Jesus and Divine Christology: Picking Brant Pitre’s Brain

Last updated on: April 26, 2025 at 8:29 pm By B. J. Oropeza

We are here this week with my special guest, Brant Pitre, to discuss his recent book, Jesus and Divine Christology (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2024). Dr. Pitre is Distinguished Research Professor of Scripture at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology. He has written a number of publications including Jesus and the Last Supper (Eerdmans), Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary (Image), the audio book, The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Jesus (Random House), and with... Read more

Tackling Romans 1:17: What does “from faith to faith” mean?

Last updated on: April 24, 2025 at 9:03 pm By B. J. Oropeza

If one verse sums up the entire letter of Romans, it is Romans 1:17: “For in it God’s righteousness is being revealed from faith to faith. Just as it is written: ‘But the righteous by faith shall live’.” The “it” (autô) in this verse refers back to the gospel that Paul is not ashamed of in Romans 1:16. The gospel Paul proclaims is about Jesus, the Messianic Son of David and Son of God who rose again by the power... Read more

On Anointing the Sick with Oil: James 5:14-15

Last updated on: April 3, 2025 at 10:01 pm By B. J. Oropeza

Should Christians pray for the sick anointing them with oil to be healed? In James 5:14–15 the Scripture says: “Are any among you sick? Let him call the elders of the church and let them pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the one who is ill and the Lord will raise him up, and if there might be sins he has committed, it will be forgiven... Read more

Is Participation in Christ the same thing as Justification?

Last updated on: April 25, 2025 at 10:28 pm By B. J. Oropeza

What is participation in Christ? Is it the same thing as justification by faith? The late great biblical scholar E. P. Sanders would say essentially, yes. He affirms that participation in Christ and righteousness by faith “ultimately amount to the same thing” (Paul and Palestinian Judaism, p. 506). He also writes that a person participates in salvation “by becoming one person with Christ, dying with him to sin and sharing the promise of his resurrection; the transformation, however, will not... Read more

Give Us the Future Bread Today? Revisiting the Lord’s Prayer

Last updated on: March 29, 2025 at 1:01 pm By B. J. Oropeza

The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–13 is perhaps the most frequently quoted passage in the Bible. In it, are we to request for daily bread or future bread? Many of us grew up and memorized the prayer: “Our Father, who art in heaven Hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven Give us today our daily bread And forgive us our debts As we also have forgiven those who are... Read more

Is God’s Love Unconditional or Unconditioned?

Last updated on: February 18, 2025 at 6:35 pm By B. J. Oropeza

Sometimes I hear preachers emphasize that God’s love is “unconditional”, and what they mean by this is intended to comfort and encourage their listeners. The idea, however, can be so easily abused. What these speakers might need to stress instead is that even though “God is love,” God is also holy and rejects sin. Without this reminder, I fear that the message of unconditional love might register to some people as a license to sin and get away with it.... Read more

David Moffitt on Jesus’ Atonement, Ascension, & Intercession

Last updated on: February 1, 2025 at 11:53 pm By B. J. Oropeza

We are here with more questions on the atonement for David M. Moffitt who recently wrote, Rethinking the Atonement: New Perspectives on Jesus’s Death, Resurrection, and Ascension (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic). In part I of this interview, we discussed his view of the atonement of Christ, how the Old Testament sacrificial system is commonly misunderstood, the Day of Atonement, and the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, among other things. This week we will cover, inter alia, Moffitt’s view of the... Read more

Rethinking the Atonement: An Interview with David M. Moffitt

Last updated on: January 25, 2025 at 8:22 am 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

Last updated on: January 12, 2025 at 9:15 pm 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

Last updated on: December 27, 2024 at 3:48 pm 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