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Paul’s counsel to Timothy to “No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments” (1 Tim 5:23 ESV) has puzzled scholars. While the instruction is straightforward, its relevance to the immediate context remains a mystery. Key questions of this text are: What situation precipitated … Read more
In 1936, three leading German Protestants embarked on a grand tour of the United States as representatives of German Lutheranism. August Marahrens, Hans Meiser, and Hanns Lilje traveled to the United States from September 21 to October 20 to participate in the Lutheran World Convention (LWC) executive committee meetings and to visit key American Lutheran … Read more
The Christian church has long appropriated and modified the thoughts of many philosophers, ranging from Socrates to Kant, for elucidating complex theological concepts. Saul Kripke, a recently deceased analytic philosopher, should be added to that vaunted pantheon. In this paper, I argue that Kripke’s analysis of metaphysically necessary but epistemologically contingent identity statements can be … Read more
Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350-428) was heralded in his own day as “The Interpreter” for his skill in exegeting the Scriptures. However, a century after his death, he would be condemned as a heretic for his affiliation and assumed contribution to “Nestorian” Christology. Although many of Theodore’s writings were destroyed following his condemnation, a few … Read more
Paul’s references to eschatological loss and salvation “only as through fire” in 1 Corinthians 3:15 have puzzled many biblical scholars. The majority view understands the suffering of loss in this verse as a lesser degree of eschatological reward. The reference to salvation “but only as through fire” is thus interpreted as a kind of salvation … Read more
This paper argues that several psalms (2, 24, 46-48, 97, and 110), when read together, function as sequential and synoptic witnesses to the same eschatological events: namely the enthronement of the Messiah and the subsequent Har Magedon conflict. The eschatological portrait weaves together temple, city, and mountain themes alongside imagery of cosmic warfare, rebellious nations, … Read more
This paper investigates the theological and redemptive-historical relationship between the passion and ascension of Christ by focusing on the use of Psalms 2 and 24 in the Matthean account. Recent research by Brian Carrier and Tucker Ferda has argued that Matthew’s passion narrative alludes to Psalm 2 at the crucifixion and to Psalm 24 at … Read more
The concept of church membership has garnered significant attention within theological discourse, prompting inquiry into its scriptural underpinnings. For example, despite the absence of explicit references to “church membership” in the Scriptures, many ministry organizations like 9Marks and publications such as Rediscover Church: Why the Body of Christ is Essential (Crossway, 2021), have sought to … Read more
The language of being clean or unclean throughout the Scriptures has beget a myriad of theological enquiries throughout the ages. What does it mean to be unclean? Is this a moral indictment or merely a positional one? And as the discipline of systematic theology has grown and evolved over recent centuries, and interacted with texts … Read more
A close examination of Luther’s famous anthropological dictum simul iustus et peccator reveals that it stems from a faulty exegesis of Romans 7:13-25 and results in an errant anthropology, leading to false assurance, ineffective shepherding, and an unhelpful path to holiness. Redeemed man is unarguably simul iustus et peccator (simultaneously justified and sinful), but is … Read more