on the dangers of assuming that God is on our side or my side rather than asking the deeper question: Am I on God's side? Listen in as Brian takes us on a deep dive into Joshua 5:13–15 where Joshua learns the key lesson that prepares him to lead Israel against Jericho and beyond: It's about the holiness of the leader and not about the demonization of the "other." You'll learn how a commitment to the love of God and neighbor shifts the way we can think about the divisions of today and how to live missionally in a world and church that focuses on dualistic tribalism and the demonization of opponents. This reflection is a sample of what you'll find in Brian's 2023 book: Astonished by the Word: Reading Scripture for Deep Transformation (Invite Press): https://amzn.to/3W2oFqN Sign up for Brian's Summer 2024 Free Spiritual Growth Virtual Workshops (you'll receive the video and tools even if you can't make it "live"): https://www.brianrussellphd.com/growthworkshops Sign up for Brian's Monthly Centering Prayer Update (w/invites to virtual gatherings): www.centeringprayerbook.com Books mentioned in the Podcast: Christopher Wright, The God I Don't Understand: Reflections on Tough Questions of Faith (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008) https://amzn.to/3L5pVmN Stanley Gundry, C.S. Cowles, Eugene Merrill, Daniel Gard, and Tremper Longmann; Show Them No Mercy: Four Views of God and Canaanite Genocide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan: 2003) https://amzn.to/3RMyqah R. Walter Moberly, Old Testament Theology (2013). https://amzn.to/3RO4ue2 Solzhenitsyn, Gulag Archipelago https://amzn.to/3RNy5nR Brian Russell's Other Books: Centering Prayer: Sitting Quietly in God's Presence Can Change Your Life (2021) https://amzn.to/2S0AcIZ  (Re)Aligning with God: Reading Scripture for Church and World (Cascade Books) https://amzn.to/30tP4S9  Invitation: A Bible Study to Begin With (Seedbed) https://my.seedbed.com/product/onebook-invitation-by-brian-russell/  Connecting with Brian: Website: www.brianrussellphd.com Twitter: @briandrussell Instagram: @yourprofessorforlife Interested in coaching or inviting Brian to speak or teach for your community of faith or group? Email: brian@brianrussellphd.com Links to Amazon are Affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, Amazon returns a small percentage of the sale to Brian Russell. This supports the podcast and does not increase the price of the items you may choose to buy. Thank you for your support. #scripture #spiritualgrowth #holiness

     In the OT, the word repent translates the Hebrew verb nacham (נָחַם) which commonly means “to comfort…to find consolation, regret…to be sorry, come to regret something…to console oneself.”[1] This speaks of one's mental attitude, and was used of people (Gen 24:67; 27:42) and God (Gen 6:6; Deut 32:36). However, nacham also means to “change one's mind,”[2] and was used of the Lord who changed His mind about some action He was going to take. For example, Moses wrote, “So the LORD changed His mind [nacham] about the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Ex 32:14). In this way, nacham corresponds to the Greek word metanoeō (μετανοέω), which means to “change one's mind.”[3]      The word repent also translates the Hebrew verb shub (שׁוּב), which means to “turn; return, go back…revert; turn back.”[4] The word is used of an Israelite who restores a lost oxen or sheep to a fellow countryman (Deut 22:1-2), or returns a cloak to a poor man (Deut 24:12-13). The word is also used of God's people responding positively to His discipline and returning to Him in obedience (Deut 30:2-3, 9-10). Sometimes shub and nacham are used together, such as when God told Jeremiah, “if that nation against which I have spoken turns [shub] from its evil, I will relent [nacham] concerning the calamity I planned to bring on it” (Jer 18:8). Jonah recorded something similar concerning the Ninevites, saying, “When God saw their deeds, that they turned [shub] from their wicked way, then God relented [nacham] concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it” (Jonah 3:10). In these passages, repentance is national and refers to a collective change of mind by the leadership and citizenry that leads to a cooperative change in behavior, a turning from evil that spares them God's wrath. The salvation given to the Ninevites (i.e., Assyrians) was national and temporary. The Assyrians eventually returned to their evil practices and destroyed Israel nearly 37 years later in 722 B.C. This shows that the repentance of one generation is merely the repentance of one generation, and that believing and humble parents does not guarantee believing and humble children. Eventually, God would destroy the Assyrians in 612 B.C. Repentance for the Unsaved      For the unsaved who are destined for the lake of fire, repentance is necessary concerning salvation if one understands it to mean having a change of mind that salvation is obtained solely in Christ. Unbelievers cannot stop sinning, which means they cannot save themselves, and their good works have no saving merit (Isa 64:6; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). The lost need to understand that salvation is 100% in Christ alone. Peter said, “there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). And when the Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30), the simple reply was given, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31). The gospel is simple. It means believing in the One who died for our sins, was buried, and raised again on the third day, as Scripture teaches (1 Cor 15:3-4). And salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (John 3:16), and not by any human effort (Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5), for “the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness” (Rom 4:5). For Christians, turning from a life of sin and producing good works should follow salvation (Eph 2:10; Gal 6:10), but they are never a condition of it. Arnold Fruchtenbaum states, “When the term ‘repentance' is used as a synonym for faith…it is a condition for salvation. For example, one has to change one's mind about who the Messiah is in order to be saved. So if repentance is meant as a synonym for belief, then yes, repentance is necessary for salvation.”[5] Robert B. Thieme Jr., states, “Salvation repentance occurs when the unbeliever hears the Gospel, understands it, and makes a decision to accept Christ's saving work (Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 17:30; 2 Pet 3:9). Believing in the Gospel message and repenting inherently operate together (Acts 20:21; Mark 1:14–15).”[6] According to Charles Ryrie: "Is repentance a condition for receiving eternal life? Yes, if it is repentance or changing one's mind about Jesus Christ. No, if it means to be sorry for sin or even to resolve to turn from sin, for these things will not save. Is repentance of sin a precondition to faith? No, though a sense of sin and the desire to turn from it may be used by the Spirit to direct someone to the Savior and His salvation. Repentance may prepare the way for faith, but it is faith that saves, not repentance (unless repentance is understood as a synonym for faith or changing one's mind about Christ)."[7]      When people hear God's Word accurately taught, it challenges them to change their mind about God and themselves. Paul, when speaking to the elders of the church at Ephesus spoke of “testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). Concerning this verse, J. Dwight Pentecost notes, “A change of attitude toward the revealed truth of God that produced a faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ was the substance of Paul's teaching there before the Ephesian elders.”[8] Should Fruit Follow in a New Believer?      Should we expect to see a change in one's values and behavior after being born again? Yes. We should expect to see a change in behavior. John the Baptist told his hearers, “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt 3:8). And Paul's message to the Gentiles was “that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20). Ryrie notes, “Certainly when one changes his mind about Christ and receives Him as Savior, changes will follow in his life. All believers will bear fruit, so changes will follow.”[9] Zane Hodges states: "Of course, there is every reason to believe that there will be good works in the life of each believer in Christ. The idea that one may believe in Him and live for years totally unaffected by the amazing miracle of regeneration, or by the instruction and/or discipline of God his heavenly Father, is a fantastic notion—even bizarre. I reject it categorically."[10]      Such fruit in the life of believers assumes positive volition and takes time. Sometimes the fruit of the new life is invisible to others, as God works in the hearts of His children to lead them into right thinking and values that conform to His character and directives. Sometimes fruit is invisible, being merely a mental activity (Rom 12:1-2), in which believers know certain things to be true based on God's revelation, such as God being the One who created the universe (Gen 1:1), or claiming promises that stabilize the soul in the midst of adversity (Isa 26:3; Phil 4:6-9). Other times fruit is visible, such as when believers act in conformity with God's directives, speaking the truth in love (Eph 4:15), learning God's Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), and advancing to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). When believers operate in carnality, this will produce sin and make them indistinguishable from unbelievers (Col 3:1-3), as they produce the fruit of the flesh (Gal 5:16-21). If such believers fail to confess their sin (1 John 1:9) and resume their walk with the Lord (Gal 5:16), they will fall into divine discipline (Heb 12:6), suffer loss of reward (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8), and may even die the sin unto death (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16). Repentance for God's Children      God commands His people to walk in His righteous ways, obeying Him and doing His will. A command implies intelligence to understand and volition to obey. It also implies that one has the capacity to refuse the command and turn away from God's will. It is possible for a righteous person to turn to a life of iniquity. Ezekiel warned about this on several occasions, saying, “When the righteous turns [shub] from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it” (Ezek 33:18; cf., Ezek 3:20, 18:24, 26). The Hebrew verb shub (שׁוּב), translated turn, here refers to the believer who “turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity” (Ezek 33:18a). That is, the believer changes his mind about living righteously and decides to pursue sin. The prophet warns that the righteous who turn to a lifestyle of iniquity will face God's punishment, perhaps even to the point of death, saying, “he shall die in it” (Ezek 33:18b).      Repentance is also used of Christians who are operating in a state of carnality and walking according to Satan's world system. For example, the Christians living in Ephesus were commanded by the Lord Jesus, “remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first” (Rev 2:5). Failure for Christians to repent of their carnality means they are subject to divine discipline. The Lord Jesus told Christians in Laodicea, “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent” (Rev 3:19). In these cases, repentance means prioritizing God and His Word and submitting to His authority and pursuing a life of righteousness as God expects. The believer who does this will be devoted to learning Scripture (2 Tim 2:15; 1 Pet 2:2), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking in the Spirit (Gal 5:16), and will manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-23), secure rewards for eternity (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8), be a blessing to others (Matt 5:16; Gal 6:10), and glorify the Lord (1 Cor 10:31; 2 Cor 9:13). This is how believers should live. Does Sorrow Accompany Repentance?      Is there sorrow that leads to repentance? Yes, there can be true sorrow that leads to repentance. In his second letter to the Corinthians, Paul said, “the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death” (2 Cor 7:10). Though sorrow may lead to repentance, it does not always do so, as “the sorrow of the world produces death” and not salvation (2 Cor 7:10b). That is, one may be sorrowful, and yet never turn to Christ. Judas, when he betrayed Christ, “felt remorse” for his actions (Matt 27:3), and then “went away and hanged himself” (Matt 27:5). Fruchtenbaum notes, “Sorrow may accompany repentance, but the word itself does not mean ‘sorrow.' It simply means ‘to change one's mind' (Acts 8:22; 11:18; 20:21; 26:20; Heb 6:1, 6; 12:17; Rev 9:20).”[11] He further states, “If repentance is used merely as a synonym for believing in the Messiah—the way the Bible uses it—only in that sense is it truly a condition for salvation. But if—as some groups use it—repentance means ‘to feel sorry for one's sins,' then it indeed becomes a false addition to salvation.”[12] Concerning 2 Corinthians 7:10, Lewis Chafer states: "The common practice of reading into this word the thought of sorrow and heart-anguish is responsible for much confusion in the field of Soteriology. There is no reason why sorrow should not accompany repentance or lead on to repentance, but the sorrow, whatever it may be, is not repentance. In 2 Corinthians 7:10, it is said that “godly sorrow worketh repentance,” that is, it leads on to repentance; but the sorrow is not to be mistaken for the change of mind which it may serve to produce."[13] Dwight Pentecost adds: "You will observe from that verse that sorrow and repentance are not the same at all. Sorrow does its work, and when sorrow has done its work the product of sorrow is repentance and the product of the change of mind is salvation. The Apostle, then, has set up a progression: sorrow, repentance, and salvation. But the sorrow is not repentance, and the repentance is not salvation…Such a sorrow is not repentance, and we will miss the important teaching of the Word of God unless we are clear on the Scriptural concept that, in the Word of God, repentance is a change of mind."[14]      Repentance (a change of mind) and faith are like two sides of the same coin where one assumes the other. Lewis Chafer states, “It is asserted that repentance, which is a change of mind, enters of necessity into the very act of believing on Christ, since one cannot turn to Christ from other objects of confidence without that change of mind.”[15]Charles Ryrie adds: "What kind of repentance saves? Not a sorrow for sins or even a sorrow that results in a cleaning up of one's life. People who reform have repented; that is, they have changed their minds about their past lives, but that kind of repentance, albeit genuine, does not of itself save them. The only kind of repentance that saves is a change of mind about Jesus Christ. People can weep; people can resolve to turn from their past sins; but those things in themselves cannot save. The only kind of repentance that saves anyone, anywhere, anytime is a change of mind about Jesus Christ."[16] Joseph Dillow notes: "Is repentance necessary for personal salvation? It depends upon what one means by “repentance.” If it means turn from sin and submit to the Lordship of Christ, it is not necessary. But…if repentance means to admit that one is guilty and needs a Savior from sin, of course repentance is necessary. This is clearly taught in the Gospel of John (John 16:8-9) where we are told that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin. That means He brings them to a sense that they are wrong, they are guilty, and they need a Savior. That is repentance. No one comes to the Lamb of God who takes away sin (John 1:29), if he is not convinced that he is guilty and needs a Savior to take away his sin."[17]      In summary, the term “repent” is derived from the Hebrew word “nacham” and the Greek word “metanoeō,” both meaning “to change one's mind.” The term is employed both of people (Ex 13:17) and God (Ex 32:14; Jonah 3:10). Repentance, in the context of salvation, signifies a shift in mindset that recognizes Christ as the sole means of salvation. This understanding aligns with the gospel message of salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, and not by works (Rom 4:4-5; Gal 2:16; Eph 2:8-9). Repentance in salvation entails a recognition that God is holy, we are sinful, we cannot save ourselves, and we need a Savior. When one repents, they will believe the gospel message that Christ died for their sins, was buried, and resurrected on the third day (1 Cor 15:3-4), and will  trust in Christ alone as their Savior (Acts 4:12; 16:31). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, 688–689. [2] William D. Mounce, Mounce's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words, 993. [3] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 640. [4] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 55. [5] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, ed. Christiane Jurik, Second Edition. (San Antonio, TX: Ariel Ministries, 2016), 91. [6] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Repentance”, Thieme's Bible Doctrine Dictionary, 218. [7] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1997), 89–90. [8] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 64. [9] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation: What It Means to Believe in Jesus Christ, 89. [10] Zane C. Hodges, A Free Grace Primer: The Hungry Inherit, The Gospel Under Siege, Grace in Eclipse, ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2011), 274. [11] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Faith Alone: The Condition of Our Salvation: An Exposition of the Book of Galatians and Other Relevant Topics, 92. [12] Ibid., 92. [13] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, 372. [14] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, 63. [15] Ibid., 378. [16] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, So Great Salvation, 85. [17] Joseph C. Dillow, Final Destiny: The Future Reign of the Servant Kings.

In this episode, James continues his conversation with Dr. Bryan Babcock, who contributed an essay on lament in the 2023 book titled A Praying People. James and Bryan discuss the way lament can help build Christian community and the way lament transforms us personally.    Listen to Part 1 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LifeAudio.com!  Get A Praying People on amazon.com  Purchase Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology here.   Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

In this episode of Thinking Christian, James speaks with Dr. Bryan Babcock. Dr. Babcock contributed an essay on lament in the 2023 book titled A Praying People. He also co-authored Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology with Drs. James Spencer and Russel Meek in 2018. James and Bryan discuss Bryan's work with various relief efforts and how that has shaped his understanding of lament.  Listen to Part 2 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or LifeAudio.com!  Get A Praying People on amazon.com  Purchase Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology here. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

     The Bible reveals God is holy.[1] God declares of Himself, “I am holy” (Lev 11:44), and the psalmist says, “holy is the LORD our God” (Psa 99:9), and the Seraphim declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts” (Isa 6:3). In these verses, the word “holy” translates the Hebrew word qadōsh (קָדוֹשׁ), which means “to be holy, [or] separated.”[2] James Swanson says it refers “to being unique and pure in the sense of superior moral qualities and possessing certain essential divine qualities in contrast with what is human.”[3] God's holiness is closely linked with His righteousness, justice, and perfection. Holiness denotes moral purity.      Because God is absolutely holy (Psa 99:9; Isa 6:3; Rev 15:4), it is written, “no evil dwells with You” (Psa 5:4). By definition, evil is “any act or event that is contrary to the good and holy purposes of God…Moral evil refers to acts (sins) of creatures that are contrary to God's holy character and law.”[4] According to Merrill F. Unger, moral evil “is the failure of rational and free beings to conform in character and conduct to the will of God.”[5]George Howley states, “God is separate from all evil and is in no way responsible for it…[and] It can only be attributed to the abuse of free-will on the part of created beings, angelic and human.”[6] Evil originates in the heart (Gen 6:5; Zech 8:17), can result in evil actions (Neh 13:17; Prov 24:8; 1 Pet 3:12), lead to proneness of evil (Ex 32:22; Deut 9:24), and mark an entire generation of people (Deut 1:35; Matt 12:45).      Being holy means God cannot be affixed to anything morally imperfect. This means the Lord cannot condone sin in any way. Scripture reveals, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Hab 1:13), and “God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Everett Harrison states: "The basic idea conveyed by the holiness of God is His separateness, i.e., His uniqueness, His distinction as the Wholly Other, the One who cannot be confused with the gods devised by men (Ex 15:11), the One who stands apart from and above the creation. Secondarily the holiness of God denotes His moral perfection, His absolute freedom from blemish of any kind (Psa 89:35)."[7]      The third Person of the Trinity bears the specific title of the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), which emphasizes His righteousness and separateness from sin (Isa 63:10; Eph 4:30). Jesus, as the Son of God, embodies the holiness of God in human form. Scripture tells us that Jesus was “holy, innocent, pure, and set apart from sinners” (Heb 7:26). Jesus lived and interacted with sinners (i.e., eating with them, attending weddings, etc.), but He never had sinful thoughts, spoke sinful words, or acted in sinful ways. No matter what was happening around Him, Jesus never crossed the line into sin. Without abandoning righteousness, He loved and spoke truth, displayed compassion, helped the weak, and rebuked the arrogant. He was always holy in thought, word, and deed, and though near to others, He was still “set apart from sinners” (Heb 7:26).      In one sense, a person or group is holy—set apart to God—simply by being part of the covenant community. It was said of Israel, “all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is in their midst” (Num 16:3). According to Allen Ross, “They were holy, because the Lord who set them apart was holy.”[8] Merrill F. Unger notes, “God has dedicated Israel as His people. They are ‘holy' by their relationship to the ‘holy' God. All of the people are in a sense ‘holy,' as members of the covenant community, irrespective of their faith and obedience.”[9] Being set apart to God, the Lord expected His people to be set apart from the world and behave in conformity with His righteous character and directives. Unger states, “Based on the intimate nature of the relationship, God expected His people to live up to His ‘holy' expectations and, thus, to demonstrate that they were a ‘holy nation.'”[10] The Lord told His people, “you are to be holy to Me, for I the LORD am holy; and I have set you apart from the peoples to be Mine” (Lev 20:26). According to Allen Ross, “The means of developing holiness required faith and obedience on their part. But because it was a nation of very human and often stubborn individuals, progression toward holiness did not develop instantly or easily, and for some it did not develop at all.”[11]      This is also true of Christians who are called “saints”, not because we act saintly, but because of our relation to God as part of the church, the body of Christ. Paul wrote to the church at Corinth, “to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling” (1 Cor 1:2). The word “saints” here translates the Greek hagios (ἅγιος), which pertains “to being dedicated or consecrated to the service of God.”[12] In this passage, hagios is a synonym for a believer in Christ, not a description of their character. All Christians are saints (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:1-2; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:2). The Christians at Corinth were saints (positionally), even when they were behaving like mere men (1 Cor 3:1-3). Warren Wiersbe states: "The church is made up of saints, that is, people who have been “sanctified” or “set apart” by God. A saint is not a dead person who has been honored by men because of his or her holy life. No, Paul wrote to living saints, people who, through faith in Jesus Christ, had been set apart for God's special enjoyment and use. In other words, every true believer is a saint because every true believer has been set apart by God and for God."[13]      Christians living in the dispensation of the church age are called to holy living. Peter wrote, “like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, ‘you shall be holy, for I am holy'” (1 Pet 1:15-16). God, who is our Father, is holy, and He calls for His children to live holy lives. For Christians, living holy to the Lord is accomplished by advancing to spiritual maturity and living as obedient-to-the-Word believers (Heb 6:1). It means learning God's Word (Psa 1:2-3; Ezra 7:10; 2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2), living in submission to Him (Rom 12:1-2; Jam 4:7), walking by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18), walking by means of the Spirit (Gal 5:16), accepting trials that help us grow (Jam 1:2-4), being devoted to prayer (Col 4:2; 1 Th 5:17; Eph 6:18), worship (Heb 13:15), being thankful (1 Th 5:18), fellowshipping with other believers (Heb 10:24-25), serving others (Gal 5:13; 6:10; 1 Pet 4:10; Phil 2:3-4), and taking advantage of the time we have (Eph 5:15-16). On the negative side, it means not loving the world (Jam 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16), nor quenching the Spirit (1 Th 5:19), nor grieving the Spirit (Eph 4:30). If we turn to sin—and that's always a possibility—it means we are not living holy lives as God expects. When Christians sin, it does not result in loss of salvation, but loss of fellowship with God. It also means that if we continue to live sinfully, that God may discipline us (Heb 12:5-11), and deny us eternal rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Humble believers acknowledge their sin, and God restores them to fellowship when they confess it to Him, seeking His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). Dr. Steven R. Cook   [1] The apostle Paul referred to the Bible as “the holy Scriptures” (Rom 1:2), and “the sacred writings” (2 Tim 3:15). The terms “holy” and “sacred” mean the Bible is a special book in that it conveys divine revelation from God to mankind (2 Tim 3:16-17). Though written by human authors under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (2 Pet 1:20-21), the end product is “the word of God, which performs its work in you who believe” (1 Th 2:13). [2] Willem VanGemeren, ed., New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1997), 868. [3] James Swanson, “קָדוֹשׁ”, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997). [4] Stanley Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999), 48. [5] Merrill Frederick Unger, R. K. Harrison, Howard Frederic Vos, et al., The New Unger's Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988). [6] George Howley, “Evil,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 349. [7] Everett. F. Harrison, “Holiness; Holy,” ed. Geoffrey W Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 725. [8] Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2002), 378. [9] W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr., Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words (Nashville, TN: T. Nelson, 1996), 113. [10] Ibid., 113. [11] Allen P. Ross, Holiness to the Lord: A Guide to the Exposition of the Book of Leviticus, 48. [12] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 10. [13] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, 568.

