Andy Naselli

Thoughts on Theology

Exegesis

God Is Supreme

by

This advertisement for an energy bar pictures two triumphant climbers at the tip of a mountain peak, basking in the glorious view. The caption over the photo says, “You’ve never felt more alive. You’ve never felt more insignificant.” We love seeing grandeur and feeling small—because God made us for God. (I first saw this advertisement when John Piper reflected on it in a 2008 talk at the Evangelical Theological Society.)

* * * * * * *

My favorite verse in the Bible is Romans 11:36: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”

Several years ago I asked my close friend Joe Tyrpak to design that passage so that I could display it on canvas over the fireplace in our home. This is what he designed for me:

This passage teaches that God is supreme. To say that God is supreme means that God is superior to everyone and everything else. God has no rivals. He is unique.

Here is my phrase diagram of the immediate literary context of Romans 11:36:

The three exclamations in the first section (11:33) proclaim that God is deep and inscrutable.

The three rhetorical questions in the second section (11:34–35) begin with “for” because the second section supports the first one by exulting in three specific reasons that God is deep and inscrutable.

  1. God is incomprehensible (11:34a).
  2. God is without counselors (11:34b).
  3. God is without creditors (11:35).

These characteristics of God share at least two implications: God’s attributes are humbling to us, and God is gloriously praiseworthy. That is why Paul moves to praising God in 11:36.

Romans 11:36 begins with “For” to indicate that the three prepositional phrases support the three rhetorical questions (11:34–35), which support the three exclamations about God (11:33).

The message of 11:36 is that God is supreme:

  1. “From him are all things”: God is the source of all things. God is the supreme Creator.
  2. “Through him are all things”: God is the means of all things. God is the supreme King.
  3. “To him are all things”: God is the end of all things. God is the supreme goal.
  4. “To him be glory forever. Amen.” Therefore, God deserves glory forever.

For more on Romans 11:33–36, see these two recent videos:

1. “How to Read the Bible: A Lab on Romans 11:33–36” | Bethlehem College & Seminary “Look at the Sacred Book” Conference | 9/25/2021.

2. “The Supremacy of God in All Things” (Romans 11:36) | Bethlehem Baptist Church | 10/10/2021.

See also this video: “The Supremacy of Christ (Sermon Jam)—John Piper” (18:50 min.). Two of my former students, Brent Fischer and Chris Powers, prepared this powerful video:

(This article updates my Bethlehem College & Seminary prayer letter on November 5, 2021.)

Related: From Typology to Doxology: Paul’s Use of Isaiah and Job in Romans 11:34–35.

From Typology to Doxology: Paul’s Use of Isaiah and Job in Romans 11:34–35

Historical Fiction on the Book of Daniel

by

Last summer two people recommended I read a self-published book of historical fiction on the Book of Daniel. Dr. Brent Aucoin, a seminary president and Old Testament professor, first told me about it, and I made a note to buy it. The very next morning an MDiv student named Diogo from Brazil gave me the book as a thank-you for teaching several block courses.

I just finished reading this book aloud to my family, and we loved it. The print copy we own is two volumes in one:

Edwards, Jay. Daniel: Volume 1: Absolutes in a Gray World: Daniel’s Life through Age Forty-Nine; Volume 2: Power, Business, and Politics: Daniel’s Life from Ages Fifty to Eighty-Three; A Fast-Paced Historical Fiction Where the Tough Issues Faced by Daniel Are Addressed Head-On, Not Dodged. n.p.: Xulon, 2010.

What a story! At the end of nearly every chapter, my daughters would plead with me to keep reading. We won’t read the Book of Daniel the same ever again.

The book is by a missionary in Brazil who is working with Venezuelan refugees who are fleeing socialism. You can learn more about the book and author at the book’s website.

Related: 15 Accessible Books by Historian Paul Maier

Chosen, Born Again, and Believing: How Election, Regeneration, and Faith Relate to Each Other in the Gospel according to John

by

The next issue of The Master’s Seminary Journal just released. It’s on regeneration. I contributed this article:

Naselli, Andrew David. “Chosen, Born Again, and Believing: How Election, Regeneration, and Faith Relate to Each Other in the Gospel according to John.” The Master’s Seminary Journal 32 (2021): 269–86.

