The Biblical Unitarian Podcast

Having examined the Adam Christology in Paul's letters, we can now explore how this theology functioned in the argument of Hebrews. For the unknown author of Hebrews, Jesus the Messiah was an authentic member of the human race, perfected by the sufferings of death, exalted above all things, and acts as the current high priest. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the...

While Adam Christology is clearly apparent in Paul's letters to the Romans and 1 Corinthians, what can we say about its presence in Philippians? This episode explores the possibility that the Christ-hymn of Phil. 2:5-11 evokes allusions and echoes to Adam in such as way as to highlight Christ's distinctive person, work, and humanity. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podc...

1 Corinthians sheds much light on how Paul understood Jesus as the Second Adam. Not only does Paul define Jesus as an authentic human being who represents the new humanity, but Paul also regards the Jesus and Adam pair as having salvific and eschatological significance. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id1347983887   To support the...

The Apostle Paul describes Jesus as the "second Adam". What does this term mean for Paul's christology and how does it relate to whether Jesus consciously preexisted his birth? This episode explores Paul's well-integrated theology of Jesus as the "second Adam" in the Letter to the Romans. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id134798388...

What exactly does Matthew intend for his readers to understand with the reference to Jesus being ‘God with us’? Does this mean that Jesus was to be explicitly equated with the Lord God or is Matthew’s argument more nuanced and developed? This episode seeks to examine the theology and purpose of Jesus being called “Emmanuel” within the Gospel of Matthew. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcas...

Since it is clear that God often invested his name, authority, attributes, and rule into human beings and angels within the Old Testament, does the same phenomenon appear in the New Testament? This episode explores how God indeed continues to invest and empower human agents--especially Jesus Christ--with these traits, without losing his oneness or threatening monotheism. Subscribe for free on iTun...

God regularly uses qualified human agents to carry forth his will and deeds on earth. How much authority do these agents have? What does it mean when God invests his rule and attributes in his agents? This episode seeks to examine God and his agents in the Old Testament as a preview of how God sends and authorizes Jesus. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-bibli...

In a more casual episode, I wanted to freely think out loud about the relevance of Jesus as a human being, the original function of human beings as image-bearers, how Jesus goes about reflecting God's love, goodness, and just rule, and how Jesus is an example to me personally. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id1347983887   To suppo...

One of the most unfamiliar titles and vocations attributed to Jesus Christ within the New Testament is that he is "the Prophet", or "the Prophet like Moses". What is the significance of this title for understanding who Jesus is and his origins? The key lies in Deut. 18:15-19. This episode seems to explore the importance of this oft-neglected designation for Jesus. Subscribe for free on iTunes: htt...

Despite the 25,000 grammatical references to God being a single person within Scripture, some readers are more persuaded by a handful of verses where God speaks in the first person plural. One of these passages is the famous Genesis 1:26. This episode explores these rare "us" texts and concludes that they most likely refer to God speaking with his angelic court (and are thereby not a threat to God...

What does the Gospel of John mean when it twice argues that the Son of Man "ascended" and "descended" from heaven? Does this mean that the Son of Man preexisted in heaven, or is there something else intended? This episode seeks to unravel and answer these complex questions. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id1347983887   To support...

This episode will examine John 1:1, just a single verse, to within an inch of its life. The study draws readers back to Genesis, notes the importance of Hebrew poetry, and even quotes scholars on a critical point of grammar. Subscribe for free on iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-biblical-unitarian-podcast/id1347983887   To support the Biblical Unitarian Podcast, donate here: https...

Romans 9:5 is grammatically ambiguous in the Greek. Is the passage calling Christ according to the flesh "over all God" or is God the Father described as the one who is "over all" in an independent doxology? This episode looks at several considerations in order to solve this grammatical ambiguity, concluding at the end that Paul does not call Christ "God" in Rom. 9:5. Subscribe for free on iTunes:...