It has been the contention of Dr. John Walton that the authority of Scripture is located in the intention of the human authors as represented in what they wrote. In this conversation he explains what he means, in part by contrasting it with some other possible models. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. One of his most recent publications is Wisdom for Faithful Reading: Principles and Practices for Old Testament Interpretation. An earlier but related work is Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief. Check out related programs at Wheaton College:  B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/48rJ38H M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/3vpeW3b

Russell Meek is an Old Testament Scholar and author of Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside-Down World. He and Dr. James Spencer discuss the book of Ecclesiastes, how it relates to the broader patterns of the Old Testament and why Ecclesiastes is a hopeful book that every Christian should be reading. It is a great discussion of one of the more difficult books in the bible.  Purchase Ecclesiastes and the Search for Meaning in an Upside-Down World at amazon.com. Check out Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology co-authored by James Spencer, Russ Meek, and Bryan C. Babcock at amazon.com. You can find more from Russ Meek at www.russmeek.com.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Tabernacle Narrative comprises passages in Exodus and Leviticus that detail the construction, furnishing, and liturgical use of the tabernacle. Given its genre and style, the narrative is often passed over by those reading Scripture for theological insight. What does Israel's tabernacle mean for Christians today? Join us as Gary Anderson shows how these passages shed light on incarnation and atonement both in ancient Israel's theology and in Christian theology. Anderson is the author of That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative (Eerdmans, 2023) Gary A. Anderson is Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame. His previous books include Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition; Sin: A History; and Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament: Theology in the Service of Biblical Exegesis. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus(IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

The Tabernacle Narrative comprises passages in Exodus and Leviticus that detail the construction, furnishing, and liturgical use of the tabernacle. Given its genre and style, the narrative is often passed over by those reading Scripture for theological insight. What does Israel's tabernacle mean for Christians today? Join us as Gary Anderson shows how these passages shed light on incarnation and atonement both in ancient Israel's theology and in Christian theology. Anderson is the author of That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative (Eerdmans, 2023) Gary A. Anderson is Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame. His previous books include Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition; Sin: A History; and Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament: Theology in the Service of Biblical Exegesis. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus(IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

The Tabernacle Narrative comprises passages in Exodus and Leviticus that detail the construction, furnishing, and liturgical use of the tabernacle. Given its genre and style, the narrative is often passed over by those reading Scripture for theological insight. What does Israel's tabernacle mean for Christians today? Join us as Gary Anderson shows how these passages shed light on incarnation and atonement both in ancient Israel's theology and in Christian theology. Anderson is the author of That I May Dwell Among Them: Incarnation and Atonement in the Tabernacle Narrative (Eerdmans, 2023) Gary A. Anderson is Hesburgh Professor of Catholic Thought at the University of Notre Dame. His previous books include Charity: The Place of the Poor in the Biblical Tradition; Sin: A History; and Christian Doctrine and the Old Testament: Theology in the Service of Biblical Exegesis. Michael Morales is Professor of Biblical Studies at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary, and the author of The Tabernacle Pre-Figured: Cosmic Mountain Ideology in Genesis and Exodus(Peeters, 2012), Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the Lord?: A Biblical Theology of Leviticus(IVP Academic, 2015), and Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (IVP Academic, 2020). He can be reached at mmorales@gpts.edu. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

As we go about our missionary encounter with Western culture, we need instruction from the Scriptures. And we need to see the Scriptures from the vantage point of the audience it was written to. There have been more tears cried on the pages of the Psalms than any other book, because it is a book that instructs us about who God is, who we are, and what to do in times of crisis. In the Psalms, we are taught how to look forward to the Messiah's kingdom, how to lament, celebrate, praise, trust, and recognize God's coming King. It is one of the most mysterious books and the most encouraging books, and it can be an interpretive minefield, which is why it helps to have such a renowned Old Testament scholar like Bruce Waltke step in as our guide. Travis and Bruce discuss his most recent book which he co-authored with Fred G. Zaspel, How To Read and Understand the Psalms (Crossway, 2023). Dr. Waltke is one of the preeminent Old Testament scholars, an "ent" of Old Testament studies. He holds a doctorate in Greek and New Testament from Dallas Theological Seminary and a doctorate in Ancient Near Eastern Languages and Literature from Harvard. His teaching career, spanning Dallas Theological Seminary, Regent College, Reformed Theological Seminary, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Knox Theological Seminary won him a reputation of being a master teacher with a pastoral heart. Dr. Waltke also pastored several churches, lectured at many evangelical seminaries in North America and has spoken at numerous Bible conferences.He is a member of the Committee of Bible Translation of the New International Version and helped translate the New American Standard Version. He served as editor for the Theological Word Book of the Old Testament, The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, The New Geneva Study Bible, and Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible.Dr. Waltke has traveled widely as a Bible expositor, as an Area Supervisor for excavations at Gezer, Israel, and as Director of field study trips to the Middle East and the Classical World. He is married and has three grown children.Dr. Waltke has published widely in various scholarly journals and contributed to many scholarly reference volumes.Sign up for the Apollos Watered newsletter.Help support the ministry of Apollos Watered and transform your world today!

