BuddhistCatholicContemplativeEvangelicalGeneral ChristianHinduJewishLatter-day SaintMuslimNew VisionsProgressive Christian
Beliefs
- Buddhist
- Catholic
- Contemplative
- Evangelical
- General Christian
- Hindu
- Jewish
- Latter-day Saint
- More Voices
- Muslim
- New Visions
- Pagan
- Progressive Christian
Topics
- Religion News
- Food and Religion
- Sports and Religion
- Religious Art
- Religious Music and Entertainment
- Religious Events
- History and Religion
- Style and Religion
- Politics and Religion
- Women in Religion
- Recreation Outdoors and Religion
- Business Finance and Religion
- Careers Workplace and Religion
- Education and Religion
- Family Parenting and Religion
- Health Fitness and Religion
- Home and Religion
- Relationships and Religion
- Technology and Religion
- Travel and Religion
Columnists
- Buddhist Columnists
- Business Finance and Religion Columnists
- Careers Workplace and Religion Columnists
- Catholic Columnists
- Contemplative Columnists
- Education and Religion Columnists
- Evangelists Columnists
- Family Parenting and Religion Columnists
- General Christian Columnists
- Health Fitness and Religion Columnists
- Hindu Columnists
- History and Religion Columnists
- Home and Religion Columnists
- Jewish Columnists
- More Voices Columnists
- Latter Day Columnists
- Muslim Columnists
- New Visions Columnists
- Nonreligious Columnists
- Pagan Columnists
- Politics and Religion Columnists
- Progressive Columnists
- Recreation Outdoors and Religion Columnists
- Relationships and Religion Columnists
- Religion News Columnists
- Religious Art Columnists
- Religious Events Columnists
- Religious Music and Entertainment Columnists
- Sports and Religion Columnists
- Style and Religion Columnists
- Technology and Religion Columnists
- Travel and Religion Columnists
- Women in Religion Columnists
Resource Library
- 2026 Calendar
- Library of World Religions
- The 100 Most Holy Places on Earth
- Patheos Answers
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Faith Leaders Database
- Anglican Episcopalian
- Bahai
- Baptist
- Buddhism
- Christianity
- Confucianism
- Eastern Orthodoxy
- Hinduism
- Holiness and Pentecostal
- ISKCON
- Islam
- Judaism
- Lutheran
- Methodist
- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
- New Age
- Paganism
- Presbytarian and Reformed
- Protestantism
- Religion Behind the Scenes
- Roman Catholic
- Scientology
- Shia Islam
- Sikhism
- Sufism
- Sunni Islam
- Taoism
- Zen
- See all religions
Research Tools
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
Follow Patheos 
- Trending:
- Forgiveness
- |
- Marriage
- |
- Consciousness
- |
- Death Penalty
- |
- Election
- |
- Halloween
- Home
- General Christian
- Religious Events
- Top 10 Favorite Posts In Christ: Highlights from 2025
Top 10 Favorite Posts In Christ: Highlights from 2025
Last updated on: February 2, 2026 at 9:12 am by B. J. Oropeza
Top 10 Favorite Posts In Christ: Highlights from 2025 2026-02-02T09:12:53-07:00 B. J. Oropeza
Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.
Here are the highlights from 2025 in review. Readers have picked their top 10 favorite posts from my In Christ column for this year. This list is based on viewership.
Top 10 Favorite Posts from this Year
Brant Pitre’s recent book, Jesus and Divine Christology, argues mostly from the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) the claims that Jesus himself makes that point to his deity. Pitre supports that these claims originate from the historical Jesus rather than created by early Christian writers. This is the first of three interviews to reach to the top 10 this year. See also #6 and #3 below.
While recognizing that the conclusion behind this piece might disappoint certain readers, I felt it necessary to let them know the truth behind this verse. Did Jesus actually say these famous words to Nicodemus? Or is it the author of John’s Gospel instead who writes them as he comments on Jesus to his readers? The red-letter editions of the Bible that attribute these words to Jesus might be wrong!
Where did Paul’s gospel originate from? Read this blog to find out. This is one of several blogs I wrote this year on the gospel.* It is the first of two that summarizes some of my findings based on my forthcoming book, The Gospel of Paul (Eerdmans, forthcoming, 2026). The other blog on my book is entitled, “The Gospel Paul Revisited: 8 points.”
