Jesus

Jesus really came to give us what Adam did not receive in the garden. Not just “no more death,” but constant fellowship with the source of all life. No unclean place outside the camp, because the whole earth will be the camp of Heaven, where God the giver of life dwells with us. There will not merely be no deaths; the very notion of death will be nonsense. The obituary columns will not be blank; they will be inconceivable.

Fear is one of our strongest emotions and motivators. But it is one with which we have an uneasy relationship. When we come to Scripture, we are commanded, on one hand, “do not be afraid,” and on the other, “fear God.” Christians can be surprised and confused by God’s desire that we fear him.

Believers have failed to remember that the tie that binds them together is the same cord that was used to pull them up out of the horrible pit: the gospel.

“While the law reveals the righteousness of God, the gospel brightens the revelation of his righteousness and adds the revelation of his grace. While the law imprisons the sinner, the gospel liberates him, yet liberates him according to law. While the law shows the malignity of sin and dooms the sinner to death, the gospel assents to both, but conquers the one and counteracts the other.” Christmas Evans

In the Son of God, we do not see a haughty God, reluctant to be kind. We see one who comes in saving grace while we were still sinners. In him we see a glory so different from our needy and selfish applause-seeking. We see a God of superabundant self-giving. We see a God unspotted in every way: a fountain of overflowing goodness. In him—and in him alone—we see a God who is beautiful, who wins our hearts.

Mike Reeves explores our union with Jesus in the second of three talks. 

Darrell Bock explains the work and impact of the 'Jesus Seminar' – an academic group which attempted to discover the 'historical Jesus' outside of the biblical canon. 

Martin Luther's 1520 treatise showcases his mature theology of justification in an exceptionally moving gospel presentation. 

Justin Martyr's discussion with a Jewish man, Trypho, gives a unique window into the early Church's relationship with Judaism as well as their robustly Christ-centred reading of the Hebrew Scriptures. 

Clive Bowsher introduces us to the biblical idea of union with Christ as in-one-another relationship.