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Jonah 3:6-8 – How to Beat an Evil Empire

By Jeremy Myers
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Jonah 3:6-8 – How to Beat an Evil Empire
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/340819870-redeeminggod-87-jonah-36-8-how-to-beat-an-evil-empire.mp3

Jonah 3:6-8 violence and evilI don’t know what your political views are, and frankly, I don’t care too much. But however you categorize yourself, I imagine that you have strong opinions about the violent actions of the people on the other side of the political aisle. Their violence is unjustified, right? It is wrong and should be condemned in the strongest possible ways, right? It needs to stop, because it’s evil, right?

Along the same lines, this week we remembered the anniversary of the tragic terrorist attack that took place on 9-11, and western countries have been waging war against terrorist ever since. And sometimes I wonder if there is not a better way to defeat terrorists. I often believe that our violence against them just increases their violence against us.

What if there was another way to defeat violent groups of people, other than with more violence? What if there was a better, godly ways to defeat violence?

This is what we are going to learn about today, as we see how God brought the violent and evil empire of Assyria to its knees in sorrow and repentance. If you want to defeat evil, if you want to beat an evil empire, the best way is to follow the way of God, which is also the way of Jesus.

The Text of Jonah 3:6-8

6The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he got up from his throne, laid his robe down, covered himself in sackcloth, and sat in ashes. 7He proclaimed a decree in Nineveh from the king and his great men, saying, “Let neither man nor cattle, herd nor flock, taste anything. Let them not feed or drink water. 8Let man and cattle cover themselves in sackcloth and cry out to God with might, every man turning from his evil ways and from the violence which is in his hands.

In this discussion of Jonah 3:6-8 we look at:

  • The call of the King of Nineveh for the city to repent
  • The significance of fasting and sackcloth for showing repentance
  • Why the king also gets the animals involved
  • The stark contrast between the people of Nineveh and Jonah
  • How God brings the evil empire of Assyria to its knees in repentance

Resources:

  • Redeeming God Discipleship Area
  • Buy my book, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, and get bonus materials
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

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Login here.

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Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, evil, Jonah 3:6-8, One Verse Podcast, sin, violence

Buy my new book, and get BONUS Materials

By Jeremy Myers
3 Comments

Buy my new book, and get BONUS Materials

Nothing but the Blood of JesusMy new book, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus, is out, and people are loving it!

It’s #1 in three categories on Amazon, and many say that it has helped the Bible make a lot of more sense to them … especially the passages about a violent God.

If you have ever struggled with why the Bible is so violent, this is the book you need to read.

The book also received several enthusiastic reviews from other authors. I put them on the Amazon book detail page if you want to read them. Here is one such endorsement:

Sharon Baker Putt

To celebrate the launch of my book, if you buy it before September 17, 2017, and then send an email to me at bl**********@**********od.com stating that you bought the book, I will send you some bonus materials next week.

It’s hard to know what the bonus materials are worth, but I estimate they are around $50-$100 in value. Here is what you will get:

  • A free PDF of the book (for printing on your computer to use for Bible studies – please don’t share the whole thing with others though!)
  • A video related to one of the central ideas in the book
  • Five mp3 audio downloads based on the five key terms of the book (Sin, Law, Sacrifice, Scapegoat, Blood)
  • The opportunity to buy paperback copies in bulk at a steep discount (for small group study purposes).

The book is only $3.99, so get the book today, and then send me an email for your bonus materials.

Nothing but the Blood of Jesus Stack

God is Redeeming Books Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Writing, Nothing But the Blood of Jesus, violence of God, violence of Scripture

The Gospel is Political

By Jeremy Myers
6 Comments

The Gospel is Political

The political arena is a mess. It might be one of the darkest areas on earth. It seems impossible to be a politician without also being a liar, a thief, and a backstabbing jerk.

Which means that due to the corruption in politics, the realm of politics is ripe for the gospel!

Though many governments think that there should be a separation between church and state, the call of the gospel affects all areas of life, including the areas of government and politics. Ultimately, the gospel is political because the gospel is a description of how God wants the world to be run.

Since government and those in political positions of power are those who make decisions about how the world is to be run, such decisions should be guided and governed by gospel values and goals.

political gospel

This does not mean that our governmental bodies should endorse Christianity as the official state religion, or that we should force all people to read the Bible and become Christians. Such actions are completely contrary to the values and goals of the gospel.

Just as God loves all and accepts all regardless of whether they love or follow Him in return, so also, a government guided by the gospel will govern with values of equality, justice, and generosity without forcing anyone to follow the ways of Scripture. This is not some Christian form of Sharia Law, where we force Christian morality on everyone else, but is instead a gospel-based law of love where all are treated with dignity, equality, and respect, regardless of how they think, believe, or behave.

politics and the gospel

Yes, there should be laws to enforce human decency and peace, but we cannot force anyone to worship a particular God or ascribe a particular set of beliefs. The goal of a gospel-focused politician would be to create laws that bring about a spirit of creativity, generosity, freedom, and equality, while doing away with laws that hinder such things.

