Posts by Kenneth Berding

Kenneth Berding

Kenneth Berding is a professor of New Testament at Talbot School of Theology. He is an author of various books, some academic (such as Polycarp and Paul), some semi-academic (such as What Are Spiritual Gifts? Rethinking the Conventional View), others for-the-classroom (such as Sing and Learn New Testament Greek or The Apostolic Fathers: A Narrative Introduction), and still others for-the-church (such as Walking in the Spirit or Bible Revival: Recommitting Ourselves to One Book). He has published articles in such journals as the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, Vigiliae Christianae, New Testament Studies, and Journal of Early Christian Studies. He is the director of . Before coming to Talbot, Berding was a church planter in the Middle East and taught at Nyack College just north of New York City. He has a heart for God and ministry, has written many worship songs, and has served as a worship pastor in local church ministry.

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The Good Book Blog
The Fragrance of Christ
Kenneth Berding — March 22, 2021
“For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death,...
The Good Book Blog
Why Romans 7:18 Needs a Translation Update
Kenneth Berding — March 03, 2021
I recently led a class session on how to interpret the second half of Romans 7. During the early part of the discussion, I presented four...
The Good Book Blog
Why Michael Heiser is Probably Wrong about Satan in the Book of Job
Kenneth Berding — February 24, 2021
Michael Heiser has done some good academic work during his career as an Old Testament scholar, and I will not hesitate to draw upon his insights in...
The Good Book Blog
Dying Daily
Kenneth Berding — February 17, 2021
I recently read John Piper little book, Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ. In this book, Piper wrote three short biographies of Christian...
The Good Book Blog
What is the Unforgiveable Sin? What is Blasphemy against the Spirit?
Kenneth Berding — February 03, 2021
Some years ago, I counseled with a student who was paralyzed by a fear that she had committed the unforgiveable sin because of some terrible words...
The Good Book Blog
“Your Life is Hidden with Christ in God”
A Devotional Reading of Colossians 3:3
Kenneth Berding — January 21, 2021
A hymn I learned as a child was running through my mind. I was perched on the side of a mountain overlooking the town of Idyllwild, California—one...
The Good Book Blog
The Longest Greek Word
Kenneth Berding — January 13, 2021
What is the longest Greek word ever to appear in written form? Here it is:λοπαδοτεμαχοσελαχογαλεοκρανιολειψανοδριμυποτριμματοσιλφιολιπαρομε...
The Good Book Blog
Seven Favorite Christian Books of 2020
Kenneth Berding — January 04, 2021
Following are seven books I read in 2020 that I found beneficial in my Christian life. This year I read quite a few biographies, so three of my...
The Good Book Blog
Four Lessons for Christmas from Mary Song of Praise
The Magnificat: Luke 2:46-55
Kenneth Berding — December 23, 2020
God broke into history by bringing a surprise announcement to a peasant girl in Nazareth. Mary response to this astonishing—and scandalous…even...
The Good Book Blog
The Most Important “Therefore” in the Bible: Romans 12:1
Kenneth Berding — December 16, 2020
One of my earliest college teachers taught me to ask a certain question every time I encountered the word “therefore” in the Bible. He told me to...
Biola Magazine
Let Just Get Through This
Kenneth Berding — December 14, 2020
Here a thought experiment. Suppose that you possessed a magic ball from which dangled a tiny magic thread. Furthermore, suppose that when you...
Talbot Magazine
Shelf Life: Fall 2020
Recent publications from our very own Talbot faculty.
Kenneth Berding, Rick Langer, Karen Quek, Karin Stetina — December 08, 2020
How to Live an 'In Christ' Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ Ken Berding(M.A. ’96) Professor of New Testament Christian Focus,...
Talbot Magazine
Book Excerpt: InChristness
Kenneth Berding — December 08, 2020
“Excuse me, where the canyon?” This may be the most embarrassing question I have ever asked. I had been serving as a student leader at a camp for...
The Good Book Blog
The Tongue is Like a Mosquito: James 3:1-12
Kenneth Berding — November 30, 2020
This morning I awoke to the sound of a mosquito in my room, a predator intent on sucking the blood out of my body. Mosquitos are evil creatures...
The Good Book Blog
Thankfulness in Christ
Kenneth Berding — November 25, 2020
Thanksgiving in the United States is one of my favorite holidays. I used to view it as the only holiday still untainted by secularism and...
The Good Book Blog
How Do You Identify?
Kenneth Berding — November 18, 2020
If you fundamentally identify yourself as being in Christ—as opposed to all the other options for self-identification—you will regularly respond...
The Good Book Blog
Let Just Get Through This
Kenneth Berding — October 23, 2020
Here a thought experiment. Suppose that you possessed a magic ball from which dangled a tiny magic thread. Furthermore, suppose that when you...
The Good Book Blog
Diagnosing Pride: A Checklist
Kenneth Berding — October 21, 2020
How can you identify that you have a problem with pride? Following are 14 diagnostic questions that I recently adapted from a set of “rules”...
The Good Book Blog
Ephesians 1:3-14 Re-ordered Twice
Kenneth Berding — October 12, 2020
Following is a little exercise I did while working on my new devotional book on union with Christ (what I refer to as inChristness in the book). I...
The Good Book Blog
Bible Memorization and the Problem of Changing Bible Translations
Kenneth Berding — September 28, 2020
This post will address two sets of questions: 1) What translation should I use when I memorize the Bible? and 2) What if I have already memorized a...
The Good Book Blog
How to Live an "In Christ" Life
A New Book Announcement and How to Use the Book
Kenneth Berding — September 21, 2020
I am excited to let you know that my newest book, How to Live an ‘In Christ’ Life: 100 Devotional Readings on Union with Christ has just been...
The Good Book Blog
Our Hope is in Christ, Not in a Vaccine
Kenneth Berding — August 24, 2020
Gritting your way through the current crisis on the assumption that the world will be back to normal sometime next year is inadequate.
The Good Book Blog
My Favorite Passage on the Christian Life from George Müller
Kenneth Berding — August 12, 2020
Here is my favorite passage from George Müller, the man of prayer and leader of orphan houses (1805-1898). This reading was originally a single...
The Good Book Blog
What Does “It is Well with My Soul” Mean?
Kenneth Berding — August 03, 2020
This post is not about the historical background to this wonderful hymn, though knowing the background is touching and makes the hymn more...
The Good Book Blog
Was Horatio Spafford a False Teacher When He Wrote “It is Well with My Soul”?
Kenneth Berding — August 03, 2020
In 1873, Horatio Spafford penned the lyrics of one of the most-loved hymns of all time, It is Well with My Soul. But should we sing a song by one...