The Naked Bible Podcast

This passage has been used by scholars and lay folks alike to justify socialism, communism, or some sort of politically utopian society that has the veneer of socialism or communism. This isn’t the case at all. Jesus couldn’t have been clearer when he said, prior to the events of Acts 2, “my kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36). The kingdom of God is not to be identified with any political or socio-economic system that guides statecraft. The concerns of God’s kingdom are other than those of an earthly state. Consequently, Acts 2:42-47 cannot legitimately be used to tell the state how to conduct its business. Such is not the concern of God’s kingdom. The political systems of men are to be evaluated by Biblical theology’s opposition to the coercive abuse of power and the sanctity and dignity of human life reflected in biblical teaching and divine law.

This episode will focus on two items of biblical theology that are controversial in biblical study: How the New Testament writers / apostles quoted the Old Testament The meaning of Acts 2:38 Of the two, the second is more familiar to Christians due to denominational debates about baptism. Acts 2:38 needs to be interpreted in light of the new covenant context that Luke has been framing since early in Chapter 1 and that we’ve been talking about in the preceding episodes. The first issue is less known because many Bible readers never bother to compare what they read in the New Testament to the Old Testament, even when Old Testament passages are being quoted. Neglecting this simple exercise stunts one’s understanding of biblical theology, and leads to interpretations that are often out of context and idiosyncratic.

While this episode covers Acts 2:1-21, the emphasis is on vv. 14-21. The first thirteen verses are only summarized with respect to what they describe and its biblical-theological significance. Listeners are encouraged to watch the video Introducing the Divine Council Worldview (located under “New? Start Here!”). The second half of that video covers Acts 2:1-13, the events of Pentecost. Acts 2:14-21 takes us back to the New Covenant idea of the Old Testament. Dr. Heiser talks about the connections between these verses and items in Acts 1, Jer 31:31-34, Ezek 36:22-27, and Joel 2:28-32, which Peter quotes in this section of Acts 2. The episode gets into how these inter-connections should inform how we think about eschatology (end times) and biblical theology in general.

This episode focuses on the decision to replace Judas and restore the number of disciples to 12. There are several issues of interest: What was an apostle? What was the significance of the criteria for choosing the replacement for Judas? What are the OT connections to these criteria? What does the replacement of Judas tell us about how God works to further his kingdom? What was important about keeping the number 12 intact?

Most Bible students would say this passage is about the ascension of Jesus to heaven. For sure that’s described, but the passage directs our attention to several points of biblical theology that are simultaneously tied to the OT and look forward to the events of Pentecost described in Acts 2. In other words, Luke isn’t just reporting the ascension—he’s framing the theological context for what he’ll be describing in his second book. In this episode we’ll see how Acts 1:1-11 makes us think carefully about how the NT writers connected their thoughts to the OT. The passage raises questions about the kingdom of God and eschatology—specifically, whose eschatology are we talking about, and what is the kingdom of God?  Rather than filter the passage through theological systems to which we’ve been exposed, we need to allow the OT to guide our thinking about Jesus’ teaching and the events of his life—just like the NT authors did. Discussing these things in the context of the OT passages to which Luke alludes helps us see the beginning of an important biblical-theological motif: the “already but not yet” nature of God’s plan for reclaiming the nations and having a human family to rule and reign with him.

In this episode we welcome back the show and get to know the host.

Advanced word study techniques for Biblical interpretation are discussed in this episode, focusing on word relationships and grammar. The Hebrew word 'barah' in Genesis 1 is examined to reveal nuanced meanings and challenge traditional views on creation ex nihilo.

Dive into the fascinating world of word studies as the discussion reveals Paul's unique interpretation of the term 'unmarried' in 1 Corinthians 7. Explore how cultural context influences theological concepts around marriage and divorce. The analysis underscores the importance of examining word usage across an author's work, paving the way for deeper understanding. Additionally, essential Greek-English lexicons are highlighted as vital tools for effective biblical study. Gain insights that deepen your faith and theological knowledge!

This episode continues the series on studying the Bible at the word level. The episode utilizes the audio of a short screen capture video (click to download) that Dr. Heiser created to illustrate a range of exegetical fallacies that amateur researchers frequently commit when doing Greek and Hebrew word studies. For those to whom the term is unfamiliar, an “exegetical fallacy” is the academic term use to described flawed methodology in word study and the flawed conclusions that such methods yield. Enjoy this important podcast!

In this episode, the series on taking Bible study seriously transitions to word level research by overviewing some directions we’ll take as we think about studying biblical words.