Daniel K. EngHave you ever had circumstances disappoint you? It’s happened to all of us. Things don’t turn out the way we expect. Perhaps you’re pretty sharp and you get top grades in school. Your classmates and teachers tell you that you might be able to...
Michael F. BirdAcross the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, the concept of “righteousness” is incredibly important. To begin with, concerning God’s character, God is the one who “judges the world with righteousness; he judges the peoples with equity” (Ps...
Jennifer GrishamWhat is biblical theology? There is actually more than valid, useful definition of “biblical theology,” and we’ll share why in a moment—but here’s an answer to help us get started. Biblical theology is characterized by two distinct but...
Jeanette PiferThere I was, standing in front of a classroom filled with a wide mixture of generations. Most were training for ministry of some kind, though some were seasoned pastors. Ages ranged from early twenties to late sixties. I was still a seminary student...
Blake AdamsIs it meaningful to speak of “pets” in the Bible? Some claim “pet” is a purely modern category, so much so that what a modern person would call a “pet” does not exist in the Bible. If so, then to speak of...
Chris DateA few months ago, my wife began exhibiting some unusual neurocognitive behavior, which prompted me to take her to the emergency room. An MRI revealed she had a “quite sizable” brain tumor, to quote the doctor who broke the terrifying news. Days...
Joshua FarrisWe are often told less is more—like when putting on perfume. A little can leave someone wanting just a bit more. A similar principle is applied in science—the principle of simplicity that says that if a simple theory or hypothesis is able to...
Ryan LyttonThere are 211 instances of “the practice of communicating with a deity” in the Bible, according to the Logos Bible app‘s Factbook . Such a list demonstrates the massive undertaking that is the study of prayer. So, when we approach the topic of...
Brad CreechFor much of my Christian upbringing, I viewed the Lord’s Supper as just a simple memorial ceremony—a repetitive object lesson the church pulled out every quarter. It was awkward, I thought. I remember spending many communion services feeling...
Donald C. McIntyreNames often serve an important rhetorical function in biblical literature. In Genesis 22, a new epithet for God is given, Jehovah Jireh, which is often translated as “the LORD will provide” and, when used as a name, “the LORD my provider” (see ESV...
Timothy GabrielsonThere might seem to be little need to explain the genre of epistle in the New Testament. The adjustments between modern expectations and ancient conventions appear minor, requiring little more than moving the sender’s name from the end to the...
Matthew EverhardJesus Christ, the most profound teacher to ever walk the earth, selected the tiny mustard seed to use as an illustration in his teachings. He did so multiple times and to various effects. In all three of the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus utilized this...
Howard Marshall remarked that compared to the parts of the Bible which “can be recognised to be among the great literature of the world … One cannot attribute this level of religious or literary insight to the composer of the some of the genealogies...
Clark BatesBeginning at some time in the sixth century, a form of commentary manuscripts known as catenae were introduced into the exegetical world of the Byzantine Empire. A catena differs from the standard, single-author commentary by being comprised of...
Todd HainsOctober 31, 1517. It has become popular to see this date as the beginning of a decline: from Christendom to secularism, from community to individualism, from Catholicism to Protestantism, from one, holy, apostolic, catholic church to thousands of...
Tavis BohlingerThe Reformers are for most people either the best thing to ever happen to Christianity or the worst. Vain is the attempt to find middle ground perspectives, where the men who died 500 years ago are considered with a mere shrug of the shoulders...
Drew LongacreIf you came to this site because you couldn’t resist seeing for yourself what Word by Word could possibly have to do with autopsies—gotcha! You will find no cadavers or gory CSI scenes here. All this goes to show that appearances can be deceiving...
J. David StarkSpending time in Scripture’s original languages is unquestionably important. But it’s rarely urgent unless you’re teaching or taking a class based on these languages. This means it’s all too easy to put it off to another day, to let things slip. And...
James FryerCarl F. H. Henry (1913–2003) was born as a son to German immigrants in New York City. Henry was raised in a nominal Christian home, his mother a nominal Roman Catholic and his father a nominal Lutheran. He was converted to the knowledge of and faith...
Kevin GrassoGalatians 2:16 reads, “But knowing that a human is not justified from works of the law but through pistis Iesou Christou, we also trusted in Jesus Christ in order that we might be justified from pistis Christou and not from works of the law because...
Matthew L. HalstedThe past couple of years have been eventful, to say the least. In 2020, we got a front-row seat to the COVID pandemic as it knifed its way through the world. The impact it left (and still leaves) on our collective psyche has been strenuous...
Maicol A. CortésOne of the most intriguing topics in the Bible is related to the identification of the leviathan, a creature that has been identified with different characters (crocodile, sea monster, Satan). In this study, I will briefly analyze Isaiah 27:1 in its...
Anthony Oladayo FáwọléA seminary is simply defined in this article as an institution established primarily for the training of ministers for the church and other church-related or church-allied or parachurch ministries and organizations. Missionary societies, chaplaincy...
David McKayWhen I was at theological college, it was a great privilege to learn Greek and Hebrew. It was hard work, especially the Hebrew, but I took all the classes Kenmore Christian College would let me take during my four years there. Afterwards, I did my...
Nick PerezRecently, a member of the church where I preach asked me about Matthew 26:24, 45 and the use of paradidotai (lemma: paradidōmi). His specific question was whether paradidotai could be translated in the middle voice.
Thomas ParkerThe main thesis of this article is to consider whether the inclusion of Psalm 2 within the New Testament automatically draws with it resurrection overtones and significance. Psalm 2 and proleptic speech I will tell of the decree of the Lord: He said...
The Dead Sea Scrolls don’t interest only academics and scholars. Many average Christians have questions, too. Read on for the answers to the most common questions! What are the Dead Sea Scrolls? How were the Dead Sea Scrolls discovered? How...
We asked over 50 scholars and theologians what makes a biblical scholar or theologian. Here's what they said.
The hardest lesson for me to learn in my nine-year academic journey was patience. My goal in this article is to prepare you, the budding Bible academic, for an endurance race of mind and spirit. Hold this thought: academia is hard, but it is harder...
David P. BarshingerWith the church under attack and the safety of believers and the furtherance of the gospel at stake, what would a professor say to his students? Peter Martyr Vermigli (1499–1562) turned to the Psalms—as Christians have long done—as a source of...