Why does Paul say that Sarah and Hagar represent two covenants in Galatians 4:21-31? Where can we see this reality in the Old Testament?
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Author: Alastair Roberts
Alastair Roberts (PhD, Durham University) writes in the areas of biblical theology and ethics, but frequently trespasses beyond these bounds. He participates in the weekly Mere Fidelity podcast, blogs at Alastair’s Adversaria, and tweets at @zugzwanged.
What Does Jesus Mean When He Speaks About Being Born Again?
What’s your reading of the Nicodemus story in John 3? Why does Jesus tell him that he must be born again, and what does that mean?
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Transcript of Video on Jeremiah’s New Covenant
I wanted to experiment with producing a transcript of my talks, to see how much effort it would take. The following is my first attempt, a transcript (somewhat polished up in places) of my recent video on Jeremiah 31.
All of these videos are produced without any notes whatsoever, pretty much off the top of my head. Consequently, there is a fair amount of rambling and the transcript isn’t anywhere near as tight as it would be if I were giving a prepared presentation.
If people really want transcripts, I would be prepared to produce them if I had more Patreon support. As things stand, however, it is a task that is costly in time and effort and neither a very wise nor economic use of my time.
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Why is Lot Called ‘Righteous’ Even Though He Offered His Daughters to the Men of Sodom?
How are we to interpret Lot’s offering of his two virgin daughters to the men of Sodom when they surround his house and demand that he brings out his guests so that they may have sex with them in Genesis 19? Was it such an unthinkable breach of hospitaility to let his guests be molested in this way that he desperately resorted to a lesser of two evils? Or was the offer simply a stalling tactic as he knew that the men of Sodom would not accept it anyway? How does 2 Peter 2:7 control our interpretation of the passage and of Lot’s life in general?
What Should We Make of Jeremiah’s Prophecy of a New Covenant?
As a paedobaptist, I am curious how would you respond to the credobaptist argument from the nature of the new covenant as described in Jer 31:31–34. They argue that Jeremiah pictures the newness of the new covenant consisting in its being made with an entirely regenerate/forgiven/saved community. Credobaptists then would argue that this change in the nature of the covenant people implies a change in the administration of the covenant sign as well, such that it should now only be applied to those who evidence themselves to be regenerate by means of a credible profession of faith. In addressing this question, I would love to hear your basic view of how the various covenants in Scripture relate to one another and develop over time.
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New Soundcloud Account for the Audio from my Videos (and Possibly More!)
As some of my followers will find it inconvenient to watch my videos, but could listen to audio, I have set up a Soundcloud account, which will have the audio from my videos. I may also post other things there from time to time. I am steadily uploading the audio from my existing videos there at the moment.
If you would like to help to cover the cost of the Soundcloud account and to enable me to produce material of a higher quality, more consistently, and more accessibly, please consider supporting me on Patreon.
If you have any questions you would like for me to answer, please leave them over on my Curious Cat account. You can watch my videos here.
How Does Genesis Anticipate Later Redemptive History?
I loved your observations on how Gen 12-14 traces out the history of Israel (in advance of that history!). Fascinating stuff! Could you kindly elaborate some more on that? For example, is Sarai representative of Israel in Egyptian captivity? Who does Lot represent, etc.?
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How Do We Reconcile the Differing Accounts of Judas’ Death?
How do you deal with the seemingly contrasted accounts of how Judas dies?
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The Meaning of Rachel’s Tears in Matthew 2
What does the conception of Issachar have to do with Matthew 2:16-18?
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A Must-Read Book!
A plug for James Jordan’s Through New Eyes: Developing a Biblical View of the World and some other books for those wanting to read the Bible for all its worth.
Adversaria Videos and Podcasts 