12 results for tag: Bradley Jersak

In the Apostles’ Footsteps – Part 6 – Brad Jersak – “The Great Artemis”

We visited the Ephesus Museum in Selcuk, where valuable statues, coins, and relics discovered in the ruins are housed. I was fascinated most by the idols of "the Great Artemis," whose devotees triggered a riot when Paul's preaching threatened their business.

Q&R with Brad Jersak – “Son of perdition”?

A Christ-centered theology begins with the revelation of the Good Shepherd, who never gives up, and whose mercy never fails. Yes, there is such a thing as "lost." A lost coin, a lost sheep, and even a lost son... like Judas. We don't diminish that reality or how seriously destructive our lostness can become. But the Good News Jesus announced was that because of our heavenly Father's self-giving love and relentless pursuit, "lost" is not the last word. We hold out hope that even Judas (and therefore, even I) will testify at that end, "I once was lost, but now I'm found/was blind, but now I see."

Q&R: How do you read Romans 3:23? Brad Jersak

Romans 3:23 -- In my childhood, as a young Evangelical, memorizing Scripture was important to me. I saw and experienced its value and knew it as one way to commune with God. I also appreciated finding short verses that were easy to recall. That's one reason Romans 3:23 made it to my earliest list of well-known passages. The verse is an excerpt from one of Paul’s notoriously long sentences: 22b For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, ...

Jesus: Thief or Monarch? Brad Jersak

"King" Jesus: Is our Lord Jesus Christ a king? The Bible certainly says so when it tells us "Jesus is Lord," that he is enthroned in the heavens, seated at the right hand of his Father, and that he reigns in the world. The Gospels tell us that Jesus preached the "gospel of the kingdom," and that his coming kingdom is already breaking into the here and now. On the other hand, the New Testament turns our ideas of a king and kingdom upside down. This king is not a monarch, president, or dictator who rules by force, and his kingdom is not like our worldly empires that occupy or colonize by military power or economic domination. His throne is a cross, ...

The Cross is the Epicenter of Reality – Brad Jersak

“The Cross of Jesus Christ is the Epicentre of Reality”

Q&R with Brad Jersak: What does atonement mean?

Question: I’m still a little confused about atonement as I’m learning a new way to understand it. Isatonement even the right word for it? Were we ever really separated from God? If so,what is the supernatural significance of our salvation? Response: Is 'atonement' even the right word? Good question, precisely because the English term has morphed. Originally, it was a great word that meant exactly the same thing as reconciliation. But over time, the idea of appeasement crept in, which many of us would regard as paganizing the gospel (e.g., Greg Albrecht,, NT Wright, Miroslav Volf, Cherith Fee, Wm. Paul Young, C. Baxter Kruger, and ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – Keys to the Kingdom?

Question: In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18, I have never been satisfied with an explanation of “the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” My former church called them “The Office of the Keys,” claiming the church plays a huge roll in those who go to heaven and those who don’t go to heaven. Now, after understanding God alone is faithful to guide his children to recognize He is in us and we are in Him (from John 17), I am seeking a new interpretation of these verses. Thank you for your help. Response: "The Office of the Keys"? That's new to me. Sounds ominous! And they are difficult passages for sure. Not that I'll have a satisfying response, but ...

Q&R with Brad Jersak – What do you make of “Soul Sleep”?

Question: What do you make of the idea of "soul sleep"? Response: Definition For our readers' sake, let's briefly define "soul sleep."Soul sleep is the belief that when Christians (specifically) die, the soul enters a state of unconscious rest until the final resurrection. "Asleep" The biblical warrant for this view is that Scripture (including Jesus) does refer to those who've died (bodily death) as "asleep." Jesus says of Jairus' daughter, “Why all this commotion and wailing? The child is not dead but asleep” (Mark 5:39). Again John 11, Jesus says, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep....

Q&R with Brad Jersak – What do you make of “Preterism”?

Question: For years I was a full preterist. I recently started questioning its soundness. And realizing that full preterism may be false has left me wondering about the correct view of the "end times." Response: For our readers' sake, let's begin with some simplistic definitions, then follow up with a response. FULL PRETERISM argues and believes that ALL of the "end times" prophecies of the New Testament (including the resurrection of the dead, Jesus' Second Coming, and the final judgment) were fulfilled in the events connected to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Let's now also add some significant caveats before proceedi...

Q&R with Brad Jersak: Why did Jesus reject his family?

Jesus definitely believed in honoring our parents as he cites the command twice in this same Gospel (15:4, 19:19). BUT Jesus also made it clear that serving God's kingdom had priority over the priorities, expectations or demands of one's family.

Q&R – Does Christ ‘deny us’? with Brad Jersak

Question: I have a question about Matthew 10:33 and 2 Timothy 2:11-12. Both passages describe Jesus denying us. This seems to be contrary to his nature and contrary to most of the theologians I find myself reading. Yet, I see these statements (among others) that seem to paint Jesus has relatively severe. My task has been to try and see the self-giving God revealed in Jesus and yet not neglect the hard sayings of Jesus. I’ve actually found the task of Christology to be more difficult than I had imagined. Response: Let's start with our shared assumptions, (1) that the God revealed in Jesus Christ is radically inclusive, unfailing Love whose mercy ...

Q&R: Why did Jesus only choose male disciples?

Question Do you have any thoughts on why Jesus chose twelve men for his group, but no women in his inner circle? Response Excellent question! The short answer: he didn't! What helps me most on this question is examining the way the disciples wrote each of the four Gospels, noting where they are not identical. I. The Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke - written early and at some points similar) do identify a group of twelve men ("the Twelve"). Given the array of other disciples in Jesus' entourage, why these twelve? One reason made explicit in the text is that Christ is creating a conscious parallel to the twelve tribes of ...