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Main-Point-Driven: A Clear Methodology for Implementing the Christ-Centered Hermeneutic

I love the idea of Do-it-Yourself maintenance (DIY). Unfortunately, my projects involve more time and money than anticipated. I have the vision but lack the right tools or clarity on each step. My attempts demonstrate that without the correct equipment or clear instructions unsatisfactory results are inevitable. The commitment to a Christ-centered hermeneutic continues to increase. This is worth celebrating because proclaiming Christ matures the Church (Col 1:28). But conviction and commitment are not enough. We also need the right tools—a clear methodology for implementation to ensure our connections to Christ are legitimate. Many resources discuss various ways the Old...

Dan Allen

Will Total Depravity Fall from Grace? A Defense of the Reformed View

Daniel Kirkpatrick

Unforgettable stories are built on a powerful foundation: a seemingly insurmountable obstacle and a hero bold enough to face it. By overcoming the problem, the true character of the hero is revealed and the actions are viewed as exemplary. Smaller problems require smaller heroes. In the Christian faith, redemption is viewed as great and glorious because Jesus Christ vanquished an enemy no other human could. Sin left humanity in such a condition that no one but the Son of God could conquer it. As Augustine of Hippo powerfully articulated, and as affirmed by the Councils of Carthage and Ephesus alongside...

The Word’s Transforming Work: Sanctification by Scripture in 1 Peter 1:22–2:3

Craig Fredrickson

The apostle Peter offers a bracing corrective in 1 Peter 1:22–2:3. Here, he anchors both regeneration and sanctification in “the living and abiding word of God” (1:23). For Peter, Scripture is not merely informative, it is operative. Believers are born again by the word, purified through obedience to its truth, and sustained by a craving for its spiritual nourishment. The word is not a supplement to sanctification; it is itself the engine of sanctification. This study explores a central question: How does the apostle Peter understand the transformative power of the word, and what impact should that have on how...

Echoes of Cain in James 3:7–5:9 and the Problem of James 4:5

Kenneth Berding

James 4:5 launches with one of the strongest citation formulae in all the New Testament: “Or do you think that in vain the Scripture says…” (ἢ δοκεῖτε ὅτι κενῶς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει…). Unfortunately, it follows this apparent signaling of a quotation with one of the most puzzling clauses in all the Bible: πρὸς φθόνον ἐπιποθεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ὃ κατῴκισεν ἐν ἡμῖν. Modern translations reflect various understandings of this clause. Words in brackets are included for clarity: “He [God] yearns jealously over the [human] spirit that he has made to dwell in us” (ESV; cf. NIV, NRSV). “He [God] jealously desires...

The Heart Knows but Will Not Yield: Affective Suppression and the Noetic Effects of Sin in Romans 1:32

Paul S. Jeon

Paul’s striking claim in Romans 1:32 serves as a pivotal summary and a profound paradox within his argument: “Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.” This verse compels theological inquiry: How can human beings possess a clear awareness of God’s moral will and yet persist not only in violating it but also in celebrating its transgression? Paul’s statement presses into the heart of a tension that runs throughout Romans 1:18–32—a tension between divine revelation and human suppression, between knowing...

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Sent by a Sending God: Tracing the Verbal Thread of Sending through Luke-Acts

Samuel Beh

The theme of sending is well-established as central in the Lukan narrative. As François Bovon succinctly summarizes, The history of God, if we dare express it in this way, is marked by the Father’s faithfulness to send messengers whose fates resemble one another…. Jesus fits into this series of envoys, and the apostles continue in this movement. Likewise, James Edwards observes that in Luke-Acts, “the fulfilment of salvation history is a history of divine sending.” Accordingly, numerous studies have observed the importance of the language of sending in Luke-Acts, particularly the verb ἀποστέλλω, in the initiation, movement, and continuation of...

Lamb of the Free: A Review Article

Jay Sklar

What took place when Jesus died? The Bible answers that question in more than one way because more than one thing happened at the cross. Theologians have grouped the Bible’s answers into different categories that go by different names, for example, Christus Victor, Recapitulation, and Penal Substitutionary Atonement. The last of these—Penal Substitutionary Atonement (PSA)—receives the most attention in many evangelical traditions today. Briefly defined, PSA teaches that Jesus took the penalty (P) that sinners deserved and did so as their substitute (S), in this way making atonement (A) for them. In his classic, The Cross of Christ, John Stott...

Strange Times: Hiding in Plain Sight

Daniel Strange

There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. I don’t sleep on planes. I don’t read on planes. I don’t usually work on planes. I watch films on planes, and as many as possible. Five back-to-back is my record. It’s a weakness, I know. On a recent filmathon as I flew...