In the Bible, cities have a bad reputation as centers of immorality and unrighteous living. First-century followers of Jesus continued to live in cities, but they lived by an other-worldly ethic set by Jesus. Their way of living was so different that Jesus' followers began to talk about their citizenship being primarily in a coming heavenly city, rather than the physical city in which they lived. In this episode, join Jon and Tim as they wrap up our theme study of the city.  View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-21:17)Part two (21:17-27:20)Part three (27:20-47:11)Part four (47:11-1:05:17)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim's library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Lost Love” by Toonorth“Acquired In Heaven” by Beautiful EulogyShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Cities appear to be inherently bad in the story of the Bible. So when Jesus calls his followers a city on a hill, what does he mean? And why is the vision of the new creation a city instead of a garden? In this episode, Tim and Jon review some of the major motifs in the theme of the city so far and explore the concept of a city of God.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-22:02)Part three (22:02-33:57)Part three (33:57-44:17)Part four (44:17-54:52)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim's library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Goofy Nights in Tokyo” by Sam Stewart“Vivid” by Chromonicci“Can I Get a Cab?” by Tyler Bailey & Matthew Halbert-HowenShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Transcript edited by Grace Vang. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Matt Wireman00:00:23 - 00:01:00Welcome to another episode of Off the Wire. This is Matt Wireman and I am so thankful to have with me Dr. Brian Arnold, who is currently serving as the president of Phoenix Seminary. And that is really fun to say. I met Brian while he and I were students at Southern Seminary together. And I believe we had an early church history class on Augustine together, if I'm not mistaken. And I had no idea that guys that I was going to school with were going to be president. So here you go. So I'm really thankful to have you, Brian, on this podcast. And I just wanted to thank you for your time.Brian Arnold00:01:01 - 00:01:03Well, it's great to be with you, Matt. Thanks for asking me on.Matt Wireman00:01:03 - 00:01:24Yeah, so you, we were chatting before we hit the record button and you've been at Phoenix Seminary for five years you say and then just recently have taken the post as present. Can you kind of walk us through what that transition has been like and what you find yourself busying yourself with as opposed to what you found yourself busying yourself with?Brian Arnold00:01:25 - 00:02:55Absolutely. So in 2014, actually, I got a call from a friend of mine, Dr. John Meade, who was also at Southern with us. He was doing his PhD in Old Testament and said, hey, are you looking for a job in academia? And I was pastoring at the time, and I'd love to tell more and more about that if you'd like. And he said, there's a position open to Phoenix. So I applied for it and got the position. We moved across the country in May of 2015, which is not the time to come to Phoenix to get the brunt of the brutal summers. See if you're really committed. That's why you went to Phoenix. Absolutely. And taught in church history and systematic theology for those first couple of years. What I recognized pretty quickly about myself is as much as I love scholarship and I enjoy writing and lecturing, I also noticed, one I've noticed this my entire adult life, even before, is a mentorship and a desire to help make things better. So some of my colleagues are exceptionally gifted scholars, but I always found myself drifting into more meetings and thinking through curricular issues and just noticing, especially at Phoenix Seminary, how much potential I saw here and wanted to maximize that as much as possible. And part of it was I never thought I'd actually get a job even teaching at a seminary. And I wanted to make sure the Phoenix Seminary had every chance it had in this kind of environment to be successful in the long haul. So that's what kind of led me to administration.Matt Wireman00:02:55 - 00:03:10Yeah, so your goal was not to be in higher education. It sounds like you were a pastor when you got that phone call from John. So like, what were you thinking? For one, why did you get the PhD if you knew you were going to be a pastor?Brian Arnold00:03:11 - 00:03:28So I almost had to go all the way back to college when I first got a taste for theology,late high school, early into college and started devouring just different books as I found them. I remember even I was a paramedic major in college and so I was in fire and EMS and.Matt Wireman00:03:28 - 00:03:30Eastern Kentucky, right? Is that where you were at?Brian Arnold00:03:30 - 00:05:43I like to say Harvard of the South, nobody else does. But I had a 500-hour internship program that I had to do over the course of a summer in the back of an ambulance and I was doing for a long time, 24 hours on, 24 hours off. And I wanted something substantive to read and my director for Campus Crusade said, why don't you read this book? It's a big fat systematic theology by a guy named Wayne Grudem. And so I went to Barnes and Noble, bought it. And I remember walking in the parking lot looking and seeing like, wow, Harvard and Westminster and Cambridge. And he teaches at this place called Phoenix Seminary and I've never heard of that before. But I read that that summer and fell in love with even academic theology as well as a couple of my roommates in college. And everyone I knew had gone to Southern Seminary. So that was a no-brainer. I was an hour and a half down the road and went to Southern. And really from my first day there, I remember a guy named Scott Davis was in admissionsat the time. And I said, you know, I'm going to go through the MDiv and get my PhD and I would love to teach someday. And he was like, easy there. He hears that from a lot of people. And he said, you haven't even started the MDiv yet. You don't know how hard that is. And also over that same kind of weekend, the New Student Orientation kind of things, Russ Moore, I was sitting next to him for lunch. And he said, you know, one of the founders of Southern Seminary said, if your greatest desire is not to go into the pastorate, then you probably shouldn't be teaching at a seminary. And I thought, you know, I do have a passion for the local church and I would love to pastor. So I kept those two ideas in my mind of what I kind of wanted to do. And then I was realistic. I knew how many guys go and get a PhD and never get a job in higher education. So I thought the chances of me actually teaching at a seminary are very slim, but I love the study of theology. And I knew that even doing that level of work would improve my communication skills, my ability to read better and to write clearly. And so I was really passionate about getting the PhD and either adjuncting somewhere while I was pastoring or writing or any kind of combination of those things. And there was a school near me where I was pastoring in western Kentucky that actually went out of business the day after I went there to talk to them about teaching, potentially.Matt Wireman00:05:43 - 00:05:46Where were you pastoring at in western Kentucky?Brian Arnold00:05:46 - 00:05:50So it was a little town called Smithland, Kentucky, just outside of Paducah.Matt Wireman00:05:50 - 00:05:51Okay, awesome.Brian Arnold00:05:51 - 00:05:54The school that was down there was called Mid-Continent University.Matt Wireman00:05:54 - 00:05:56Okay, okay. Very familiar with it. Yeah.Brian Arnold00:05:56 - 00:06:24They went out and I had been looking for higher ed jobs the whole time. And I told my wife, if I don't hear anything at this ETS, it was going to be ETS in 2014, I'm not going to pursue higher ed anymore. Well, that's when John Mead reached out and said, hey, are you interested? So I always wanted to go into higher ed. I just, in some ways it was hedging saying, I know that it's unrealistic that I'll actually get a position in higher ed.Matt Wireman00:06:24 - 00:06:27Just because it's such a saturation of PhDs, is that why?Brian Arnold00:06:27 - 00:06:52huge saturation of PhDs, less people are going to seminaries, there's a scaling down.There was just all the confluence of issues that make it that much harder to get into the market. I felt like we're happening. So, I'm a pastor, the Lord is really blessing our work there and it was exciting and I could have done that for an entire career and been really satisfied doing it.Matt Wireman00:06:52 - 00:07:12Mm-hmm. So what was it about Phoenix that you would make a move? I mean, because that's not just, you know, right down the street kind of seminary that like you alluded to.I mean, that's a substantial climate change, but also a substantial cultural change. And so what was it about Phoenix particularly that drew you to even apply?Brian Arnold00:07:13 - 00:07:45Yeah, if I'm just being frank, it was a job. I kept telling my wife, you know, we could be,and I always pick cold places, and we almost went to a school in Montreal, actually.That's a bit of another story, but I was like, it could be Alaska, it could be Maine, it could be Canada, and I never even thought about warmer places, and it ended up being Phoenix, and so it was an opportunity to get my foot in the door and begin teaching. So I knew to find a job in higher education, in seminary education specifically, I was gonna have to be open to moving anywhere.Matt Wireman00:07:45 - 00:07:55Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So you were teaching systematic theology and church history.Well, your major was systematic theology, was it, or was it church history?Brian Arnold00:07:55 - 00:08:00I'm Church History, so I study under Michael Haken and particularly Church Fathers.Matt Wireman00:08:00 - 00:08:23Okay, and then you moved to Phoenix in 2014, became the president. Can you walk us through that process? Like, I mean, that's a big jump. So you found yourself more in administrative type meetings. But what was it, I mean, to go from that to, you know, to go from just being in meetings to being a president is a pretty significant change. So walk us through.Brian Arnold00:08:23 - 00:08:45When I was dean for about two months. Does that count? Say what? That I was dean for about two months before I became president. So yeah, it's a bit of a convoluted story. Our president, who'd been here for 23 years, had even been one of the founders of it back in 1988.Matt Wireman00:08:45 - 00:08:47Dr. Del Husey, is that right? That's right.Brian Arnold00:08:46 - 00:12:05That's right. You have Dr. Darolda who say he had been pastor of Scottsdale Bible Church, which is probably one of the first big mega church churches in America. And so his background was more in church ministry, but he recognized even back in 1988, Phoenix is growing. Most people would be surprised, but it's the fifth largest city in the United States. And so here you have a city that's booming and there's no place to get a seminary education. So all of our best and brightest, most talented pastor candidates are leaving to go to seminary and they don't come back. So we need something here. And we were actually a branch campus of Western Seminary in our founding and they were independent from them around 1994 or so. So I was following a pretty long presidency of Dr. Del Jose, which is already a challenge in and of itself for somebody who's that deeply ingrained here. Now he serves as the chancellor and we've got a great relationship, really thankful for him. But he even recognized that they needed somebody who had more of an academic background to take it to the next level. And hesaid, I'm just waiting for somebody to come in and say they want my job. This is my first six months at Phoenix Seminary. And I walked down to his office, I said, I love your job. And I was just kidding. And I said, I'm kidding about that. I just, I know myself, I see myself more gifted and bent towards administration and leadership. So I would love to be mentored by you and really get to understand what higher education looks like from a leadership position. And so early on in my tenure here, I was really getting involved in the leadership aspects. I helped lead us through a major curriculum change. We had a bunch of two hour classes, we moved to three hour class system. So that gave me a lot of understanding in our workings. And through all that, I was coming up under Bing Hunter, our previous provost and dean, and was kind of gearing up for that position. Well, at the same time, the presidency was coming open. And I wanted to throw my hat in the ring because I see so much potential here. I'm very thankful for where Dr. Del Jose brought us. But I also recognize we really can get to the next level here and establish ourselves as one of the major theological institutions in the West, especially the Southwest. And when you think about where Phoenix is located, we're pretty good distance away from a lot of other seminaries. We're back east, they kind of seem to pile up on top of each other. So there's a lot of even geographically speaking, room here to grow. And to really, I tell all of our team all the time, I'm asking people just to grab some basket and pick the low hanging fruit. I mean, we're here with Arizona State University, which is the largest undergrad, GCU, which is now the largest Christian undergrad,we've got a great relationship with Arizona Christian University. So I saw all these things, I kept thinking, how can we grow this potential? And as the inside guy, I knew where our challenges were, I knew where our threats and our opportunities were. And so I just wanted to make a case to the board and say, as the inside guy, I know how to tweak some dials right now, they can get us moving in the right direction. And I think it was a long shot. I was a long shot, I think, from the very beginning of the whole process. And from what I understand, just kept kind of making it through to the next level to the next level to the next level until especially I got to be able to presentMatt Wireman00:12:05 - 00:12:08Survive in advance, right?Brian Arnold00:12:08 - 00:13:53It really is exactly what it felt like. But we used Carter Baldwin, which is an executive search firm. When the rep, you get to the round of eight or nine or so, he flies around the country to meet with you wherever you're at. So we flew back out to Phoenix and we sat down to meet for our interview. His very first question, at the time I was 35, he said, you're 35, you don't have much higher education experience. Why now? You're coming into Dean's role. Why not just learn that and climb the ranks that way? I said to him, honestly, for me, it's an issue of gifting. The gifting and skill set, you need to be a really accomplished dean. A lot of times, it's a very different skill set to be a successful president. Deans are a lot of times, they're the ones that are keeping the trains moving and they're really keeping you within the lanes of accreditation and assessment and all those different pieces with the DOE and ATS and ensuring that the institution is healthy from that vantage point. I see myself more as the big picture visionary. I want to be out there preaching. I want to be casting vision. I want to be meeting with donors. Because for me, donor relationships are not only a great opportunity for pastoral ministry, but it's also a chance to just explain what my heart is and vision is for the seminary, and see if they want to partner with us. When I just look at skill set wise, I saw myself having a better skill set for the presidency. I said, that may come across arrogant, I don't mean it to. It really is just about finding the right seat on the bus for each person. I think I could sit in the presidency and do okay. Here we are.Matt Wireman00:13:53 - 00:14:46So here we are. Yeah, well, I know it's very exciting, very exciting. I'm really thankful that you're in that presidency. Because one of the things that I love about your story is that you said you could be totally content serving at a local church. You know, and a lot of times, even within higher education, Christian higher education, even, that there can be this sense of climbing the corporate ladder, you know, paying your dues and then being entitled to being a successor and all these things. But I love that you framed it and saying, I would have been content and happy and would have lived a fruitful life being a pastor in a town that people hadn't heard of, because that's valuable. Because one of the things that's unique about Phoenix Seminary, what's the tagline or the mission statement for Phoenix? This is a quiz. This is a quiz.Brian Arnold00:14:45 - 00:14:48No problem. Scholarship at the Shepherd's Heart.Matt Wireman00:14:48 - 00:15:36Yeah, so I would love for you to reflect on, not only as the president, but as a formerpastor, as someone who has a pastor's heart, a shepherd's heart, what is that relationship that you view, and you could view it in both sides, because you've had both hats on, of what that relationship is between a seminary and the church. So much of the theological fighting that took place in many of the seminaries took place because there was a divorcing of, or a assuming of, roles as opposed to a tight relationship between the seminary and the church. So I'd love for you to just reflect on why the seminary is valuable to the local church, and why then the local church is valuable to a seminary.Brian Arnold00:15:36 - 00:18:31Absolutely. I think we have to begin with what is God's plan for humanity? And a big part of that is the church. Jesus died for his bride. It is the church. That's his plan for the world. That's his mission for the world. And so I think it's important for people in my position now to always remember that we are really the quartermasters. We're the ones behind, we're off the front lines. We're equipping, we're preparing, we're training, we're sending out. But really the battlefield's out there in the mission field of the church. And so I'm very happy to be recognizing my backseat role as a parachurch ministry, helping undergird God's plan for the world. And what helped me with that is that I've been in both worlds. So I realized very quickly in my pastorate that had I not had a seminary education, I would have been in a tough spot. So why is that? Like, yeah. Yeah. So we moved to Smithland in June of 2012. And we already had a vacation that was going to be planned. So we went on that and I'm on the beach on the East Coast. And I get this phone call from one of my deacons and he was a deacon and his dad was a deacon. And he said, Hey, I just want you to know, my father's kidneys are failing. And we don't know what that's going to mean for him. My wife was just diagnosed with breast cancer and my daughter's best friend just committed suicide. And I remember sitting there on the beach thinking, okay, that was the shortest ministry honeymoon in the history of humanity. I haven't even like really landed there yet. And this is already, I'm already recognizing how messy ministry is and you're really entering into broken lives of people. Well, I was going to be preaching through Philippians first off. And here I am at a local small Southern Baptist church in Western Kentucky preaching three times a week, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night. And I'd probably preached 10 times total before I took that position. So in my first month, I'm going to be preaching more than I've preached my entire life. And I'm going through Philippians, all of a sudden you get to Philippians two pretty quickly and you get this issue of kenosis. What does it mean that Jesus emptied himself? If I had a seminary training, the background, understanding my Christology, you can get to a text like that. It's going to take you forever to walk through the challenges that present you in that text. But I was so thankful because the seminary education put me that much further ahead, even to my own preparation and study that I was used to exegeting the text when I came totheological challenges. It wasn't the first time I'd seen them or thought through them before. So that actually freed me up to do more ministry in the church because I had a deeper understanding of the text already. Does that make sense? So, yeah.Matt Wireman00:18:29 - 00:19:32Yeah, yeah. I mean, yeah, you're not having to try to figure out like so many times I talk to guys who, you know, are in the middle of seminary training or haven't had seminary training and then they, yeah, great, great example, Philippians 2, and they're like, I didn'tknow this was an issue. And then they read one guy and they're like, I think I agree with that. And then they read another guy and they're like, I think I agree with that too. And they're like diametrically opposed to each other. And you're like, well, that will make a dramatic effect on how you for one read all of Philippians and then the entire New Testament and those kinds of things. So yeah, I hear you. And along with that, just a little side note, a lot of times people ask, well, how long does it take you to prepare a sermon? It's like, well, you know, each sermon has got, you know, 20 years of teaching behind it, you know, 20 years of education behind it. It's not something that I just kind of whip up over, you know, in a week. It's something that there is a lot of training that's going behind every single sermon. So it's kind of a misnomer to say, well, how long is your sermon prep? It's like, well, it's a couple decades. That's right.Brian Arnold00:19:31 - 00:20:06That's right. Exactly. David Allen Black says the pastor should be like an iceberg. People see the top 10% above the water, but they know that there's 90% below it as well. But I don't know that we've really helped people in the church see just how important that is or they're not connecting those dots. You know, this is not a knock on where I was coming from and I pastor it. But a lot of the pastors in Western Kentucky did not have a theological education. And I knew some of them who'd show up to church on Sunday morning, do like a flip open method of sermon prep, wherever they open the Bible. It's like, Hey, that's.Matt Wireman00:20:05 - 00:20:12like, Hey, that's, you're not, you're not exaggerating. Right? I mean, this is like, cause people joke about that, but there were people actually doing it.Brian Arnold00:20:12 - 00:20:54who did that down the road from where I was a pastor. And just to show you this, this is not to pat myself on the back, it's to pat seminary education on the back. That's right, that's right, that's right. Is I had a guy who my very first Sunday was my sermon I was preaching to get hired at the church. He's about 75, he graduated by the army. And this guy could have taken me. He's a strong, tough guy. And he pulls me to the side and he goes, we don't need a preacher. Those are a dime a dozen. We need a pastor. Do you understand what I'm telling you? And I was like, yes, sir, I know exactly what you mean. And he wanted to know that as I was coming into my late 20s, that I was going to love people, be there with them, to walk through suffering. Absolutely. I mean, that's my heart. I want to do that.Matt Wireman00:20:22 - 00:20:23That's right, that's right, that's right.Brian Arnold00:20:54 - 00:22:52Same guy, we have a great relationship, but he's not much of a talker over the next three years while I'm pastoring. My very last Sunday, he grabs me again and pulls me to the side. I doubt he even remembered that initial conversation. And he said to me, I've been in the church for 50 years, and I've never learned as much or gone deeper in my walk with Christ or understood the Bible as much as I have these last three years. I only tell that story to say, and I'll tell this to my students, is don't underestimate the power of opening God's Word and preaching through it in an expository way. God will change lives doing that. But it was my seminary education that helped me do that. And even if my church couldn't articulate it, it's like, why is our church... We were growing in a really healthy way. Other churches, you could tell people were like, okay, these people at Smith and First are really getting fed. And I wasn't sitting there drawing the lines all the time for them. But when I left, I tried to help encourage the deacon saying, think about what you said about the preaching ministry here is because I was seminary trained. So go back to that pond and fish again. Because I knew quite literally, there's a couple thousand people just down the road who love the Lord, are committed to the gospel, and have the right type of training to do it. So now on my side of things, that makes me even more passionate, having been a pastor for a couple years, knowing what I needed in the pastorate. And now I can help deliver and train that for other people who are now... You're starting to see students come back and say, oh my goodness, you're right.This is having a significant impact on my ministry. I see guys here, Matt, who have been in ministry for 20 years who are now coming back and getting seminary education, who are lamenting that. And they're saying, I put the cart before the horse. I really wish I had known 20 years ago what I know now. My ministry would have been different.Matt Wireman00:22:52 - 00:24:16Yeah. Well, I'd like to revisit this relationship between the church and the seminary and just your diagnosis of why there is, in some ways, you know, a dumbing down of the pastorate in some ways of where people are like, we don't need all that education. It's like, well, I don't know why the person has to have a Southern accent. You know, Southerners, we get beat up on sometimes. But, you know, you want to say you can preach, period. Like there's a beauty in saying, you know, if God has called you to preach, preach. And yet at the same time, we want to bridle that horse up and be able to say there's a lot of good here. But I just have found like a lot of times people are very quick, and I'm sure medical doctors get this too and lawyers get this too, where people are like, I know you studied for like 20 years, but I read this. I've got a webMD. Yeah, exactly. And a lot of times that happens at the church too, but in some ways, we havebeen the cause of that problem by saying education is not important. So I'd love for you to just kind of tease out a little bit more like how you see the seminary serving the local church.Brian Arnold00:24:16 - 00:27:36Absolutely. And this argument is trotted out quite a bit, but I think it's important. Andyou kind of said it there, people expect their doctors and lawyers to have a certain levelof training because what they're doing is of great importance. How much more the careof souls, the shepherding of people's eternity, and for people to know and understand things. Yeah, there's been a historic challenge here, at least in the last couple of hundred years between the seminary and the church. And when you think back over time, a lot of the people who were most theologically trained were week in and week out pastors. If you think about the Reformation, you think about people like Martin Luther and John Calvin, these guys were pastors who were also leaders in theology. It's really not almost until the Enlightenment where you begin to see a wedge put between the seminary and the church as higher education because of its own kind of thing, where you might have seminary professors who have not been pastors before. And so I think that even then leads further to people seeing a greater divide between them. I think it's everybody kind of knowing those places. So as I mentioned before, recognizing, yes, the church is God's purpose for the world, but there's substantial training that a pastor must have in order to faithfully execute that office. It's a high office that God has called upon. When you think about somebody like Paul man, right, he's converted. He's already well-trained and yet he secludes himself kind of more training. Even think about the apostles before they're sent off in Matthew 28. Jesus is with them for three years. I mean, that's a pretty solid seminary education that they're receiving. And Christian history for the last 2,000 years has been deeply invested in education and recognizing that we are touching sacred things and people need to know those. And so if seminaries recognize their parachurch status more and the recognition that local churches simply cannot do what seminaries can do. I know very few churches, maybe if any, where you have somebody you could teach Greek, Hebrew, systematics, church history, evangelism and discipleship, world missions, all the different things that you kind of get from a seminary education, local church can do this. So the idea is, right, there's a hub of education that many churches can pour into and get trained from and then they get sent back out to their churches. Working together in tandem like that with the recognition that a seminary should be chosen by a student if that seminary is deeply invested in the work of the local church. I mean, if they're not and they're just actually a think tank or an ivory tower, then don't go there. But if a seminary is actually saying, look, our heartbeat is for the local church, that is what God has given us. All we want to do is give you those tools that you can't get from the local church and let us equip you in those ways and then we'll send you right back. Hopefully, we're on fire for God. Hopefully, deeper in their ability to handle the text, more aware of how to do actual practical ministry, all these different pieces so that they don't get this divided. I mean, the saddest stories are oh, Johnny was a great preacher before he went to seminary or, you know, Bill was so in love with the Lord and then he went to seminary.Matt Wireman00:27:36 - 00:27:44What happens to those guys? Why is that sometimes part of the narrative, you think?Brian Arnold00:27:45 - 00:28:43It's a great question. Partly, I often wonder if it's a straw man kind of argument. I mean, you and I were at Southern Together. When I think back, whenever I'd hear people talk bad about seminary, and I'm thinking, I'm with these guys who love the Lord and are bringing their education to the pew week in and week out. I never understood that. I never understood why people say those things. And chances are, a lot of times it was going to be a person who was going to be a bad fit for ministry anyway. Seminary can't, if I can say this, maybe you'll have to edit this part out later, I don't know. But seminary cannot take a weirdo and make them not a weirdo. Right? Seminary can't take somebody who has no actual gifting from the Lord in pastoral ministry and somehow do that. I mean, there's spiritual gifts involved in this as well. Sometimes I think seminaries unfairly bear the brunt of criticism that we're not responsible for.Matt Wireman00:28:43 - 00:29:53Yeah, and in some ways, like people, you know, one of the things at Southern, and I don't know if Phoenix does this or not, I'd like to know, but you know, you have to get a reference from your church that you're a member at. And I think, and I'm afraid that many churches are not doing the hard work of saying, hey, brother, you probably need to get some humility before you go to seminary because there'll be some classes and I know you were in these classes too, not you, you weren't doing this, but there were guys in classes, I was like, I would never be a congregant in that man's church because he is abrasive, he is proud and everyone sees it. And then the seminary is supposed to miraculously just say, hey, you shouldn't be a pastor. It's like, that's not the seminary's job. It's just really frustrating that, you know, the talking heads or the, you know, the heads on a stick as it were, that gets to be the misnomer for seminaries when in fact, it's taking, you know, what Paul said, a fan in the flame, the gift that was given to you and how you do that, well, you put more fodder on the fire and how you do that, you get more training, you get more education to be able to do that.Brian Arnold00:29:54 - 00:31:24Absolutely. Yeah, they should be people that the church is already saying, we see the call of God on your life. And, you know, one of the ways this does go sideways sometimes, Matt, and this is a sad situation is where people are deeply involved and invested in their local church. People do recognize the gift that God has given them. They want them to fan it into flame. They recognize their need for education. They go to seminary and they stop being that involved in their local church. That happens, I think that's a record for disaster, right? So, one of the things that I'm passionate about as a president here is even mentoring. So, one of the things that I did love about Phoenix Seminary as soon as I came here is that every student has a mentor. And I've not really seen that in other seminaries before. And that's one of the areas we're going to be investing in a lot more in the next year or two. But I think about even these books on pastoral calling. The one that always sticks out to me is Paul David Tripp's, Dangerous Calling. And on the original cover, there's five endorsements on the back. Three of them aren't in ministry anymore. On a book on how dangerous pastoral ministry is. So, why are we seeing all these ministries implode? And everybody looks to me as though we're the sole solution. Now, we're going to do everything we can to help bridge that, to remind people that as deep as they go, or maybe as high as they go in academic theology, they need to go deeper into the roots of their spirituality.Matt Wireman00:31:24 - 00:32:01Trust me, just seminaries are not giving people passes. They're not rubber stamping people. They're trying to do their due diligence, teaching students humility by giving them accommodating grades. So, this is actually average or below average, go do work.So, the seminaries are...the ones who are, like you said, embedded within and see theirmission as a parachurch ministry are hugely...are very successful in what they do, but people can't start imputing upon the seminary what they ought to be doing, which is not part of their charter, right? Absolutely.Brian Arnold00:32:01 - 00:33:08That's right. But this is a big fight out there right now and debate between some theologians of what's the seminary's role in these things. And I just see a vicious cycle of churches that are not doing a good job of discipleship because a lot of their pastors were never personally discipled. I was and it changed my life. A lot of people have never had that. And then they go to seminary and they don't really learn that because the seminary says, well, it's not my job. And then we wonder why the local church isn't doing it. And they're producing people who've never seen it. And we're in this pattern.And so I want to just say, what can we do at Phoenix Seminary to just help break someof this pattern to say, look at how powerful and impactful personal mentoring can be.Now, in your church, now that you have this theological education, you've been mentored, how do you start almost like a master's plan of evangelism? I'm going to disciple my elders and deacons. And now they're going to take two or three people and they're going to disciple them. Where would our churches be? That was true. And then even thinking, you know, some people want to use the seminary like it's a Sundayschool class or something, right? Like I want to know more about theology, so I'm going to go to the seminary.Matt Wireman00:32:02 - 00:32:03That's right. That's right. But this is a big.Brian Arnold00:33:09 - 00:33:34I'm fine to train those people. That's great. Come, we'll give you a great education. But what I'm hoping is I'm putting out pastors who can take that to their church and equip the saints for the work of the ministry. So we just have this, you know, I think you used this term earlier, this dumbing down all over the place of where pastors think that what people need is something other than doctrine and theology.Matt Wireman00:33:34 - 00:35:33And other than a good kick in the pants. Yeah, at times. In that, you know, no, you did not exegete this passage appropriately. No, that word does not mean that. And no, you cannot do that. You know, like being able to help push people to say, no, no, no, we are, like you said, I thought so well put that we are shepherding souls. And there is a lot at stake. Most of the people that I have heard of and have met that have been hurt by people are by those who have not gone through the rigors of some kind of training ground. Now, it doesn't necessarily have to be a seminary. It could be a church-based training ground, but some kind of training ground as opposed to like, hey, you know, this is, you know, Johnny Preacher that feels called. And I think in so many ways, people, there are many wounded Christians because they haven't, folks haven't done the hard work of being challenged and having to come up with a biblical explanation of why they believe exe regarding this practice that they believe. That's right. You know, and I do wonder too, if in some ways the seminary is inundated with Christians who love Jesus, but who are not called to ministry because the particularly evangelical church, since that's our context, has not done a good job of heralding vocation. And what I mean by that is, you know, being able to say, hey, what are you passionate about? Did you know that you can serve Jesus faithfully as an electrician, faithfully as a plumber, faithfully as a doctor and a lawyer? Because I remember when I was in college, if you were really sold out for Jesus, you went into full-time ministry. So, you know, I've interfaced with several folks who are like, I don't know if you're called to preaching. Well, I don't think you're called to preaching ministry, but I think you're called to ministry, but your bread and butter may be from somewhere else.Brian Arnold00:35:34 - 00:37:35Absolutely. Yeah. And there's been a lot of confusion. There's been some good work recently, I think, that's overcoming some of those kind of stereotypical type of pieces that we felt when we were coming up through the ranks. It was one of the issues, though, the Phoenix Seminary, I would say, if there was a little bit of mission drift, it was more towards training people who just felt the lack of solid theological teaching in their local churches. One of the things we have in Phoenix is you will have the hour-long worship service, and a lot of times, that's it. There's no Sunday night. Wednesday night, I might have kids and youth kind of ministry things, but nothing for the adults, and then small group ministry. And we've all been helped by small groups. I think those kinds of communities are really great for developing deep relationships with people. But what's missing in the churches now is that educational element where people just don't knowthe basics of the Christian faith anymore. So, even when a person says, I've been really involved in this church, I feel called to ministry, and then they come to seminary, they don't know anything because their churches have never really invested in that. It's one of the interesting trends I think we need to keep an eye on is how many churches are kind of returning to a Sunday school type of model, recognizing the vacuum that's been left when people don't know what the Trinity is and don't know who Jesus is and don't understand salvation. We go down the list, and we have a very illiterate church population today. And this is the wrong time to have that. With the challenges that are happening in society, we need people to know the faith better than ever because there's no cultural assumptions anymore. And in that kind of hostile environment,Christians are gonna have to either know the word deeply or they're gonna be swept away in the time. And that would be really concerned for the kids. And so, yeah, we all know these issues, right?Matt Wireman00:37:34 - 00:38:47Yeah, no, it bears explicating because I think a lot of people know that there's something in the water that's not tasting right, and to be able to call it and say, no, that's arsenic. Or, you know, that will kill you if you drink it because that's...I mean, evenpart of my own story when I was serving overseas, I could smell heresy when I was talking to different pastors at different churches, but I couldn't articulate, oh, that's a heresy because that is the kenotic theory. You know, I couldn't do that, whereas, you know, seminary helped to do that for me. You know, I'd love to, as a seminary president, you're sitting down with someone who loves Jesus and is in a vocation other than being a pastor or a missionary or going into seminary. And they're like, I just want to grow in my faith. My church doesn't have, you know, Sunday school. My church doesn't...like, what you just articulated. So how would you counsel someone who doesn't feel called to pastoral or missionary work but wants to grow in their faith? Are there any books or are there different avenues that they could go down that you would encourage them to get better trained?Brian Arnold00:38:47 - 00:40:12Dr. Seheult- That's a great question, Matt. We are living in a time of great resources.When you think about what's being put out all the time, either through technology oreven through book medium, there's just a lot of helpful things out there. So I would encourage this person in a number of ways. One, if they're looking at any kind of leadership in the church, from deacon to elder, any kind of position like that, I would say seminary education would be really beneficial. You might not need the full MDiv, but getting in and getting kind of a Master of Arts in Ministry that gives you a lot of the groundwork would be really helpful. But again, for the person who just says, I'm an electrician, but I'm passionate about the Lord, I want to know more. I would encourage them to start with one of my colleagues' books, actually, and that's Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. He's got the second edition coming out in December. And so lots more content. And I think that's where I cut my teeth theologically. And I know there's places that people disagree with Wayne on some things. I do too. But it's still, I think, the most readable, helpful entree into theology. So I think starting there to get the kind of the whole picture of theology through the Bible is helpful. And then I would even encourage some intro kind of books to the New Testament and to the Old Testament, things like Carson and Moo on the New Testament to give them those kinds of pieces.Matt Wireman00:40:12 - 00:40:22You're talking about their introduction to the New Testament, right? Absolutely. Google it, Amazon or introduction to the Old Testament. Those are just surveys of those different books.Brian Arnold00:40:22 - 00:41:05Yep, yep. The Faith of Israel by Dumbrell might be a great place to start with the Old Testament. But as a Dominion of Dynasty by Dempster would be another great place to start with the Old Testament. So there's all these resources. And then whoever you want to teach you today, you can find it on YouTube. You can go there and get a lot of great content from some of the best teachers in the world a click away. And so take advantage of yourself those resources. What we can't say is there's not enough resources. Like there's plenty of those. We might say there's not enough time and then I'd ask about your Netflix, binging, you know, we can certainly binge some other things as well that would be more helpful and beneficial to the soul.Matt Wireman00:41:05 - 00:41:34And so some of it too is along with those resources, I've found that there are a lot of folks that feel like they're swimming in a sea of resources and they don't know which are the good ones to be able to find a someone that you trust. And I'm going to avail myself to anybody who's listening to this and I know you would too, Brian, but like, you know, if you need help and direction, just send me a message and happy to happy to direct you because there are tons of resources and there's tons of really bad resources to run.Brian Arnold00:41:34 - 00:41:47That's exactly right. One of the things, I'm happy you said that, Matt. One of the things that, when I got the bug for theology in college, my roommates and I, we'd always get the CBD catalog. Maybe that dates me a little bit.Matt Wireman00:41:46 - 00:41:51Yeah, no, it's still going strong. I still need to get up on there.Brian Arnold00:41:51 - 00:41:57Catalog, why I still use CBD for four. And then, by the way, let's just tell the listeners that's not the oil.Matt Wireman00:41:57 - 00:42:04Yeah, that's not the oil. That's Christian Book Distributors. CVD. That's right. Not O-R-D or something.Brian Arnold00:42:05 - 00:42:51Absolutely. When my wife said, you know what CBD is? I'm like, I've been shopping there for years. Let's clarify that. But that's a great place to get resources. But I can remember getting that and seeing some Old Testament books, especially Gerhard von Raad's Old Testament Theology. It was like six bucks. And I'm thinking, I don't know much about the Old Testament. I really would love a book to help with that. But I knew enough about that name to say, I need to be suspicious. That might not be the best resource. But I don't know what is. When there's almost too many resources, you go to LifeWay, and if I can say this without getting in trouble, a lot of the resources that are fronted there are the last things I would encourage people to read. You got to go back into the back into a small corner section to find the real gems there.Matt Wireman00:42:51 - 00:43:21Well, you know what's been interesting even in the resources that you mentioned is not10 ways to be a better husband or 10 steps to be a more biblical wife. It's actually learn the Bible. That's the dearth of information that we're having a problem with is that people don't know where Malachi is in the Bible. And they don't know that he was a prophet. And they don't know all these things. It's like, get to know the Bible. That's the first place you should start.Brian Arnold00:43:20 - 00:44:21Absolutely. Absolutely. And then, you know, so one of the things that was great for mewith seminary education was I'm learning to even know what the resources are. Like, that was a big part of it for me is now I feel like I can pick things up, know where theywent to school, know when they went to school there, and get a pretty good picture already of where they may stand. And then you get the grid, right, for being able to filtersome things out. But also, I hope you're at a church, and this is another plug for seminary education, where the pastor has a seminary education, who can help provide those resources, who knows those things. So I hope you're at a place where your staff is able to do that. In the meantime, if not, find somebody who is that you trust, and they would be happy. Any time that people come to me and they say, can I get a resource on X, whatever that is, that is one of the things that give me the greatest joy in answering, because that tells me there's another Christian out there who really wants to go deeper with the Lord, and I'm always happy to help resource.Matt Wireman00:44:21 - 00:44:41Yeah, yeah, no, that's great. Now, so for the person who is at a church and they feel like they want to go into full-time ministry, can you just kind of walk through how does someone come to that decision to where they're like, I think I should be a pastor or a missionary?Brian Arnold00:44:41 - 00:44:47Absolutely. I mean, step one, ps.edu, you apply online.Matt Wireman00:44:47 - 00:44:52And he will waive your admission fee.Brian Arnold00:44:52 - 00:44:57Just mention Matt Wireman in the comments or something. No, it's a great...Matt Wireman00:44:56 - 00:44:58No, it's a great. Yeah.Brian Arnold00:44:58 - 00:47:11I wrestled with that as well. I mean, here I was in fire EMS. My dad had been a fire chief.That's the world I knew. And I didn't even think I could have been satisfied in a career doing that. I know CH Spurgeon is often used, if you could do anything else besides ministry, do it. I don't really agree with Spurgeon on that one. Because of why? Well, because I think that a lot of people who do well in ministry are people of deep curiosity and they love a lot of different things and they themselves given 10 lives doing 10 different things. Well put. Right. So I would say that God calls people to ministry and it's not unique to me. It's kind of the historic answer in two ways, the internal call and the external call. The internal call is when you start to say, Lord, is that you calling me to ministry? Like, I feel a passion for this. I want to teach the Bible. When I was in seminary, or I'm sorry, my undergrad, one of the biggest kind of moments in my early life was sitting at a Bible study in Campus Crusade and my campus director is there and he's leading us through Colossians. And I remember thinking, you get paid to teach people the Bible. That's amazing. Like, I would love to do that. That's what I'm so interested and passionate about. So I had that internal call. And then I started going to other people and saying, do you see this gift in me? Could we give me some teaching opportunities where we can actually see, is this there? And could God use me in this way? And I had three or four people in my life who are still in my life to this day that all affirmed that. And so I know that question's more for, should I go into ministry? But even for me with PhD work, I remember Dr. Russ Fuller sitting me down in his office and saying, I think you should consider doing PhD work. And that was a great confirmation to me that I should move on. So I, when weighting these things, more often weigh the external call higher than the internal call because I can be deceived. But chances are, if I'm asking four or five other mature believers, do you see this call of God in my life? And they're being honest, you're going to get some really good answers to that.Matt Wireman00:47:12 - 00:48:38And I think for that person to start with a posture of, I don't see clearly, and God has given other people to me in my life to help me see clearly. Because a lot of times, you know, folks will ask me like, I think I'm called the ministry. And I'm like, well, that's awesome. Celebrate, first of all. And I don't want to stiff arm anybody in that. No, that's right. We need more laborers. But then secondly, listen to somebody that cares for you and actually is in the work of that ministry to say, hey, maybe instead of going to seminary right now, maybe you could just be here for a couple years and get some relational tools in your belt, you know, so that you can learn like, what is it you're getting into? Because maybe in two years of volunteering at a church, you know, and it's not just to get free labor for people, it's actually in a service to them to be able to say, hey, why don't you just serve here as a volunteer, because if you don't want to do it as a volunteer, then you're probably not, it's going to be even more tainted when you get paid for it. I promise you that. If you're not willing to not be paid for this, then it's going to get tainted really fast. I've seen tons of people in full time ministry who depend upon full time ministry for their salaries, and their lives become a shipwreck, because they start to treat God and divine matters as a slot machine, you know, andBrian Arnold00:48:38 - 00:49:00Absolutely. And there's not much in that slot machine. Let's just say that as well. I mean,ministry, it was really hard. I mean, I had breakfast with my wife this morning and we were just kind of going over some different pieces and remembering back to my years in pastoral ministry when things were exceptionally brutally tight. And it was a challenge.Matt Wireman00:49:00 - 00:49:07As you're getting a call about a man who just, you know, has all of those things going on in his life, right? Yeah, yeah.Brian Arnold00:49:07 - 00:50:06Yeah, exactly. And recognizing that there were times that I just needed to keep going back to 1st Corinthians 9. Woe to me if I don't preach the gospel. Like, it has to be so deep-seated in you. And this is where I will tip the hat to Spurgeon a little bit and say I get why he's saying that. Because there has to be that fire in the belly. Even if I'm not getting paid for it, even if I'm booted out of two or three churches, God has put such a call in my life, I must preach the gospel. I want to see the harvest field full of those kinds of laborers who just say, I'm here because God has called me here. And even if I don't get converts, and even if I run into wall after wall and obstacle after obstacle, God has called me to preach and I'm going to do it. And I think back about people like the Puritans as they were getting kicked out of their ministries and then you have the Five Mile Act. They couldn't be within five miles of their old parishes. And yet they're still preachers of the gospel. We need more of that in our day.Matt Wireman00:50:07 - 00:50:20Yeah, that's great. I'd love to ask what you see as a president of a seminary, what you see are some of the challenges to higher education right now, particularly as it relates to seminary education?Brian Arnold00:50:20 - 00:53:22Sure. I think there's multiple, and there are internal threats and there's external threats as well. The internal threats are a lot of what you and I have been talking about today, Matt, and that is back 20 or 30 years ago, if you were gonna go into pastoral ministry, you would not find a position without having a degree. A master of divinity degreewould have been the bare requirement expected of somebody to go in. Well, now, churches don't really seem to care about that or, you know, an undergrad degree will suffice if it's in Bible. But let's be honest, a lot of pastors don't even have that. They were in banking and felt a call on their life. And so that's part of it from where I'm sittingis how many people in churches I see who don't even care about that minimal level of expertise in the field. So that's one of those kinds of threats, I think. Another one, and these go more to external than, is there's a higher ed bubble out there anyway. And everybody kind of sees this out there as the next one that could burst. And if it bursts, that's gonna be catastrophic on undergraduate institutions. Well, I'm downstream of undergraduate institutions. So if there's fewer and fewer people going to undergrad institutions, then there's gonna be fewer people going to graduate school as well. And so I think that could be a place where we begin to take a bit of pressure and a bit of a hit with enrollment that way. I think part of it is gonna be the cultural piece. It's not getting any easier out there. I think Christian institutions in particular that are going to stay faithful on issues of gender and sexuality are going to have a very difficult road ahead of them. And this is where I hope that the Lord gives us the fulfillment of this. And that is, I hope there's always a Phoenix Seminary. If we had to lose our accreditation because of our stances on some of those issues, then so be it. If we lose a lot of donor money because of our stances, then so be it. If it's just us without walls, we're going into a church basement somewhere and teaching theology, I hope there's always something like that. I think about a guy like Dietrich Bonhoeffer with Fingermann. He's, what do you do in the midst of Nazi Germany oppression? You start a seminary, right? It's amazing. The thing that people would think, well, that needs to go. It's like, no, no, no, we need this now more than ever. So all the threats that I see, those being some of the major ones, I still believe that what we are called to do at a seminary is vital for the health and vitality of the church. And as long as the church is here, we're going to need places of theological higher ed to help prepare those people in the word. So I don't worry about the threats too much. I mean, we got to be wise and anticipate some of those things that are coming and get ready. But at the same time, I think our call is always going to be there.Matt Wireman00:53:23 - 00:53:39That's great. I'd love to hear, I got two more questions for you. Just as you explain some of the challenges to higher ed, particularly Christian higher ed and seminaries, what do you see as some of the greater challenges to the church, to the local church now?Brian Arnold00:53:41 - 00:55:19Yeah, a lot of those would be the same kind of ones, right? Is the pressure right now to conform to the world has probably not been greater in American society since our founding, right? I mean, this is a very new shift in Western civilization. And so I can't imagine being a 12-year-old right now about ready to go to junior high and high school, facing the kind of pressures that these kids are facing from a worldview standpoint. And I think churches have not been well equipped to speak into those. And so they're getting a lot of it from culture, not from the church. Well, pretty soon the churches are going to be far emptier than they are now because of just attrition to the culture. So I think that's a real serious, not existential threat because Jesus has promised that the church will not be overcome by the gates of hell. And I believe that promise and I'm not worried about the church from that aspect, but I do think the harder times are coming for the church. But a lot of that to me goes back and maybe I sound like a one-trick pony on this, but I think the deeper that a pastor is able to go and root people in, then it doesn't matter how hard the winds blow, those people will stay rooted. My fear is that we are seeing in the church these trends coming. And so instead of raising the bar, we keep lowering the bar and wondering why people don't hit it and wondering why peopleare leaving, but we're not giving them a beautiful counter narrative to it at all.Matt Wireman00:55:19 - 00:55:22Lowering the bar in what sense?Brian Arnold00:55:21 - 00:55:55Well, even kind of what we're talking about, right? Why is it that the saints of God know so little about the Bible? Why do they know so little about theology? Why is it when Ligonier comes out with these surveys that they do, they had one question in there, it was a couple of years ago now, maybe just a year or two, it was something about Jesus's humanity was Jesus, like, you know, basically was denying the divinity of Christ,almost like an Aryan kind of response. And I don't know if it was the way the question was worded or something, but it was like 75% of people who took it look like they were Aryans. That should never be.Matt Wireman00:55:55 - 00:56:21And if you don't know what an Aryan is, that's A-R-I-A-N, go look it up. That's one way to look it up. If you don't know what something is, there are tons of resources to be able to just look it up. So if you're hearing this and you're like, Aryan? No, we're not talking about a nation or anything like that. We're talking about the Aryanism. So look up Aryanism and you'll find something. Even if it's on Wikipedia, that's better than nothing.Brian Arnold00:56:21 - 00:56:24That's right. That's right. Just don't become one.Matt Wireman00:56:23 - 00:56:25Yeah, exactly, exactly.Brian Arnold00:56:25 - 00:57:34So they're just not ready. And so we have this view in the church that these concepts are so hard, so big, so difficult. We don't want it to feel like school to people. So we would rather give them 10 steps, like you said before, of healthy parenting and marriage. And everybody wants these practical pieces without understanding the substance of the Christian faith, which is the greatest place for the practical piece of Christian ministry. Like the deeper I know God, the better my marriage is gonna be. The better I know the word, the better my parenting's gonna be. I don't need these offshoots. I need people to take me deeper into the things of God through his word so that I'm prepared to handle anything that comes at us. But instead, we keep moving that lower. And I'm always amazed when you have like an astrophysicist in your church who's like, oh, I just don't really understand the Bible. Look, one of the things that we believe is in the perspicuity of scriptures. Now that's like one of the worst named doctrines ever. It just means the Bible is clear and it should be able to be understood by anyone who calls himself a Christian. So I think oftentimes it's not for intellectual ability,it's lack of trying.Matt Wireman00:57:37 - 00:58:09This has been awesome. I'd love to have our time closed by just a final exhortation that you might give to those who are listening as it relates to knowing the Bible. I think you already have done that and I'm thankful for that, but I'd love to hear, like if you were to sit down with someone who's listening to this podcast and you were to exhort them towards greater love for Jesus, a greater love for the Bible, what would you say to them over a cup of coffee?Brian Arnold00:58:09 - 00:59:55Yeah, I think I would reiterate what I have just the last thing I said is, if you really want to grow as a disciple of Christ, it's by knowing Him. It's by loving His word. And so don't think that I need something else outside, you know, the 10 lessons on this or that to actually grow in the walk with the Lord. Get deeper into those things. When I was in college, my life changed when I got deeper into theology. When I got deeper into theology, my walk got deeper. When suffering came in my life, it was the deep rootedness of my knowledge of who God is that got me through, not little trinkets on the side. And so as a theological educator and as one who is pastored, be a person who seeks those deeper things of God. Be a person who, if you're a pastor listening, take your people deeper. If you're somebody who's at a church that they just simply are not going to do that, find a new church. Life is short. You've got to be at a place that is going to take these things to the utmost seriousness. And I think by doing that, Christianity itself will be able to present that beautiful counter narrative to what's happening out there. As the saints of God, know Him better, cherish His word, and recognize that true human flourishing comes through loving God with all heart, mind, soul, and strength, and loving neighbor as yourself.Matt Wireman00:59:56 - 01:00:10Amen. Great. Thank you so much, Brian. This has been really refreshing and encouraging to be able to have this time with you. I'd love to ask you if you could just end our time by praying and thanking God for our time together and, and yeah, and then we'll close.Brian Arnold 01:00:10 - 01:01:11I'd be happy to. Matt, thanks for having me. This is great. You bet. God, I do thank you for moments like this when we get to take an hour or so and just dwell on you and think about you. And I thank you for Matt and this podcast that he's doing to help try to equip these saints out there for anybody who's listening to know you and your word better.And Lord, I do pray that there will be an awakening in your church. An awakening begins with people who are so full of the Spirit because they're so full of the Word of God. And I pray for pastors in this labor field who will really get the tools that they need and recognize that those are not some additional thing. But these are actually the tools of our trade to get people into this place where they can really love you, heart, mind, soul, body, strength, and begin to love their neighbor. And that people in this culture that is decaying will see that the gospel is full of life and full of fruit. Praise in Christ's name. Amen. Amen.Matt Wireman01:01:11 - 01:01:13Amen. Thank you, brother.Brian Arnold01:01:13 - 01:01:14Thanks again. I appreciate it.

