David Wilber's Blog

Author: David Wilber

Have you ever asked God, “What is your will for my life?” If you have, you might be encouraged to know that Scripture already offers a direct (though often overlooked) answer to that question. As Paul writes to the believers in Thessalonica:

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
—1 Thessalonians 5:18

What is the will of God? That we give thanks in all circumstances. Not just in the happy circumstances, but in all of them. Scriptur...

Author: David Wilber

The Epistle to the Hebrews offers biblical evidence that the Holy Spirit is both fully divine and a distinct person. Within the epistle, the author identifies the Spirit as “eternal,” presents the Spirit as speaking God’s words as recorded in Old Testament quotations, and yet also distinguishes the Spirit as a separate agent from the Father and the Son. This article examines several references to the Spirit in Hebrews and shows how the author’s depiction is consistent with th...

Author: David Wilber*

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the God of Israel commanded his people to observe the Sabbath (Exod. 20:8). Did the earliest followers of Jesus believe that this commandment remained binding on them? One way to approach this question is to observe how Jesus and his earliest followers lived with respect to the Sabbath.

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles contain numerous references to the Sabbath. This article examines these references to explore how Luke depicts the Sab...

Author: David Wilber

Is marital intimacy on the Sabbath a violation of the commandment to keep the seventh day holy? That depends on who you ask.

The Rabbis say no. Mishnah Ketubot 5:6 states that an unemployed man must have marital relations with his wife “every day,” including on the Sabbath. Moreover, Babylonian Talmud Ketubot 62b:6 states that the Sabbath is actually “the ideal time for Torah scholars to fulfill their conjugal obligations.” Rather than prohibiting sexual intimacy on the Sabbat...

Author: David Wilber

In 2 Peter 3:15-17, Peter warns that Paul’s letters contain content that is “hard to understand” and which “the ignorant and unstable” misinterpret. He then connects the mishandling of Paul’s letters to “lawless people.” Here is what he writes:

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them ...

Author: David Wilber

The expression “law of Christ” appears only two times in the New Testament. In Galatians 6:2, Paul urges his readers to fulfill “the law of Christ” (τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ). Similarly, in 1 Corinthians 9:21, Paul states that he is “under/in the law of Christ” (ἔννομος Χριστοῦ). Traditionally, interpreters have frequently understood this expression to refer to a new “law” or ethic that supersedes the law of Moses. However, as Todd Wilson notes, there is a “growing scholarly con...

Author: David Wilber

Is the Messiah God? The first chapter of Hebrews presents compelling evidence that he is. In this chapter, the author highlights the Son’s role as the creator and sustainer of the universe, emphasizes the Son’s divine essence, proclaims that the Son is worthy of the worship that belongs only to God, and explicitly identifies the Son as “God” and “Lord/YHWH.” In order to demonstrate each of these points, this article conducts a detailed exegesis of Hebrews 1 and answers object...

Author: David Wilber

Jubilees, sometimes called Little Genesis,[1] is a fascinating book that provides a window into the world of Second Temple Judaism. Like 1 Enoch, Jubilees offers valuable insights into the beliefs and practices among some Jews during the time of the apostles, and it is worth reading for its historical value.

However, instead of appreciating it for what it is, a few teachers on the Internet exaggerate the significance of Jubilees. For instance, some claim that Jubilees is inspi...

Author: David Wilber

Does the Bible teach that Yeshua the Messiah is divine? Philippians 2:5-11 is a central text that speaks to this question. In this passage, Paul teaches that the Messiah existed as a divine figure prior to his human conception, bears the name YHWH, and is rightfully given the reverence and allegiance that belongs to YHWH alone.

In this article, we will examine Philippians 2:5-11 in depth to establish each of these points. We will also address the arguments of those who say thi...

Author: David Wilber

In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul expressed that Gentile believers used to be excluded from the people of Israel. But now, in Christ, they have become fellow citizens and members of God’s household (Ephesians 2:11-13, 19). Why were these Gentile believers excluded from the people of Israel, and what did Christ do to include them? Paul explains that there was a “dividing wall of hostility” that existed between Jew and Gentile, which Christ broke down:

For he himself is our p...