The What of the Gospel (Part 3)

Gary DeLashmutt

Colossians 2:15

Through Jesus' death on the cross, he broke Satan's authority and ensured Satan's ultimate defeat. When people place their faith in Christ, they are able to experience freedom from satanic opposition in their lives. Some of the primary ways that Satan will try and oppose Christians is through accusation, deception, and temptation. Three primary ways we can stand firm against Satan's accusations are: 1) affirming promises of God's goodness and recalling His provision; 2) standing firm on God's complete forgiveness and begin relating to God with confidence in His love for us; and 3) committing ourselves to radical obedience to God.

The What of the Gospel (Part 2)

Tom Dixon

Colossians 2:11-15

Paul continues to stress to the Colossians that spiritual growth isn't getting something more, but applying what's been given to us through Jesus. Through Jesus Christ's work on the cross, people's sin nature was disarmed and our moral debt was cancelled through Jesus' atoning sacrifice. As a result of Jesus' sacrifice, Christians are freed to have more and more freedom from sinful desires in our lives as we consider our new identity in Christ. As this happens, we are able to serve God more with our lives out of gratitude for His grace and provision through Jesus.

Gospel and Cross

Jim Leffel

Psalms 22:1

The crucifixion is an event supported by history and an understanding of modern biology. Christ's death was clearly intentional, and accomplished the Messiah's mission to offer humanity a chance to be saved. While one could take the cross as foolishness or a scandal, the Bible declares that the cross is the ultimate expression of God's love.

The Cross and the Problem of Pain

Ajith Fernando

Psalms 22:1

Every worldview has a different explanation for the problem of pain. Many of these explanations leave people feeling hopeless, purposeless, or apathetic to life. The Cross, however, presents a much different answer that goes beyond karmic law being the source of suffering. We suffer in this world sometimes due to our own actions, but often because the world itself contains sin and evil. Under the Christian worldview, suffering does not have to be in vain, and we can actually use our sufferings to glorify Christ. We also receive comfort knowing that Jesus can truly empathize with our pain as he subjected himself to great pain for our sake.

The Gospel, the Cup and the Ransom

Jim Leffel

Mark 10:32-45

Many feel uncomfortable about the fact that God's forgiveness requires a sacrifice. The Bible presents the reality that forgiveness always requires a volitional choice for innocents to die in the place of the guilty. Ultimately, God's love and justice meet at the cross.

The Branch

Jim Leffel

Zechariah 6:12-13

Jeremiah describes Israel's future King Messiah and likens him to a branch. Jeremiah states this king will be from David's family line - wise and just. He will also be the people's righteousness, meaning that through this king people will have right-standing before God who is perfect. The king is able to be the people's righteousness because he is also their priest. The Messiah is able to extend forgiveness to all people. In this hope through Christ the Messiah, we are able to have freedom, are incorporated into his kingdom, and become spokespersons for God to tell others about this good news of grace.

(Re)Shaping the Future

Jim Leffel

1 Timothy 2:1-3

Jeremiah uses a parable that describes a potter working on a piece of clay. When something goes wrong with the clay, he crumbles it up and creates a new vessel. God is the potter, and Israel is the clay. There is something is wrong with Israel: they have continuously disobeyed God. God, as the sovereign creator, will enforce his covenant and judgment upon Israel and the nations. However, if the nation renounces its evil ways and turns back to God, then the Lord will not destroy the nation. This is a picture of God's grace, and its culmination is the cross of Christ. God wants to save people from their fate of destruction and values reconciliation with them. We need to turn back to God and agree with him regarding our standing before him as the perfect God. In this way, Israel mirrors our lives and who we are: broken people. God is offering complete transformation, into a new creation. Someone who has experienced God's transformation is Kelly Kline, and she gives her testimony on ways God has created her new. \r\n

Jesus in the Old Testament (Part 9)

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 24:44-47

Emergent Meets Evangelical Dialog

Dennis McCallum

Noel Britton

Jesse Schroeder

Luke 24:44-47

In a conversation between Dennis McCallum, Noel Britton, and Jesse Schroeder, emergent and evangelical beliefs were explored and compared. Britton and Schroeder are involved in the Emergent Cohort and were able to explain, through audience questions and pre-established categories, what the emergent movement is and what they believe about central ideas of Christianity. The two sides talked specifically about the differences in their views of truth and of Jesus' atoning work on the cross.