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The Message of Romans You're NOT Likely to Hear
What motivated the apostle Paul? Paul's letter to the Romans is one of the most preached books of the Bible. And much (most?) of that preaching has focused in on one theme in particular. If you've heard a sermon from Romans lately, there's a good chance this topic was the topic . And if you've not already guessed, the particularly common focus of preaching and writing on Romans is nothing less than justification by faith . For the last 500 years, this has been taken to be
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N. T. Wright on the meaning of Pentecost in Acts
I recently picked up a copy of N. T. Wright's new book, The Challenge of Acts (Zondervan 2024). As usual, Wright's prose is witty and engaging, and his reflections on Acts invite you to look at a familiar book of the Bible from something of a fresh angle. Along these lines, Wright's comments around the coming of Holy Spirit at Pentecost in Acts 2 stand out. He notes that we often read the Pentecost narrative in terms of our own experience. Of course, that varies from one the
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
What the Bible Says about the Afterlife
I’ve been a pastor for twenty years. If there’s one thing people have questions about, it’s the afterlife. If there’s one thing people...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
3 Books to Understand Revelation
Revelation is the hardest book in the New Testament. With all the numbers, symbols, and images, it’s intimidating (and even scary!) to...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Objectivity Redivivus? Holloway vs. N.T. Wright
If you live in the world of biblioblogs, you’ve heard about Paul Holloway’s criticism of N.T. Wright and (Holloway’s own) Sewanee, the...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Connecting the Pauline Dots: Not Whether but What Sort of Imputation? #PFG
The following is from David I. Starling and seems to me remarkably clear and thoroughly Pauline: At this point in the discussion, the...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Christ the Lord Is Risen Today
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem Your sweetest notes employ The Paschal victory to hymn In strains of holy joy. How Judah’s Lion burst his...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
A Meditation for Holy Saturday
Here’s the opening chorus from N.T. Wright’s Easter Oratorio, a meditation of hope for this Holy Saturday. On the seventh day God rested...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Easter Hymn
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem Your sweetest notes employ The Paschal victory to hymn In strains of holy joy. How Judah’s Lion burst his...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Judas: Friend of Jesus?
Well-known preacher and teacher Thomas G. Long suggests that Jesus is speaking ironically and argues that “friend”, in the Gospel of...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Purgatory Now?
In fact, Paul makes it clear here (Rom 8) and elsewhere that it’s the present life that is meant to function as purgatory. The sufferings...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
St. Andrews on the Rise in New Testament Studies
With the recent addition of N.T. Wright to their faculty and now Hafemann, St. Andrews is quickly becoming a top-notch place to study the...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
An Easter Hymn by N.T. Wright
Ye choirs of new Jerusalem Your sweetest notes employ The Paschal victory to hymn In strains of holy joy. How Judah’s Lion burst his...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
A Meditation for Holy Saturday by N.T. Wright
I mentioned in yesterday’s post that N.T. Wright is a prolific writer of books. It turns out that he is something of a poet as well....
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
N.T. Wright on Biblical Universalism
The article is called Towards a Biblical View of Universalism, and Wright’s aim is twofold. He intends first to dismantle universalistic...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Through Faith & to Faith: Pistis Christou & Redundancy in Romans 3:22?
Readers familiar with the field of Pauline studies will know that the Greek phrase pistis Christou has been hotly contested. Throughout...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
What About Imputation? More on N.T. Wright at ETS
In a recent post, I said that N.T. Wright’s presentation at ETS surprised me with regard to two areas: his clarification regarding final...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
The Role of Works: Further Reflection on N.T. Wright at ETS
As indicated previously, I was quite pleased with Wright’s statement that he affirmed the language of final justification “according to...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Belated ETS & SBL Reflections
I’m a bit behind most in the blogosphere who have already posted reflections on the recent annual gatherings of the Evangelical...
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
N. T. Wright Returning to Academic Life
The news this morning is that the very well-known and distinguished Anglican Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright, is retiring from his...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
PTR Review of Surprised by Hope
My review of N. T. Wright’s Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church (HarperOne, 2008) in...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
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