Kirk E. MillerWhen Paul says that gentiles “do what the law requires” and have “the work of the law written on their hearts,” is he describing morally conscious pagans who have God’s natural law or believing gentiles who experience the inward transformation of...
Join Kirk E. Miller and Old Testament scholar Chad Bird as they discuss the so-called "Curse of Ham" in one of the Bible's most cryptic and infamously abused passages. Discover the different views on the nature of Ham's sin, why Noah curses his son...
In Galatians 4, the Apostle Paul refers to the story of Sarah and Hagar as an allegory: Hagar corresponds to Mount Sinai and the present Jerusalem, while Sarah corresponds to the Jerusalem above. Is Paul twisting the Old Testament? Is he reading...
Why did God forbid Moses from entering the promised land? What exactly was the nature of Moses’s sin, and why was God’s response so harsh? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller and Michael Morales sit down to interpret Numbers 20.
Melchizedek is one of the most mysterious figures in the Bible, with only two incredibly brief mentions in the Old Testament. Yet in Hebrews 7, the author makes the astounding argument that this fleeting character from Genesis anticipates the end of...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller talks with Richard Middleton about one of Christian theology’s most foundational and widely discussed ideas: humanity as the image of God (imago dei). Yet despite how important this concept is...
Thomas H. McCall joins Kirk E. Miller to discuss one of the most emotionally arresting lines in the Gospels: Jesus’s cry of dereliction from the cross, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? These words have raised questions, like: Did the Father...
Did the apostle Paul allow for divorce and remarriage? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller sits down with renowned New Testament scholar Craig Keener to navigate a challenging and hotly debated passage from Paul's letter to the...
Genesis 6 says that God “regretted” making humanity. This seems to imply divine change, sorrow, or even error. But how can God regret anything if he is all-knowing, unchanging, and perfectly wise?In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller...
Jude contains one of the New Testament’s more eyebrow-raising lines. Jude delivers a prophecy with wording that closely resembles 1 Enoch, a book that isn’t in the Bible. What are we to make of this? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E...
What in the Word? wraps up a rich and thought-provoking first season. In this special finale, host Kirk E. Miller turns the mic on himself, as Matt Barrios, the show producer, leads a reflective interview covering lessons learned, favorite passages...
What’s the Song of Solomon really about? Is the Song a literal love poem, an allegory of God’s love, or something in between? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Fellipe do Vale to explore the interpretive challenges of...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Lynn H. Cohick joins Kirk E. Miller to unpack Paul's exhortation. Together, Kirk and Lynn explore the passage’s literary and theological context, its implications for how we think about salvation and...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by New Testament scholar Jeannine Brown to explore one of Scripture’s most challenging passages: Matthew 16. Did Jesus mistakenly predict his return? Together, they examine various...
If God is good and created all things good, where did evil come from? In this episode of What in the Word?, Phillip Cary joins Kirk E. Miller to explore Genesis 3 and the origins of evil.
How should we understand the Bible’s Creation story in Genesis 1? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Vern Poythress to explore the genre, interpretation, and theological intent of Genesis 1:1–2:3. They discuss various...
In this episode of What in the Word?, Malcolm Foley joins Kirk E. Miller to discuss the challenging passage of 1 Timothy 6. Together, they unpack Paul’s warnings about the desire for wealth and consider how the love of money is described as a root...
Is Jesus really less than the Father? In this What in the Word? episode, Kirk E. Miller is joined by theologian Michael Horton to tackle John 14:28. Together, Kirk and Mike explore multiple historical interpretations, including Arianism, eternal...
Does Romans 7 describe the experience of a believer struggling with sin, or is Paul referring to something else entirely? Many in Protestant traditions assume that Paul’s use of the first-person pronoun in this passage reflects the believer’s...
The end of 1 Peter 3 presents one of the most challenging passages in all of the New Testament. What does it mean that Jesus preached to the spirits in prison? Did he descend into hell? Was he speaking through Noah in the past, offering the deceased...
What does Paul mean when he says that all Israel will be saved in Romans 11? Does this refer to a restoration of the nation of Israel, the salvation of the church or something else? In this episode of What in the Word, Richard Lucas and Kirk Miller...
In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus states that he does not know the day or hour of his return—only the Father does. But how can that be? If Jesus is fully God, wouldn’t he be omniscient? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by...
What does it really mean to take God’s name in vain? Is it just about using God’s name irreverently, or is there more to it? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller is joined by Carmen Joy Imes, an expert in Old Testament studies, to...
The Olivet Discourse has puzzled interpreters for centuries. Is Jesus predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, his future return, or both? Dr. Mark Strauss joins Kirk E. Miller on What in the Word? to explore this complex passage. They...
What did Jesus mean when he said, Render to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s? In this episode of What in the Word?, Kirk E. Miller sits down with Michael Bird to unpack this complex passage. They explore its historical...
In this episode, Jonathan Leeman joins Kirk E. Miller to discuss the theologically complex passage of Matthew 16:19 and its mention of the “keys of the kingdom.” Together, they unpack the meaning of “binding and loosing,” parallel passages like...
Paul tells Christians to submit to governing authorities, even calling these authorities ministers of God. But does this mean we must always submit? Or, if there are exceptions, what are they and how do we know? Kaitlyn Schiess joins Kirk E. Miller...
Did God command genocide in the Old Testament? Join Kirk E. Miller and Tremper Longman as they examine the Canaanite conquest recorded in Deuteronomy and Joshua. Discover how to address the moral and theological concerns raised by these texts...
In this episode of What in the Word?, we dive into one of the most puzzling verses in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 15:29 and its reference to baptism for the dead. Host, Kirk E. Miller, is joined by biblical scholar, B. J. Oropeza, to explore...
In this inaugural episode of What in the Word?, James M. Hamilton Jr., a professor of biblical theology and a pastor, joins Kirk to talk about one of Scripture’s most notorious passages: Genesis 6:1–4. Tune in to uncover how this passage highlights...