Because Truth Matters
The following is adapted by Keith Whitfield from “Theological Method: An Introduction to the Task of Theology,” by Bruce R. Ashford and Keith Whitfield in A Theology for the Church, Revised Edition (B&H Academic, 2014).
What is the task of Christian theology? We claim the task of Christian theology is to reflect on God’s self-revelation for the purpose of equipping the people of God to know and love God and to participate in his mission in the world. [Read more…]
The following post is the first in a new series on this blog called Theologica. With the popularity of our Aleph and Omega series dealing with biblical languages, we thought it would be interesting and informative to have a series addressing topics in various categories of theology–systematic, biblical, historical, philosophical, and others. In our first post, dealing with historical theology, church historian Nathan Finn describes the most important historical sources for learning about Baptist identity, which we believe you’ll find interesting even if you’re not Baptist. We hope you enjoy the series! [Read more…]
By Andreas J. Köstenberger, Benjamin L. Merkle, and Rob Plummer
We (Andreas, Ben, and Rob) are on a lifetime journey to read, study, and teach the Greek New Testament (GNT). We hope you will join us. Below are a few suggestions to help make this journey a success: [Read more…]
By Andreas J. Köstenberger, Benjamin L. Merkle, and Rob Plummer
Never in the history of the world has there been less need for Greek word studies than in 21st century English-speaking North America. Many excellent Bible translations exist in the English language, ranging from the more functionally equivalent (NLT) to the more formally equivalent (NASB, ESV), with plenty of translations in between (e.g. HCSB, NIV). Wise Christians will employ this wealth of resources by comparing biblical passages in various translations. [Read more…]
I’m currently working on a project called Urban Legends of the New Testament. The basic goal of this project is to look at commonly misunderstood passages in the New Testament. I’ve worked carefully through about twenty-six of these Legends and I’ve found that three issues are involved in the creation of an urban legend. Identifying these issues can help us teach biblical interpretation better, which is really the underlying goal of this book. [Read more…]
“Now Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey it, and teach its statutes and ordinances in Israel” (Ezra 7:10, HCSB).
While every believer must seek to know God, not everyone needs to know the biblical languages. Indeed, the Lord has graciously made his Word translatable so that those “from every tribe and language and people and nation” may hear of and believe in the Savior (Revelation 5:9; see Nehemiah 8:7–8; Acts 2:6). Furthermore, grasping the fundamentals of Hebrew and Greek neither ensures correct interpretation of Scripture nor removes all interpretive challenges. It does not automatically make one a good exegete of texts or an articulate, winsome proclaimer of God’s truth to a needy world. Linguistic skill also does not necessarily result in deeper levels of holiness or in greater knowledge of God. Why then do we need some in the church in every generation who can skillfully use the biblical languages? [Read more…]
Biblical Word vs. Theological Concept: Avoiding a Common Word-Study Fallacy
Christopher W. Cowan
For the student of the Bible—whether scholar, pastor, seminary student, or layperson—word studies are often a principal means of investigating the biblical text. To understand what a passage means, one must understand what specific words mean in context. Unfortunately, though, there are erroneous ways to study biblical words that can lead Bible interpreters astray. One particular word-study fallacy is the confusion of a word with a concept. [Read more…]
I believe that great expositors of Scripture are good grammarians. That is, one does not have to be the second coming of A.T. Robertson to be a great expositor. The great preacher, however, will be comfortable enough in the languages to read competently both the original texts and the secondary literature discussing the text in light of the original languages. I think most would agree with me. However, the reality is that it takes some work to keep our Greek and Hebrew fresh and growing. So for you who aspire to be great expositors I have six suggestions for improving our use of the biblical languages. [Read more…]
From Philology to Theology By Charles L. Quarles Study of the Greek text of the New Testament sometimes reveals rich theology not easily discovered in English translations. The great Greek scholar A. T. Robertson was fond of quoting A. M. Fairbairn’s statement: “No man can be a theologian who is not a philologian. He who is no grammarian is no divine.” To illustrate the insightfulness of that statement, one need look no further than the first four words of the New Testament. [Read more…]
by Köstenberger, Merkle, and Plummer
Greek Tenses and Challenging NT Texts
At times an English translation of the Bible may seem to run contrary to other passages in the Bible. For example, 1 John 3:6 reads, “Everyone who remains in Him does not sin (οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει); everyone who sins has not seen Him or known Him.” The immediate difficulty with this verse is that it seems to contradict both experience (if we are honest with ourselves) and other passages of Scripture. John himself previously stated, “If we say, ‘We have no sin,’ we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us” (1 John 1:8; see also v. 10). [Read more…]
Many scholars, including some evangelicals, believe the apostle Paul violated the original meaning when he quoted Hab 2:4 as “the just shall live by faith” in Rom 1:17 and Gal 3:11. Several modern English translations render ’ĕmûnāh in Hab 2:4 as “faithful(ness), fidelity”: JPS, REB, TEV, GW, NLT, NIV (2011), NET. Some interpret Habakkuk as even saying the opposite of what Paul says, that righteousness comes through keeping the law. Does ’ĕmûnāh in Hab 2:4 mean “faith” or “faithfulness”? [Read more…]
