NRSVue made big improvements

As a critical interpreter of Paul's letters, I have long argued for the subjective genitive reading of the pistis christou phrases. Finally, the NRSVue (updated edition) reflects this reading. I am convinced that Paul's theology stands on two cornerstones: God's good news and Jesus Christ's faithfulness.  

• Rom 3:22: "faith in Jesus Christ" (NRSV); "faith of Jesus Christ" (NRSVue)
• Rom 3:26: "faith in Jesus" (NRSV); "the faith of Jesus" (NRSVue)
• Gal 2:16: "faith in Jesus Christ" (NRSV); "the faith of Jesus Christ" (NRSVue)
• Gal 2:20: "by faith in the Son of God" (NRSV); "by the faith of the Son of God" (NRSVue)

Three Pauline adjectives, vital for our transformation

κενός (kenos) means "empty," πλήρης (plērēs) means "full", and κοινός (koinos) means "common." Kenosis (the act of emptying) is the first thing we need before God. It is our humility. Then, we will be filled by the Spirit. With this Spirit, we can share a fellowship (koinonia) with others, based on common sense that we are all weak.  

Mock Interview: Rereading Galatians

Rereading Galatians from the Perspective of Paul's Gospel
A Literary and Theological Commentary
(Cascade, 2019)


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1. Why did you write this commentary on Galatians?

This book is a short literary and theological commentary. I don't repeat lots of the good stuff from the traditional commentaries. I read Galatians from the perspective of Paul's gospel that emphasizes God's gospel, Christ's gospel, and the Christian gospel. I hope readers may understand this letter freshly, seeing the importance of Christ's faithfulness and Christian participation in the gospel.


2. What is the method that you applied to read the letter?

My main method is a literary reading of the letter. I don't follow a typical rhetorical analysis. I explore the theme of the gospel in Galatians: "the origin of the gospel; the clarification of the gospel; the root of the gospel; the advantage of the gospel; the mandate of the gospel." These are five features of the gospel in Galatians.


3. Why do you think Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians?

Some in the church confused the gospel of Christ he proclaimed. They claimed that Jewish elements such as circumcision should be a mandate to become children of God. But Paul argues that the gentiles don't need circumcision because it is a cultural, religious thing that is not essential to the faith. His point is faith is what all people need. This fact has been true ever since Abraham trusted God. Otherwise, Paul does not argue that his gospel is law-free. Rather, the law is fulfilled through Christ who loved his neighbor (see Gal 5:14: “For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’”). Paul does not attach any strings or conditions to his gospel other than faith, which has been working since Abraham.


4. How different is your interpretation from others?

My interpretation is different from the traditional one. I argue that "pistis christou" is Christ's faithfulness. Christ revealed God's love and justice and he was obedient to God. Accordingly, his sacrifice is the result of his faithfulness for God’s love. It is not a vicarious redemptive death that he died instead of sinners. Likewise, Gal 2:16 is interpreted differently: "We are justified not by the works of the law, but through Christ's faithfulness." Here justification requires Christian participation in Christ.


5. What can you talk about "justification by faith"?

Strictly speaking, "justification by faith" is a correct one that is argued by Paul. But the question is by whose faith or what kind of faith. Primarily, the needed faith is Christ's faith, which is the basis for Christian faith. Then the content of faith is not merely to accept Christ's vicarious death but to imitate him.


6. You also read Romans from the same perspective of Paul's gospel. Are there common themes between the two letters?

Although the context of Romans is different from Galatians, Paul's view of the gospel is the same. Likewise, in Romans, we see the importance of the gospel involving three aspects: God's gospel, Christ's gospel, and the Christian gospel. The concept of faith and justification in Romans is congruous with Galatians. There is no conflict about Paul's theology.


7. Can you talk about your book briefly? What is it about?

This book approaches Galatians from a threefold-gospel perspective: God, Jesus, and those who live faithfully. For Paul, the good news is rooted in God’s promises to Abraham and confirmed through the faith of Christ Jesus. Those who share his faithfulness are set right with God and become children of God. All the above is the good news that Paul preaches to the Galatians.

Mustard Seed

The parable of the Mustard Seed is not about ambition or success. It teaches that small should not be ignored. We should note that Jesus uses a mustard seed as a metaphor for the reign of God. It grows to become bushes, serving birds and people who need them. He would have used a cedar tree, a symbol of glory and success, for the reign of God. But he chooses a tiny seed of mustard to show that marginalized persons have the potential to realize.   

John 3:3: born again or born from above?