The theme of the city in the Bible is a surprising one. When cities are introduced in the story, they're depicted as “bad”—a human response to increasing violence and the need for self-protection—and gardens are depicted as humanity's ideal setting. However, in the book of Revelation, the new creation Jesus brings is a city. What's going on here? Join Tim and Jon as they start exploring the biblical theme of the city.View more resources on our website →Timestamps Part one (00:00-20:11)Part two (20:11-32:09)Part three (32:09-50:30)Part four (50:30-1:06:53)Referenced ResourcesNew International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis, Willem A. VanGemerenThe Garden City, John Mark ComerInterested in more? Check out Tim's library here.You can experience our entire library of resources in the BibleProject app, available for Android and iOS.Show Music “Defender (Instrumental)” by TENTS“Kokon” by Plusma & Guillaume Muschalle“Long Lost Friend” by Sam Stewart“Just a Thought” by Tyler BaileyShow produced by Cooper Peltz with Associate Producer Lindsey Ponder, Lead Editor Dan Gummel, and Editors Tyler Bailey and Frank Garza. Mixed by Tyler Bailey. Podcast annotations for the BibleProject app by Hannah Woo.Powered and distributed by Simplecast.

Episode 75 -  Ancient Perspectives on the Image of GodApril 20, 2023 - Host: Dr. Gregory HallIn this episode we explore how ancient the Near Eastern understanding of the image of God might influence how we think of this concept today. The concept of being made in the image of God has played a significant role in shaping our understanding of human nature, dignity, and purpose. But what did this idea mean in the context of the ancient Near East, where it first emerged? Join us on this journey of discovery as we seek to uncover the origins and significance of the image of God.Resources Referenced and/or Read:Swamidass, S. Joshua. (2019). The Genealogical Adam & Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry (pp. 106–107). IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.Walton, J. H. (2017). Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief (p. 84). IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press.Beale, G. (2018). We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry (pp. 222–223). InterVarsity Press Academic.Hall, Gregory D. "Rethinking Rest; Why Our Approach to Sabbath Isn't Working." Deep River Books, Sisters, OR, 2023.2024 Israel Trip Information - https://rethinkingscripture.com/israel-2024/Recent Podcasts where Greg has been Interviewed:You can track all my guest interviews on my page: https://rethinkingscripture.com/guest-appearances/ Show Music:Intro/Outro - "Wedding Song" by Jacob A. HallTransition Music - produced by Jacob A. HallPodcast Website:The All-America Listener Challenge Updates: https://rethinkingscripture.comMy New Podcast Studio... The Upper Room: https://rethinkingscripture.com/podcast-episodes/More information about The Homes and Help Initiative: https://rethinkingscripture.com/homes-help-initiative/Sister site: RethinkingRest.comRethinking Rest... the Book: now available wherever you buy your books! Kindle version available.More information: https://rethinkingrest.com/the-book/Social Media:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RethinkingScripture Twitter: @RethinkingStuffInstagram: Rethinking_ScriptureYouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6YCLg2UldJiA0dsg0KkvLATikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rethinkingscripturePowered and distributed by Simplecast.

Did the OT Israelites have a hope of eternal life in heaven? Ps. 49:15 is often understood to say that God will “take” the psalmist “to himself.” But the phrase “to himself” is not in the Hebrew. It is by noticing such things in that and similar passages that we are better equipped to answer the larger question as far as the original author is concerned. Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. His publications include Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief.

If we didn't have the Old Testament, Christians would live in a state of spiritual amnesia. Rather than having a healthy understanding of who we are and how we got here, believers who neglect the Bible's first 39 books often begin filling in the blanks with their own ideas. Bruce Waltke wants to change that.  A world famous Hebrew scholar with a PhD from Harvard and Dallas Theological Seminary, Bruce Waltke is uniquely equipped to speak about how we can read the Old Testament in light of the New. In this episode, Waltke discusses how the Scriptures contain our memory, history, and even our core identity as believers.  Bruce Waltke is the author of many books, including Old Testament Theology. He was the head of Old Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary for many years and has also served at Westminster Philadelphia, Regent College in Vancouver, and Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando.

