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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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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
Matt O'Reilly
6 min read
How to Kill Sin Now
Lots of people struggle with sin. They long to break free but don't know how. They hear the promise of scripture that there's freedom in...
Matt O'Reilly
1 min read
Philippians and the Question of Humility (A Social Identity Approach)
The call to humility is one of the hallmarks of Paul's letter to the Philippians. But the counter-intuitive nature of that call is often...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Is Jesus a Created Being?
Colossians 1:15 describes Jesus as the "firstborn of creation." This language has led to some confusion because it has been occassoinally...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Biblical Reflections on Bishops: Global Methodist Bishops (part 4)
What does the Bible say to the current Global Methodist discussion over the role of bishops? The question is easier asked than answered....
Matt O'Reilly
8 min read
How Early was the New Testament Written?
In Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament, Jonathan Bernier makes a plausible case for early composition of the New Testament.
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
New RBL review of Paul and the Resurrected Body
Reviews are starting to come in for Paul and the Resurrected Body: Social Identity and Ethical Practice (SBL Press). In particular, Chris...
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
John Barclay on What Grace Gives
We talk about grace in a variety of ways. Wesleyans tend to talk about prevenient grace, justifying grace, and sanctifying grace....
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Three Things I Liked about Paul and the Person by Susan Eastman
So what is a person? To be a person is to be "one for whom Christ died" (14). And that's all of us.
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
Paul and the Cultivation of Multi-Ethnic Churches
Paul's hope for future bodily resurrection functions to cultivate a shared identity among the recipients that is ethnically inclusive.
Matt O'Reilly
2 min read
Severed from Christ: Falling Away in 1 Corinthians 6
Can Christians lose their salvation? Here's why 1 Corinthians 6 indicates that they can.
Matt O'Reilly
3 min read
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