Paul’s theology of humanity begins with Adam but reaches its fulfilment in Christ, the last Adam and second man. This concluding study traces the movement from creation and fall through redemption to the new humanity and new creation in Christ.
First Timothy 2 and 1 Corinthians 11–14 are usually studied separately. When read together, however, their shared concerns with the gathered church, learning, submission, public speech and Genesis 2 reveal a striking coherence in Paul’s thought.
If the animals were created before Adam, why don’t they have priority over him?
Perhaps the question assumes the wrong kind of order. Genesis distinguishes between a “one-above-the-other” relationship (Adam and the animals) and a unique “one-out-of-the-other” relationship (man and woman). That distinction may be one of the keys to understanding both Genesis 2 and Paul’s theology of creation.
Why is Priscilla sometimes named first? The answer may not be as straightforward as is often assumed. By tracing the chronology of Acts and Paul’s letters, this study demonstrates an important principle of biblical interpretation: theological conclusions should be built on what Scripture says, not on conjectures presented as though they were biblical facts.
The New Testament does not ask Christians to choose between Jesus and his apostles. This study explains how the ascended Christ continued teaching his Church through the Holy Spirit and the apostles whom he personally appointed.
A Brief Explanation of Each of the 10 Studies.
Lexical meaning and authorial meaning are not the same. Dictionaries identify the recognised possibilities a word can bear, but only the biblical author communicates the intended meaning. This study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own argument.
Dictionaries help us understand biblical words, but they cannot replace the biblical authors. This introductory study explains why faithful interpretation begins by following the author’s own communication rather than treating Scripture as a collection of isolated word definitions.
Paul did not write collections of isolated verses. This study explains why readers must keep reading—and rereading—until Paul has completed his argument and the connections between its parts become clear.
Paul’s appeals to Genesis arise within particular historical and pastoral situations, but they also express enduring theological convictions. This study explains why the historical occasion and the theology of Genesis must be understood together.