Articles

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‘The Ruler of the Power of the Air in the Salvific Story of Ephesians 2 by Daniel K. Darko
Articles , New Testament / May 7, 2020

‘The Ruler of the Power of the Air’ in the Salvific Story of Ephesians 2 Daniel K. Darko Daniel K. Darko (Ph.D, King’s College, University of London) is Professor of New Testament at Gordon College Abstract: Post-enlightenment theological articulations of what salvation entail often ostracize Satan in the process and limit the experience to a transaction between God and humans. The idea of ‘salvation by grace’ is however borrowed from Ephesians 2 where pre-conversion life was purportedly lived under the domain of Satan. The human condition is engineered by diabolic influence. Thus, people are saved from satanic influence and its attendant consequences of sin, social breakdown, fleshly impulses etc. to belong to a people of God. Spiritual warfare is meant to curb pressures from evil powers to maintain faithful standing in God. Salvation would be incomplete, according to Ephesians 2, if it did not include deliverance from the control of ‘the ruler of the power of the air.’ Key Words: Ephesians, salvation, Satan principalities, Spirit Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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JBTS 5.1 Introduction: Ephesians and the Powers by John Frederick
Articles , New Testament / May 7, 2020

Introduction: Ephesians and the Powers John Frederick John Frederick (Ph.D) is Lecturer in New Testament and Greek at Trinity College Queensland in Australia. He is the author of Worship in the Way of the Cross (IVP, 2017) and The Ethics of the Enactment and Reception of Cruciform Love (Mohr Siebeck, 2019). John has planted and pastored churches in Phoenix and Boston, and he is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America The Epistle to the Ephesians is a masterful work of inspired, canonical biblical literature that contains numerous famous scriptural passages and significant theological themes. Ephesians teaches us that, although we were “dead in our trespasses and sins “(2:1), God, in his mercy, has made us “alive together with Christ” by grace through faith apart from our own works (2:6–11). We learn, likewise, that in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, God has made Jews and Gentiles “one new man” (2:15) by the “blood of Christ” (2:13), reconciling us to himself “ in one body through the cross” (2:16). Drawn together as one by the Spirit, states the author of Ephesians, God has made us into a temple and a dwelling place for himself (2:18–22)… Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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Philemon: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered by David Seal
Articles , New Testament / September 7, 2018

Philemon: Signed, Sealed, and Delivered David Seal David Seal (PhD, Regent University) is adjunct professor at Cornerstone University in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He also teaches Bible and World Religions at Lansing Community College in Lansing, Michigan. David has recently written Prayer as Divine Experience in 4 Ezra and John’s Apocalypse: Emotions, Empathy, and Engagement with God (Hamilton, 2017) as well as contributed to a variety of publications including The Expository Times, Bibliotheca Sacra, and the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society. Abstract: Given that the documents that later formed the canon of the New Testament were intended to be persuasive, it is a relatively safe assumption that the lector reading these texts would have added some vocal modulation and gestures at appropriate places during his recitation. Reading, acting, and rhetorical delivery were considered related skills. Following a summary of the nature of oral societies, a discussion of ancient public speaking, and an overview of the letter of Philemon, we will examine the letter for clues that indicate the lector may have made use of his voice and body to strengthen the message of this short letter. We will propose that the reading of Philemon was likely accompanied by hand and…

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An Armored Household: Isaiah 59 as the Key to Ephesians 5:21-6:9 and 6:10-17 by Holly J. Carey
Articles , New Testament , Old Testament / August 31, 2018

An Armored Household: Isaiah 59 as the Key to Ephesians 5:21-6:9 and 6:10-17 Holly J. Carey Holly J. Carey (Ph.D. University of Edinburgh) is Professor of Biblical Studies at Point University, West Point, Georgia. Abstract: The household codes of Ephesians 5:21-6:9 and the following “Armor of God” passage in Ephesians 6:10-17 have long been regarded as self-contained. Scholars have seen practically no relationship between these two portions of the letter, reading the latter as a new train of thought for the author. In this study, I argue that, contrary to these scholars, there is indeed a relationship of the household codes to Ephesians 6:10-17. It is demonstrated that this crucial connection is found in the author’s use of Isaiah 59. With sensitivity to this intertext present in the passage, it will be argued that (1) the original context of the Isaianic passage illuminates the meaning of the Divine Warrior motif in Ephesians, (2) the image of the clothing of the Christian in God’s armor is significant precisely because it transfers the work of the Divine Warrior to the follower of Christ, and (3) the message of justice in Isaiah 59 helps to account for and make sense of the redefined…