If we were guided by gospel values in political decisions, this would affect areas such as economics and taxation, military spending and war, the prison system and the penal codes, equality among the sexes, training and education, and a wide variety of other issues that consume the national debates.

When the gospel guides our discussion of these issues, the question of what is best for me and my country disappears, and the question instead becomes what is best for the world and for all people everywhere. When you pray for your political leaders, pray that they would see these things and lead our countries in gospel-oriented directions.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, government, kingdom of god, politics

Jonah 3:5 – It Only Takes a Spark

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Jonah 3:5 – It Only Takes a Spark
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/340818745-redeeminggod-86-jonah-35-it-only-takes-a-spark.mp3

Did you know that you can evangelize and be a witness for the Gospel as you go about your day and interact with others without having to share the Four Spiritual Laws with them, or walk them through the Romans’ Road? It’s true! You do not have to stand on the street corner shouting through a bullhorn or go door-to-door interrupting people in their homes to share the gospel.

God can start a city-wide revival through the smallest of acts. You don’t have to be Billy Graham. This is what we are going to learn today from Jonah 3:5.

Jonah 3:5 - Nineveh repents

The Text of Jonah 3:5

So the people of Nineveh believed God, proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth, from the greatest to the least of them.

In this discussion of Jonah 3:5 we look at:

  • The surprising response of the people of Nineveh to the preaching of Jonah
  • Why the response of the people of Nineveh had nothing to do with false gods
  • Why the response of the people of Nineveh had almost nothing to do with Jonah
  • How you and I can be encouraged that God will work through us to reach a lost and dying world

Resources:

  • Redeeming God Discipleship Area
  • Email training about Getting to know your neighbors
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, evangelism, Jonah 3:5, One Verse Podcast, revival

How to live the Gospel at Work

By Jeremy Myers
2 Comments

How to live the Gospel at Work

gospel at workWork and employment is a wonderful opportunity for the gospel to take center stage.

Though many people consider work to be part of the curse that came upon humankind as a result of the fall in Genesis 3, the truth is that work was given to Adam and Eve prior to their choice to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The only thing that changed was that their work became more difficult.

Furthermore, work will also be an integral part of the new heavens and new earth of the eternal kingdom ruled by Jesus.

Therefore, in light of the fact that God created work for humans to do and God will have work for us to do in eternity, it only makes sense that we can live now in light of this purpose for our lives.

As Christians engage in work, we are fulfilling the gospel responsibilities to bring God’s rule and reign upon the earth.

Work, then, can be done according to the kingdom principles of honesty, integrity, and generosity.

gospel workWhether one is working for a company or is the CEO of a company, the standards and values by which the company runs and according to which the work is performed should fit the standards and values of the gospel. Business owners and employers can treat their workers and employees with dignity and respect, paying generous wages.

Employees themselves can work hard and with loyalty, honoring and respecting those for whom they work.

Are you a follower of Jesus? Then follow Him to work, not in handing out tracts and carrying around your Bible, but in being the best employee or boss you can be at your job.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, jobs, work

Why your family is the first priority of the Gospel

By Jeremy Myers
11 Comments

Why your family is the first priority of the Gospel

The family is the centerpiece of God’s work in the world.

We often look to churches and corporations and non-profit organizations as the chief method by which God carries out His work in this world, but that is a human way of looking at things. The place in the world that the gospel is most at work is in the family relationships.

If the gospel is not functioning within your family relationships, with your spouse, your children, and your parents, then you really have no business trying to live out the gospel in any meaningful way anywhere else.

family

If there is mistrust, hate, discord, anger, jealousy, and shame at the center of your family relationships, the truths of the gospel need to be planted within your family so that the gospel can begin to grow and flourish there. Self-sacrificial and forgiving love must be at the center.

We must love those in our family as God loves us. We must, as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 13, be patient and kind. We must not envy or boast. We must keep our tongue and actions in check so that we say no evil and do no evil toward others. We must allow ourselves to be wronged while always forgiving those who wrong us. We must rejoice in the truth and always hold forth hope, always believe in others, and never let our love fail.

This is a tall order, and will consume most of the gospel energy of most people. But that is the way it should be. The home is the frontline of the gospel.

gospel familyIf Christians worldwide only sought to live out the gospel in their own home and nowhere else, our entire world would be completely different. The entire world would be Christian within a few generations if the gospel was only lived out in our homes. After all, if the first Christian had all simply passed the gospel down to their families, and this had continued through all history, then everywhere the gospel has spread (which was all the way to Asia within a few centuries) would continue to be Christian to this very day. But many of first century strongholds of Christianity (Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Afghanistan, etc.) have very little Christian presence today.

