Been teaching a very fun introductory course on the Gospels, which in turn has provoked some excellent questions from the class. This one came up the other day – after an examination of Jesus’ ministry of casting out demons – and I thought I’d share. And I would like to begin my answer by thanking...
Tag: gospel
Understanding the Bible 27: Who Truly Belongs to the Community of Salvation?
One of the most troubling images in Jesus’s teaching is the sorting of the sheep and the goats (the “sheep” being the “righteous” who are rewarded with eternal life, the goats the “unrighteous” condemned to punishment). At first glance the stakes appear to be “heaven” and “hell,” with our human actions the determining factor in...
Understanding the Bible 21: Jesus and the Forgiveness of Sins
An elemental consequence of sin is alienation – alienation between people, between humanity and creation, and, most profoundly, alienation between humanity and God (see part 2 of this series for more detail). And thus central to the project of salvation is reconciliation – bringing creation back to healthy, loving relationship, beginning with the relationship between God...