How can we translate and interpret the Greek adverb anothen (ἄνωθεν) in John 3:3? Technically, it means either "again" or "from above." Does Jesus talk about birth again or birth from above? "From above" is a better translation. It is Nicodemus who understands anothen as "again" and asks: “How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother’s womb and be born?” (John 3:4).

Then, Jesus answers him again and restates birth from above: "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:5). "Being born of water and Spirit" may be understood in the context of water baptism when one receives the Spirit from above.

Here, the kingdom of God is the reign of God in which people abide, depending on God or the Spirit to continue to live a new life. Birth from above means spiritual birth, which needs a constant connection with the Spirit.

The spiritual birth (from above) is not complete once and for all. It requires a constant commitment to God, seeking the truth of God. It differs from physical birth that has a birthdate. In this regard, the popular evangelism question "Are you born again?" seems weird and judgmental.

True wisdom?

True wisdom begins with self-realization that we are small and evanescent. Qohelet and Daodejing are full of this idea.

Black Seminary and Experience

Yung Suk Kim

Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity

Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology

Virginia Union University

I am an Asian American scholar with Korean heritage—a member of the Diaspora living in America as a citizen. With my hybrid identity, I enjoy teaching at a predominantly African-American school in Richmond, once the capital of the Confederacy and now the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia.

As a minority scholar within a minority culture, I often hear about the importance of the Black seminary and experience, prompting me to ask the following questions: Is the Black experience shareable with other cultures and people? Does Blackness stem from a collective or personal experience? Is it a human condition or a unique hermeneutical lens? African American seminaries play an unparalleled role for Black people and churches. They provide support within a sustainable culture and community. They can serve as safe spaces for identity formation or reformation, deeply rooted in African American heritage, culture, and experience. By remaining authentic to the Black spirit and experience, a Black seminary can foster critical spirituality and solidarity with others.

However, critical questions remain to be addressed in the future. In my view, the greatest challenge will be how HBCUs position themselves amidst changing contexts. How much can they adapt to rapidly evolving trends and conditions while maintaining their traditions? What models of transformation or success can they establish?

Redaction criticism (the water baptism of Jesus)

Redaction criticism asks why an evangelist altered his sources. To answer this, readers first identify the changes. For example, in the baptism of Jesus, Matthew and Luke both use Mark but edit it differently. The differences between Matthew and Luke reveal the concerns of their respective communities and their theological perspectives. In other words, Matthew and Luke are not mere compilers of earlier material but redactors — theologians shaping the tradition for their communities.

Why does Matthew insist on explaining the need for Jesus’ baptism by water? What was happening in Matthew’s community, and what theology is he promoting?

Two plausible concerns in the Matthean community are:

1) Why would Jesus submit to John’s baptism if John’s baptism is for the forgiveness of sins?  

2) Does Jesus’ authority appear inferior to John’s because Jesus was baptized by him?

Matthew’s answer is succinct: Jesus’ baptism is required “to fulfill all righteousness,” a recurrent Matthean theme rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures. In Matthew’s presentation, baptism signifies surrender to God, the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry, and a commitment to enact God’s justice. Thus, Jesus’ baptism is not about repentance and forgiveness in the ordinary sense, nor does it imply that his authority is subordinate to John’s.

The conversational, explanatory style of Matthew’s baptism narrative fits the Gospel’s broader didactic character; Matthew frequently supplies interpretive material (e.g., the Sermon on the Mount, extensive teaching cycles) to clarify theological and ethical points for his community.

Why does Luke emphasize the crowd’s presence at the baptism and Jesus’ prayer? This reflects Luke’s pastoral, “down-to-earth” concern with the public and social dimensions of Jesus’ ministry, and his consistent interest in prayer. As for why Luke omits some of Mark’s baptismal details, we cannot be certain. One reasonable possibility is that Luke, writing for a largely Gentile audience and with particular theological aims, judged some Markan details unnecessary for his purposes.

Definition of Research in Humanities

"Research means digging into subjects deep and wide, connecting them with today's world, and thinking together about the future that is yet to unfold. Good or bad, all research projects involve certain levels of ideology. What we need is not so much objectivity as responsibility." (Yung Suk Kim, PhD)

Jesus and Confucius: "Human-centered thinking"

I am amazed at the great thinkers' concise, easy-to-understand expressions of truth. I find the examples in Jesus and Confucius, who lived at different times and in different cultural contexts. Both expressed the importance of human-centeredness with chiasmus.

Jesus: "The Sabbath was made for humankind and not humankind for the Sabbath" (Mark 2:27).

Τὸ σάββατον διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐγένετο, καὶ οὐχ ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τὸ σάββατον·

Confucius: "The person widens the way; it is not the way that widens the person" (Analects 14:35).

人能弘道、非道弘人