Q&R “Resist Not the Evil Person”? Bradley Jersak
Question I was thinking about the passage where Jesus says not to resist someone who’s trying to rob you and I was wondering what that meant. Suppose a delivery I was expecting doesn’t come in, does that mean I shouldn’t ask for a refund? My common sense says no but the passage seems on the […]
A More Christlike JOB (the book) – Bradley Jersak
QUESTION I think I had a revelation reading the Book of Job this week. I wondered why the book bothers with so many conversations that are just wrong anyway and why God needed to correct Job. But what if Job is prophetic? For example, chapters 14-16 are nearly a direct match for the suffering of […]
Moralism, Cheap Grace & Cruciform Love – Bradley Jersak
WHAT IS MORALISM? Moralism is NOT merely the desire to live a moral life. Moralism is a compulsion to justify oneself and to judge others. Moralism replaces living faith and a desire for God, emphasizing who is included in or excluded from one’s in-group. It prohibits and requires behaviors based on the moral judgments of my religious community […]
Practicing the Communion of the Saints – Bradley Jersak
“We believe in the communion of saints.” Apostles Creed But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the assembly and church of the firstborn registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just […]
Guest Post – Co-Suffering, Co-Struggling – Lazar Puhalo
From the Monk Lazar I have two things in my heart that I would ask you to share when given the opportunity. “The Passions” (1) Remind people that the word “passion” means suffering. When we speak about “the passions,” we are not talking about “sin.” Rather we are speaking of inner human suffering. When a […]
Q&R: Is Faith a Requirement? Bradley Jersak
Question I’ve been on a journey today trying to process. Faith in Christ still requires me. There is something wrong with this wording or something wrong with my understanding. It can’t be dependent on me. How can it be that God has covered our side of the covenant, yet it is our faith that somehow […]
“Son of Perdition”? Bradley Jersak
QUESTION: I’m curious to know what Jesus means by “…except for the son of destruction…” when he prays to his Father, “Of those whom you have given me, I have lost not one…” (John 17:12). What do you think he would mean by that among all the other inclusive things he had to say? Of […]
Forgiveness is Scandalous Again – Bradley Jersak
THE SCANDAL… Over several years, I have been tracking the results of a rolling survey by a Christian teacher, Dan White Jr. Although we’ve never met, I would call him an online friend. As Dan visits faith communities across America, he invites Christians to follow Jesus. But wait, isn’t following Jesus the very definition of […]
Beyond “What-about-ism” – Bradley Jersak
“What is that to you?” Jesus’ final words from his final conversation, recorded in the final Gospel (John 21:23) were gentle rebuke to the apostle Peter. “What is that to you?” is the rhetorical question form of “None of your business!” The same reply rings through the centuries to our current era, when our society […]
Romans 3:23 – “All… fall short of God’s glory”
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. Romans 3:23 was among the earliest on my list of well-known passages, not […]