John Niemelä received a B.A. in Economics and Geography (University of Minnesota). After college he studied biblical languages for five years in a local church and at U. of M. He then earned a Th.M. and a Ph.D. in New Testament at Dallas Theological Seminary. He was a teaching assistant there and part of Victor Street Bible Chapel’s pastoral staff. In 1995 he became Chairman of the New Testament department at Chafer Theological Seminary. During his eleven years there, he also taught Hebrew, Aramaic, and Free Grace versus Perseverance. Time commitments as teaching elder at Grace Chapel and researcher at Message of Life Ministries increased. Two of his former students were able to assume his teaching responsibilities at Chafer so he devotes his time to Grace Chapel and Message of Life Ministries.