The New Testament, among many of its seemingly complicated christologies, exhibits influence from Jewish ideas of preexistence--the theology regarding certain important persons, places, and things that preexisted within God's plans and purposes. This episode explores the ways in which the New Testament texts were impacted by Jewish understandings of notional preexistence.   Subscribe for free on i...

Although it is a common belief that God the Father and the Son of God are coequal, there appear to be explicit differences between these two figures. This episode sets out seven of these differences from Scripture in order to encourage further conversation on this issue. It is concluded that Jesus' authentic humanity is the primary reason why he is not coequal with God the Father. Subscribe for fr...

Having already observed that the opening Prologue of the Gospel of John is a poem of Wisdom Christology, we turn in this episode to see how the rest of the book depicts Jesus as the incarnation of personified wisdom. In fact, there are over a dozen instances where Jesus within the Gospel of John is described in terms echoing Lady Wisdom. John's Gospel appears to be the best example in the New Test...

John's Gospel begins with an eighteen-verse Prologue where Jesus is depicted as the incarnation/embodiment of God's creative and powerful word. However, it is demonstrated in this episode that the echoes of Lady Wisdom, rather than the personified word, would have been more clearly evident by the earliest readers of the Gospel of John. This episode notes the evidence for Wisdom Christology in John...

As we continue our journey through the New Testament, we arrive at the Book of Hebrews. Within the first three verses of this sermon, there appear to be four statements about Christ that have their origins in descriptions of Lady Wisdom, specifically from the book Wisdom of Solomon. For the author of Hebrews, the risen and exalted Son of God is the fullest embodiment of God's Wisdom so that things...

Within our ongoing study of Wisdom Christology within the New Testament, we move to examine the Gospel of Matthew. Within this ancient biography of the human Jesus, we observe five passages where Jesus is portrayed in terms of personified Lady Wisdom. In particular, the author took the roles, characteristics, and functions of Wisdom and reapplied them to Jesus. For the Gospel of Matthew, just like...

In our continued study of Wisdom Christology throughout the New Testament, we arrive at the Epistle to the Colossians. Within this letter, the famous hymn about Christ in Col. 1:15-20 lavishly praises the accomplishments of Jesus in light of things formerly said about Lady Wisdom (without implying that Jesus consciously preexisted his birth). Furthermore, Colossians repeatedly depicts Christlike b...

Having already examined Proverbs, Sirach, and Philo depicting God's Wisdom as a personified female figure embodied into human beings, we now turn to the New Testament. In this episode, we look at Paul's first letter to the Corinthians where Jesus is also depicted as the human embodiment of Lady Wisdom, specifically in light of his death, resurrection, and exaltation. Please consider supporting thi...

The theology exhibited in Proverbs wherein Lady Wisdom can be embodied into human beings was influential with other Jewish writers before the New Testament was written. This episode aims to lay that foundation by looking at the Book of Sirach and the writings of Philo. Both Sirach and Philo continue the argument from Proverbs by depicting God's Wisdom, personified as a female figure, as becoming i...

Modern scholars have observed that many New Testament authors depict Jesus in light of Lady Wisdom (i.e., God's wise interaction with and instruction to his creation). However, most casual readers of the Bible seem to be unaware of what this 'Wisdom Christology' actually is. This episode seeks to examine the origins of Wisdom Christology by studying the Book of Proverbs, where astute readers will...

Despite the dominant scholarly consensus, there is a vocal minority on social media insisting that John 1:1 is not pointing back to the Genesis creation, but instead is referring to the beginning of Jesus' evangelistic ministry of preaching the Logos as gospel. This episode seeks to create a conversation with this minority perspective by noting what appears to be the fairly obvious literary and th...

Does the New Testament depict believers praying/offering prayers to Jesus? You might be surprised at the answer. This episode seeks to honestly assess how the New Testament uses 'prayer language' for Jesus and concludes by offering a model on the biblical way to appropriately direct prayers. Please consider supporting this Podcast and future projects by donating at: - https://www.paypal.me/10mintr...