R. L. Solberg

Forgery in the Bible?

A pithy meme making the rounds states, “When God put a call on your life, he factored in your stupidity.” I take great personal comfort in this idea. The foibles, flaws, and sins of a believer who has submitted to God are not enough to overcome His sovereign plans for their life. The more I […]

R. L. Solberg 1 year agoOctober 1, 2024

Apologetics Hebrew Roots Theology

Why Peter’s Vision is About Food

When it comes to Peter’s vision of the sheet of animals, our Hebrew Roots friends really have just one argument. And that argument, when worked out to its logical conclusion, reveals why Peter’s vision must be speaking about food, rather than Gentiles, being made clean. The vision is recorded in Acts 10. The next day, as they […]

R. L. Solberg 1 year agoDecember 4, 2023

Academic Apologetics Hebrew Roots Theology

Acts 15 in its Historical Context

In ~50 CE, believers in Jesus held the first recorded Church council. Following a clash with men from Judea, the apostles and elders—including Paul, Peter, James, and Barnabas—gathered in Jerusalem to discuss whether new Gentile believers were required to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses in order to follow Jesus (Acts 15:5). The […]

R. L. Solberg 1 year agoNovember 18, 2023

Academic Philosophy Theology

Genesis v. Science

What strikes me about the scientific and theological approaches to the question of the origins of the universe and mankind is that neither will ever be able to produce the level of articulation desired (or perhaps expected) by modern minds. Technically speaking, there is no such thing as “proof” outside of the discipline of mathematics. […]

R. L. Solberg 1 year agoNovember 18, 2023

Academic Apologetics Hebrew Roots Theology

The Law & the Land

“The legal materials in Exodus–Numbers and Deuteronomy include explicit indication that they are meant for the new land, itself already promised to the forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the book of Genesis (cf. Gen. 12:1–3, 7; 26:2–5; 28:10–15; Deut. 1:8; 12:1; Lev. 18:1–5).”1 The laws given to Israel were tied not only to the […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoJuly 23, 2023

Academic Theology

Abraham’s Righteousness

An Exegetical Paper on Genesis 15:6 The fifteenth chapter of Genesis says of Abraham, “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6, ESV). This paper will evaluate this theologically significant verse. Word Study: וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן The Hebrew word וְהֶאֱמִ֖ן is formally rendered into English as the phrase, “and he believed” (ESV), although […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoJuly 6, 2023

Academic Apologetics Theology

Matt. 5:17–20 – Four Contexts

Matthew 5:17–20 is a passage of particular interest because it serves as a proof text for the theology of Torahism,1 which teaches that Christians are obligated to keep the Law of Moses. Thus, correctly understanding this passage will shed valuable light on that discussion. Because this text stands alone and lacks clear, immediate context—it is […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoAugust 23, 2024

Apologetics Hebrew Roots Theology

Salvation and Justification in Hebrew Roots

A standard line of argumentation by some “Torah-observant” followers of Jesus hinges on the distinction between justification and salvation. The theology of Torahism (aka Hebrew Roots, Torah-observant Christianity) holds that all the Mosaic rituals—circumcision, maintaining a kosher diet, observing the Torah feasts, etc.—are required of followers of Jesus and, therefore, it is sinful and disobedient […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoMay 25, 2023

Apologetics Theology

Where Are the Prophecies of the Resurrection?

I recently appeared on a show called Tanakh Talk, hosted by an ex-Christian preacher who left Jesus to embrace Judaism. They were kind enough to ask me on to share the Christian perspective on a fascinating question. (Here’s the full interview.) I thought sharing my answer here on my blog might be helpful because some of […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoNovember 1, 2023

Apologetics Hebrew Roots Theology

Is the Covenant New or Renewed?

There’s a line of argument among some Torah-observant Christians suggesting that the new covenant isn’t new, but rather a renewal of the Mosaic covenant. How and why would someone come to that idea? It seems be driven by the theology of our Hebrew Roots friends who are looking for ways to reinterpret Scripture in a […]

R. L. Solberg 2 years agoMarch 20, 2023