I’ve always assumed that David had sex with Bathsheba once. However, the text says that when David first saw her, she was bathing to purify herself of her uncleanness (2 Sam 11:1-5). This is referring to the bathing a woman would undergo after her menstrual cycle ended. Since one is least fertile immediately following menstruation, this suggests that David’s fling with Bathsheba was no one-night stand. Bathsheba probably remained with David for a number of days before returning to her house, during which they had sexual relations multiple times. If so, David’s sin was not a one-time mistake, but an ongoing sin.
Theology
Archived Posts from this Category
October 6, 2025
David’s adultery with Bathsheba was more than a one-night stand
Posted by Jason Dulle under Hamartiology, Theology[3] Comments
September 18, 2025
Here’s how a parenthetical statement can provide interesting insights about the provenance of a Biblical book. Mk 15:21 says, “And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.”
Identifying Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus only makes sense if Mark’s audience personally knew Alexander and Rufus. Mark added “the father of Alexander and Rufus” to help his audience identify the particular Simon who helped Jesus carry His cross.
July 30, 2025
I posed a moral dilemma to a few Christian thinkers, but none were able to provide a fully satisfactory answer. While I think most ended up at the right conclusion, no one could really articulate the moral principles used to come to that conclusion. So I thought I would pose the dilemma to AI and see what it had to say. Could it provide any additional insights into Christian moral reasoning? I chose to use ChatGPT and Gemini. I will reproduce the chats below for your reading pleasure, but I would like to make several observations first.
May 16, 2025
Yesterday was the actual day Jesus ascended into heaven 1,992 years ago. To coincide with this momentous day, I published my first episode exploring the theological and practical significance of the ascension. This is a doctrine most churches ignore, to our own detriment. The ascension is when Jesus was crowned king. It signaled a major transition in Jesus’ ministry. Ever wondered what Jesus is doing in heaven right now? Well, He’s certainly not on vacation waiting for the Second Coming! Listen to this week’s and next week’s episodes to learn more.
Listen wherever you get podcasts, or at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1958918/episodes/17156657.
March 28, 2025
Trinitarians typically baptize in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit based on Matthew 28:19. In contrast, Oneness Pentecostals (OPs) typically baptize in the name of Jesus Christ based on Acts and the epistles. Which is the proper baptismal formula?
OPs have been debating this issue for over 100 years. It’s part of the movement’s DNA. Meanwhile, most Trinitarians are oblivious to the debate. Those on both sides who engage in the debate tend to focus only on the Biblical data. The historical data contained in the writings of the post-apostolic church fathers is typically ignored. When it is cited, it is often cherry-picked or misused. As a result, I have written a research paper that seeks to examine both the Biblical and historical data fairly.
March 25, 2025
The Shroud of Turin
Posted by Jason Dulle under Apologetics, Resurrection, Shroud of Turin, Theology[14] Comments
My podcast series on the resurrection is still going strong. I’ve recently started my last sub-series within the larger series, focused this time on the Shroud of Turin. If you have never heard of it before, it’s the purported burial cloth of Jesus Christ, bearing the image of a crucified man. Many Protestants have dismissed it as a fake Catholic relic, and most non-Christians have dismissed it as a medieval forgery due to carbon dating tests in the 1980s. However, interest in the Shroud has not gone away, and for good reason. There is much more to the story. In this sub-series, I’m examining the mountains of evidence for its authenticity, and I’ll address questions related to dating, and more.Check out the series wherever you get podcasts or at https://thinkingtobelieve.buzzsprout.com.