Editorial: The Council of Nicaea and Christian Character

J. V. Fesko

The “Bonfire of the Vanities” is a title historians give to events that unfolded on February 7, 1497, in Florence, Italy. Under the inspiration of Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola (1452–1498), a fiery preacher and moral reformer, people brought thousands of objects of art—luxury items, lewd love poetry, games, and dice—and publicly burned them in a great bonfire. Savonarola sought to reform the lives of the citizens of Florence and rid them of their sensualistic and material cravings. If we were to describe our present day situation, we might say that our culture has undertaken a “Bonfire of the Virtues.” Our...

Love Thy Stranger: How the Teachings of Jesus Transformed the Moral Conscience of the West

Alex Rea

Long known for his work in New Testament studies, Bart Ehrman’s Love Thy Stranger examines an intriguing question: Why is it that we are compelled to help not only those we care about but also others outside of our immediate circle of relationships? This inquiry is not theological in nature for Ehrman, as he is a former evangelical who now identifies as an agnostic atheist. Instead, he approaches this question as a socio-historical study. His thesis is simple and straightforward: This urge is primarily influenced by Christianity. He writes, “The impulse to help strangers in need is embedded in our...

Muhammad and the Christians: Commemorating the Covenants of the Prophet

Hal Morgan Nix

In the aftermath of 9/11, many Muslim publications appeared denouncing the violent expressions of Islam as false representations of the religion’s true nature. One writer has been particularly outspoken, not only in his denunciation of radical Islam but in elevating a source he contends demonstrates Islam’s peacefulness, tolerance, and pluralism. The source, the Covenants of Muhammad, presents enduring agreements Muhammad reportedly issued to various religious groups, particularly Christians. Since his influential 2013 book, The Covenants of the Prophet Muhammad with the Christians of the World, Canadian Native American Professor John Andrew Morrow (i.e., Imam Ilyas ‘Abd al-‘Alim Islam) has spawned...

God Draws Near: Rethinking the Biblical Theology of Mission

J. Scott Bridger

Collin Cornell is Assistant Professor of Bible and Mission at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is also active in the Society for Post-Supersessionist Theology. In God Draws Near,Cornell challenges the prevailing “dramatic paradigm” in the biblical theology of mission, particularly the “intellectual infrastructure” that views the Bible as one overarching story encapsulated by the plotline of creation, fall, redemption, and restoration. Fundamental in Cornell’s approach is de-centering the theme of “repair,” which he argues is axiomatic to the dramatic paradigm and ultimately results in “obsolescence” for Israel and Christ’s incarnation. For Cornell, these approaches to Scripture end in anti-Judaism and supersessionism;...

God and Country: Upholding Faith, History, and National Identity

Caleb W. Southern

Is it possible for a twenty-first-century person to be both a committed Christian and a proud American? In God and Country, John D. Wilsey tackles the complex and entangled concepts of history, faith, and patriotism as he formulates his answer to this question. In the current cultural climate, when almost any expressed appreciation for America by a Christian is labeled as “Christian nationalism,” Wilsey courageously defends the possibility of Christian patriotism. The key is for this patriotism to be rightly ordered and rooted in gratitude. At once enlightening and puzzling, frustrating and uplifting, Wilsey’s God and Country is an admirable...

Between Worlds: John A. Broadus, The Southern Baptist Seminary, and The Prospects of the New South

Dylan Baxter

John Albert Broadus (1827–1895) stood in the nineteenth century as a towering Southern Baptist leader. Indeed, he served as a founding faculty member and the second president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and was the author of many influential works, including A Treatise on the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons. Yet, like many figures of the nineteenth century, Broadus’s legacy is tainted by slavery. Eric C. Smith, a church historian who teaches at Broadus’s former institution, Southern Seminary, presents the first critical biography of this complex, prodigious figure. Between Worlds generally follows a chronological approach, stopping to consider the...

Cornelius Van Til: Letters from America

Kenneth Stewart

The editor and translator, Daniel Ragusa, has performed a great service in his editing and translating of these twenty-four journalistic reports prepared by Cornelius Van Til (1895–1987) for inclusion in the Dutch religious newspaper, Die Reformatie, in the 1935–1940 period. This reporting on developments in America might have continued longer, were it not for the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940. German occupation meant that the publication of Die Reformatie was suspended. The import of Van Til’s reportage is far greater than it first meets the eye. In a very skillful introduction, Ragusa places Van Til in the...

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