Robinson was born in Quincy, Massachusetts, to Arthur and Olga Robinson, but grew up in Bradenton, Florida. He earned his B.A. (1969) in English and secondary education from the University of South Florida, M.Div. (1973) and Th.M. (1975) from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and Ph.D. (1982) from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (dissertation: "Scribal Habits among Manuscripts of the Apocalypse"). Robinson married Renee Guscott in 1970.
