Hospitality: Lessons from the Bible and Dio Chrysostom

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:54 pm By B. J. Oropeza

A couple of million people have now fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion. This crisis will require the humanity, mercy, and hospitality of other nations to help the many refugees. The current crises prompts my reflection on the notion of hospitality towards all people. Here are some lessons from the Bible and also from Dio Chrysostom. The Apostle Paul charges Christ-followers to pursue hospitality (Romans 12:13). The author of Hebrews likewise says that Christians are not to neglect showing... Read more

What would Righteousness Look Like for Paul’s Original Roman Audience?

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:46 pm By B. J. Oropeza

We often read into the Bible our own assumptions. This means that we may have a tendency to read the notion of “righteousness” (dikaiosune in Greek), especially in Paul’s letters, as justification. We may think about Martin Luther, the Reformation, and that justification has to do with God acquitting sinners and declaring them righteous on account of faith (Romans 1:16–17; Galatians 2:16). But then some professor comes along (like me!) and reminds us that Paul’s original audience nearly 2000 years... Read more

Do Miracles Still Happen? 7 Questions and Answers on Miracles

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:29 pm By B. J. Oropeza

From Moses parting the Red Sea, to Jesus healing lepers, to the Lady Fatima making the sun fall, people have reported miracles for centuries. What are miracles, and do they still occur in our secular age? Contrary to modern day skeptics, Dr. Craig Keener not only affirms their reality but claims they still happen today. He documents numerous examples in his massive two-volume set appropriately entitled, Miracles. He has also just written a user-friendly account of miracles entitled, Miracles Today.... Read more

What was Paul’s Thorn in the Flesh?

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:26 pm By B. J. Oropeza

In 2 Corinthians 12:7–8 Paul speaks of receiving a “thorn in the flesh.” This problem prompted him to seek the Lord three times to remove it. What was Paul’s thorn in the flesh? Thorny Answers Interpreters speculate over what this “thorn in the flesh” might mean. Some associate it with a recurrent illness or physical limitation Paul suffered. They sometimes connect it to Galatians 4:13–15. Here Paul says that he first preached to the Galatians in the “weakness” of his... Read more

Top 10 Commentaries on 2 Corinthians

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:17 pm By B. J. Oropeza

Second Corinthians is one of Paul’s most complex letters. Biblical interpreters may need to consult good commentaries to help navigate through its dense 13 chapters. Questions related to the letter as a whole include these: Why is it that, in the earliest chapters, Paul writes amiably to the Corinthians, but in the later chapters he seems to be almost throwing stones at them? Who are his opponents in this letter? What is he defending himself against? Why do lists of... Read more

In Christ We Trust: Roman Fides and Christian Faith

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:13 pm By B. J. Oropeza

Christians are not the only ones who value faith. The Romans considered faith—fides in Latin—to be one of their cardinal virtues along with piety, gravity, and constancy. Faith impacted the way they received the gospel, as we discovered in my previous post (“Don’t Stop Believing”). We continue finding more insights when comparing Roman fides with and Christian faith. Roman Faith and Four Types of Commitment Cicero, the famous Roman statesman, rhetorician, and philosopher, considers faith to be the basis of... Read more

Don’t Stop Believing: Faith for the New Year

Last updated on: September 24, 2022 at 3:11 pm By B. J. Oropeza

I start this post while watching Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and seeing a masked group of enthusiasts at Time’s Square await the New Year. The classic rock group Journey comes on and plays their 80’s hit, “Don’t Stop Believin‘.” Yes, that’s the right message as we embark on 2022. Amidst uncertainties related to the resurging virus, inflation, political divisions, smash and grab bandits, and my almost getting hit by a reckless driver while walking earlier today, I’m looking... Read more

The Gospel According to Spider-Man: There IS a Way Home

Last updated on: August 16, 2022 at 12:47 pm By B. J. Oropeza

The new Spider-Man movie, No Way Home, has come upon us. This film opens up the multiverse for our hero, and it looks like several of Spidey’s old villains are returning. Marvel movies prompt a biblical theologian like me to ask, “What do superheroes and the gospel of Christ have in common?” My Story and Stan Lee’s Code As a comic-book aficionado since childhood, I essentially learned how to read by reading comics. And for my special report in the 3rd... Read more

Four More Misconceptions about 1 Corinthians

Last updated on: August 16, 2022 at 12:49 pm By B. J. Oropeza

We already read about five misconceptions in 1 Corinthians from my earlier post. Here are four more misconceptions from some of the later chapters. First Corinthians 11:1-16 Readers often assume that this passage, which speaks of women veiling their hair, has to do with female submission to men, and even to angels. We read in 1 Cor 11:10: “For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels” (NKJV). However, there is a better interpretation... Read more

5 Misconceptions about First Corinthians

Last updated on: December 4, 2021 at 12:17 am By B. J. Oropeza

We often hear Paul’s second largest letter, 1 Corinthians, read at wedding ceremonies. Its famous “love” chapter, 1 Corinthians 13, is considered one of the most beautiful pieces of poetry regarding love. The letter also famously speaks of the Lord’s Supper, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of Christ, among many other things. There are also a number of popular misconceptions about this letter. We will cover five of them, beginning with the well-known chapter on love. First Corinthians 13 This... Read more