The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

This episode explores how the human Jesus, the Jewish Messiah who was anointed with the Holy Spirit, became the giver of the Holy Spirit after his resurrection. This is an important question when seeking to understand who Jesus is and how his empowerments changed after his death, resurrection, and exaltation. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (paperback): https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC    Buy W...

What sort of image do we get of God's personal Holy Spirit when it interacts with Jesus Christ in the Gospels? Do the four Gospel accounts regard the Spirit as the third person of the Trinity? Or is the Holy Spirit an empowerment in Jesus' preaching, working of miracles, and enacting of the prophet's role? Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (paperback): https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC    Buy Wisd...

Can understanding the Holy Spirit with clarity shed light on how we view God and Jesus Christ? This episode seeks to survey the complex Holy Spirit within the Hebrew Bible in order to understand its (or his) functions and characteristics. The goal is to set a foundation upon which we can move into the New Testament in subsequent episodes. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John (paperback): h...

This episode concludes our study of the epistolary introductions within the New Testament, starting with 1 Peter and ending with Revelation. Does the Spirit's appearance in 1 Peter mean that it is the 3rd person of the Trinity? Is Jesus called "God" in 2 Peter? Does the Holy Spirit send greetings in Revelation? We explore each of these key questions in this week's episode. Buy Wisdom Christology i...

Can we determine what early Christians thought about the Father and his Son by looking solely at the epistolary greetings within the New Testament letters? This episode continues our study to look at the introductory greetings from 1 Thessalonians through James to see what light they might shed on the identities and functions of both God and Jesus Christ. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of Jo...

Can we understand better what early Christians believed about God and Jesus based on looking at the epistolary introductions within the letters contained within the New Testament? This episode begins a study to look at how these introductory greetings functioned in their wider Hellenistic literary conventions to see what sort of Christology was taught in these early Christian churches. Buy Wisdom...

At the trial of Jesus, the Jews accuse him of "making himself out" to be the Son of God. Is this a blasphemous claim? Is their accusation true or have they further misunderstood Jesus? How does Pilate understand the person of Jesus? In our final episode looking at what "Son of God" means in the Gospel of John, we wrap up the relevant passages and reflect on our overall findings. Buy Wisdom Christo...

In this episode, we explore the lengthy prayer in John chapter 17 where the Son of God petitions the Father while addressing him as the "only true God." What can a prayer offered by the Son of God tell us about what this title means for John's theology? This will be our focus in this episode, and there is quite a lot of data to cover. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/iM...

In John 14, Jesus makes an exclusive statement that no one can access the Father except through the Son. He also claims that those who see Jesus have seen the Father. What do these statements mean in regard to the title "Son of God" in John's Gospel? We discover that Jesus is an obedient human agent who embodies God's personified wisdom and word. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https...

Jesus declares himself to be "the resurrection and the life" in John chapter 11. Yet, the ability to give life and to judge the dead are prerogatives usually reserved for God alone. How does this mighty claim by Jesus further explain the title of "Son of God"? We explore these points in this week's episode. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC    Link to the ebook:...

In John chapter 10, Jesus claims to be one with the Father and the Jews accuse him of "making himself" out to be God. What does this mean in regard to the definition of the title "Son of God"? This episode explores John chapter 10 in order to better understand the Christology of the Son of God who is one with the Father. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC    Link...

In John chapter 8, Jesus speaks as the Son of God who was before Abraham. How can this be so if he is the human Messiah? This episode seeks to better understand how Jesus reveals himself as "Son of God" in a complex dialogue with his polemical Jewish opponents. Buy Wisdom Christology in the Gospel of John: https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC    Link to the ebook: https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=...

Jesus states that he is "the true bread that has come down out of heaven." Is this a clear indication that the Son of God is a divine figure who consciously existed in heaven before coming to earth? This episode digs deeper into John chapter six and finds that the Son of God is a genuine human figure who is authorized, empowered, and obedient to his Father. Buy my new Christology book on Amazon: h...

In John chapter five, Jesus is accused of making himself equal with God. Is this actually what Jesus was doing or did the Jews misunderstand Jesus and his intentions? This episode will look at the narrative in John 5 in order to better understand what "Son of God" means. Buy my new book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/iMFP9VC   Buy the ebook:  https://play.google.com/store/books/details?id=CTcDEQAAQBAJ&...

This episode examines the "Son of God" references in John chapter three. In doing so, we discuss what it means that God "gave" the Son, God "sent" the Son, the Son came "into the world", the Son has been given "all things," and the Son is due belief/obedience. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id1347983887   To support the Biblical U...

The Gospel of John is often assumed to be the document that portrays Jesus in the most exalted christology--even higher than what Matthew, Mark, and Luke taught. But is this really the case? This episode begins our study of what the Fourth Gospel means when it calls Jesus "Son of God" to see if popular opinion holds up to a detailed analysis of the text. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podca...

The role of "Son of God" is a crucial role in the messianic understanding of Jesus, according to Matthew. This episode will look at the Son of God's relationship to the heavenly Father, the Son's lack of omniscience, the understanding of the Jewish authorities in regard to Jesus' claims, and the use of the title surrounding the events of the crucifixion. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podca...

As we continue to survey the Gospel of Matthew, we explore what it means for Jesus (as Son of God) to share intimate knowledge of the Father. We also carefully examine Simon Peter's confession to see what the Father revealed to him about Jesus' identity. Lastly, we explore the meaning behind Jesus walking on the water in a manner that led to him being worshipped as the Son of God. Subscribe for fr...

Matthew's Gospel appears to define Jesus as "Son of God" as the one who shows solidarity with humanity. This episode will explore how Jesus is the embodiment of the nation of Israel, how Jesus identifies with the Jewish people in baptism, that Jesus is the climactic type of Isaac, and how Jesus closely associates himself with other faithful human beings called "sons of God." Subscribe for free on...

In the final installment of our exploration into what Luke's Gospel means when attributing the title "Son of God" to Jesus, we explore Jesus' interactions with the demons, the vision of the Transfiguration, a special comment by Jesus himself, and Jesus' confession before the authorities. It turns out that "Son of God" in Luke is a title consistent with a high human Christology, rather than a trini...

This episode continues our survey of Luke's Gospel to see how he defines the title "Son of God" in regard to Jesus. We explore the baptism of Jesus, the genealogy, and the temptation narrative in the wilderness. Luke's portrayal of Jesus as the Son of God is consistent with a high human Christology. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/...

Being the largest Gospel in the New Testament, Luke has a lot to say about Jesus as the Son of God. Does Luke agree with Mark that Jesus is the messianic human Son of God, rejected and killed for God's purposes, or does Luke make the title "Son of God" out to refer to a preexistent divine being who became human? This episode will look at Jesus' birth and childhood to see how "Son of God" is define...

What sort of information can be gained by examining Jesus' dialogues with the unclean spirits--those who know that he is the Son of God? Does Jesus calling himself the "beloved son" in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants make him a preexistent being? What should be made of Jesus' admission of ignorance concerning the day and hour of the second coming? These questions will be answered as we continue...

Does the title "Son of God" refer to a preexistent being who became human in Jesus? Does "Son of God" refer to the second person of the Godhead? The earliest New Testament gospel, Mark, does not seem to think so. Rather, Mark teaches that Jesus is the royal Son of God who suffers and dies as God's authorized and highly empowered human Messiah. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.c...

In this episode, we note how the human Israelite kings from the line of David are called "mighty god", share in God's shepherding prerogatives, are invested with God's own name, and can be described as one who is "like God." If all of these things can be said of fully human kings, then this has considerable implications for how we interpret New Testament christology where the very same empowerment...