Parenting is challenging and yet it is a God-given responsibility. But what role does the community play? What about parents who did their best and yet their kids have not decided to follow Jesus? Are churches set up for success or failure? There is a generational disconnect in many of our communities. The older and younger generations are struggling to see eye to eye. Matina joins the channel to discuss how the scriptures paint a generational picture for adolescent spiritual formation. Matina has joined the channel previously to discuss her research and joins us again to share new findings. 0:00 Intro 5:15 What research have you done since our last interview? 13:00 What is the difference between youth of today versus the youth of yesterday? 17:10 How does healthy Old Testament Theology contribute to healthy adolescent formation? 21:00 How has the approach to reach the youth evolved? 41:00 What advice do you have for the older generation? 45:00 What support is there for parents and kids? 54:00 How does biblical literacy influence how parents engage their kids? 56:00 What about parents who did a good job but their kids don't become Christians?

Visit https://gtitours.org/podcast for photos, links, and more from this episode. https://netbible.org/bible/Isaiah+58https://www.gotquestions.org/Sabbath-made-for-man.htmlJUC online class list for Spring 2023 semester:https://www.juc.edu/juc-online/semester-learning/Would you like to experience Shabbat in Israel? Joining the September 3-14, 2023 "Homesick for Israel" Tour will allow you to do that! One of our many cultural experiences on this trip is participating in a Shabbat dinner with a Jewish family.You will also be able to see the amazing Mehane Yehuda Market as people prepare for Shabbat. See, smell, touch and taste many of Israel's prized produce and treats! https://www.machne.co.il/Learn more and register here:https://gtitours.org/trip/signature-homesick-for-israel-2023 Dr. Hersey holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Theology and an M.A. in Biblical Archaeology both from Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary. He is passionate about providing opportunity for students to see and understand the context of the Bible so they can grow in their relationship with God and His story. Oliver has over 15 years of experience teaching Bible in a variety of settings including youth camps, college classrooms, and churches. He and his wife Andra and their two children live in Jerusalem. 

What happens to you when you die? Many Christians picture eternal life as spending time in an ethereal heaven with God, either after death as a disembodied spirit or after a "rapture" of Christians. Books and films, made by and for Christians, promote this idea of the afterlife. Dr. J. Richard Middleton wants to debunk this view of the Christian afterlife. What happens right after we die does not much matter to the biblical authors; they concern themselves with proclaiming the hope of the resurrection and preaching the Kingdom of God. In this episode, he discusses common words in our theological vernacular—spirit, soul, resurrection, hell, heaven, etc.—and challenges us to rethink them through a biblical lens. The story of the Bible is not the story of what happens between death and resurrection, but the story of the "redemption of the world." Dr. Middleton is Professor of Biblical Worldview and Exegesis at Roberts Wesleyan College. He specializes in the Christian worldview, Christianity and postmodernism, Old Testament Theology, and eschatology. His most recent book is A New Heaven and a New Earth: Reclaiming Biblical Eschatology. Show notes: 0:00 Introductions, N.T. Wright, and the redemption of the world 3:48 Reactions to debunking the rapture 4:57 "What happens to you when you die?" 7:59 God's glory entering the world 10:45 Spiritual versus physical 13:24 The hope of the resurrection 16:42 Believing you go to heaven when you die 18:32 Purgatory, limbo, and the grave 21:03 Resuscitation versus resurrection 25:20 The resurrection, final judgment, and hell Show notes by Micah Long Credits for the music used in TBM podcast can be found at: hebraicthought.org/credits.

This summer we are discussing how to read and write well for preaching. Today's topic is on building your preaching library. A preacher's library by definition will be a theological library. However, a preaching library will have many kinds of works that are not strictly theological. In this episode learn Dr. Allen's eight principles for building your preaching library. Learn the major categories of books each preacher should have in their library.  Dr. Allen's Preaching Library Categories 1. Commentaries  2. Old Testament Introduction  3. New Testament Introduction  4. Systematic Theology  5. Biblical Theology       a. Old Testament Theology       b. New Testament Theology  6. Historical Theology  7. Hermeneutics  8. Greek & Hebrew Study Tools  9. Church History        a. Early Church        b. Medieval        c. Reformation        d. Post-Reformation        e. Modern  10. General History        a. World History        b. American History        c. British History        d. Military History  11. Pastoral Ministry  12. Evangelism & Missions  13. Homiletics or Preaching        a. Works on Preaching        b. History of Preaching        c. Sermon Books        d. Illustrations  14. Prayer  15. Specialized Study Theological Study 16. Specialized Study Biblical Study 17. Biography  18. Philosophy  19. Reference Works      a. Dictionaries       b. Encyclopedias       c. Atlas      d. Grammars       e. Thesauruses  20. Spiritual Devotional  21. Popular Authors  22. Life & Ministry of Christ  23. Ethics  24. Science & The Bible  25. Christianity & Culture  26. Sociology  27. Cults   28. Theological Journals  29. Specialized Studies  30. Miscellaneous Books

Dr. Bill Bellinger joins the podcast to talk about his new book "Introducing Old Testament Theology."

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy.  In Introducing Old Testament Theology (Baker Academic, 2021) he shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life. W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms. Jackson Reinhardt is a graduate of University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. He is currently an independent scholar, freelance writer, and research assistant. You can reach Jackson at jtreinhardt1997@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JTRhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy.  In Introducing Old Testament Theology (Baker Academic, 2021) he shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life. W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms. Jackson Reinhardt is a graduate of University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. He is currently an independent scholar, freelance writer, and research assistant. You can reach Jackson at jtreinhardt1997@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JTRhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/jewish-studies

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy.  In Introducing Old Testament Theology (Baker Academic, 2021) he shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life. W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms. Jackson Reinhardt is a graduate of University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. He is currently an independent scholar, freelance writer, and research assistant. You can reach Jackson at jtreinhardt1997@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JTRhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy.  In Introducing Old Testament Theology (Baker Academic, 2021) he shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life. W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms. Jackson Reinhardt is a graduate of University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. He is currently an independent scholar, freelance writer, and research assistant. You can reach Jackson at jtreinhardt1997@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JTRhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/biblical-studies

A senior scholar and teacher with four decades of classroom experience offers a concise, student-level theology of the entire Old Testament. W. H. Bellinger Jr. uses ancient Israel's confession of faith, the Psalms, to introduce the sweep of Old Testament theology: creation, covenant, and prophecy.  In Introducing Old Testament Theology (Baker Academic, 2021) he shows how these three theological dimensions each entail a portrayal of God and invite a human response to God. Bellinger also discusses how to appropriate Old Testament theology for contemporary life. W. H. Bellinger Jr. (PhD, University of Cambridge) is professor of religion emeritus at Baylor University. He has served on the editorial board of Catholic Biblical Quarterly and has written several volumes on the Psalms. Jackson Reinhardt is a graduate of University of Southern California and Vanderbilt University. He is currently an independent scholar, freelance writer, and research assistant. You can reach Jackson at jtreinhardt1997@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JTRhardt Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/christian-studies

In this episode, special guest Pastor Garret Dekker joins Pastor Paul to explore the Old Testament theme of "God as Host." God is the generous host that invites the undeserving people to be honoured guests at his eschatological banquet. Even better--God, as the king, invites us to be his heirs dining at the royal table every day as his adopted children! He provides his goodness at great cost to himself and calls us to invite others to this amazing banquet of grace, mercy, and love.

In this episode, special guest Pastor Garret Dekker and Pastor Paul continue to explore the Old Testament theme of "God as Host"; focusing on the more practical aspects of why this theology matters. God is the generous host that invites the undeserving people to be honoured guests at his eschatological banquet. Even better--God, as the king, invites us to be his heirs dining at the royal table every day as his adopted children! He provides his goodness at great cost to himself and calls us to invite others to this amazing banquet of grace, mercy, and love. If this is true about God, how should this truth inform the way we live our lives?

In today's episode of Staying at the Table we talk about the Old Testament. We pull questions out of a basket that listeners have submitted and explore our thoughts and how we stay at the table when we agree and disagree on topics from the Old Testament.

Episode: These are times of deep division and disruption. Saying so is almost as obvious as saying, “The sky is blue.” But finding a way to dialogue through division and disruption […] The post Bill Brown – Psalms in Dialogue amidst Disruption first appeared on OnScript.

Episode: These are times of deep division and disruption. Saying so is almost as obvious as saying, “The sky is blue.” But finding a way to dialogue through division and disruption […] The post Bill Brown – Psalms in Dialogue amidst Disruption first appeared on OnScript.

For our first ever episode of the Anglican Curiosities Podcast, we take a broad overhead look at the Anglican Church.  Using the analogy of the family dinner table, our outgoing Dean President - The Very Rev. Dr. Henry L. Thompson III (or ‘Laurie' for short) helps us categorize and analyze the people, ideals, traditions that make up Anglicanism.Resources mentioned in this episode:The Stripping of the Altars - Eamon DuffyAnglicanism: A Reformed Catholic Tradition - Gerald BrayFigural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice - Don Collett

Could you be useful to God? Today's guest, Dr. James Spencer, relates his journey of recognizing his academic, ministry, and career accomplishments failed to render him useful to God. He shares his moment of realization about having used God as a resource instead of a ruler. Dr. Spencer notes how he reflected upon Malachi 3 and the letters Dr. Dwight L. Moody wrote to his family to discover deeper levels of faith and connection with God. We discuss the struggle of shifting from self-reliance to obedience and submission to God. James describes the joy and peace of letting go of the things we once held onto tightly in order to center on life-giving priorities in Christ. Dr. Spencer describes D. L. Moody's authenticity in seeing the world from a perspective of profound, and yet simple, faith. James shares how the letters challenged him to deepen his relationship with God.  We explore the way knowledge and circumstances can sometimes distract us from the core of belief.  Dr. Spencer outlines the three principles D.L. Moody set for gathering:  pray, worship, and experience the Holy Spirit. Dr. Spencer highlights the benefits of a social media fast to center on dwelling in the presence of Christ. He invites listeners to participate in the social media fast organized by Shine Bright and the Moody Center.  Dr. James Spencer is President of D. L. Moody Center, as well as an instructor, theologian, and author. He leads the Shine Bright Project which seeks to mobilize God's people to be and make disciples James earned his PhD in Theological Studies from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and served as an administrator and leader in Christian higher education overseeing education marketing and finance, instructional design, part- and full-time faculty, call center operations, and program design and development.  He continues to consult with Christian colleges and seminaries, as well as non-profit organizations to help them build stronger organizational capacity, design strategic products and programs, and improve marketing, recruitment, and enrollment efforts. His book titled Useful to God released in March 2022.  He previously published Thinking Christian: Essays on Testimony, Accountability, and the Christian Mind, as well as co-authoring Trajectories: A Gospel-Centered Introduction to Old Testament Theology.  James contributed to The Moody Bible Commentary, The Moody Encyclopedia of Messianic Prophecy, and Marriage: Its Foundation, Theology, and Mission in a Changing World.  James is a regular instructor for Right On Mission where he teaches courses including Developing the Christian Mind, Prophets and Whistleblowers, Secular Ideologies, Cultural Maturity, and Biblical Interpretation. Connect with D.L. Moody Center by visiting moodycenter.org or follow the ministry on Facebook or Twitter

This episode involves a rich discussion with Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm about three book's they've written. We first discuss their co-authored book about the discipline of Old Testament theology, including the challenges of relating the two testaments and descriptive vs. normative theology. Then we discuss Brittany's book on Isaiah's familial and servant metaphors, including gendered language for God as well as the way that metaphors can help us wrestle with challenging prophetic texts. Finally, we talk about Charlie's recent work on approaches to violence in the Canaanite conquest, which maps some of the benefits and drawbacks to various proposals for mitigating the challenges of violence in Joshua. And there's much more here! The post Old Testament Theology, Isaiah's Metaphors, and Canaanite Genocide: A Conversation with Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm first appeared on OnScript.

This episode involves a rich discussion with Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm about three book's they've written. We first discuss their co-authored book about the discipline of Old Testament theology, including the challenges of relating the two testaments and descriptive vs. normative theology. Then we discuss Brittany's book on Isaiah's familial and servant metaphors, including gendered language for God as well as the way that metaphors can help us wrestle with challenging prophetic texts. Finally, we talk about Charlie's recent work on approaches to violence in the Canaanite conquest, which maps some of the benefits and drawbacks to various proposals for mitigating the challenges of violence in Joshua. And there's much more here! The post Old Testament Theology, Isaiah's Metaphors, and Canaanite Genocide: A Conversation with Brittany Kim and Charlie Trimm first appeared on OnScript.

Dr. Hersey holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Theology and an M.A. in Biblical Archaeology both from Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary. He is passionate about providing opportunity for students to see and understand the context of the Bible so they can grow in their relationship with God and His story. Oliver has over 15 years of experience teaching Bible in a variety of settings including youth camps, college classrooms, and churches. He and his wife Andra and their two children live in Jerusalem.Summer Institute Webpage: https://juc.edu/juc-online/summer-instituteSummer Institute Registration Page: https://connect.juc.edu/register/summer-institute-2022JUC Summer Institute 6-week sessionsEgypt and the Bible with Egyptologist Dr. James K. HoffmeierAfter Israel, Egypt is mentioned more than any other nation in the OT, and within its territory, the two greatest events of salvation history occurred, namely the Exodus and the Sinai theophany and covenant ceremony. This course seeks to investigate these events in their historical and geographical contexts. After the exodus, Israel continued to have political and military dealings until the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Thereafter, Egypt served as a place of refuge for Judeans. These events of the Iron age will be investigated through Egyptian archaeological sources. Jewish Context of Jesus and the New Testament with Dr. Joel Willitts & Dr. Oliver HerseyThe course is a brief survey of the history, archaeology, culture, and literature of Second Temple Judaism, the context of Jesus, and the New Testament. Students will be introduced to the key events of the Jewish story and significant people who shaped that story, deepening their appreciation for Jesus' life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension. Geographical Lenses on Ezekiel with Dr. Elaine Phillips & Dr. Perry PhillipsStudying Ezekiel, who prophesied from exile, requires expanding our focus beyond the geographical boundaries of the promised Land. This brief introduction will address Ezekiel's messages to the communities in Jerusalem and in Babylon in the grim final years of the first temple. Join us as we explore Judah's idolatry, the covenant sanctions, the oracles against surrounding foreign nations, the hope God's people found in his promised forthcoming justice, and the visions of renewal – realities we might call eschatological geography. 

Pat and Mike are joined in this episode by fellow pastor Chris Peterson to talk about interpreting the Bible. Resources mentioned in this episode: - Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition: Recovering the Genius of Premodern Exegesis by Craig Carter - Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice by Don Collett

The Line of Fire Radio Broadcast for 12/16/21.

Jordan talks with Cody Floate about impassibility, misogyny, and the book of Hosea. They cover topics like what is misogyny and impassibility? What are the modern problems with these? What does Hosea teach that would potentially impact this? Does it mean God is a misogynist or passible? How should we think about rightly interpreting these scriptures? Is it safe to come to the text with presuppositions? How might this benefit pastors in shepherding their churches?Find more info about the London Lyceum or contact us at our website.Resources:1) Hosea, Jerry Hwang2) Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice, Don Collett3) The Biblical in Biblical Theology, Greystone ConversationsSupport the show

Bienvenidos a una nueva serie!La historia de Dios es la unión del cielo y la tierra en un espacio sagrado y un tiempo sagrado en donde Dios y la humanidad disfruten de un reposo eterno, en donde el resplandezca su rostro sobre la humanidad, y ésta pueda conocerlo por siempre. El propósito de la creación es éste y el salmista David lo expresa:"Una cosa le he pedido al Señor, estar en su casa todos los días de mi vida para contemplar su rostro y hermosura y hallar solaz en su santo templo".Dios ha abierto una manera para que la humanidad se encuentre con El mientras que su presencia llene toda la creación hasta que toda la tierra se vuelva un espacio celestial.Referencias para la SerieBeale, G.K. God Dwells Among Us.Grudem, Wayne. Systematic TheologyMalone, Andrew. Gods MediatorsMorales, Michael.  Who Shall Ascend the Mountain of the LordWalton, John.  Old Testament Theology

Veronica and Erika pick up the discussion with Moses and God at the beginning of chapter six.  God tells Moses that Abraham, Issac and Jacob knew God by His name El Shaddai (think memory and covenant), but Moses and Egypt are about to know God by a different name.  We will see how God reveals Himself and this new name over the next few chapters.  After this conversation between Moses and God is what appears to be a random break in thought - a genealogy.  Erika explains how the original readers would view this genealogy, how it provides a link to the past and the future, and why genealogies offer hope.  What does it mean Pharaoh hardens his heart and God hardens Pharaoh's heart?  Have you ever wondered if that was fair?  Erika and Veronica tackle that subject in this podcast today.  We mention Lois Tverberg.  Her website is www.ourrabbijesus.com. Veronica also mentioned Bruce Waltke and his book titled "Old Testament Theology." You can join us on our Facebook page called "The Context and Color of the Bible" as well as Erika's website erikavanhaitsma.com.In order to prepare for this study we used the following books or articles:Exploring Exodus by Nahum SaranExodus: God, Slavery, and Freedom by Dennis PragerThe JPS Commentary on Exodus by The Jewish Publication SocietyMessiah - Issue 24Exodus: Brazos Theological Commentary on the Bible by Thomas Joseph White, OPExodus: A Mentor Commentary by John L. MackayShadows of the Messiah by First Fruits of Zion, book 2Miqra Journal - Winter 2003 Tabuk by Kevin MacLeodLink: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4453-tabukLicense: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

FTGC-23 210420AM We are on the final lap of teaching NextGeneration, in-country, self-supported missionaries this month's courses. Through the end of this month, we are teaching Old Testament Theology, Personal Discipleship & Eschatology using Jesus' favorite End Times prophet named–DANIEL!! Welcome to the widest-touching chapter in God's Word. Daniel 9 shows us how God wants [...] The post Exploring Daniel's Map Of The End Of The World & Why Jesus' Favorite End Of Days Prophet Daniel appeared first on Discover the Book Ministries.

Dr. John Walton, Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton Graduate School, has contributed several episodes to this podcast. His publications include The IVP Bible Background Commentary (IVP Academic, 2000) and Old Testament Theology for Christians: From Ancient Context to Enduring Belief (IVP Academic, 2017). He is presently working on a commentary on Daniel. In this episode he reports fresh background that affords precise understandings of Daniel 5. The wall in that story was not as we thought, and the words were not as Belshazzar would have hoped.

Jesus' Favorite Prophet FTGC-28b 210420AM We are on the final lap of teaching NextGeneration, in-country, self-supported missionaries this month's courses. Through the end of this month, we are teaching Old Testament Theology, Personal Discipleship & Eschatology using Jesus' favorite End Times prophet named–DANIEL!! Welcome to the widest-touching chapter in God's Word. Daniel 9 shows us [...] The post Exploring Daniels Map Of The End Of The World & Why Was Jesus Favorite End Of Days Prophet Daniel appeared first on Discover the Book Ministries.

Campfire Conversations is a unique podcast brought to you by Camp Arcadia in Arcadia, Michigan. The campfire has always been a space that allows us to slow down and talk about what truly matters. And that's what this podcast is all about. Today  we are joined by a longtime friend of Camp Arcadia Sarah Salzberg, teacher of Old Testament at Orange Lutheran High School in California. Our conversation ranges from how we present the details of our faith to raising up the next generation of believers. Pull up a chair and join us around the campfire as we learn, grow, and slow down. This podcast is hosted by Ryan Tinetti, Pastor of Trinity Lutheran Church in Arcadia, Michigan and Chip May, Executive Director of Camp Arcadia; and edited by Tyler Schlitzkus. Visit camp-arcadia.com for more information or find us on FacebookSupport the show (https://crm.bloomerang.co/HostedDonation?ApiKey=pub_03cd5efb-d9d9-11e6-bb7f-024e165d44b3&WidgetId=1844224)

Michelle is Assistant Professor of OT and Semitic Languages at Trinity Evangelical Seminary. She teaches classes related to the Former Prophets and Old Testament Theology, as well as biblical Hebrew. She is currently authoring works related to Joshua, Judges, and the Historical Books.