This is one of the most practical posts I have written. I’m surprised that it was not ranked higher in views. You would think that people would be curious to know what a biblical scholar thinks are the best Bible versions. It is a very helpful blog for those who are trying to decide which Bible they should purchase.
This is part two of the interview I did with Brant Pitre. This time we focus on what his book says regarding the deity of Christ in John’s Gospel. I also provide a list of passages from John’s Gospel that point to Christ’s deity, along with a list of Christ’s “I am” sayings.
This is an interesting question that scholars often debate. Surprisingly, a fairly recent survey conducted at the Society of Biblical Literature might suggest that there is a new trend in biblical scholarship. Scholars may be more likely these days to attribute to Paul (in various degrees) some of his letters that a generation ago were more frequently disputed. See the details in this study.
Given the high rank of this blog, people apparently love thrillers! Matthew 7:21–23 is precisely one of those passages that will “scare the hell out” of someone! Perhaps compromised, lukewarm, and backsliding Christians should read this one.
Moffitt argues, among other things, that the atonement is not simply centered on the cross but also what happens after. In Hebrews, for example, Jesus’s role continues as a high priest. Among my interviews in 2025, this one received the most views. For part 2 of the interview, click here.
This post on how to read the Bible comes with the teaser on what I consider the worst Bible of all. Sorry, you will need to read this article to know the answer to this one!
This is a very recent post that seems to be gaining intense interest! It appears to be a controversial topic, but it isn’t really once you hear my explanation. And yes indeed, Paul did not write Romans, Tertius did. See why in the post.
Top 4 Perennial Favorites
The top 10 list above is limited to those posts I created this year (2025). The second list below are posts that were created earlier than 2025. There are four in particular that rank among the top five most-often viewed posts for 2025. Here they are!
- “Top Twelve Commentaries on Romans.” On this one I share my expertise on what I consider the best Romans commentaries.
- “New Testament Use of the Old: Quotes, Allusions, and Echoes.” My intertextual expertise is shared on this one in a readable blog.
- “The Apocalypse of Weeks in 1 Enoch: A Neglected Prophecy.” An intense interest regarding 1 Enoch and prophecy makes this post a favorite among viewers. This one is the second-most often viewed of mine this year. If you like this one, you’ll probably also like what I wrote on the Book of Giants, the Nephilim, and the sons of God in Genesis 6.
- “Which Bible Do Evangelicals Use”? This was the most-often viewed post of the year. It should be read along with #7 on the first list: “Which Bible Should I Read? Selecting a Good Bible Version.” Between the two blogs, I consider #7 to be more useful for new and returning believers In Christ.
Happy New Year!
As we approach 2026, let us look back at the highlights of 2025 (“New Years Day, Fireworks, New Year’s Eve” via pixabay.com)
Notes
* Other gospel blogs created this year that are not mentioned above include, “What does the Gospel Look Like for Ancient Non-Christians?” and “Women who Proclaim the Gospel: Psalm 68:11 and Isaiah 40:9.” From previous years, the most popular on the gospel is “The Gospel Of Paul: Evaluating A Protestant Perspective.” My earliest post on the gospel that I can recall is the most basic: “Is There Really Good News in the Bible? What is it?”
Evangelical
Religious Events
Religion News
New Testament use of Old Testament
About B. J. Oropeza
B. J. Oropeza, Ph.D., Durham University (England), is Professor of Biblical and Religious Studies at Azusa Pacific University and Seminary. Among his many publications include Perspectives on Paul: Five Views (Baker Academic), Practicing Intertextuality (Cascade), and editor and contributor to the Scripture, Texts, and Tracings series (Fortress Academic): 1 Corinthians (vol. 1), Romans (vol. 2), 2 Corinthians & Philippians (vol. 3); and Galatians & 1 Thessalonians (vol. 4). He participated on Bible translation teams for the NRSV (updated edition), Common English Bible (CEB), and Lexham English Septuagint (LES). He also has commentaries on 1 Corinthians (New Covenant commentary series: Cascade) and 2 Corinthians (longer work—Rhetoric of Religious Antiquity: SBL Press; shorter work—Wesley One-Volume Commentary). His current specialties include Romans, intertextuality, and Perspectives on Paul. He can be followed on X-Twitter (@bjoropeza1) and Instagram (@bjoropeza1). You can read more about the author here.