Abstract:

  • This article inductively examines what key passages in the Gospel according to John say about election, regeneration, and faith (John 1:9–13; 3:3–8; 6:36–40, 44, 63–65; 8:45–47; 10:14–16, 26–29; 12:37–40; 13:18; 15:16, 19; 17:2, 6–9, 20, 24; 20:30–31).
  • Then it deductively synthesizes how the Gospel according to John contributes to a systematic theology of how election, regeneration, and faith relate to each other:
    • (1) Unconditional election logically and chronologically precedes faith. Faith is not the basis of election.
    • (2) Monergistic regeneration logically precedes and enables faith. Faith is not the basis of regeneration.
    • (3) God’s absolute sovereignty regarding election and regeneration is compatible with human responsibility regarding faith.
  • The article concludes with an observation, a warning, and an exhortation.

My Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians

by

My concise commentary on 1 Corinthians is now available:

Andrew David Naselli. “1 Corinthians.” Pages 209–394 in Romans–Galatians. Vol. 10 of ESV Expository Commentary. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020.

It is part of a single volume that includes three other concise commentaries:

  1. Robert W. Yarbrough on Romans (pp. 21–208)
  2. Dane Ortlund on 2 Corinthians (pp. 395–566)
  3. Frank Thielman on Galatians (pp. 567–652)

The volume is available from Amazon, Westminster Bookstore, and Logos Bible Software.

Recommended Resources on 1 Corinthians

(What follows is the concise annotated bibliography at the end of my commentary.) [Read more…] about My Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians

Is Every Sin Outside the Body except Immoral Sex? Weighing Whether 1 Corinthians 6:18b Is Paul’s Statement or a Corinthian Slogan

by

I may now share a PDF of this article that released eighteen months ago in the Journal of Biblical Literature:

Andrew David Naselli. “Is Every Sin Outside the Body except Immoral Sex? Weighing Whether 1 Corinthians 6:18b Is Paul’s Statement or a Corinthian Slogan.” JBL 136 (2017): 969–87.

Here’s the abstract:

In 1 Cor 6:18b–c, Paul writes, “Every sin, whatever a person commits, is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” This essay weighs whether 1 Cor 6:18b is Paul’s statement or whether Paul is quoting a Corinthian slogan, and it concludes that the second view is more plausible.

Update: 

  1. My Concise Commentary on 1 Corinthians (August 28, 2020)
  2. Tracing the Argument of 1 Corinthians: A Phrase Diagram (April 28, 2023)

Evaluating Theological Interpretation of Scripture: An Interview with Brian Collins

by

I recently micro-read this revised PhD dissertation:

Brian C. Collins. Scripture, Hermeneutics, and Theology: Evaluating Theological Interpretation of Scripture. Greenville, SC: Exegesis & Theology, 2012.

It’s outstanding. You can download a free PDF of the book here.

Brian Collins and I were PhD students together and were members of the same church. We used to spend the first half of each Saturday morning doing our Hebrew exegesis homework together for the upcoming week. Of all the students I took courses with, Brian is probably the most well-read.

Brian kindly agreed to answer some questions about his PhD dissertation. [Read more…] about Evaluating Theological Interpretation of Scripture: An Interview with Brian Collins

Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11

by

This debate-book releases this week:

Jared M. Compton and Andrew David Naselli, eds. Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11. Viewpoints. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 2019.

You can preview the book with Amazon’s “Look inside” feature. [Read more…] about Three Views on Israel and the Church: Perspectives on Romans 9–11

The Structure and Theological Message of 1 Corinthians

by

My family is spending the first half of 2018 at Tyndale House in Cambridge, England, while I spend a research sabbatical drafting a commentary on 1 Corinthians for Crossway’s new ESV Bible Expository Commentary series.

The theological journal Presbyterion just published a 17-page article I wrote that is a more detailed version of part of my commentary’s introduction:

Andrew David Naselli. “The Structure and Theological Message of 1 Corinthians.” Presbyterion 44.1 (2018): 98–114.

My conclusion:

  • The most plausible structure for 1 Corinthians is that the letter addresses a string of ten parallel controversial issues in the church.
  • The letter’s theological message is that the gospel requires God’s holy people to mature in purity and unity.