BibleProject Podcast Summary

Episode: Living in the Wilderness Now

Date: November 10, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode brings the wilderness series to a close by exploring how the biblical theme of the wilderness is interpreted and applied in the New Testament, especially in the letters of Paul and Hebrews. The hosts discuss what it means to "live in the wilderness now" as followers of Jesus, uncovering how the in-between nature of Christian existence mirrors Israel’s time in the wilderness. They address how spiritual testing, provision, and warning are still relevant for the modern believer, examining both the danger and the hope that the wilderness represents.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life as Wilderness: The Biblical Pattern

• The hosts revisit the motif that life between Jesus’ resurrection and the new creation is a “wilderness”—an in-between place of testing, not yet home.
• [00:05] A: "All of life this side of new creation is a type of wilderness wandering. We're no longer captives to death, but we're not home yet."
• Jesus, as the new Moses, guides and sustains believers through the wilderness of life.

2. Paul’s Wilderness Typology in 1 Corinthians 10

• Most explicitly, Paul references Israel’s wilderness experience in 1 Corinthians 10, drawing typological connections between Israel and the Christian community.
• Paul emphasizes the importance of fidelity in the wilderness with both warning and hope.
• [11:55] B: "Our ancestors were all under the cloud and passed through the sea... They were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea."
• Paul's typology: Exodus events (passing through the sea, eating manna, drinking from the rock) are forms, or "types" (tupoi), pointing to Christian baptism and communion.
• [19:36] B: "These things happened as tupoi for us... This is a pattern for us."
• The hosts discuss how Paul's audience, mostly Gentile, is still invited to see themselves as part of Israel’s story.

3. The Practical Situation in Corinth

• The Corinthians’ context: pagan feasts, idol worship, and social pressure.
• Debate over whether Christians can attend pagan parties without compromising fidelity to Jesus.
• Paul’s answer balances knowledge with love: even if idols are “nothing,” partaking in such events might cause others to stumble or fall into real spiritual danger.
• [10:44] B: "Somebody's conscience can be defiled because in their eyes, I really am showing honor to another spiritual being other than the one God..."

4. The Wilderness as Warning and Opportunity

• The wilderness is dangerous, but God’s provision is available. Rejecting it leads to ruin, both spiritually and physically.
• [25:43] B: "The wilderness is the in-between... the edges of the old age and new age meet together. That is like a garden in the wilderness, an oasis..."
• Paul presents the “ends of the ages” overlapping: the old (sin, death) and the new (Spirit, resurrection) both present in the wilderness experience.

5. Consequences, Testing, and Hope

• The wilderness can destroy, but mercy and hope remain.
• Paul provides examples: the man in 1 Corinthians 5 handed over to Satan “for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit might be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” ([29:35]).
• [34:02] B: "If your work is burned up, you'll suffer loss, but he himself will be saved just through the fire."
• The hosts explore theological tensions: consequences are real, but God’s mercy persists.

6. The Wilderness and Rest in Hebrews

• Hebrews uses Psalm 95 to urge perseverance.
• The “rest” (Sabbath, Promised Land, ultimate peace) remains open; each generation stands before the choice—will we enter into God’s rest?
• [46:22] A: "Apparently Psalm 95 has been able to speak to every single generation up till now... because the new Eden hasn't fully arrived."
• Hebrews highlights urgency: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts” ([39:25-41:53]).
• The ultimate rest awaits, but there is a present, partial experience of “rest” (satisfaction, trust, provision) available now.

7. Tension and Pastoral Application

• Hebrews provides less nuance than Paul on those who "fail"—its warnings are stark, meant to motivate.
• The hosts discuss synthesizing tensions: the wilderness is both warning and promise.
• [51:56] B: "What the tension does is it motivates you to never get too comfy with yourself, but also never get comfy with the wilderness."
• The takeaway is to stick with Jesus, the shepherd who succeeded where all others failed, as our only hope through the wilderness.

8. The End of Wilderness in Revelation

• Brief mention: Revelation portrays the end of wilderness—New Jerusalem is garden everywhere; wilderness and sea (chaos) are no more ([53:09-53:43]).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:09] B: "You can ignore the oasis on offer, and if you do that, you will find that the wilderness is going to kill you."
• [13:27] B: "He's describing the wilderness, wanderings and the passage through the sea, but using the explicitly messianic community language of being baptized..."
• [24:22] A: "There's something actually productive ... about being in that stage where we think it's just driving us back to the dust. But ... it actually prepares us for the garden."
• [34:44] A: "To whatever degree I'm ready, that's the degree I get to be participating in the garden. So if everything I've been building has not helped me be ready, I'm at square one in the garden."
• [56:48] A: "If I remain in him, I can learn how to have a trusting heart ... I could find bread in the wilderness if I remain in him."

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment/Topic | |------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:05 | Opening thoughts: The wilderness as a present, spiritual metaphor | | 03:56 | Intro to 1 Corinthians and Paul's audience/context | | 11:55 | Paul’s analogy: The Exodus and Christian experience | | 18:31 | Eating and drinking in the wilderness: Christ as provider | | 19:36 | Typology: Israel's wilderness as pattern/tupos for Christians | | 23:12 | The “ends of the ages” overlap; living at the edge of promise | | 29:35 | Paul on church discipline, consequences, and ultimate hope | | 34:02 | Salvation “through the fire”; purgatory and Protestant distinctions | | 39:25 | Hebrews 3–4: Psalm 95, hardness of heart, and entering God's rest | | 46:22 | The rest remains open; ongoing invitation in Hebrews | | 51:56 | The tension of warning and hope—practical application | | 53:09 | Revelation: Wilderness gone, all is garden | | 56:48 | Final encouragement: Stay with Jesus, the true shepherd |

Tone & Language

The discussion is both deeply theological and warmly practical. The hosts speak in an engaging, pastoral tone, grappling honestly with scriptural tensions ("How big of a consequence is that?" [55:37]) and using accessible metaphors. They oscillate between scholarly insights (Greek word studies, ancient Jewish tradition) and real-life encouragement (recognizing spiritual struggle and the hope of Jesus’ mercy).

Conclusion

The episode masterfully ties together New Testament exegesis, ancient patterns, and modern Christian life. The wilderness is a place of spiritual danger and profound opportunity—a testing ground made survivable by Jesus’ presence and leadership. The encouragement to listeners is:

Stick close to the Shepherd through the wilderness, trust his provision, heed the warnings seriously, but be assured that his mercy abounds even when we fail.
(paraphrase of summary around [57:07])

For further study:

• BibleProject’s video on the Wilderness theme
• The Wilderness Guide and group study at bibleproject.com
• Hebrews 3–4, 1 Corinthians 10, and related passages