Previous Post
December 15, 2025
Interpreting God's Election of People in Ephesians 1:3–14
Next Post
January 9, 2026 12 Great Books on the Historical Jesus
Browse Our Archives
Select a Category "in Christ" 1 Corinthians 1 Enoch 1 John 2:19 1 Peter 1 Thessalonians 1 Timothy 1Peter 2 Corinthians 2 Timothy 400 years of silence A. I. A. M. Hunter Abraham Achilles Tatius Acts 13 Acts 19 Acts 22 Acts 26 Acts 9 addiction adultery Aesop's Fables Affliction afterlife allegiance allusions amanuensis Amen Ananias Ancient Biography Andrew Wilson Andronicus Angels anger Anglicanism anointing aorist tense Apep apocalypse apocalyptic Apocrypha apologetics apostasy Apostle Apostle Paul Aquinas archaeology archangel Ardel Caneday Arminianism armor of God article from journal artificial intelligence Asbury ascension atlas atonement Augustine Augustus authorship Awakening awards baptism Battle of Armageddon beasts behemoth Belial Beliar belief Benediction between Testaments Beverly Roberts Gaventa Bible Bible discrepancies Bible Gateway Bible reading Bible reading plan Bible Study Bible translations Bible version Bible versions biblical inerrancy Biblical Theology blasphemy blindness Boethius boldness Book of Acts Book Review Born Again bravery burial Caesar calling Calvinism canon canon Cassius Dio Catholics Channing Crisler charistmatic Christ Christian behavior Christian origins Christian theology Christians Christology church church fathers Church of England Chuza Cleopas Commandments Commentaries congregation conversion Corinthian letters coronavirus courage Covenant covenant theology covenantal nomism coveting COVID-19 Craig Keener Crescens crocodile Cross crucifixion curse custom Cyprian Daily Bread Dale Allison Damascus Damascus Experience Damascus road David Moffitt Day of Atonement deacon dead Dead Sea Scrolls death Deity of Christ Demas demonology demons determinism Deuteronomy Devil devotion dinosaur Dio Chrysostom divided I Divine Christology divine punishment divorce Do not fear Doxology dragon E. P. Sanders Eastern Orthodox Ebeneazer Urga echoes ekklesia election Elijah the Prophet Elymas embodiment of the gospel embodying the gospel emperor empty tomb Encouragement end times enlightement Ephesians Ephesus Epistles of Paul eschatology eternal life Ethics (Christian) euchlaion Eusebius of Caesarea evangelical evangelism evidence exile extreme unction Ezekiel faith falling away false prophet fate father Father's Day favorite Fear film Final Judgment Flood foreknowledge foreordain forgiveness fornication freewill from Saul to Paul Galatians Gary Cooper Genesis Gentile studies Gentiles geography giants gift gift giving global perspective Glossa Ordinaria God God perception good news gospel gospel 2.0 Gospel of John Gospel of Luke Gospel of Mark Gospel of Matthew Gospels grace gratitude Great Awakening Greco-Roman Greco-Roman world Greek Greek classic literature Greek lexicon Greek Orthodox Greek prepositions greetings guilt Habakkuk hair Halloween head covering head coverings healing heaven Hebrew Hebrews hermeneutics Hesed high Christology Higher Christology highlights holiness holy Holy Bible Holy Scriptures Holy Spirit Homer hospitable hospitality how to read the Bible human effort I Am sayings imperialism in Adam In Christ inspiration intercession Interpretation intertestamental period Intertextuality Interview intimidation Isaiah Israel Israel (land of) James James D. G. Dunn Jason Staples Jerome Jesus Jesus sayings Jesus traditions Jesus: Studies Jewish literature Jewish names Jewish Scripture Jewish studies Jews Joanna Job John John 3:16 John Chrysostom John Hyrcanus John Mark John of Damascus John the Baptist John Wesley Josephus joy Judaism Judgment day Julia Junia Justice justification kerygma King Kingdom kingdom of God Krister Stendahl lament Law lecture hall letter writing Letters of Paul Leucippe et Clitophon Leviathan Leviticus light Logical fallacy looting Lord Lord's Prayer lose salvation Lot Lotan love lovingkindness Lucifer Luke lust Luther LXX maenads Malachi Marcion marginalization marital affair marriage martyrdom Mary Matt Damon Medieval theologians Medieval theology memorization mercy Michael the Archangel miracles Mishnah missiology mission missionary missions monergism monogenes monster monsters Mysterious Ways mythology N. T. Wright name change names narrative Nephilim New Birth new