Today on the Podcast we welcome, Dr Brandan Crowe.Brandon is Associate Professor of New Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the author of several books on Old Testament Theology.  This time, however, he's written a book on productivity from a Theological framework entitled, Every Day Matters. Today we talk about productivity and how we reimagine our effectiveness from a biblical and theological perspective.Find Brandon at:Westminster Faculty Page:  www.faculty.wts.eduTwitter:  @brandondcroweBrandon's new book:  Everyday MattersThe Westminster Book Store:  www.wtsbooks.comDon't forget to check out our website and share it with a friend:  www.reimaginecast.com

Rev. Dr. Jeff Pulse, the Dr. Dean O. Wenthe professor of Old Testament Theology, director of certification and placement, and director of continuing education at Concordia Theological Seminary in Ft. Wayne, IN, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Jeremiah 13:15-27. The people of Judah and Jerusalem must do what they have not yet done; they must listen to the LORD's Word. If they do not forsake their pride and give Him glory, He will turn their light into darkness. Jeremiah mourns for the destruction of his people, particularly the exile that happened in 597 BC that took King Jehoiachin and his mother into exile in Babylon. From that exile, Jeremiah points forward to the final destruction of Jerusalem. The LORD will expose the shame of His people, for He has seen their abominations. They are helpless to save themselves, but if they will turn to the LORD in repentance, they will see the truth that Jesus makes plain. The salvation that is impossible for man is possible for God. “A Time to Destroy and a Time to Build” is a mini-series on Sharper Iron that goes through the book of Jeremiah. The prophet calls the people of Judah and Jerusalem to repent of their faithless idolatry and warns them of the destruction that is coming in the Babylonian exile. Yet Jeremiah does not leave us without hope in the midst of such dark days. Jeremiah and all who believe the Word of God he preached survive because of hope that is found in the righteous Branch from the line of David, Jesus Christ.

Dr. Hersey holds a Ph.D. in Old Testament Theology and an M.A. in Biblical Archaeology both from Trinity Evangelical Divinity Seminary. He is passionate about providing opportunity for students to see and understand the context of the Bible so they can grow in their relationship with God and His story. Oliver has over 15 years of experience teaching Bible in a variety of settings including youth camps, college classrooms, and churches. He and his wife Andra and their two children Henry and Penelope, are in the process of moving to Jerusalem.Learning about the ibex:https://www.bibleplaces.com/southernwildlife/Jerusalem University College Online Summer Institute is a virtual study experience where expert scholars bring the lands, cultures, languages, and history of the Bible to your own corner of the world. Starting this May, JUC is offering three intensive studies, each composed of six engaging lectures taught by JUC instructors – individuals who have spent extensive time living and working in the Middle East. All studies are taught live online with interactive elements incorporated throughout each lecture. You can find more information at juc.edu/juc-online-summer-institute. Jesus the GalileanDr. Wave Nunnally$159Reading Psalms GeographicallyInstructor: Dr. Paul Wright$159What Archaeology Can and Cannot Tell Us About the BibleInstructor: Dr. Chris McKinny$159

Dr. Miles V. Van Pelt is the Alan Hayes Belcher, Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MI. He’s been teaching Old Testament, Hebrew, Aramaic and other Old Testament related courses at RTS for the past 20 years. His interests are … Continue readingGGG| Old Testament Theology (MILES V. VAN PELT) The post GGG| Old Testament Theology (MILES V. VAN PELT) appeared first on Society of Reformed Podcasters.

Member of the Society of Reformed Podcasters SEASON 2 EPISODE 21 Dr. Miles V. Van Pelt is the Alan Hayes Belcher, Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Theology at Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MI. He's been teaching Old Testament, Hebrew, Aramaic and other Old Testament related courses at RTS for the past 20 years. His interests are in the original languages of the Old and New Testaments, and the area of Biblical Theology. He's written one of the standard textbooks in both Hebrew and Aramaic, and runs the Summer Institute of Biblical Languages at the Jackson campus of RTS. Dr. Van Pelt is also a competitive CrossFit athlete, and has been married to his wife for nearly 30 years (rock-solid and white-hot). Join us as Dr. Van Pelt describes the theology of the Old Testament, how it informs and finds cohesion with the New Testament, and its indispensability for understand Christ and atoning work on our behalf! Resources from Dr. Van Pelt: A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the Old Testament Judges: A 12-Week Study Have Feedback or Questions? Email us at: guiltgracepod@gmail.com Find us on Instagram: @guiltgracegratitudepodcast Follow us on Twitter: @guiltgracepod Please rate and subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you use! Looking for a Reformed Church? North American Presbyterian & Reformed Churches --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/gggpodcast/support

Hey everybody! Welcome to this week's episode of all in. I have long wanted to interview John Goldingay and the day has finally arrived! You are in for a treat. John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary, but lives in Oxford, England.  He is a prolific author. His Amazon.com Author’s Page covers six full pages of his books. His books include: An Introduction to the Old Testament A Reader's Guide to the Bible Reading Jesus's Bible Do We Need the New Testament: Letting the Old Testament Speak for Itself Commentaries on Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel Biblical Theology The three-volume Old Testament Theology: volume one, volume two, volume three the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone series a translation of the entire Old Testament called The First Testament: A New Translation and most recently, The Theology of Jeremiah Goldingay is a Church of England minister, and now that he is back in England likes walking by the Thames, rediscovering English food, worshiping in Christ Church Cathedral, and relearning British English. If you’re enjoying this podcast, spread the word by sharing it with your friends and leaving a review on Apple Podcasts. I encourage you to send me your feedback or suggestions for an interview. Help me help you. You can email me at jroper@foursquare.org, or direct message me on Facebook. You can also submit any feedback or questions here. Don’t forget to subscribe in Apple Podcasts or where ever you get your podcasts. As always, you can connect with me on Facebook or Twitter. It’s your life, now go live it! To support our global missions efforts, visit The Global Missions Fund. Post may contain affiliate links. All proceeds are used to support the missions work. Thanks for listening!

SUBSCRIBE follow us on Instagram @thetaketwopodcast7705follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/taketwopodca...​ follow Emma on Instagram @oregonduck42 ____________________________ Resources: Christopher J. H. Wright, The God I Don't Understand - https://www.zondervan.com/97803105307...​ John H. Walton, Old Testament Theology for Christians - https://www.ivpress.com/old-testament...​ Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm - https://lexhampress.com/product/49583...​ Michael Heiser, Supernatural - https://lexhampress.com/product/53263...​ Bible Project Videos on Spiritual Beings - https://bibleproject.com/explore/cate...​ _____________________________More video resources on understanding the Old Testament: Carmen's Torah Tuesday channel: www.youtube.com/c/CarmenJoyImesPhD​Carmen's Blog: www.carmenjoyimes.blogspot.com_____________________________https://youtu.be/qPnWfYVAGFs

One of the last questions given to Gretchen and Katie was about Bible study recommendations. This was a perfect transition episode into our next series as we go deep into the topic of Bible studies. Are you leading Bible studies? Are you in a Bible study? Do you trepidation or nervousness when studying the Bible? With rising excitement of this topic, the girls talk about Bible study practices, and things to look for when looking for a Bible study. Here We Still Stand Regional Event Katie's Galatians Bible Study: Forgiven Therefore Free Martin Luther biography book Nancie Guthrie 40 Minutes in the Old Testament 30 Minutes in the New Testament Seamless by Angie Heidi Goehmann and Katie Koplin "He Leads" Altogether Beautiful Crossway Bible Journals Free 1517 Courses: Christ in the Old Testament Theology of the Augsburg Confession Support 1517

This episode is a deep dive into the book of Judges with one of the world's leading experts in the book: Dr. Michelle Knight. We focus mainly on Judges 4-5, the story about that BA Woman, Jael, who smashes a tent peg through the skull of a skilled warrior and the follow up poem that celebrates the incident. We also talk about the horrific rape of the concubine in Judges 19 and some ethical problems with the conquest in the book of Joshua. In 2018, Dr. Michelle Knight completed her dissertation on the narrative function of the Song of Deborah and Barak in the book of Judges, before joining the faculty later that year. While working toward her PhD, she taught Hebrew language and Old Testament courses as a Guest Professor at Wheaton College and an Adjunct Professor at TEDS. Michelle is an active member of the Institute for Biblical Research, the Society of Biblical Literature, and especially the Evangelical Theological Society, where she serves as Program Unit Chair for the Old Testament Theology section at the annual meeting.  Her current research interests include literary criticism, theology of the Old Testament, the book of Judges, and poetry in biblical narrative.Connect with PrestonTwitter | @PrestonSprinkleInstagram | @preston.sprinkleYoutube | Preston SprinkleCheck out his website prestonsprinkle.comIf you enjoy the podcast, be sure to leave a review.

We're honored to learn from Dr. Walter Moberly about ways to understand the Old Testament -- and to learn about his latest book: The God of the Old Testament: Encountering the Divine in Christian Scripture, wherein he writes about eight key Old Testament passages that give us insights into the nature of God in Christian Scriptures. In this episode, we chat with Dr. Moberly about his spiritual journey -- and what led him from studying the classics and ancient languages to pursue Biblical studies and ordination in the Church of England. He also talks with us about how he applies critical analysis to the Bible -- while also understanding the Bible spiritually. He then shares with us examples of how he applies his academic and spiritual insights to Old Testament stories like the Conquest of Canaan, The Story of Rahab, The Book of Jeremiah and the Laments in the Psalms. It’s a blessing to hear how he has prayerfully read and applied scholarly analysis to these popular Biblical passages. Walter Moberly is an English theologian and professor of theology and Biblical interpretation at Durham University. He earned his M.A. at Oxford University and an M.A. and Ph.D. at Cambridge University. He is also an ordained priest in the Church of England. He is known for his creative, accessible, and provocative writing. Some of his books include: The God of the Old Testament, Old Testament Theology, The Bible in a Disenchanted Age, and The Theology of the Book of Genesis. Blog: http://www.mikedelgado.org/podcast/moberly/

It is not enough to have a high view of Scripture if we do not also have a high use of Scripture. In fact, a failure in our use of Scripture can empty our high view of Scripture of any real value or importance. It is arguably the case that the confessional Reformed tradition has the most vested interest in ensuring that its famously high view of what Scripture is finds expression in the classroom where its ministers are being trained in the reading, teaching, and preaching of Holy Scripture. The Reformed tradition, that is, should have a greater interest than most--theoretically--in guaranteeing that there is a meaningful and lively link, that is dynamic rather than static, of what we are learning about what Scripture is and how we decide we need to preach, teach, and read those same Scriptures as thoughtful Christians. With a view to recent developments in Old Testament studies, today’s Greystone Conversations episode reflects on what difference those developments should have on what’s happening in the seminary and Bible college classroom--both in terms of Old Testament classes and the whole curriculum as well. How should that developing understanding find expression in the way we think about the most faithful theologically coherent and effective ways to order our reading of Scripture in whatever department of the seminary or Bible college?To discuss this and more, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology at Greystone Theological Institute, sits down with Dr. Don C. Collett, Greystone's Fellow in Old Testament and associate professor of Old Testament at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA (USA). Dr. Collet has spent many years reflecting carefully on the questions we are exploring today, and he’s just recently published a book on this topic entitled Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice, released by Baker Academic in April of this year (2020). Dr. Collett’s Greystone course, Job as Christian Scripture, is available to all Greystone Members. Become a member today for unlimited access to the growing Greystone Connect library.

Scripture speaks often of the "God of Israel." But who did Israel believe that God was? What kind of a God did Israel envision as she worshiped? Dr. John D. Fortner provides helpful insights into this compassionate, active God that we've come to know most intimately through Jesus Christ.Continue reading

In what way should we understand the New Testament and the Church's proclamation of Lord Jesus Christ as a proclamation that takes place "according to the Scriptures"? This question focuses attention on how the Old Testament continues in Spiritual power to proclaim and commend the Son of God to the faith of his Church on its own terms. That is, the Church must not approach the Old Testament as a text that merely discloses Christ by pointing away from itself, away from its own temporal context, to what Jesus and the New Testament will bring. For the Church, it is not the New Testament’s use of the Old Testament which ultimately justifies and grounds the Old Testament’s witness to Jesus Christ, its Christology, and all that attends it—or that ultimately justifies and grounds our own understanding of the Old Testament’s relationship to Christ. Rather, the Old Testament bears theological witness to Christ on its own terms. How then should Christians regard the Old Testament as an abiding theological witness to Lord Jesus Christ? To discuss this and more, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology at Greystone Theological Institute, sits down with Dr. Don C. Collett, Greystone's Fellow in Old Testament and associate professor of Old Testament at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA (USA). Dr. Collet has spent many years reflecting carefully on the questions we are exploring today, and he’s just recently published a book on this topic entitled Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice, released by Baker Academic in April of this year (2020). Dr. Collett’s Greystone course, Job as Christian Scripture, is available to all Greystone Members. Become a member today for unlimited access to the growing Greystone Connect library.

Does the Old Testament continue to function for the Church as Holy Scripture, and if so, how? This is a key question for the Church’s faith and life. Interest in the question among Evangelicals and Reformed Christians often quickly turns into the alleyways of debates over theonomy, the uses of the law, and other such topics. But there’s a far more fundamental, even elemental, theological reality to which this question of the Old Testament as Christian Scripture belongs, one which requires that we first appreciate the nature of Scripture as rooted in God’s economy--that is, his ordered and purposed working in the world to the end or eschatological telos of the glory of the Son by the Spirit through the Church. Holy Scripture is what it is only as it is first located within those purposes. But this entails certain other commitments such as the relationship of the Son, the Arche and Logos, to Scripture from the very beginning and not only at the end. If the Scriptures which we call “Old” are as much the Word of God about the Son of God as the New Testament Scriptures are, how then should we understand the Old Testament in relation to this Christ and to the New Testament?To discuss this and more, Dr. Mark A. Garcia, President and Fellow in Scripture and Theology at Greystone Theological Institute, sits down with Greystone's Fellow in Old Testament and associate professor of Old Testament at Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA (USA), Dr. Don C. Collett. Dr. Collett has spent many years reflecting carefully on the questions we are exploring today, and he’s just recently published a book on this topic entitled Figural Reading and the Old Testament: Theology and Practice, released by Baker Academic in April of this year (2020). Dr. Collett’s Greystone course, Job as Christian Scripture, is available to all Greystone Members. Become a member today for unlimited access to the growing Greystone Connect library.

Study Notes Ed Underwood Hosea: God’s Loyal Love I will heal their waywardness and love them freely (Hosea 14:4). The seventeen Books of Prophecy record the messages of the writing prophets (those whose messages are preserved in writing) God raised up to speak for him following the ministries of the prophets Elijah and Elisha. The failings of the Divided Kingdom Era prompted God to speak to Israel in the north and Judah in the south. They continued to speak to God’s people for over 400 years, including the exile to Babylonia and the return to the Promise Land. (1 Kings 12-Esther) The prophets spoke for God to His people concerning the enforcement of terms of their covenant relationship with God. Each spoke to a specific generation of Israel or Judah to enforce the conditional covenant (Mosaic) in the context of the unconditional covenants flowing from the Abrahamic Covenant. Their message can be summed up in these sentences: You are mine! (Unconditional covenants, Romans 11:29). Walk with me and I will bless you. Walk away from me and I will call you back to myself through loving discipline (Conditional covenant, Romans 9-11). Hosea’s prophetic career began near the end of a time of great economic prosperity and military success for both Israel and Judah. His primary ministry was to the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of her greatest king, Jeroboam II. However, Assyrian influence began to strengthen under Tiglath-pileser III, who conquered Israel in 722 B.C. The reigns of Israel’s last five illegitimate kings (usurpers to the throne of the line of Jehu, 2 Kings 10:30; 15:12) were short-lived and confused. Chaos and weakness characterized these last years of the northern kingdom. Still, her people refused to heed Hosea’s warning of imminent judgment. The people were in a spiritual daze, filled with sin and idolatry. Hosea’s ministry to Israel parallels the coming ministry of Jeremiah to the southern kingdom of Judah. Like Jeremiah, Hosea relates God’s deep sorrow over the state of the people and the nation He loves. Israel is God’s silly dove (7:11) refusing to repent (4:1), and it breaks God’s heart to discipline her (chapter 11). The personal tragedy of a marital unfaithfulness becomes a powerful illustration of the greater tragedy of a nation in rebellion against her God. It’s a story of loyal love—between the prophet Hosea and his adulterous wife, Gomer, and between God and His idolatrous people, Israel. Just as Gomer breaks Hosea’s heart by playing the harlot, Israel breaks the heart of her God as she spurns His love. But unconditional love is the theme: Just as Hosea buys his wife out of slavery, God will redeem and restore His people— after a time of purifying punishment. Unconditional love keeps seeking even after it is rejected. Hosea, whose name means salvation, is a prophet from the northern kingdom of Israel, often called Ephraim because that was the dominant tribe in the north as Judah was in the south. He writes with the detail and passion of a native eyewitness to the demise of Israel. “In no prophet is the love of God more clearly demarcated and illustrated than in Hosea” (Walter C. Kaiser Jr., Toward an Old Testament Theology, p. 197). Hosea was written to encourage the adulterous northern kingdom to repent by demonstrating God’s loyal love for His people in Hosea’s marriage and his message. God passionately pursues His unfaithful people. Though His loyal love never ignores unfaithfulness (chapter 3), He never abandons nor stops pursuing the unfaithful (5:14-6:1): “The great illustration of how committed God is to His people is how He instructed Hosea to relate to his unfaithful wife. The Lord will not forsake those with whom He has joined in covenant commitment even if they become unfaithful to Him repeatedly. He will be patient with them and eventually save them (11:1-4; 14)” (Tom Constable, Hosea, p. 4). I. HOSEA’S MARRIAGE—THE GREAT ILLUSTRATION OF LOYAL LOVE: Hosea marries a woman named Gomer whose behavior is a painful, living object lesson to the prophet as God prepares him to speak words of warning and love to the northern kingdom. (1-3) Hosea: The Lord’s loyal love never stops pursuing those who are His! PROPHETIC MARRIAGE: Gomer bears Hosea three children appropriately named by God as signs to Israel. Jezreel, Lo-Ruhamah, and Lo-Ammi mean “God Scatters,” “Not Pitied,” and “Not My People.” Similarly, God will judge and scatter Israel because of her sin. (1:1-2:1) PICTURE OF ISRAEL: Gomer seeks other lovers and deserts Hosea just as Israel has sought idols and deserted God. (2:2-23) C. LOYAL LOVE: Hosea illustrates God’s love for Israel by buying or redeeming her from the slave market and restoring her. (3) II. HOSEA’S MESSAGE—THE GREAT TRUTH OF LOYAL LOVE: Because of his own painful experience, Hosea can feel some of the sorrow of God over the sinfulness of His people. Though Hosea’s love for Gomer pictures God’s love for Israel, Israel has fallen to such a depraved state that judgment is inevitable. (4-14) ISRAEL’S SPIRITUAL ADULTERY: The sins are evident. Having rejected the knowledge of God, they have spiraled into idolatry. Though judgment is imminent, God will restore His adulterous people. (4-6:3) ISRAEL’S REFUSAL TO REPENT: Even now God wants to heal and redeem them (7:1, 13), but in their arrogance and idolatry they rebel. (6:4-8:14) ISRAEL’S JUDGMENT FROM GOD: Israel will suffer dispersion, barrenness and destruction. (9-10) D. ISRAEL’S RESTORATION TO GOD God is holy (4-7) and just (8-10), but He is also loving and gracious (11-14). God must discipline, but because of His endless love, He will ultimately save and restore His wayward people. (11:18; 14:4) HOSEA AND YOU: God’s loyal love is the bedrock of a believer’s assurance that we belong to Him and his/her primary motivator to worship Him. Hosea’slifeandwritingsillustrateandteachGod’sloyalloveforthosewhobelongtoHim.God’sloyal love is the basis of our assurance as Christians. All those rightly related to God through faith in His message concerning salvation are secure in their relationship with Him. He will never revoke His promises (Romans 11:29) to Israel or to the New Testament believer (Ephesians 1:1-14; Titus 3:5). Eternal security rests in the faithfulness of God to His promise. Assurance occurs when the one who belongs to God believes he or she is secure based upon the promises and loyal love of God (1 John 5:11-13). Worship is a response to God’s loyal love from an undeserving heart (Romans 12:1-2). The Bible consistently compares worship of God to marital love, and Hosea teaches us that we’re all unfaithful “Gomers” being loved loyally by our faithful God (Ephesians 2:4-10). Messiah: Matthew 2:15 applies chapter 11, verse 1, to Christ in Egypt. Matthew quotes the second half of this verse to show that the Exodus of Israel from Egypt as a new nation was a prophetic type of Israel’s Messiah who was also called out of Egypt in His childhood. Both Israel and Christ left Palestine to take refuge in Egypt. Christ’s identification with our plight and His loving work of redemption can be seen in Hosea’s redemption of Gomer from the slave market.