March 7, 2025
Harmonizing the Empty Tomb and Resurrection Narratives
Posted by Jason Dulle under Bible Difficulties, Resurrection, TheologyLeave a Comment
I’ve just completed my subseries on Differences in the Gospels in my larger series on the Historical Evidence for Jesus’ Resurrection. In the final episode (#151), I provided my best attempt to construct what I call the “video view” of the events that transpired after Jesus’ crucifixion; i.e. what you would have seen if you had a video recording of the events. It incorporates every verse in the empty tomb and resurrection accounts from all four gospels. Here it is:
Mary Magdalene (Mary M), Mary the mother of James and Joseph, Salome, Joanna, and other women journeyed together to the tomb early Sunday morning before dawn to anoint Jesus’ body (Mt 28:1; Mk 16:1-2; Lk 24:1,10; Jn 20:1). They wondered how they would roll away the stone to gain entrance to the tomb (Mk 16:3). Unbeknownst to them, before they arrived, two angels appear at the tomb to open it for the women (Mt 28:2). Their appearance frightened the guards, causing them to flee and report the event to the chief priests (Mt 28:3-4,11-15). When the women arrived, they saw the stone rolled away (Mt 28:2; Mk 16:3-4; Lk 24:2; Jn 20:1). Mary M assumed someone must have taken the body, so she (and possibly one other woman[1]) left the group of women to tell Peter and the Beloved Disciple (BD) that Jesus’ body was missing (Jn 20:2).
February 5, 2025
Contradictions in the Gospels?
Posted by Jason Dulle under Apologetics, Bible, Bible Difficulties, Hermeneutics, Historical Jesus, Resurrection, Theology1 Comment
I posted back in October that I was starting a podcast series on the resurrection of Jesus. That series is still on-going. Right now I’m in the midst of a sub-series focused on explaining so-called contradictions in the Gospels, particularly in the empty tomb, resurrection, and post-mortem appearance narratives. I spent three weeks laying the foundation for how we ought to approach and understand Gospel differences. The episode to be released this Friday will start to explore specific examples of differences in the empty tomb narratives. Check it out wherever you get podcasts, or at https://thinkingtobelieve.buzzsprout.com.
December 31, 2024
The search for significance
Posted by Jason Dulle under Anthropology, Philosophy, Social, Theology[3] Comments
We are all searching for significance. We want to believe that our life matters. We want to feel like we are special. We want to know that our life has made a difference in this world. That’s why people seek to do extraordinary things. It’s why people seek fame. What we need to recognize is that we are already significant. We are made in the image of God. Our significance is rooted in God. We will never truly feel significant until we are in a close relationship with God.
October 15, 2024
What is the mark of the beast (Rev 13:16; 14:9-11; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4)? John the Revelator describes it in Revelation 13:16-17: “Also it [second beast] causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, 17 so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
I’ve always thought of the mark of the beast (MOTB) as being some kind of physical branding or object on/in the hand or forehead that would allow one to participate in commerce under the Beast’s rule. Given the fact that technology has already been developed and tested that employs microchips in the hand or forehead, I considered it likely that the MOTB will be some sort of microchip that one is forced to implant in their body as a sign of their allegiance to the Beast and as a condition to engage in commerce.
October 9, 2024
Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Series
Posted by Jason Dulle under Apologetics, Historical Jesus, Resurrection, Shroud of Turin, Theology[3] Comments
I’ve begun a new podcast series on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. The series will not only cover the historical evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, but also explore alternative (naturalistic) explanations, the evidence for Jesus’ existence, the theological and practical significance of the resurrection, questions and objections, our own future resurrection, an examination of the Shroud of Turin, and a harmonization of the gospel accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Listen wherever you get podcasts, or at https://thinkingtobelieve.buzzsprout.com.
July 5, 2024
Four years ago, I wrote a post titled “Rethinking the Will of God.” It was a rather terse summary of my thoughts on a big topic. I hoped to eventually flesh that post out into a lengthy paper. Perhaps someday. For now, however, I am teaching through the topic in a six-episode podcast series titled “Simplifying God’s Will.”
I am doing a thorough examination of what the Bible teaches concerning God’s will for our lives, and how God reveals His will to us. What I discovered changed my life, and it could be lifechanging for you as well. So check out the first two episodes wherever you get your podcasts, or at https://thinkingtobelieve.buzzsprout.com.
June 25, 2024
The love of God is not the only message needed in evangelism
Posted by Jason Dulle under Theology[3] Comments
A lot of modern evangelism focuses on the love God. We rarely hear it preached that God is angry at us because of our moral rebellion, and we rarely hear about the coming judgment. And yet, when you look at what the early church preached in Acts, it was a lot about judgment and not a word about the love of God or inviting people to have a relationship with God (see Evangelism: Are we preaching what the early church preached?).
