517 results for tag: Brad Jersak

Are We Actually Alienated from God … or Is It All in Your Head? Brad Jersak

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight (Col. 1:19-22). The following rather brilliant question arrived today from a friend of mine, and after giving it some thought, felt it was worth sharing with our CWR blog readers. Alienated from God? Col. 1:21   Q: Does this ...

Punisher or Pushover? How Is Wrath “God’s” – Brad Jersak

How, why or when is 'wrath' God's? Why does the Bible talk about 'the wrath of God'?  As we continue to preach and teach the NT message that "God is Infinite Love," embodied in Christ and revealed on the Cross, it is right that we should continually challenge and be challenged by "the wrath of God." That challenge requires us to keep returning to the Scriptures and to the Lord for greater clarity, because such great potential for error persists. We dare not slander God, either as a violent punisher or a spineless pushover, because such images serve as stumbling blocks, especially to those suffering under the consequences of their ...

Christ-centered faith vs Christless religion/spirituality – Brad Jersak

Lately, I’ve been noticing subtle differences between the popular ‘spirituality vs. religion’ and ‘faith vs. religion' Some prefer ‘spirituality’ because it only implies one’s own spiritual self or soul (sans any god at all). So hiking the mountains is ‘spiritual’ because it nurtures the soul. True enough. However,  I personally prefer to speak of ‘faith’ because my spiritual self or my soul has been freed and fed by a Love greater than my own … and indeed, faith freed me from religion in a way that spirituality hadn’t. As one Orthodox priest says, ‘Religion is a neurological disease and faith is its cure.’ I’m also ...

God, who are you? I want to know you! Brad Jersak

God who are you? I want to know you! When we restrict our inquiry into the nature of God to the Bible, we are likely to find just the kind of God that we want to find. If we want a God of peace, he’s there. If we want a God of war, he’s there. If we want a compassionate God, he’s there. If we want a vindictive God, he’s there. If we want an egalitarian God, he’s there. If we want an ethnocentric God, he’s there. If we want a God demanding blood sacrifice, he’s there. If we want a God abolishing blood sacrifice, he’s there. Sometimes the Bible is like a Rorschach test— it reveals more about the reader than the eternal I AM. The ...

Q&R: What is the gospel of the kingdom? And where is it now?

A Conversation Reader: I'm really trying to hone in on simple definitions of "The Gospel" and "Kingdom of God." Do you have a couple of go-to definitions? ​Brad: The New Testament says that Jesus preaches the Gospel of the Kingdom, which he says is “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent [turn around and toward] and believe [trust with your will and your life] the good news [that God loves you and welcomes you to participate]!” What we discover as he continues is that this Kingdom has come near in the person of Jesus, through his ministry of liberation (Mark 1:15). We discover through the Gospels that ...

Q&R with Brad – “Banished to Outer Darkness?”

Question My wife and I are doing our best to understand how the heck to interpret what we read in the Bible, now that we understand that Jesus is our filter. In reading Matthew 22:11-13 there is a curious detail.  Who is this guy and why is he “banished into outer darkness?” The kingdom of heaven can be compared to this story? “Many are called but few are chosen?” Isn’t that separation and not inclusion? Where is the “love” in this story? Response This is certainly a difficult passage when read at face value and in its most immediate context. Let's start there. Some VERY important interpretive keys are missing ...

Clenched Fists, Limp Wrists or Open Hands – Brad Jersak

How do I wait when God seems to wait? When do I act as God's hands?  How do we wait for God's grace when we are called to be agents of God's grace?  "For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay." (Hab. 2:3) "God sees the truth, but waits." Leo Tolstoy To me, this is a very difficult question, because rather than just asking God for a direct answer, the question itself puts us into a posture or place of waiting... potentially awkward or even painful waiting. But here's a little prayer exercise that may lead you into seeing ...

Q&R: What’s with ‘spiritual warfare’?

Question: I've been thinking about this idea of war. Is there any space for 'war' in God's heart? I think absolutely not. Just peacemaking, and laying life down, and endless mercy and love, etc. But what about spiritual warfare? What about the spiritual battle language so prevalent in the church. Is that not a form of war against...the devil, demons, etc? Is that appropriate. Are they not also God's creatures whom he cannot hate? Will he not forgive them in the end? Or is spiritual warfare just a metaphor to help us make sense of things? If so, I feel like it's really problematic for our war-mongering, us vs. them culture. Can we hold on ...

October 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Laura Urista: The Gospel According to Pooh-Bear– pg. 2 Brad Jersak: Of Heretics, Kings & Foxes– pg. 4 Greg Albrecht: How Far Will God Go for Love? – pg. 7

“Always in the Care of a Loving God” – Brad Jersak

"We are always in the care of a loving God." Attendees of 12-Step Recovery meetings (AA, NA, SAA, etc.) regularly make a powerful and counterintuitive affirmation—from and for addicts who, given their history of tragic life experiences, might have every reason to disbelieve it. They say:  “We learn that the world is a much safer place than we had ever known before, because we are always in the care of a loving God." Seriously? I generally don’t regard this world as a safe place. Just watch the news tonight (or better, take an extended mental health break from it!). But my sense that life in this world is mainly tragic is, in ...

Q&R with Brad: “What role do my prayers play?”

