538 results for tag: Brad Jersak

Is Jesus too religious for you? Brad Jersak

Belief in What Jesus Did As a young Evangelical of the Baptist persuasion, my spiritual tribe taught me a lot of beautiful things about what Christ has done for us. Our preachers sermonized week after week about salvation by grace through faith in Christ crucified and risen, almost always from Paul's epistles (or so my fading memory recalls). I don't at all regret that Baptist immersion into the saving effects of the Cross. Since then, my vision of what Christ did for us all has broadened, deepened, heightened and lengthened. It's less like an economic transaction or judicial verdict and much closer to a revelation of divine love. It's ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Should the “Woman Caught in Adultery” be in John’s Gospel?

Question In my Bible (NIV), this story is in italics and a footnote says, "The earliest manuscripts and many other ancient witnesses do not have John 7:53—8:11. A few manuscripts include these verses, wholly or in part, after John 7:36, John 21:25, Luke 21:38 or Luke 24:53." If this story isn't in the earliest manuscripts, does that mean it shouldn't be in the Bible? Response Layers of Composition That’s a good and important question that requires us to think about how the Bible was composed, how it developed and what that means for its inspiration. Some have imagined that the Bible descended from heaven through the authors in complete and ...

Beyond “Without the Shedding of Blood …” Brad Jersak

  Beyond “Without the Shedding of Blood …” I must say, I am thoroughly enjoying Christian theology in the budding era of a post-retributive Gospel. With the Western rediscovery of the Beautiful News, I’m feeling—dare I say it—positively born again! I am in awe and worship of the Father of Love, the cruciform God enfleshed in Jesus of Nazareth. The symbol of the ‘old rugged cross’ has once again come to represent, for me, God’s essential nature: namely, his self-giving, radically forgiving, co-suffering love. And that’s good news for everyone! On the cross, in the face of human cruelty and bloodlust, God-in-Christ revealed his ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – “How can God be ‘jealous’?”

Question I have to say that the following verses about God's jealousy trouble me. Isn't jealousy a sin? How God describe himself as jealous, even Jealous as one of his names? "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;"Exodus 20:5, KJV"For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:"Exodus 34:14, KJV"For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God."Deuteronomy 4:24, KJV"Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor ...

“Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin.” Jesus didn’t say that. Brad Jersak

"Lover the Sinner, Hate the Sin." Jesus didn't say that.

November 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Like Wool on Sheep – pg. 1 Descending to Serve – pg. 2 Thanksgiving for Everyone – pg. 5 Scaredy Pants – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

Q: How Do We Avoid Cherry-Picking the Bible for a God of Love of Our Own Wishes ? – Brad Jersak

QUESTION: How do you respond to people who object that we are imposing our own ideology of peace onto the Bible rather than letting the Bible speak for itself? When you "unwrath God," aren't you cherry-picking according to our own wishes for what you wish the text had said rather than submitting to what it actually says? RESPONSE: I hear this objection regularly, perhaps even weekly. I need to respond often enough that a standard answer has begun to unfold. 1. First, we must acknowledge the real problem of bias when coming to the text. We must admit the importance of being mindful as to how our prejudices impact our reading and interpretation of ...

“Yield” – Brad Jersak

There’s a word we see a lot but no longer say a lot. We see the word or its symbol on many a residential street corner and it’s implied at every yellow light. But in terms of modern English, the word has narrowed in meaning and almost into disuse except among farmers. Yield. It’s also an important Bible word, used about 38-40 times depending on the translation. But a more exhaustive search of 12 different English translations yields the word 94 different times (here’s the exhaustive listing). Sometimes really important sermons or teachings stick in my mind for a very long time. One example was circa 1983 when Henry Hildebrand, ...

Q & R with Children – Brad Jersak

One of the great challenges for long-time Bible readers is to find ways to read Scripture with fresh eyes. When I open the text, I need to be mindful of the thick, old lenses I bring to the task, including a backlog of previous teachings, experiences and my own temperament and assumptions. My favourite approach is through Q & R times with children. Among the most fruitful was the grilling I got from a little boy (Mal) concerning Judas. Here's the link. Today it was from my little friend, Anna, one of the brightest young Bible scholars I know. Her questions are always a challenge, but they are especially helpful to me as they heal my eyes ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Universal Salvation & Divine Vengeance

Question  I want to believe in universal salvation but what about blaspheming the holy spirit, Hebrews 6 4-6 & Hebrews 10:26-31. The Lord says Vengeance is mine I shall repay. And in this passage, "vengeance" is from timoria (retribution) not kolasis (correction). What gives? Response Thanks for your questions. To begin with, I'm certainly glad that you want to believe in universal salvation. That is almost certainly because you share God's heart who "desires all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth" concerning Christ (1 Tim. 2:4) and in that same context, we're called to pray for everyone (1 Tim. 2:1-2) to ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Galatian 5, morality and the kingdom of God