I’m not saying we shouldn’t preach that God loves sinners. I’m saying we need to preach both that God loves us and that we are sinners. Indeed, only if we understand that we are enemies of God does the message of God’s love and forgiveness make sense. Apart from that context, why should anyone even care that God loves them?
June 12, 2024
An increasing number of professing Christians will acknowledge that the Bible is opposed to some practice, but then claim that God has evolved regarding the issue and the Spirit is speaking something different to the church today. Apart from the epistemological problems that such a claim entails, isn’t it interesting that the Spirit is always being more permissive today (just like our culture)? That’s quite strange, because when God has given new revelation in the past, it was not in the direction of moral permissiveness, but in the direction of moral stringency.
June 5, 2024
A departure from doctrinal tradition is a mark against one’s view
Posted by Jason Dulle under Hermeneutics, Miscellaneous, Theology[16] Comments
The truth of a doctrine is not determined by its age or by a historical consensus, and yet we naturally assign great weight to doctrinal tradition. After all, there’s something to be said for a historical consensus, and it should not be dismissed lightly. We should not ignore the understanding and insights of the majority who have preceded us. And in general, we should not dismiss a doctrinal tradition unless we have compelling reasons to do so.
March 29, 2024
The resurrection of Jesus is the centerpiece of Christian theology. I just posted a 1-N-Done episode on the historical evidence for the resurrection of Jesus. Check it out this Easter at https://www.buzzsprout.com/1958918/14768655.
He is risen!
See also:
- The Historical Evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus: A Short Case
- Why the resurrection matters
- A Resurrected Christ: The Most Unlikely of All Conclusions
December 20, 2023
Pope Francis approves the blessing of same-sex unions
Posted by Jason Dulle under Hamartiology, Homosexuality, Same-sex Marriage, Sin, Theology[3] Comments
The pope has officially jumped the shark. While a number of mainline Protestant denominations and prominent Evangelical pastors have changed their position on homosexuality and same-sex marriage in recent years, I never expected that the Catholic Church would do so. On Monday, the pope issued a declaration (Fiducia Supplicans) allowing priests to bless same-sex couples. To be fair, the Catholic Church is still officially saying homosexual behavior is sinful and still rejects same-sex marriage as genuine marriage, but blessing same-sex couples is at least tantamount to a moral approval of homosexual behavior.
December 6, 2023
Hypocrisy is not moral failure, but moral pretending
Posted by Jason Dulle under Hamartiology, Holiness, Theology[4] Comments
Most people would define a hypocrite as someone who does something that they claim is wrong. That can’t be the right definition, however, because it would consign everyone to being a hypocrite. Everyone sins, which means everyone who believes in morality acts in ways that is contrary to morality. That would make everyone a hypocrite. If your definition of hypocrite turns every person into a hypocrite, then your definition is not a meaningful definition. Something is wrong with the definition. A hypocrite is not someone who fails to live up to their moral ideals, but someone who falsely professes to believe in such ideals in the first place. A hypocrite is an actor.
See also:
“I’m not a Christian because there are too many hypocrites in the church”
November 10, 2023
“Hate” is considered a bad word these days. The culture tells us that we should not hate. We have even criminalized hate in the form of “hate crimes.” Many people are under the impression that this attitude toward hate is rooted in Judeo-Christian theology – that the Bible is opposed to all hate. This is not true. While the Bible does condemn certain expressions of hate (e.g. Lev 19:17), it actually teaches us to hate. It’s a matter of who or what we should hate.
August 22, 2023
Fact Check: Jesus Talked About Money More than Any Other Topic
Posted by Jason Dulle under Miscellaneous, Theology1 Comment
I’ve heard a number of pastors claim that Jesus talked about money more than any other topic, including heaven and hell. This always sounded fishy to me. I knew this claim had to be false, even prior to looking into the matter. It just didn’t pass the bologna test. Now that I have looked into the matter a bit more, my initial reservations have been vindicated.
If you do a quick search on the internet, you’ll read statistics like “11 of Jesus’ 39 parables are about money,” or “1 out of 7 verses containing Jesus’ words are about money,” or “more than 2300 verses in the Bible talk about money.” I can’t confirm the accuracy of all these claims, but let’s assume that they are roughly correct. It still doesn’t follow that Jesus talked about money more than any other topic.
Thinking to Believe 