In this episode of Theology Thursday we explore how people who lived before Jesus was born were saved - the answer might surprise you!

Happy Monday, friends! Today begins day #5 of shelter in place for us in central California. Yesterday, when my son and I went for a walk in our neighborhood - which is in the city of Salinas, California - we happened upon a gaggle of turkeys atop our neighbor's house. It would seem the animals are retaking their former territory with less and less humans on the street. I, for one, welcome our new turkey overlords, as long as they can clear up this coronavirus thing...you can count on me to vote straight turkey in the November elections. Now on to more serious things - today's Bible readings include Exodus 34, Proverbs 10, John 13 and Ephesians 3. Our focus passage is from Exodus 34, which has long been one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament. Some people who have not actually read the Bible have the idea that the 'God of the Old Testament' is harsh and judgmental and terrifying, but the 'God of the New Testament' is merciful and kind. Well, the fact is - the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are quite the SAME, and He doesn't change. He is both kind/merciful and Holy/a consuming fire. I heard a great Tim Keller sermon today on this dynamic that talked about how Jesus was a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, according to Hebrews. For a Jewish person, this would have been a most astonishing statement. For them the priests were the ministers of health and mercy in their society -the social workers, the medics, the nurses, and the ministers all in one, really. This is why Jesus commanded the cleansed and healed lepers to go show themselves to the priests in Luke 17. Those lepers were healed, but the priests, in their compassion/social work function, would need to have a record of them being cleansed. They were the compassionate arm of the governmental leadership of the people of God. The kings, on the other hand, were far more focused on justice. If you did wrong, it was the king and his administration's job to punish evil and protect the citizens. This can be pretty clearly seen in Romans 13, where Paul describes the role of the King and the high judicial authorities:  2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Romans 13:2-4 The king brings justice and carries the sword, but the priest is a minister of mercy, compassion and kindness - two wildly different offices. The thing about Melchizedek, however, is that he alone in the Old Testament was a priest AND a king. In fact, as we've discussed before, I consider Melchizedek to be a Christophany - an Old Testament appearance of Christ. Jesus, like Melchizedek, was and is a KING and a PRIEST. He is a FOREVER PRIEST, and He is the KING OF ALL KINGS - He combines the justice/judgment/holiness/authority of the King with the compassion/mercy/tenderness of the priest. And, as you might expect, Jesus is like His Father who was also abounding in mercy AND a just/Holy and almighty Judge. Let's read Exodus 34 and see how God describes HIMSELF: 5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. 6 Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:5-7 Such an interesting passage! In particular, I am stirred by the fact that God says He is rich in "faithful love," and that He maintains that "faithful love," to a thousand generations. Back in my seminary days, I took a Hebrew exegesis class, and one of our assignments was to write a long paper on ONE word. I thought it was going to be one of the toughest and most boring assignments I've ever had. First, because Hebrew was a very hard language to learn. Entirely different characters, no punctuation, no vowels per se, and the script reads right to left, rather than left to right. Nevertheless, this assignment has become one of my favorite and most fruitful assignments I've ever had. Almost no other assignment in seminary quite revealed the character of God to me like studying this ONE Hebrew word: סֶד cheçed, kheh'-sed. We don't really have an English equivalent for that word, but faithful love or covenant love is an approximation. I'd like to share a little bit about that word, if you'll let me. Not as an academic study, but to illuminate for us the character of God a little better: The Hebrew word chesed, signified by the Hebrew chet, seghol vowel, samek, seghol vowel then dalet, is a significant Old Testament word that has generated quite a bit of theological controversy in recent scholarship. Often translated with benevolent words like “mercy”, “love” or the King James Version’s “lovingkindness” none of those words capture the full meaning of the Hebrew, but they do come close. Many scholars contend that chesed is best understood in the context of covenantal relationship; while others counter that it is not fully dependent on contractual obligations. This project will examine chesed in a variety of Old Testament passages, defining its range of meaning from context while seeking to determine whether the covenantal view of chesed is fully accurate. Further, as chesed is such a common word in the Old Testament, the focus here will be on the positive aspect of the word and will further zoom in on the aspect of chesed as expressed by God towards man. Chesed is used frequently in the Old Testament, appearing roughly 250 times (246 according to TLOT[1] and 245 according to NIDOTTE[2]), and is distributed widely as well, appearing more than once in at least 25 Old Testament books, ranging from the earliest (Genesis and Job) to the latest, (Esther and Malachi.)[3] By far, the book of Psalms contains the most instances of chesed, with at least 125, accounting for over half of the word’s usage in the Old Testament. Chesed can refer to inter-human relationships but roughly 75 percent of the time when it appears in the Old Testament, it is referring to God’s relationship and dealings with man.[4] Chesed in Old Testament Context             Prior to the twentieth century, chesed was almost always translated using words such as mercy, faithfulness, love and kindness.[5] Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, first published in 1847, uses the words “zeal”, “love”, “desire”, “mercy” and “benevolence”.[6] Brown Driver Briggs, appearing in 1906, similarly uses the words “kindness” and “goodness” specifying “kindness, especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable”[7] The traditional understanding of chesed was strongly challenged in 1927 with the release of a very influential doctoral dissertation published in Germany by Nelson Glueck. This work contained a detailed argument that chesed should be understood in light of covenant relationship, and was therefore more a function of loyalty and fidelity than simply mercy and kindness. R. Laird Harris summarizes Glueck’s view, “He built on the growing idea that Israel was bound to its deity by covenants like the Hittite and other treaties. He held that God is pictured as dealing basically in this way with Israel. The Ten Commandments were stipulations of the covenant, Israel’s victories were rewards of covenant keeping, her apostasy was covenant violation and God’s chesed was not basically mercy, but loyalty to His contractual obligations.”[8] Further elucidation of Glueck’s view is found in the Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, “[according to Glueck] chesed does not refer to a spontaneous, ultimately unmotivated kindness, but to a mode of behavior that arises from a relationship, defined by rights and obligations.”[9] This view has been widely accepted among certain scholars, and has greatly influenced modern understanding of the meaning of chesed, and as such, the nature of God’s relationship with the Hebrew people. A full examination of the context and uses of chesed in the Old Testament, however, seems to quite clearly refute Glueck's position.    Glueck’s contention must be dealt with in any discussion of the definition of chesed, both because of its widespread scholarly acceptance, and because there are a few Old Testament passages that seem to validate his proposal. The stakes of properly defining chesed are quite high – is God kind and loving to only certain people (and even then only because of obligation/covenant,) or is He merciful and kind to all because it is in His nature? It is easy to see how this word understood in a strictly covenantal way can lead to a false dichotomy between the God of the Old Testament (loving out of obligation, and punishing with wrath) and the God of the New Testament (loving and merciful).             Context in the Hebrew language is of paramount importance in understanding word meanings. Glueck, and other scholars after him have paid careful attention to all of the instances of chesed that appear in passages connected to covenant themes. Note the appearance of the word in covenantal context in 1 Kings 3:6, “Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness (chesed) to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness (chesed) to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.” (NIV, emphasis mine) First note that the NIV translates both cheseds as kindness. Looking at the KJV, we find that it translates the first chesed as “mercy”, and the second as “kindness”. The literal NASB uses “lovingkindness” in both spots. Second, the word “because” is important here, it indicates to the many advocates of Glueck’s thesis evidence of the covenantal nature of chesed.             Another chesed passage contains similar covenantal thought, “Continue your love (chesed) to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalms 36:10, NIV) Again, many modern scholars see an almost quid pro quo here: God’s chesed is given to those who know Him and his righteousness (tsadoq) to the upright. Surveying other translations, we see that where the NIV translates chesed with love, the KJV uses “lovingkindness”, the Amplified follows the KJV (As does the NKJV and NASB) and the ESV chooses to use two words to express its translation: “steadfast love”.             Another passage that seems to confirm the Glueck hypothesis is 2 Samuel 22:26, “To the faithful (chacyd – an adjectival form of chesed) you show yourself faithful (chesed), to the blameless you show yourself blameless. (NIV, also closely paralleled in Psalms 18:25) Interestingly, the NIV uses “faithful” here, adding another element of meaning to the word, while the NASB translates “kind” and the KJV uses “merciful”.             While the passages above and a handful of others seem to confirm the covenantal nature of chesed, it should be noted that there are many instances of chesed in the Old Testament that do not contain even a veiled reference to covenant or agreement. A clear example of this is found in 1 Kings 20:31. In this passage, the Syrian king Benhadad had just seen his army defeated by Israel’s army, and he is facing the prospect of death. The text reads, “His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. (chesed)  Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.” (NIV) The context here has nothing to do with covenant in any way; it is simply listed as a character trait of the kings of Israel, irrespective of their relationships (particularly in this case, with an enemy). Most major translations, including the KJV, the NASB, and the NKJV use merciful here as well, and this is a strong indication that mercy must be at least a significant primary sense of chesed, the context here makes it very clear.             Turning again to God’s relationship with humanity, Exodus 34:6 describes an encounter between Moses and God in the midst of the reception of the Ten Commandments. Though the receiving of the commandments are the setting of this passage, it is clear that God’s description of Himself has nothing contextually to do with the setting, “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness (chesed) and truth.” (KJV) The KJV uses “goodness” for chesed here, while the NIV opts for “love” and the NASB uses “lovingkindness” Given that God’s declaration of His love, mercy and long suffering happened directly after a great falling away by the Israelites, it is difficult to see how he is proclaiming His chesed here only in the context of covenant. This declaration of God and His abiding chesed is similarly found in Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, and as late as Nehemiah 9:7 (among others).             There is at least one instance, perhaps more (see Jonah 2:8), where chesed substitutes as a name for God. Psalm 144:2 declares, “He is my loving God (chesed) and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” The NIV here adds “God” to the passage, translating chesed as “loving God”.             One final contextual view of chesed will be considered. Psalm 51 is known as David’s penitential prayer to God after the murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba. In this Psalm, David cries out for forgiveness and a restoration of His relationship with God, and bases his please on God’s chesed. The NIV renders verse 1, “Have mercy on me O God according to your unfailing love (chesed); according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.” David’s plea is not based on His relationship or covenant with God, nor on God’s promises, but on God’s character – He is chesed. Again here, we see chesed translated in a slightly different way as unfailing love in the NIV and lovingkindness in the KJV and NASB.             Several things are clear from the above passages. First, chesed is translated a myriad of ways, but always seems to carry with it the idea of kindness, love, mercy and benevolence. Though it is an archaic term, “lovingkindness” is proposed as the best translation, as it best encompasses all of the nuances called for by the contexts listed above, if one were to use two words, perhaps “loving mercy” would be even more appropriate.             Second, though chesed is often used in covenantal passages, it is quite a stretch to say that the word should be defined in that context only, because it is used in so many other contexts, where it clearly means kindness, love or mercy, but has no connection to anything even remotely covenantal. John Piper, writing when he was a professor at Bethel college in 1979, comes to a similar conclusion. He writes, “Therefore, God’s chesed (and the mercy that flows from it), understood in its most fundamental sense precedes and grounds the covenant rather than vice versa. It is that which moved God in his sovereign freedom to graciously initiate a relationship with Israel.”[10] Yes, God is in covenant with Israel, but His covenant was preceded by His chesed, His chesed does not come about because of the covenant.             Spiritual application of this truth is two-fold. Primarily, when we study chesed, we see a God who is abounding in grace, love and mercy. His kindness is everlasting, and His mercy is sure.  Secondly, this truth can be used apologetically, particularly with the one who denies the truth of the Bible, because of the false assumption that the God of the Old Testament was only wrathful and different from the God of the New Testament, who is more merciful. Careful analysis of chesed shows that this isn’t true at all. Conclusion            Chesed therefore is a most important word to understand if one desires to understand the attributes of God and His relationship with His people. God’s lovingkindness does not spring out of obligation, nor is it only available to a select few, nor is it only open to those who are pure hearted and lovers of God. Lovingkindness is an aspect of God’s being, independent of His relationship with man, but informing every facet of that relationship. [1]              Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, trans. Mark E. Biddle (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 449 [2]              William A. VanGemeren, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 211 [3]              Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, 449 [4]              New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. 211 [5]              R. Laird Harris, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume 1. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 305 [6]              William Geseneius, Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, trans. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 293-294 [7]              Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1951), 338 [8]              Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 305 [9]              Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, 451 [10]         John Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22 (September, 1979): 210-211.

Happy Monday, friends! Today begins day #5 of shelter in place for us in central California. Yesterday, when my son and I went for a walk in our neighborhood - which is in the city of Salinas, California - we happened upon a gaggle of turkeys atop our neighbor's house. It would seem the animals are retaking their former territory with less and less humans on the street. I, for one, welcome our new turkey overlords, as long as they can clear up this coronavirus thing...you can count on me to vote straight turkey in the November elections. Now on to more serious things - today's Bible readings include Exodus 34, Proverbs 10, John 13 and Ephesians 3. Our focus passage is from Exodus 34, which has long been one of my favorite passages in the Old Testament. Some people who have not actually read the Bible have the idea that the 'God of the Old Testament' is harsh and judgmental and terrifying, but the 'God of the New Testament' is merciful and kind. Well, the fact is - the God of the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament are quite the SAME, and He doesn't change. He is both kind/merciful and Holy/a consuming fire. I heard a great Tim Keller sermon today on this dynamic that talked about how Jesus was a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, according to Hebrews. For a Jewish person, this would have been a most astonishing statement. For them the priests were the ministers of health and mercy in their society -the social workers, the medics, the nurses, and the ministers all in one, really. This is why Jesus commanded the cleansed and healed lepers to go show themselves to the priests in Luke 17. Those lepers were healed, but the priests, in their compassion/social work function, would need to have a record of them being cleansed. They were the compassionate arm of the governmental leadership of the people of God. The kings, on the other hand, were far more focused on justice. If you did wrong, it was the king and his administration's job to punish evil and protect the citizens. This can be pretty clearly seen in Romans 13, where Paul describes the role of the King and the high judicial authorities:  2 So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God’s command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. 4 For it is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God’s servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. Romans 13:2-4 The king brings justice and carries the sword, but the priest is a minister of mercy, compassion and kindness - two wildly different offices. The thing about Melchizedek, however, is that he alone in the Old Testament was a priest AND a king. In fact, as we've discussed before, I consider Melchizedek to be a Christophany - an Old Testament appearance of Christ. Jesus, like Melchizedek, was and is a KING and a PRIEST. He is a FOREVER PRIEST, and He is the KING OF ALL KINGS - He combines the justice/judgment/holiness/authority of the King with the compassion/mercy/tenderness of the priest. And, as you might expect, Jesus is like His Father who was also abounding in mercy AND a just/Holy and almighty Judge. Let's read Exodus 34 and see how God describes HIMSELF: 5 The Lord came down in a cloud, stood with him there, and proclaimed His name Yahweh. 6 Then the Lord passed in front of him and proclaimed:Yahweh—Yahweh is a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in faithful love and truth, 7 maintaining faithful love to a thousand generations, forgiving wrongdoing, rebellion, and sin. But He will not leave the guilty unpunished, bringing the consequences of the fathers’ wrongdoing on the children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generation. Exodus 34:5-7 Such an interesting passage! In particular, I am stirred by the fact that God says He is rich in "faithful love," and that He maintains that "faithful love," to a thousand generations. Back in my seminary days, I took a Hebrew exegesis class, and one of our assignments was to write a long paper on ONE word. I thought it was going to be one of the toughest and most boring assignments I've ever had. First, because Hebrew was a very hard language to learn. Entirely different characters, no punctuation, no vowels per se, and the script reads right to left, rather than left to right. Nevertheless, this assignment has become one of my favorite and most fruitful assignments I've ever had. Almost no other assignment in seminary quite revealed the character of God to me like studying this ONE Hebrew word: סֶד cheçed, kheh'-sed. We don't really have an English equivalent for that word, but faithful love or covenant love is an approximation. I'd like to share a little bit about that word, if you'll let me. Not as an academic study, but to illuminate for us the character of God a little better: The Hebrew word chesed, signified by the Hebrew chet, seghol vowel, samek, seghol vowel then dalet, is a significant Old Testament word that has generated quite a bit of theological controversy in recent scholarship. Often translated with benevolent words like “mercy”, “love” or the King James Version’s “lovingkindness” none of those words capture the full meaning of the Hebrew, but they do come close. Many scholars contend that chesed is best understood in the context of covenantal relationship; while others counter that it is not fully dependent on contractual obligations. This project will examine chesed in a variety of Old Testament passages, defining its range of meaning from context while seeking to determine whether the covenantal view of chesed is fully accurate. Further, as chesed is such a common word in the Old Testament, the focus here will be on the positive aspect of the word and will further zoom in on the aspect of chesed as expressed by God towards man. Chesed is used frequently in the Old Testament, appearing roughly 250 times (246 according to TLOT[1] and 245 according to NIDOTTE[2]), and is distributed widely as well, appearing more than once in at least 25 Old Testament books, ranging from the earliest (Genesis and Job) to the latest, (Esther and Malachi.)[3] By far, the book of Psalms contains the most instances of chesed, with at least 125, accounting for over half of the word’s usage in the Old Testament. Chesed can refer to inter-human relationships but roughly 75 percent of the time when it appears in the Old Testament, it is referring to God’s relationship and dealings with man.[4] Chesed in Old Testament Context             Prior to the twentieth century, chesed was almost always translated using words such as mercy, faithfulness, love and kindness.[5] Gesenius’ Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament, first published in 1847, uses the words “zeal”, “love”, “desire”, “mercy” and “benevolence”.[6] Brown Driver Briggs, appearing in 1906, similarly uses the words “kindness” and “goodness” specifying “kindness, especially as extended to the lowly, needy and miserable”[7] The traditional understanding of chesed was strongly challenged in 1927 with the release of a very influential doctoral dissertation published in Germany by Nelson Glueck. This work contained a detailed argument that chesed should be understood in light of covenant relationship, and was therefore more a function of loyalty and fidelity than simply mercy and kindness. R. Laird Harris summarizes Glueck’s view, “He built on the growing idea that Israel was bound to its deity by covenants like the Hittite and other treaties. He held that God is pictured as dealing basically in this way with Israel. The Ten Commandments were stipulations of the covenant, Israel’s victories were rewards of covenant keeping, her apostasy was covenant violation and God’s chesed was not basically mercy, but loyalty to His contractual obligations.”[8] Further elucidation of Glueck’s view is found in the Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, “[according to Glueck] chesed does not refer to a spontaneous, ultimately unmotivated kindness, but to a mode of behavior that arises from a relationship, defined by rights and obligations.”[9] This view has been widely accepted among certain scholars, and has greatly influenced modern understanding of the meaning of chesed, and as such, the nature of God’s relationship with the Hebrew people. A full examination of the context and uses of chesed in the Old Testament, however, seems to quite clearly refute Glueck's position.    Glueck’s contention must be dealt with in any discussion of the definition of chesed, both because of its widespread scholarly acceptance, and because there are a few Old Testament passages that seem to validate his proposal. The stakes of properly defining chesed are quite high – is God kind and loving to only certain people (and even then only because of obligation/covenant,) or is He merciful and kind to all because it is in His nature? It is easy to see how this word understood in a strictly covenantal way can lead to a false dichotomy between the God of the Old Testament (loving out of obligation, and punishing with wrath) and the God of the New Testament (loving and merciful).             Context in the Hebrew language is of paramount importance in understanding word meanings. Glueck, and other scholars after him have paid careful attention to all of the instances of chesed that appear in passages connected to covenant themes. Note the appearance of the word in covenantal context in 1 Kings 3:6, “Solomon answered, "You have shown great kindness (chesed) to your servant, my father David, because he was faithful to you and righteous and upright in heart. You have continued this great kindness (chesed) to him and have given him a son to sit on his throne this very day.” (NIV, emphasis mine) First note that the NIV translates both cheseds as kindness. Looking at the KJV, we find that it translates the first chesed as “mercy”, and the second as “kindness”. The literal NASB uses “lovingkindness” in both spots. Second, the word “because” is important here, it indicates to the many advocates of Glueck’s thesis evidence of the covenantal nature of chesed.             Another chesed passage contains similar covenantal thought, “Continue your love (chesed) to those who know you, your righteousness to the upright in heart. (Psalms 36:10, NIV) Again, many modern scholars see an almost quid pro quo here: God’s chesed is given to those who know Him and his righteousness (tsadoq) to the upright. Surveying other translations, we see that where the NIV translates chesed with love, the KJV uses “lovingkindness”, the Amplified follows the KJV (As does the NKJV and NASB) and the ESV chooses to use two words to express its translation: “steadfast love”.             Another passage that seems to confirm the Glueck hypothesis is 2 Samuel 22:26, “To the faithful (chacyd – an adjectival form of chesed) you show yourself faithful (chesed), to the blameless you show yourself blameless. (NIV, also closely paralleled in Psalms 18:25) Interestingly, the NIV uses “faithful” here, adding another element of meaning to the word, while the NASB translates “kind” and the KJV uses “merciful”.             While the passages above and a handful of others seem to confirm the covenantal nature of chesed, it should be noted that there are many instances of chesed in the Old Testament that do not contain even a veiled reference to covenant or agreement. A clear example of this is found in 1 Kings 20:31. In this passage, the Syrian king Benhadad had just seen his army defeated by Israel’s army, and he is facing the prospect of death. The text reads, “His officials said to him, "Look, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. (chesed)  Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.” (NIV) The context here has nothing to do with covenant in any way; it is simply listed as a character trait of the kings of Israel, irrespective of their relationships (particularly in this case, with an enemy). Most major translations, including the KJV, the NASB, and the NKJV use merciful here as well, and this is a strong indication that mercy must be at least a significant primary sense of chesed, the context here makes it very clear.             Turning again to God’s relationship with humanity, Exodus 34:6 describes an encounter between Moses and God in the midst of the reception of the Ten Commandments. Though the receiving of the commandments are the setting of this passage, it is clear that God’s description of Himself has nothing contextually to do with the setting, “And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness (chesed) and truth.” (KJV) The KJV uses “goodness” for chesed here, while the NIV opts for “love” and the NASB uses “lovingkindness” Given that God’s declaration of His love, mercy and long suffering happened directly after a great falling away by the Israelites, it is difficult to see how he is proclaiming His chesed here only in the context of covenant. This declaration of God and His abiding chesed is similarly found in Psalm 86:15, 103:8, 145:8, and as late as Nehemiah 9:7 (among others).             There is at least one instance, perhaps more (see Jonah 2:8), where chesed substitutes as a name for God. Psalm 144:2 declares, “He is my loving God (chesed) and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield, in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me.” The NIV here adds “God” to the passage, translating chesed as “loving God”.             One final contextual view of chesed will be considered. Psalm 51 is known as David’s penitential prayer to God after the murder of Uriah and adultery with Bathsheba. In this Psalm, David cries out for forgiveness and a restoration of His relationship with God, and bases his please on God’s chesed. The NIV renders verse 1, “Have mercy on me O God according to your unfailing love (chesed); according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions.” David’s plea is not based on His relationship or covenant with God, nor on God’s promises, but on God’s character – He is chesed. Again here, we see chesed translated in a slightly different way as unfailing love in the NIV and lovingkindness in the KJV and NASB.             Several things are clear from the above passages. First, chesed is translated a myriad of ways, but always seems to carry with it the idea of kindness, love, mercy and benevolence. Though it is an archaic term, “lovingkindness” is proposed as the best translation, as it best encompasses all of the nuances called for by the contexts listed above, if one were to use two words, perhaps “loving mercy” would be even more appropriate.             Second, though chesed is often used in covenantal passages, it is quite a stretch to say that the word should be defined in that context only, because it is used in so many other contexts, where it clearly means kindness, love or mercy, but has no connection to anything even remotely covenantal. John Piper, writing when he was a professor at Bethel college in 1979, comes to a similar conclusion. He writes, “Therefore, God’s chesed (and the mercy that flows from it), understood in its most fundamental sense precedes and grounds the covenant rather than vice versa. It is that which moved God in his sovereign freedom to graciously initiate a relationship with Israel.”[10] Yes, God is in covenant with Israel, but His covenant was preceded by His chesed, His chesed does not come about because of the covenant.             Spiritual application of this truth is two-fold. Primarily, when we study chesed, we see a God who is abounding in grace, love and mercy. His kindness is everlasting, and His mercy is sure.  Secondly, this truth can be used apologetically, particularly with the one who denies the truth of the Bible, because of the false assumption that the God of the Old Testament was only wrathful and different from the God of the New Testament, who is more merciful. Careful analysis of chesed shows that this isn’t true at all. Conclusion            Chesed therefore is a most important word to understand if one desires to understand the attributes of God and His relationship with His people. God’s lovingkindness does not spring out of obligation, nor is it only available to a select few, nor is it only open to those who are pure hearted and lovers of God. Lovingkindness is an aspect of God’s being, independent of His relationship with man, but informing every facet of that relationship. [1]              Ernst Jenni and Claus Westermann, Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, trans. Mark E. Biddle (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1997), 449 [2]              William A. VanGemeren, New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1997), 211 [3]              Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, 449 [4]              New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis. 211 [5]              R. Laird Harris, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, Volume 1. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), 305 [6]              William Geseneius, Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, trans. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), 293-294 [7]              Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament. (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1951), 338 [8]              Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, 305 [9]              Theological Lexicon of the Old Testament, 451 [10]         John Piper, “Prolegomena to Understanding Romans 9:14-15: An Interpretation of Exodus 33:19,” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 22 (September, 1979): 210-211.