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Eschatological Emphases in 1 Thessalonians and Galatians: Distinct Argumentative Strategies Related to External Conflict and Audience Response by John Anthony Dunne
Articles , New Testament / August 24, 2018

Eschatological Emphases in 1 Thessalonians and Galatians: Distinct Argumentative Strategies Related to External Conflict and Audience Response John Anthony Dunne John Anthony Dunne (PhD, University of St. Andrews) is assistant professor of New Testament at Bethel Seminary (St. Paul, MN). Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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Matthew’s Hermeneutical Methodology in Matthew 2:15 by Robert Yost
Articles , New Testament , Old Testament / March 28, 2017

Matthew’s Hermeneutical Methodology in Matthew 2:15 ROBERT YOST Robert Yost (PhD, DMin) is Vice President of Academic Affairs Emeritus, Charlotte Christian College and Theological Seminary Abstract: In Matthew 2:15, Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1 and states that the events recounted are a direct fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy. However, the Hosea passage is a clear reference to the exodus, not to an event which occurred over 1400 years later. Was Matthew playing fast and loose with Hosea’s prophecy? Was his statement of fulfillment an abuse of Hosea’s context and meaning? Matthew 2:15 is one of the most problematic passages in the Bible with respect to the New Testament use of the Old Testament. Key Words: prophecy, fulfillment, typology, midrash, pesher, sensus plenior, analogical. Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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A Critical Review of Irons’ The Righteousness of God by John Frederick
Articles , New Testament / October 7, 2016

JBTS 1.1 Article 4 Critical Review of Charles Lee Irons’ The Righteousness of God Irons, Charles Lee. The Righteousness of God: A Lexical Examination of the Covenant-Faithfulness Interpretation. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament2/386. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015. 444 pp. John Frederick has a PhD in New Testament and teaches New Testament, theology, and worship arts at Grand Canyon University. He is a priest in the Anglican Church in North America and serves at Christus Victor Anglican Church in Phoenix, AZ. Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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The Righteousness of God as “The Gate to Paradise” by Joshua Greever
Articles , New Testament / October 3, 2016

JBTS 1.1 Article 3 The Righteousness of God as “The Gate to Paradise”: A Review Article of the Righteousness of God by Charles Lee Irons Irons, Charles Lee. The Righteousness of God: A Lexical Examination of the Covenant-Faithfulness Interpretation. Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 2/386. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck, 2015. 444 pp. Joshua M. Greever has a PhD in New Testament and teaches New Testament at Grand Canyon University and Grand Canyon Theological Seminary Share this on: FacebookTwitterLinkedin

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The Cruciform Shape of Paul’s Kingdom Theology by David Burnette
Articles , New Testament / September 30, 2016

JBTS 1.1 Article 2 David Burnette (Ph.D. The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) works as an editor for Radical, the resource ministry of David Platt Abstract: Unlike Jesus, Paul is not often associated with the theme of the kingdom of God. While some scholars have claimed that the kingdom is insignificant for Paul, most have simply failed to examine it closely. This article highlights the significance of the kingdom by demonstrating that it is a foundational component of Paul’s proclamation of the cross. This thesis is based primarily on a close examination of 1 Corinthians 4:20, a verse in which Paul contrasts the talk of certain leaders in Corinth with the power of the kingdom. Based on the way Paul uses the term power (δύναμις, dynamis) in 1 Corinthians 1-4, this article contends that the power of the kingdom mentioned in 4:20 is a reference to the power effected through the word of the cross. Other Pauline kingdom references are cited to support this kingdom-cross connection, including Colossians 1:13 and Galatians 5:21. As with the Gospels and Scripture as a whole, Paul’s theology of the kingdom is bound up with a message that cuts against the grain of the world’s wisdom—the message of Christ crucified. Key Words: kingdom, cross, Paul, power, and…