Question #1 In one of your Breakfast with Brad videos you spoke about moralism and how we should not take rules of good living and elevate them to a faith concern, that they do not have the power to cause us to “flourish in a grand way.”   Response Right. Not that we would forsake morality. But what I’m saying is that the moral life is the fruit of a life transformed by the grace of God (the Holy Spirit). We are being saved by the indwelling energies of divine Grace from sin, from our attachments and addictions to death-dealing, others-harming ways. So when we see an abundance of poison fruit growing in our lives, we ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – The Kingdom of God, Hell & Mark 9

Question The Kingdom of God is a running theme in the NT for Jesus and the Apostles, with a fair amount of “who is in” and “who is out” language. How do you understand what is meant by the “Kingdom of God,” its apparent exclusivity, and what is the significance of Mark 9:43-47? 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better for you to enter into life crippled than to have two hands and go into hell, to the unquenchable fire. 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off! It is better to enter life lame than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. 47 If your eye causes you to sin, tear it ...

“No fires here” – Brad Jersak

This photo was taken by a member of one of Brian and Peri Zahnd's Holy Land tours. It is a sign at Gehenna (in Hebrew, the Valley of the Sons of Hinnom), which many Bibles translate "Hell." Gehenna is a valley just south of Jerusalem, once a firepit but now a garden. When people ask if I believe in a 'literal hell,' the answer is obvious. Yes. I've personally been there.   I love that the sign says in Hebrew, "No fires here!"   What most Bible readers miss is that this is exactly what Jeremiah prophesied: That the same valley where the corpses of the siege would be thrown out and burned will be restored and "holy to the Lord." ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Does the Bible demonstrate an evolving understanding of inclusion?

Question The Bible seems to demonstrate an evolution of inclusion. The OT has a strong sense of who is in the nation of Israel and who is out.  In the NT it wasn’t immediately obvious to the early church that the good news was for those outside the nation of Israel.  It took until Acts 11 just to crack that pattern of thinking to include gentiles.  I think Paul evolves inclusion further with “neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” But throughout the NT the OT pattern of categorizing in terms of who is in and who is out seems to be retained, ...

October 2020

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak: Faith Beyond Factions– pg. 3 Greg Albrecht: Jesus Invites Outsiders– pg. 6 Keith Giles: Attack of the "Love Buts" – pg. 10 Brian Zahnd: War of the Lamb – pg. 12 Greg Albrecht: Loving Sinners, Hating Sins? -pg. 15

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Is the book of Enoch authentic?

Question I have read the Book of Enoch. It makes for interesting reading, and I wanted to know what your thoughts are on this book.  My first question is whether it is authentic or not, or written later and attributed to Enoch.  Also, what are your opinions about the book? Response The Book of Enoch is a work of 3rd-4th century BC (at the earliest) apocalyptic pseudepigrapha (a work written under an assumed name). Like many other books written in that period (including, possibly, Daniel), the book of Enoch offers visions and prophecies using a famous Jewish figure (from Genesis) for credibility. I believe we can say with ...

“On His Shoulders” – The Cruciform Archē – Brad Jersak

Isaiah 9 6 For to us a child is born,     to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder,     and his name will be called “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,     Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace     there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,     to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness     from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. The messianic ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Handling politicized faith

Question I am experiencing friends, family and ministers who continually pressure me with their political platform and tell me I'm not even a Christian if I don't vote for their party. How shall I respond?  Response A difficult question. As I see it, you have three options: 1. You can ignore them. That is, you may value the connection with that person but perceive that your relationship is not strong enough to honestly confront what they are saying and doing. Perhaps ignoring their messages or posts is the best you can do for your mental and emotional health. And maybe your silent response will send enough of a message that if ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – What does “glorified” mean in John?

Question Recently I’ve been “hanging out” in John 13-17 (for context, I’ve been starting 12:12 and reading through 18:14 or so). I’ve noticed that the theme seems to be Jesus/ Son of Man/the Father “being glorified”. In some places it reads “NOW is the Son of Man glorified”.   In Romans 8, Paul says “those God justified, he also glorified”.I’ve always heard glory defined as “the manifest presence of God” or “the goodness of God revealed”, but those don’t seem to fit here in John’s gospel (although the latter possibly could).  So, what does it mean for the Son of Man / The Father to be glorified...

Q&R with Brad Jersak: Is death/hades a servant of God or an enemy?

Hades abducting Persephone (350 BC) Question Hi Dr. Brad, I am reading your book: Her Gates Will Never Be Shut and I read there about the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. As I understand it, hades is a servant of God for pedagogical purposes, in order to "complete the course" of un-repentant people for causing thirst for the Water of Life and God's Banquet, leading them to humility and repentance. My question comes because I have read the Apostle Paul saying that death is the last enemy of God to be destroyed. So Death / Hades is considered somehow an enemy, meanwhile following the above logic, it looks like it is a servant for ...