Christian Marriage: Mutual and Celebrative Self-Donation

Last updated on: September 17, 2021 at 11:13 pm By B. J. Oropeza

In New Testament scriptures, a healthy view of the marital bedroom begins by taking the concept of loving one’s neighbor as oneself a step further. Spouses are to love their partners as themselves (Ephesians 5:33). This final instalment of Christian sexual ethics focuses on marital sex.[1] According to Paul the apostle, sexual love making involves mutual pleasure. In 1 Corinthians 7:3-5 he affirms that both the husband and wife are to give sexual satisfaction to one another. Nowhere does this... Read more

Sex, Love, and Walking in the Spirit

Last updated on: January 25, 2021 at 12:33 am By B. J. Oropeza

The Apostle Paul gives two significant remedies to help prevent sexual vice — that is, apart from encouraging Christ’s followers to glorify God with their bodies (on this point, see Part 3 of this sexual ethics series). Here are the two remedies: “Walk in the Spirit,” which counters the works of the “flesh,” including porneia and other wrongful sexual activities (Galatians 5:16-26; Romans 8:5-6). “Love your neighbor as yourself,” which fulfills relational obligations (Gal. 5:14; 6:1-10; Rom. 13:9; cf. Matthew... Read more

Glorify God with your Bodies: A Sexual Ethic for Christians

Last updated on: January 25, 2021 at 12:34 am By B. J. Oropeza

Although my previous studies on sexual ethics help clarify sexual boundaries for single Christians (see part 1 and part 2 of “Single Christians and Erotic Boundaries”),[1] a person wanting to change his or her sexual behavior needs something more than simply being told what not to do. Although seclusion from society or a vow to lifelong celibacy have been solutions, most single Christians wanting to live in a way that is consistent with Christian sexual ethics desire only temporary celibacy... Read more

Perspectives on Paul: Five Views, including Catholic, Protestant, New, and Post-New Perspectives (Paul within Judaism and the Gift Perspective)

Last updated on: December 25, 2020 at 1:42 am By B. J. Oropeza

There are quite a number of books on the Apostle Paul, but few reach the caliber of great books. We may have such a book here with the newly released, Perspectives on Paul: Five Views by Scot McKnight and B. J. Oropeza (Baker Academic, 2020). What makes it great? It is not just another book of viewpoints in which those with a special expertise on a particular theological slant present their respective positions. Rather, this book includes basically the All-Star or... Read more

Fornication in 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8: Single Christians and Erotic Boundaries, Part 2

Last updated on: January 6, 2021 at 3:24 pm By B. J. Oropeza

In my previous post on Single Christians and Erotic Boundaries, pt. 1 we covered an overview on fornication (sexual immorality), that is, porneia in the Bible, especially in 1 Corinthians 6. This study covers 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8. Here is my translation of the passage: 4:1 Finally, then, brothers and sisters, we ask you and appeal in the Lord Jesus, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and please God—just as also you are walking—that you progress even more. 4:2... Read more

Single Christians and Erotic Boundaries

Last updated on: December 25, 2020 at 1:42 am By B. J. Oropeza

The previous generation’s sexual revolution left its demise not only in secular western society but also in the portals of the church. Recent statistics suggest that while extramarital affairs and teen sex are slowly becoming less approved by Americans than they were in the 1970’s, premarital sex is becoming more approved. This is not merely a teen problem, but premarital sex tempts an ever-increasing amount of adult Christians who find themselves single because of school, career, divorce, widowhood, lack of... Read more

Covenants in the Bible: The Concept of Covenant

Last updated on: January 4, 2021 at 3:08 pm By B. J. Oropeza

This study begins a series on the important subject of covenant in Scripture. God’s covenants with the Genesis patriarchs, Moses and the people of Israel, David, and in prophetic discourse have significant ramifications for New Testament passages, especially in relation to Jesus and the Lord’s Supper, Paul’s letters, and the Epistle to the Hebrews. Former Bishop of Durham, N. T. Wright regards covenant keeping to be comprehensive in relation to salvation. In relation to the Apostle Paul it deals with... Read more

A Pandemic with Christians from Roman Antiquity: How Did They React, and how were They Supposed to React? The Cyprian Plague

Last updated on: August 29, 2020 at 9:33 pm By B. J. Oropeza

In A Tale of Two Plagues, we covered two ancient plagues— the plague in Athens during the early Peloponnesian War as described by Thucydides, and the plague in Alexandria recorded by Eusebius. The second plague included Christians, whose behavior stood out among Alexandrians. We also discovered many parallels to the current COVID-19 pandemic. The pestilence described in Alexandria attacked many other regions of the Roman Empire. It is often called today the Cyprian Plague, named after the church father from... Read more

What are the Top 10 Bible Passages that Encourage Us Not to Fear?

Last updated on: August 19, 2020 at 2:44 pm By B. J. Oropeza

Where do we run to in times of trouble? Believers can find comfort in the timeless words of Scripture. What are the top 10 Bible passages that encourage us not to fear? Based on a recent poll my wife and I took (a democracy of two, but rigged by me!), here are our picks from the Old Testament. See if you agree: Number 10: Psalm 27:1: “The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is... Read more

The Latest on Galatians: An Interview with Craig Keener on His Recent Book, Galatians: A Commentary

Last updated on: August 21, 2020 at 10:41 am By B. J. Oropeza

Our first interview focused on Jesus, and in this second interview with fellow New Testament scholar, Craig S. Keener, we now focus on some teachings of the Apostle Paul through Craig’s recent book, Galatians: A Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2019). He actually has two commentaries on Galatians; the first one was published earlier in the New Cambridge Bible Commentary Series (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018). The commentary from Baker is the more thorough of the two. As a Pauline scholar... Read more