Podcast: "The origin of the gospel"

Life is like a river

Life is like a river. A scholarly life flows, mindful of its end.

Life is like a river. A scholarly life flows, mindful of its end.
Here is a look at my upcoming book projects. As someone who is naturally organized, I’m constantly refining and updating my work—staying open to changes and progress in hopes of a "harvest" someday.
There is a clear trend in these works: a critical study of the mind at the intersection of biblical studies and other related fields.

I have made a promise to myself: I may not achieve everything, and that’s okay. I’m not going to burn myself out. I do this work simply because I love it.

"Thinking Meat"

Quote from "Mind" by Daniel Siegel

 

-Yung Suk Kim, PhD

I was struck by the concept of "thinking meat," a term quoted in The Mind & The Brain: Neuroplasticity and the Power of Mental Force by Jeffrey M. Schwartz and Sharon Begley (p. 21-23). This phrase originated in Terry Bisson's 1991 Omni magazine article. The idea presents a profound paradox, yet also a fundamental truth about our reality. We are meat that thinks. This implies that the thinking part is not separate from the flesh. This is, indeed, a radical notion; it challenges various forms of traditional dualism, notably Cartesian dualism. It also complicates a purely materialistic interpretation often associated with scientific positivism. When we consider the mind, it is not merely a separate machine, often equated solely with the brain, as some scientific views propose. Contemporary scientific understanding suggests that the mind represents the totality of our being. In this integrated view, mental elements interact with the entire body—including the brain—and the external world, encompassing spiritual dimensions. In this sense, neuropsychiatrist Daniel Siegel's observation is particularly apt, as he defines the mind (Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, Norton, 2017).

"By mind, I mean all that relates to our subjective felt experience of being alive, from feelings to thoughts, from intellectual ideas to inner sensory immersions before and beneath words, to our felt connections to other people and our planet. And mind also refers to our consciousness, the experience we have of being aware of this felt sense of life, the experience of knowing within awareness." (1)

"Mind is the essence of our fundamental nature, our deepest sense of being alive, here, right now, in this moment." (1)

"Yet beyond consciousness and its knowing within awareness of our subjective felt sense of being alive, mind may also involve a larger process, one that connects us to each other and our world. This important process is a facet of mind that may be hard to measure, but is nevertheless a crucial aspect of our lives we'll explore in great depth in the journey ahead." (1)

"Though we may not be able to quantify in numerical terms these facets of our mind at the heart of the experience of being here in this life, this intrinsically felt subjective phenomenon of living, and the ways we can feel our connections to one another and the world, are subjective phenomena that are real. These non-measurable facets of the reality of life have many names. Some call this our essence. Some call this our core, soul, spirit, or true nature. I simply call this mind." (1-2).

The idea of “thinking meat” also resonates with Paul Ricoeur’s hermeneutics and ethics, both of which take the location of the flesh seriously. He emphasizes that our genuine understanding of something does not arise from thinking alone; it must emerge through our bodily experience in the world. See his work Oneself as Another (University of Chicago Press, 1995).

The points above highlight four pillars of mental health: biological, psychological, social, and spiritual. This implies that a robust mind requires balance across all four: the body, the psyche, the social, and the spiritual.

The Double Embrace

I progressed to a refined book proposal. It has been on my mind for months. What remains is a matter of quality research time.

Hebel

Commentary on John 20:19-31 (Working Preacher)

Working Preacher

Second Sunday of Easter

Faith is an act with significant social risk
Commentary on John 20:19-31

Knowing the self

Laozi says, "Knowing the self is enlightenment." He is right; knowing the self is the basis of our understanding of both ourselves and the world. But the critical question remains: how do we know who or what we are?  

Rooted in Love, Resilient in Mind

True study begins with the self. Everything we perceive is an emanation of who we think we are. This means the driving force is the mind, through which we perceive, feel, and act. This book encapsulates my initial deep exploration into the meaning of existence, the frailty of life, and the enduring power of hope.

 

New Testament Ethics

If you are interested in a book that goes beyond history or theology, this is the one for you, as it dives deep into ethics. Specifically, how can we read the New Testament as a source of ethics? I was honored to contribute to this volume, New Testament Ethics: Revisiting The Moral Vision of the New Testament, with a chapter titled "Ethnicity and Race: Union with the Body of Christ." I just received my gratis copies from Eerdmans—a big shout-out to the publisher and all my fellow contributors. I’m thrilled to be part of this project. The book officially releases on April 7. Please help spread the word!

  

 

The 30th anniversary of my new journey into theology

It occurred to me that 30 years ago, in 1996, I decided to study theology. My family—my wife and three daughters under 7—and I moved from Miami to Chicago; at the time, I was a branch manager for LG in Miami. After earning an M.Div. at McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago and a Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, I got my first second-career job at Virginia Union University in Richmond, Virginia, in 2005. I’ve taught here for more than 20 years now, and I was promoted to full professor a few years ago.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of my new journey into theology. These have been such successful years, teaching thousands of students, writing more than 20 books, and still blooming with so many book ideas. I know I won’t stay here forever. All I know is I am here and alive. The next moves will come someday, whatever they may be. Thank God.