dream interpretation: how to interpret dreamsIn this episode of The Remnant Radio, Katherine Gray come on to discuss dream interpretation. Katherine gives us 3 keys to making the most of your 8 hours of sleep. If you have ever had a difficult dream that you do not know the meaning of this episode will be helpful for you. If you have a dream that you would like help interpreting, give us a call once we go live, we would love to try and help you gain understanding in your dream. ____________________________________________________________________________________Help Support The Channelhttps://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr...____________________________________________________________________________________Resources on Dreams from Theological Dictionarieshttps://theremnantradio.com/wp-conten...____________________________________________________________________________________Kathy's Websitehttps://kathygraydreamers.com____________________________________________________________________________________Dreams in the Bible an infographichttps://overviewbible.com/infographic...____________________________________________________________________________________BooksSurprised by the voice of God - jack Deerehttps://www.amazon.com/dp/0310225582r...God using Dreams Today (Muslim conversions)https://www.amazon.com/DREAMS-VISIONS...Academic WorkThe Oxford Handbook of Apocalyptic Literature (Oxford Handbooks) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199856494/...[For learning the metaphorical language of scripture. Or just read all dreams and visions in Scripture over and over.]Academic PaperToward an Old Testament Theology of Dreams and Visions from a Pentecostal-Charismatic Perspective https://theremnantradio.com/wp-conten...Prof. David Hymes

The books of the prophets are often the most difficult and misunderstood books in the Bible. In part one (0:00-10:00), Tim and Jon briefly go over a few reasons why reading the prophets can be so challenging. Tim shares quotes from Martin Luther and fJohn Bright: The challenge of reading the prophetic books: “The prophets have an odd way of talking, like people who, instead of proceeding in an orderly manner, ramble off from one thing to the next, so that you cannot make head or tail of them or see what they are getting at.” Martin Luther, quoted in Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 2 (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), 33. “What makes the prophetic books particularly, and one might say needlessly, difficult is the very manner of their arrangement — or, to be more accurate, their apparent lack of arrangement… All seems confusion… The impression that the reader gains is one of extreme disarray; one can scarcely blame him for concluding that he is reading a hopeless hodgepodge thrown together without any discernible principle of arrangement at all.” — John Bright, Jeremiah (Anchor Bible Commentary, 1965), p. lvi. In part two (10:00-18:40), Tim asks Jon what he thinks a modern definition of prophets and prophecy is. Jon says he believes it has to do with fortune telling. A prophet is someone who can look into the future and predict an event. Tim explains that while this is part of the role of a prophet, it is not the central focus, and predicting future events only occurs occasionally in the Bible. Tim explains that the definition of a prophet in the Old Testament is actually very simple. A prophet is simply a messenger or a herald giving a message to people on God’s behalf. Tim says that most people understand the term prophecy as the prediction of future events. This definition is inadequate and does not account for the huge amounts of the material in the prophetic books. While there are certain passages within the prophets which do contain predictive elements, most of these poems and narratives don’t present themselves as predictive prophecy. In the Bible, a prophecy is a message that God speaks to his people through a human prophet. So prophecies often contain the quoted speech of God himself. Jeremiah 2:1-2: Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “I remember concerning you the devotion of your youth…” In part three (18:40-33:30), Tim outlines the character of Moses. Moses is portrayed as the archetypal prophet. He’s the first divine spokesmen sent to Israel and the nations (Exodus 3). He’s the first figure to mediate between Yahweh and Israel and establish his covenant with the people (Exodus 19-24, the Sinai narrative). He’s the only figure allowed to enter the divine presence directly (Exodus 19-20, 33-34). He’s the key intercessor for Israel when they have violated the covenant (Exodus 32-34). He suffers because of Israel’s failures (Numbers 11-21) and accuses them of present and ongoing rebellion against Yahweh that will result in exile (Deuteronomy 28-32). And his death is marked as the end of an era. “Since that time no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face…” (Deuteronomy 34:10). Tim says that Moses fails as a prophet. But in the Pentateuch, he is cast as the ideal prophet, someone whom all other Jewish prophets should follow after. In part four (33:30-end), Tim says the prophets are best understood as “covenant watchdogs.” They assume the larger covenant story of Yahweh, creation, and Israel. Yahweh is the creator and King, and his image-bearing stewards have rebelled and corrupted his good world (Genesis 1–11). In the covenant he makes with Abraham, Yahweh says he will use Abraham’s family to restore his divine blessing to all nations (Genesis 12). In the covenant with Israel (the Sinai or Mosaic covenant), Israel is called to become a kingdom of priests to the nations by adhering to the laws of the covenant. Obedience will result in covenant blessing, and rebellion will bring covenant curses (Exod 19, Lev 26, Deut 28–30). In the covenant with Israel’s priesthood, Yahweh promises to provide a perpetual priesthood through the line of Aaron to intercede on Israel’s behalf and atone for their covenant failures (Numbers 25). The covenant with Israel’s monarchy states that Yahweh will raise up a king from the line of David who will bring God’s Kingdom and blessing to all the nations (2 Samuel 7, Psalms 2, 72, 89, 132). Israel was unable to fulfill its side of the Sinai covenant and was sent into exile. But in the new covenant, Yahweh will transform their hearts so they can truly love and obey their God (Deuteronomy 30, Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36). Thank you to all of our supporters! Show Produced by: Dan Gummel, Jon Collins Show Music Defender Instrumental, Tents Mind Your Time, Me.So Morning, LiQwyd Erhrling, Typhoon Show Resources: Martin Luther, quoted in Gerhard von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 2 (New York: Harper & Row, 1965), 33. John Bright, Jeremiah (Anchor Bible Commentary, 1965), p. Lvi. Our Video on How to Read the Prophets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edcqUu_BtN0

This is a special episode in our series exploring the portrayal of God as a character in the Bible! In this episode, Tim and Jon host a friend of the Bible Project’s, Dr. Michael Heiser. Dr Heiser is a Ph.D. in Hebrew studies from the University of Wisconsin. He’s a well-published author whose work has been mentioned on this podcast before. He also runs his own podcast called “The Naked Bible Podcast”. In part 1 (0-18:05), the guys begin to talk about God’s “name”. This is a motif that is found throughout Scripture. Tim says that the Old Testament well primes the observant reader to expect an incarnation of God. The guys zero in on the commandment to not take God’s name in vain. “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord God in vain.” What does this actually mean? Is it about cussing or something more? Dr. Heiser says the commandment is much more significant than most modern readers think. Tim shares a quote from Gerhard Von Rad’s Old Testament Theology. “The name Yahweh was committed in trust to Israel alone among the nations… In it alone lay the guarantee of Yahweh’s nearness and of his readiness to help… This name shared directly in Yahweh’s own holiness, for indeed it was, so to speak, a double of his being. And so it had to be treated as holy in the very heart of Israel’s worship, to 'call on the name of Yahweh' was equivalent to true worship.” -- Gerhard Von Rad, Old Testament Theology, Vol. 1, p. 183. Dr. Heiser says that to represent someone’s name is a big deal. He says that to “not take the name in vain” would be better translated to, “do not misrepresent the name." In part 2 (18:05- 33:00), the guys dive into more stories of God’s name. Dr. Heiser makes a point that God incarnating happens repeatedly in the Old Testament, so it was expected that God would incarnate in the New Testament as the Messiah. Heiser says the question for an ancient Hebrew was not, "Is it possible for God to incarnate in a human?" but rather, "Is Jesus the chosen one whom God has incarnated in?" The guys zero in on some stories of the Angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. Dr. Heiser says that in the Exodus 23, the Angel has God’s name “in him”. Then in Joshua 5, “the ruler of the Lord’s army” or “captain of the hosts of the Lord” appears to Joshua. Joshua is told to remove his shoes, for the ground is holy. This is the same language that appears in the story of Moses and the burning bush. In the burning bush story, it is the angel that is in the bush. Dr. Heiser says this is the same figure in all the stories. The angel is both an angel and Yahweh, yet is distinct from Yahweh. In part 3 (33:00-44:30) Tim and Dr. Heiser continue to make the point that God was known to incarnate in physical form. Dr. Heiser references Dr. Alan Segal, saying that ancient Judaism had a duality in it. God could be both Yahweh and distinct from Yahweh. Tim refers to Jesus’ brothers who didn’t believe Jesus was the Son of God when he was alive, but after his resurrection they did. Tim and Dr. Heiser also refer to John 17. Dr. Heiser says that when Jesus claims to have “manifested God’s name” he is claiming in other words, “He who has seen me has seen the Father.” Jesus is the one who carried the name faithfully, doing the job Israel was supposed to. Tim says the claim being made in John 17 is behind the whole universe being in unity, a community of eternal love. In part 4 (44:30-end) The guys talk about the “name” or the “mark” of the beast in the book of Revelation. Dr. Heiser says this is also much more significant than modern readers realize. To carry the name of the beast means to have a willful alignment with evil. Jon comments that he still feels a little confused. “The name” of God operates so complexly. Dr. Heiser says this is intentional and that there is a whole “matrix of ideas” in the Bible. A key to reading the Bible well is to understand how the vocabulary used in the Bible all interconnects. Show Resources: Gerhard von Rad, "Old Testament Theology," Vol. 1, p. 183. Peter Ellis, "The Genius of John: A Composition-Critical Commentary on the Fourth Gospel" Michael Heiser, "The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible" and "Angels: What the Bible Really Says about God's Heavenly Hosts" Show Music: Defender Instrumental: Tents Faith: Tae the Producer In the Distance: Tae the Producer Moments: Tae the Producer Show Produced by: Dan Gummel. Jon Collins.

Our special guest is Dr. John Goldingay, author of A Reader's Guide to the Bible. John Goldingay (PhD, University of Nottingham; DD, Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth) is David Allan Hubbard Professor of Old Testament at Fuller Theological Seminary. He was previously principal and a professor of Old Testament and Hebrew at St John’s Theological College in Nottingham, England. His books include An Introduction to the Old Testament, The Theology of the Book of Isaiah, Key Questions about Interpretation, Do We Need the Old Testament? and commentaries on Psalms, Isaiah, and Daniel. He has also authored the three-volume Old Testament Theology and the seventeen-volume Old Testament for Everyone series. Goldingay also serves as priest-in-charge at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, Pasadena. He holds membership in the Society of Biblical Literature and the Society for Old Testament Study, and served on the Task Force on Biblical Interpretation in the Anglican Communion and the editorial board for the Library of Hebrew Bible/Old Testament Studies. Visit his website at www.johngoldingay.com

This is the first episode in a two part discussion on the Christian “Ideal.” What is the Christian Ideal? That’s exactly what we ask. Why does it seem that humanity has an inner drive to find something transcendent? What is it that we’re all searching for and hoping to attain? In other words, why aren’t things a little more rad in our day to day? The ancient Hebrew authors of the Bible also wrestled with these questions. They often used the word “holiness” to describe the quest for the ideal life. But today “holiness” is a confusing and loaded word. Spoiler alert: The way the Hebrews understood holiness is not how we do in modern times. Tim, Jon, and a special guest, Paul Pastor hold an honest discussion asking why we all strive for something that seems just out of reach, and what that might have to do with God’s holiness. Thank you to all our supporters! None of this would be possible without you. Show Resources: The Bible Project Theme Video on Holiness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9vn5UvsHvM Dictionary of the Old Testament by IVP: Holiness: J.E. Hartley. New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis: Jackie Nowdeh (Rudolph Otto) Show Music: Where’s Love: Jackie Hill Perry Defender Instrumental: Rosasharn Music

Continue to explore the history of biblical theology. In the 17th Century and Post-Reformation Period we have J.P. Gabler who held that we must classify and study each particular text, compare various parts of the Canon to determine where it converges and diverges from the rest of Scripture, and look for universal truths. G. L. Bauer separates Old and New Testament theologies into distinct camps. For J. Semler, the Old and New Testaments are different religions and his agenda is what is operative today in the academy. For H. Gunkel, ". . . the spirit of historical investigation has now taken the place of a traditional doctrine of inspiration." Consider doing theology from the Old Testament. Ebeling states, "We must be after the inner unity of the manifold testimony of the Bible." In the 19th Century we have Wellhausen and the Document Hypothesis. In the early 20th Century the Church and Academy united against national socialism. 1930-1960 is known as the "Golden Age of Old Testament Theology". Old Testament theology was not a history of religions' approach nor did it say that the historical critical method was totally bankrupt. Renewed theological interests exerted a pressure back on to the exegesis.

Dr. Mariottini, an old testament scholar discusses important issues of OT theology and scholarship

What is Old Testament theology? What are the various divisions of theology? Why is it important to study theology?

Jonnie joined my in the HBC Headquarters in Redondo Beach. In the podcast we start discussing the resurrection exchange between Marcus Borg & Tony Jones [aka ToJo] & then end up on the necessity of a physical resurrection, atonement, eschatology, evangelical's Easter concern, and Pannenberg. Attempting to fill in for the BoDaddy is a difficult task but Jonnie did a pretty good job.  I think I will let him back on the TNT w/ the BoDaddy so Bo can make sure we actually stay on topic.  You will notice I actually start a couple lists of theological options and then get distracted by Pannenberg and John Cobb.  The BoDaddy is a pro and knows to limit such theological temptations.  During the podcast we drank the Burning Bush IPA and gave a shout out to 350.org for climate change info. In the podcast we discuss these books: 1) Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? & Beyond Liberalism and Fundamentalism by  Nancey Murphey 2) Jesus: God & Man by Wolfhart Pannenberg 3) Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg 4) Old Testament Theology by Gerhard von Rad Follow the podcast, drop a review, send feedback/questions or become a member of the HBC Community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“The Law is an expression of the Covenant and always secondary to it. Israel does not keep the law  in order to become God’s people, but because  they already are God’s people… The law  was the basis of the community life of Israel.  As a reflection of the character of God it was to shape community life into a vehicle of God’s presence in the world.” ( Dyrness, Themes in Old Testament Theology)