covenant new covenant pneumaism new creation New Perspective on Paul New Testament New Testament use of Old Testament Noah Noah's ark non-Christian oath obedience Odysseus Odyssey oil Old Testament only begotten Origen Outpouring pagan pagans parable paraceratherium Parousia participation in Christ Pastoral Letters patristic theology Paul in prison Paul letter of Paul teaching Paul the Apostle: Studies Paul within Judaism Paul's calling Paul's conversion Paul's death Pauline Theology persecution perseverance perseverance of the saints Persis personal devotion pesher Peter Abelard Philo philosophy Phoebe Pink Floyd pistis Plague plutarch pneuma pneumagism popular culture sayings Porneia Post-New Perspective on Paul praise prayer preaching predestination Prisca Priscilla Prison Epistle Prophecy prophets Psalm Psalms Pseudepigrapha Q Q source quest for the historic Jesus quotations Rabbi Pinhas be Yair Rabbinic literature Rainer Riesner raised from the dead rapture reading missiologically reading plan recipients reciprocity reconciliation Red Herring red letter edition redemption Reformation Regeneration rejoicing reminder renewal repentance restoration resurrection revival righteousness riot Roman Antiquity Roman names romance Romans Romans 12-16 Romans 16 Romans 4:25 Romans 7 Rome Rufus's mother sacrificial system salvation Salvation/Soteriology sanctification Satan Satan's fall Saul the Pharisee SBL Scholars school Scripture Second coming of Christ Second Temple Judaism secretary Septuagint Sergeant York Sergius Paulus Servant in Isaiah sex and sexuality sex ethics sexual immorality sheep sick sin sinful nature single Christians and dating social justice Society of Biblical Literature sons of God soteriology spinosaurus spiritual gifts spiritual renewal spiritual warfare Stephen Wilson struggle Study Bible studying the Bible Suetonius suffering Suffering Servant suggestive commentary Survey synergism Synoptic Gospels Tacitus teacher teaching telos temptation Tertius The Chosen the flesh Theology Thomas Aquinas Thomas Robinson Thomas Schreiner Thorn Thucydides Timothy Titus tongues Top 10 top 12 Torah trust Tryphaena Tryphosa Tyrannus U2 Ugaritic Ukraine Ukrainian Uncategorized unconditional love unforgiving Union with Christ unity/solidarity unpardonable sin Valentine's Day veils vice vices victory warnings Watchers witnessing Woman ministers women women ministers women speakers women teachers word of God works works of the law worship writing YouVersion Zen Hess
Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020
Follow Us!
TAKE THE
Religious Wisdom Quiz
You are robbing me in tithes and offerings. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse and test me in this. What will I do?
Select your answer to see how you score.
Forgive you Return it tenfold Care for the poor Open the floodgates of heaven
Related posts from In Christ
8 things Jesus never said that you might...
More on Romans 12-16 Intertextuality: Channing Crisler Pt....
An Intertextual Commentary on Romans 12:1–16:27
Paul's Gospel in Romans: Interview with Jarvis J....
TRENDING AT PATHEOS General Christian
Emotion in Early Christianity by Andrew Crislip
Andrew Crislip’s Emotion in Early Christianity examines an often overlooked dimension of...
16 Spiritual Touchstones for a More Grounded Life
After decades of spiritual study, here are 16 principles I try...
Catholic Evangelization: Sharing Your Faith Every Day
Welcome back to the Graceful Awakening mini-series called, “From Faith to Mission.” ...
The Pillar of the Boatmen: the Ancient Monument...
The Pillar of the Boatmen is a Romano-Gaulish sculpture that dates from...
In one sense walking into Westminster Abbey is like walking down the...
'Super Scam Me' Exposes AI Jon Bon Jovi...
Leslie Pickett believed she was in a relationship with Jon Bon Jovi....
view all General Christian blogs
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support
- About Us
- 2026 Calendar
- Videos
- Podcasts
- Library of World Religions
- Faith In Media Tracker
- Advertise With Us
- Write for Us
- Privacy Policy
- Terms of Service
- Do Not Sell My Data
- Contact Us
- Radiant Digital
- Manage Newsletter Subscriptions
- Unsubscribe From Notifications
- Sitemap
Copyright 2008-2026, Patheos. All rights reserved.
Subscription Support Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In
Follow Patheos