27 results for tag: cross

October 2024

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak Simone Weil: An Astonishing Life – pg. 2 Greg Albrecht "Everyone Is Forgiven" – pg. 5

Q&R: “Why does God allow…?” Brad Jersak

“Why does God allow ...” 

Q&R: Does God feel anger? A Conversation with Brad Jersak

Does God feel anger?

October 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: For Those Who Are a Little Banged Up – pg. 2 Richard Rohr: Adopting a Beginner’s Mind – pg. 6 Brad Jersak "What is God Teaching Me?" – pg. 7

The Death of Jesus on the Cross – Jim Fowler

The death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary for the sins of mankind is so easily and quickly warped by the human mind into concepts of legal pardon based on the penal substitution of punishment inflicted on Jesus, or it is turned into an economic transaction of pay-off wherein Jesus paid the ransom-debt to an unidentified extortive debt-holder. The conceptual theories of atonement that men have applied to the death of Jesus through the centuries need to be rethought and reframed. Christian thinkers have identified some of these logical conjectures for almost two millennia: If Jesus paid a ransom price or debt payment in His death, who did He pay ...

Calvary: Crucifixion as Torture, Cross as Hope – Brad Jersak

Trite or true, we're each and all on a journey, not quite sure whether any given year, week or moment is really ascent or descent -- the calm before a storm or the dark before dawn. I see this tension in the biblical story of Calvary, at once a crucifixion and a Cross, the intersection of goodness and affliction, of torture and hope. At Calvary, we see the violence of religious fanaticism married to national security ... and we see the humility, forgiveness and self-giving love of God. I hear this tension in Augustine, who is quoted in the movie, Calvary, as saying, "Do not despair; one of the thieves was saved. Do not presume; one of the thieves ...

The Cross – Anger or Love?

When the love of God is stripped away from the significance of the cross of Christ, revenge and violence is all that is left - but that anger is not the wrath of God. https://www.ptm.org/mp3/FreeDwnld/RCWR444.mp3  

June 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Greg Albrecht: He Is Who He Says He Is – pg. 2 Laura Urista: 25 Father's Days – pg. 4 Brad Jersak: This God Comes Down – pg. 7

Q&R with Brad Jersak: Sweating our Sorrows

Question: My question is about what Jesus went through in the garden of Gethsemane, before his arrest. The texts say that his anguish was so intense that he was sweating blood, which apparently is a real medical phenomenon that happens in extreme stress. The most common explanation I’ve heard in the church for the stress Jesus was experiencing is that he was going to bear the sins of the entire world and because of that, God was going punish him in our place, which means that the full wrath of God was going to fell on Him. Also God was going to turn his back on him while doing it, because Jesus was basically going to become sin, and God ...

Does God Save Us from God? Brad Jersak

Twitter statement: “God saves us from God. The One who mercifully drags us out of the rebellious city is the same One who rains down fire upon it.” Thus wrote a popular tweeter whose handle I’ll withhold out of respect and concern. God saves us from God? How so? Penal substitution continues to be the most popular Western answer to the question, “Why did Christ die?” and is the default interpretation for Scripture’s assertion that “Christ died for our sins.” Rather than treating it as one of many atonement theories, major denominations are now doubling down, dogmatizing it as a non-negotiable essential to the gospel and ...

April 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak: Logos, Light & Lamb – pg. 2 Greg Albrecht: Everything Happens for a Reason? – pg. 4 Greg Albrecht: Nailmarks, Scars & Doubts – pg. 7

March 2023

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: Come Out of Her and Come to Me! – pg. 1 Confronted by Christ – pg. 2 Which Thief Are You? – pg. 5 Master Potter – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

Three Charges – The Cross, Hell, and the Word of God – Brad Jersak

Three Charges – The Cross, Hell, and the Word of God: It seems as much as we at PTM and I specifically have addressed the issues of the Cross, Hell and the Word of God, we continue to be asked where we stand on these issues.  Those of good faith are truly interested in diving deep into the truth on each of these issues, and for good reason! How we respond to these issues speaks loudly of how we see God, humanity, and the world we live in. They deserve all the attention they’ve received.  Others seem to ask the questions in the edgy tones of an interrogation or accusation, as if we’re being summoned to a heresy trial, ...

April 2022

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Brad Jersak: The Cross: God's Eternal Mercy Seat – pg. 2 Laura Urista: Trimming the Roses – pg. 5 Richard Rohr: The Saving Power of the Cross – pg. 6 Greg Albrecht: The Meaning(s) of the Cross – pg. 7

The Cross in David’s Confession (Psalm 51) – Brad Jersak

As I’ve stated in A More Christlike Word and previous articles, the Psalms often begin with what seem to be musical superscriptions. These ‘liner notes’ also frequently signal Messianic content, especially with the words, “To the end” (mistranslated “for the choir director” in many Bibles). “To the end” or “Unto the telos” is like a dedication to the coming One—the Messiah—who would fulfill the words of the Psalm as Israel’s Deliverer, especially through the Cross of Christ. The Psalm will anticipate a telos—a completion or fulfillment—an “it is finished” through the good news ...

What About 3 Days and 3 Nights?

Q: What is your view on Jesus' statement that he would be in the grave three days and three nights? I believe Jesus. I do not believe that it was parts of days and nights like some say. A: I believe Jesus as well. If you examine the gospels, you will find one verse that mentions "three days and three nights" (Matthew 12:40 ) and another 20 verses that speak of his resurrection as being on "the third day" or "in three days." Since we both believe Jesus, should we seek to better understand one verse in the light of 20, or 20 verses in the light of one? Today, the day I am writing this, is Friday. Three days from now will be Sunday. That's the ...

Did Jesus’ Crucifixion Satisfy God’s Wrath?

An idyllic, beautiful setting surrounds a rambling country estate in rural England. It's 1935, and this pastoral setting provides the backdrop for the initial scene that plays out in Atonement. During the brief respite between the first and second World Wars, Cecilia Tallis, a rich young lady in her early twenties whose family owns the estate discovers she loves, and is loved by Robbie, a young man whose mother is the housekeeper at the Tallis home. As the love story begins, we are also introduced to Briony, Cecilia's younger sister. Briony is an aspiring writer who is, in her coming of age 13-year-old way, envious of the courtship enjoyed by ...

March 2021

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Articles: The Crux of Our Faith – pg. 1 A Far, Far Better Rest – pg. 2 When I AM Lifted Up – pg. 5 Places I've Been – pg. 7 Quotes & Connections – pg. 8

The Suffering Judge

by Greg Albrecht … If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.—Romans 8:31-34 You probably have heard of honor killings. An "honor killing" is the term used to describe a practice in which one or more males murders a female relative who, according to their perspective, dishonored ...

October 2019

CLICK HERE to read now (PDF Format) Monte Wolverton: Making Change– pg. 3 Brad Jersak: The Truth About Condemnation– pg. 6 Brian Zahnd: Trying Hard Not to Be Ugly – pg. 8 Laura Urista: What Are We Really Singing? – pg. 10 Blair Baker: Music Ministry: Beyond Manipulation – pg. 12 Richard Rohr: God Is Good – pg. 14 Greg Albrecht: But What About Works -pg. 15