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“When the Abrahamic Covenant Becomes a Personal-Branding Strategy” By Akin Ojumu Apparently, the Church has been reading Genesis 12 incorrectly for thousands of years. The rabbis missed it. The Church Fathers missed it. The Reformers missed it. Biblical scholars missed it. Even the Apostle Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, somehow failed to emphasize the real lesson buried in God’s call of Abraham. Thankfully, Fela Durotoye has come to our rescue. The motivational speaker and branding strategist recently announced what must surely rank among the more creative interpretations of Genesis ever produced: “God was the one who promised the first personal brand when He said to Abraham, ‘I will make your name great.’” There you have it. The mystery is solved. Genesis 12 was not fundamentally about covenant. It was not about redemption. It was not about God creating a people for Himself. It was not about the blessing of the nations. It was not about the promised Seed. It w...

“David Oyedepo Does Violence to Matthew 11:12” This commentary series is an expository voyage into Matthew 11:12. Applying basic principles of biblical hermeneutics, it explores the meaning of a familiar verse that has become one of the most frequently misinterpreted and misapplied passages in contemporary Christianity. Matthew 11:12 “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” As demonstrated in the earlier installments of this series, Matthew 11:12 is one of the more difficult verses in the New Testament to translate with precision. The Greek verb biazō , rendered “ suffers violence” in the King James Version, appears here in the form biazetai . Because of the grammatical possibilities inherent in the form and the semantic range of the verb, interpreters have generally understood the verse along two major lines. Although these interpretations differ significantly, they agree on one crucial point: Neither interpretation presents physical or spiritual vi...

“Who Are the Violent Who Take It by Force” By Akin Ojumu Between the close of the Old Testament prophetic era and the opening events of the New Testament lay several centuries during which Scripture records no new prophetic revelation to Israel. Then the New Testament opens—and suddenly the silence is broken. The opening chapters of the Gospels are filled with extraordinary divine activity. An angel announces to Zechariah that his wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to John, the forerunner of the Messiah. Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that she will miraculously conceive and give birth to Jesus, the Son of the Most High. John the Baptist then bursts onto the scene proclaiming: Matthew 3:2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Something monumental was happening. The long-awaited Kingdom was drawing near. The Messiah had come. The forerunner was announcing His arrival. God’s redemptive purposes were unfolding dramatically before Israel. It is against this backdrop that Jesu...

“Let’s Examine Matthew 11:12 in Context” By Akin Ojumu Matthew 11:12 is one of the more difficult verses in the New Testament to translate with precision. The Greek verb biazō , rendered “suffers violence” in the King James Version, appears in the form biazetai .  Grammatically, that form can be understood as either middle or passive. Because the forms are identical, the intended sense cannot be settled by grammar alone. It must be determined from the literary and historical context. That ambiguity explains why English translations render the verse so differently. Broadly speaking, biblical scholars have understood Matthew 11:12 through two major interpretive approaches. Although these interpretations differ in important respects, they agree on one crucial point: Neither interpretation presents physical or spiritual violence as a Christian virtue, nor does either authorize believers to seize political power, territory, blessings, destinies, or anything else by force. 1. Interpreta...