Reflection on Psalm 13 and Prayer

Psalm 13
How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I bear pain in my soul
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and answer me, O Lord my God!
Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death,
and my enemy will say, “I have prevailed”;
my foes will rejoice because I am shaken.
But I trusted in your steadfast love;
my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord
because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Reflection:
In times of terror, uncertainty, and all kinds of disgusting things happening around us—both far and near—we often sigh a deep breath of hopelessness. We feel crushed and ready to give up. But in this lament of Psalm 13, the psalmist does not end with negativity or dereliction. The psalm begins with laments but ends with God's faithfulness. It is faith.

In the midst of chaos and merciless changes in our world, both within and outside, we acknowledge who God is. We acknowledge how feeble we are, how much love we need, and how much connection we need. We accept who we are, we love who we are, and we move forward—trusting God and believing in ourselves. That is faith.

Prayer:

Lord, thank you for your presence, even when we don't feel it strongly. We trust you because you listen to us. Help us pour out our hearts in all matters. Guide us through good times and bad, trusting in you and believing in ourselves, for you provide us with strength. Help us in our weaknesses and in our unwavering work; instill in us the spirit of truth and courage so that we may stand strong in all we do. In Christ's name, Amen.

Soma Christou (Body of Christ): Christ-united, Christ-embodying

Paul argues that the followers of Jesus must be united with Christ in such a way that they share his faith and spirit. Therefore, they must live like Christ; they are a Christic body. This is Christ-united living. Paul’s idea does not stem from Stoicism, which uses the body metaphor to support hierarchical unity. His concept of being “one in Christ” is not that of concord in the empire; rather, it is an ethical union with Christ. The empire’s model and Paul’s vision are thus fundamentally disparate. I therefore argue that Paul’s point is never about being merely Christ-centered or Christ-unified, but about being Christ-united or Christ-embodying.

For more about this scholarship of mine regarding the body of Christ, see 1) Christ's Body in Corinth; 2) How to Read Paul, and 3) A Theological Introduction to Paul's Letters.

Colleagues

I had the pleasure of having a rich conversation with two of my longtime colleagues in gorgeous weather. We have been working together in biblical studies, supporting one another throughout our journey for more than 20 years. We are more than colleagues; we are brothers. The elder (Dr. Boykin Sanders) is from South Carolina, with deep roots in the African American struggle for justice passed down from his grandparents; the other (Dr. Robert Wafawanaka) is from Zimbabwe, and I am from Korea. We started off talking about weather and community, and ended up sharing a common interest in collaborative publication. We are all serious about scholarship; we are more interested in real people and community. It is a blessing that we have been sharing so many things together. We share a common culture, rooted in the people we come from. We care about what we do because of the people we come from. We share a spirit of union and solidarity, rather than a unity-driven ideology or the practices of empire.

The author bio

Yung Suk Kim (PhD, Vanderbilt University) is Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology at Virginia Union University. A prolific scholar whose distinguished contributions have earned various professional awards, he is the author or editor of over twenty-four books and edited volumes. These include significant works such as Justice and the Parables of Jesus: Interpreting the Gospel Stories through Political Philosophy (T&T Clark, 2026), How to Read Paul: A Brief Introduction to His Theology, Writings, and World (Fortress, 2021), Biblical Interpretation: Theory, Process, and Criteria (Pickwick, 2011), and the edited volume At the Intersection of Hermeneutics and Homiletics: Transgressive Readings for Transformational Preaching (Pickwick, 2025).
     Dr. Kim is a leading voice in biblical hermeneutics, known for his interdisciplinary scholarship that integrates historical and literary analysis with insights from psychology and cognitive science. His work consistently advocates for an interpretive approach that centers on human transformation, moral agency, and justice. This unique methodological foundation makes him exceptionally well-positioned to introduce the Critical Mind Framework.

The Origin of the Gospel: God’s Promise to Abraham

Many Christians operate under the assumption that the gospel originates solely with Jesus, often speaking of "the gospel of Jesus" as if it began in the New Testament. However, Scripture reveals a deeper continuity. Jesus himself proclaimed "the gospel of God" (Mark 1:14), a sentiment echoed by Paul, who defined his apostleship as being set apart for this same "gospel of God" (Romans 1:1). Paul explains that this good news was promised beforehand through the prophets, tracing its roots back to God’s call of Abraham in Genesis 12.

Therefore, faith does not begin with Jesus or Paul, but with Abraham. At the foundation of the economy of salvation lies the grace of God. God called Abraham—a "nobody" who did not earn his status—out of obscurity. Abraham’s role was simply to trust, acknowledging and accepting God's blessing through a lifelong commitment of faith. Jesus demonstrated this same faithfulness as the Son of God, revealing God's righteousness to the world (Romans 3:22) and fulfilling the Law and the Prophets rather than destroying them (Matt. 5:17).

Ultimately, the good news belongs to God. It is a single story of history that began with Abraham and finds its fulfillment in Christ (cf. Galatians 3). We must not overlook this vital continuity: the gospel is fundamentally the good news of God. In Galatians, Paul affirms that the root of the gospel lies in God's promise (Gal. 3:1–29).

For more about the theme of the "gospel" (euangelion) in Galatians, see Rereading Galatians from the Perspective of Paul's Gospel.

LISTEN TO MY PODCAST ON THIS POST.

Commentaries on John's Gospel for Working Preacher (Apr 2026)

Commentary on John 13:1-17; 31b-35 (Maundy Thursday)

Commentary on John 18:1—19:42 (Good Friday)