QUESTION: Considering this newfound discovery that in Christ, there is "no separation," what do our prayers accomplish?  I mean, in the best way...if my friend is in pain, I genuinely care, and I talk to Jesus... But if He is always present, never withdraws, and always knowing, I find myself lost not knowing my role or effect. I pray still, and I suppose groaning makes sense in this instance -- not in a dramatic way, but feeling deeply, empathizing, caring deeply... But when a friend comes with dire need or urgency, I fail to feel, know or understand how my words (or ‘groans’ )have any effect or power to change anything when my ...

Q&R: Why would a Christlike God kill the firstborn of Egypt? Brad Jersak

Question: What do you make of the death of the firstborn in Egypt? If God is not a vengeful and retributive death-dealer, how do you read that story? Response: The Egyptian firstborn who died in the tenth plague (Exodus 12) were ultimately victims of Pharaoh's willful defiance, and were specifically slaughtered by 'the destroyer.' The New Testament finally reveals that 'the destroyer' is not God nor even the agent of God (contra the original story) but the enemy of God who steals, kills and destroys (John 10:10)... the 'destroyer' is Abbadon who comes from the pit (Job 26:6; 28:22; 31:12, Psalm 88:11, Proverbs 15:11; 27:20, Revelation ...

Q&R with Brad – Revelation Retribution?

Question: Your book, A More Christlike God, really helped me see God in a new light. I used to be afraid of God and constantly thought he was judging me. Your book showed me that God is love exactly like Jesus. However, I wonder how you would handle some of the more violent and "judgy" passages in the book of Revelation, where Jesus is condemning and even threatening some of the churches. For example, in the message to Thyatira, Jesus (?) says, 20 Nevertheless, I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet. By her teaching, she misleads my servants into sexual immorality and the eating of food ...

Brad Jersak, “A More Christlike Word” – Review by Cherith Fee Nordling

Bradley Jersak, A More Christlike Word: Reading Scripture the Emmaus Way (Whittaker House, 2021).Review by Cherith Fee Nordling For all of you who find the Bible heavy-lifting, either because you don’t know where to begin or because you’ve been given such a heavy interpretive, defensive load to bear on behalf of the good news about Jesus, rather than finding yourselves carried by Jesus, the incarnate Word himself, and his indescribably good gospel of love, from Genesis to Revelation, then this book is for you. It will invite you to move from simply reading verses through an unexamined lens to always listening for the ...

Q&R with Brad – “What’s this about the courts of heaven?”

Question: A friend of mine is becoming very excited by "The Courts of Heaven" theories promoted by Robert Henderson. They’ve obviously been around for a while but I’d not come across them before. I’m not persuaded by it at all, but why do these ‘new truths’ seem to work? Response: "Courts of heaven" teachers such as Robert Henderson use biblical imagery in order to express spiritual realities as they interpret them. The question, then, revolves around their interpretation of the imagery and how they apply the imagery in practice. Full disclosure: I will first nod to some of the biblical foundations, then push back at aspects ...

What if God has your back? by Brad Jersak

“What will be will be, but God always has my back.”  A friend of mine said that last night.    Thoughts and feelings burst through my mind and heart like fireworks.        "This feels deeply true to my heart of hearts."      "But is it true? What about affliction?"      "How is this different than denial of suffering?"       "How is this different from platitudes like 'everything always works out'?"   Because it doesn't always work out.Even good people go bankrupt, lose their jobs, their homes. Even good people get sick, ...

Q&R with Brad: “What was ‘this cup’ Christ drank?”

The Agony in the Garden, 1590-1600, El Greco Question: I'm curious if you have written anything or have any references concerning the cup Jesus asked be passed from him in the garden of Gethsemane. Some say it is "the cup of God's wrath" whereas I recall learning it was the cup of human suffering. Would you kindly share with me a few words on this topic? Grace and peace. Response: A very good and important question. Let's begin by reviewing the text in Matthew 26 (NKJV): 36 Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.” 37 And He took with Him ...

Q for Brad: “How did you defend penal substitutionary atonement?”

Question: You are on the record as having written an MA thesis under the title “The Nature of Christ’s Suffering and Substitution” in the 1980s. You changed your mind over the years and your books have been very clear about that. Would you still have a copy of that thesis? I would dearly like to see what you thought back in the 1980s and how you argued the case. Response: Today, all that remains is my hard copy and probably the one in our college archives. The digital version was on 128k floppy drives that eventually suffered from digital drift and became a mush of characters. However, I can summarize the thesis ...

Q&R with Brad – How do we pray regarding natural disasters, like these fires?

Question How do you pray these days regarding natural disasters, like the fires we're seeing in the Northwest and in Turkey?  Is God in control? Is God controlling?  As you mentioned in A More Christlike God, God set the parameters for natural law to take place. So is there any point asking God to intervene and stop the fires? Does God do that?  Response First, let's remember that God doesn't DO control. BUT God's love is mediated into this world through willing human partners who invite God's participation. WE mediate God's goodness as image-bearers in this world. God enters our world by invitation, and our prayers ...

Q&R with Brad – “Is sex before marriage a sin?”

Question: I have a question. Is sex before marriage a sin? It seems it is best to wait considering the risks. But, the Bible isn't clear on this. The word fornication comes from the Greek word, porneia which means whoredom, harlotry, idolatry, and selling off sexual purity, or marital unfaithfulness (adultery). However, what about in committed relationships where people are not married? Response: This is such a poignant question in this sex-positive, post-"purity culture" era. It seems like a risky question to address ... almost a lose-lose as we straddle 21st-century reality and yet hope to stay anchored to some sort of sex ethic that ...