Rethinking the Atonement: An Interview with David M. Moffitt

January 24, 2025 By B. J. Oropeza

It is my pleasure to introduce David Moffitt, author of Rethinking the Atonement: New Perspectives on Jesus’s Death, Resurrection, and Ascension (Baker Academic). Dr. David M. Moffitt is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the University of St Andrews (Fife, United Kingdom). He is also Extraordinary Researcher, The Unit for Reformational Theology and the Development of the South African Society, Faculty of Theology, North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa. His book, Atonement and the Logic of Resurrection in... Read more

The Origin of Paul’s Gospel: 4 Views

January 6, 2025 By B. J. Oropeza

What is the origin of Paul’s gospel? Was he the first Christ-follower to use the term? You have perhaps heard that Jesus himself commissioned Paul to proclaim his message (Galatians 1:11-16). The content of that message includes, among other things, that Jesus is the Son of God and that he died and rose again from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-4; Rom 1:3-4). But was he the first to use the term gospel, namely, the “good news”? The journal Religions recently... Read more

The Most Wonderful Posts of the Year: “In Christ” 2024

December 22, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

As 2024 is quickly coming to an end, it’s time for the most wonderful blog posts of the year from my column “In Christ.” I base these top 10 picks on the amount of views each of them received. So, in essence, these are your picks: Which Bible Do Evangelicals Use? Even though this post is now 2 ½ years old, it still continues to attract many viewers, so many in fact that it made the top ten again this... Read more

Paul in the Hall of Tyrannus: The Importance of Acts 19:9–10

December 8, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

An often overlooked but significant passage in Acts speaks of the Apostle Paul in the “hall of Tyrannus” when staying in Ephesus. After boldly proclaiming the kingdom of God in the synagogue for three months, some became hardened and spoke against the followers of Christ. In response, Paul “having departed from them, he took away his disciples, reasoning every day in the lecture hall (school) of Tyrannus. And this took place for two years so that all those dwelling in... Read more

How Did the Romans First Come to Believe in Christ?

November 27, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

How did the Romans first hear about Jesus Christ and become believers? It is clear from Romans 1:1–15 that Paul had not yet met them, but their faith was already well known to others in the Empire. So how did they turn to trusting in Jesus without having Paul bring them the gospel? Roman Travelers Unlike his own congregations in other cities, the Roman Christ-community was not relatively new when Paul first writes to them. Paul tells this congregation that... Read more

John Wesley on Baptism, Sanctification, and the New Birth

November 11, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

John Wesley presents his viewpoint on water baptism and its relationship to the new birth, which he discusses in his sermon entitled, “The New Birth” (Sermon 45 in Wesley’s Works, vol. 6, pp. 65–77). Baptism and the New Birth Wesley brings up that baptism is not the new birth mentioned as the born again experience in texts like John 3:3–6. Although baptism is a sacrament that Christ ordained, it is “a sign and seal of regeneration by his Spirit. Here... Read more

The Bible’s Most Famous Monster — Leviathan

October 27, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

The most famous biblical monster is Leviathan—that is, if we are talking about earthly creatures. Job 41 provides us with the most-prolonged description of this creature. Questions still come up on whether this is a crocodile or some sort of dragon. And if the latter, is it real, mythological, or descriptive of a dinosaur? I think it’s a good idea to revisit this monster with some new information. Descriptions of Leviathan In other biblical texts where Leviathan appears, it does... Read more

When Paul Met Jesus on the Road to Damascus: 3 Versions

October 19, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

Paul, known as Saul of Tarsus, meets Jesus for the first time on the road to Damascus. His Damascus road experience includes seeing a bright light, falling to the ground, and hearing a heavenly voice telling him that he has been persecuting Jesus by persecuting those who follow Jesus. Actually, there are three different versions of this encounter in Acts. In Acts 9 the author of Acts, traditionally Luke, provides the first narrative. In Acts 22 Paul’s own testimony is... Read more

How to Be Born Again: John Wesley’s Perspective

October 5, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

John Wesley, the famous eighteenth-century preacher, wrote a sermon on being born again entitled, “The New Birth.”* In this sermon he brings up perceptive insights regarding the new birth. This is what he says in summary: Wesley on the New Birth There are two essential doctrines in Christianity, which are justification and the new birth. The former is something God does for us by forgiving human beings of their sin. The latter God does in us by renewing human nature... Read more

Beverly Roberts Gaventa on Romans: An Interview

September 20, 2024 By B. J. Oropeza

I have the privilege of interviewing Beverly Roberts Gaventa on her new commentary on Romans. As many already know, Dr. Gaventa is one of the foremost authorities on Romans and the apocalyptic Paul. She is Helen H. P. Manson Professor Emerita of New Testament Literature and Exegesis, Princeton Theological Seminary. She also held the position of president of the Society of Biblical Literature (2016), and she received the Burkitt Medal for Biblical Studies from the British Academy, due to her... Read more