I believe that maybe 98% of the way you live out the gospel should focus on the gospel taking root in your own life and in the lives of those in your family. If Christians simply did these two things, the entire world would be transformed by the gospel.

At the same time, if the way we live out the gospel fails in the home, then we should not feel pressured to live out the gospel outside of the home either. If your home is not filled with gospel truth, gospel faith, gospel grace, and gospel love, then do not think you are called to live out the gospel anywhere else to anyone else. Make the relationships in your own home the primary target of your gospel life.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, family, following Jesus, good news, gospel

Hack the Theologian – Bruxy Cavey

By Jeremy Myers
1 Comment

Hack the Theologian – Bruxy Cavey

This is part of an ongoing series where I briefly interview a theologian, pastor, author, or Bible scholar that I highly respect, and ask them to tell us a bit about themselves, their most current teaching project, and the one most important truth (the hack) they wish every Christian could learn.

I call the series “Hack the Theologian.” This doesn’t mean I think these theologians are hacks. Far from it! It means that I am trying to find (and share with you) the one thing that makes them tick, the one insight that keeps them writing and teaching, the one truth they are most passionate about, the one idea that turned their life and theology upside down. You can read the other posts in the series right here.

(Do you know an author I can highlight in this series? Have them contact me!)

So Let’s “Hack” Bruxy Cavey

Bruxy CaveyBruxy Cavey is the senior pastor at The Meeting House, a church for people who aren’t into church. The Meeting House is a multisite Anabaptist congregation in Ontario, Canada where thousands of people connect to God and each other through Sunday services, online interaction, and a widespread house church network. His newest book, (re)union, released earlier this year.

Truth be told, I only like Bruxy because of his hair. It remind me of some author author/blogger with long hair. (It’s a joke!)

Here are Bruxy’s answers to my questions:

1. Can you tell us who you are and what you do in 40 words or less? (I put the word limit so we can see what you focus on.)

I’m Jesus-loving Jesus lover, who really loves Jesus. Beyond that, I’m the teaching pastor at The Meeting House: A Church For People Who Aren’t Into Church.

2. Tell us something about yourself that few people know.

Even though I speak in front of thousands of people each week, I’m a highly skewed introvert and a mild agoraphobic. I’m basically afraid of people! When I was younger, the one super power I wished I had was invisibility. I would prefer never to be seen.

Over the years God has helped me balance this tendency to want to run away and hide with a growing, maturing love for people, which wins out on most days and I’m happy to engage and connect.

I just think it’s funny that God gave this timid INFP one simple gift – public teaching to thousands. Very funny God.

3. What is the best book you have read this past year? (It doesn’t have to be theological!)

I really enjoyed Brant Hansen’s Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better.

(re)union by Bruxy Cavey4. You have a new book, (re)union. Tell us a bit about it. What is the main point and what do you want people to learn or do?

Ever since the 1950s, when a booklet called The Four Spiritual Laws was released, Christians have learned how to talk about the good news of Jesus in terms of four basic points – God loves us, we have sinned, Jesus is the solution, we accept him by faith.

This God-Sin-Jesus-Faith pattern has been repeated in various formats throughout the decades since, such as “The Bridge to Life,” “Steps To Peace With God,” and “The Roman Road.”

And while I celebrate the truth in this way of presenting the gospel, I’m also aware of some key aspects of the gospel that are missing, such as the nature and call to enter the Kingdom of God here and now, as well as the inherent challenge to religious systems embedded within the message.

In (re)union I want to help us press the reset button on how we present the gospel, through what I call simply The Gospel in Thirty Words: Jesus is God with us, come to SHOW US God’s love, SAVE US from sin, SET UP God’s kingdom, and SHUT DOWN religion, so we can SHARE IN God’s life. (You counted, didn’t you.) [Jeremy’s Note: Yes I did!]

Also, the “target audience” is different. There are countless books out there designed to help Christians learn how to talk to non-Christians about the gospel. My hope is that (re)union will be accessible to both Christians AND non-believers to read, inviting them all to learn and grow and discuss together.

5. Karl Barth was once asked to summarize his life’s work in one sentence. He answered, “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” How would you summarize your life’s work? To put this question another way, if you could get people to understand just one idea, what would it be?

God loves me, this I know, for Jesus tells me so.

Bruxy’s book, (re)union has already released. I really enjoyed it, and you can get a copy of it on Amazon right now. While you’re there, pick up a copy of his other book as well, The End of Religion. It’s one of my favorites.

God is Redeeming Theology, Theology Hack Bible & Theology Topics: Bible Study, Bruxy Cavey, church, gospel, hermeneutics, kingdom of god

Jonah 3:4 – Jonah’s School of Evangelism

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

Jonah 3:4 – Jonah’s School of Evangelism
http://media.blubrry.com/one_verse/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/334376104-redeeminggod-jonah-34-jonahs-school-of-evangelism.mp3

How do you evangelize? Do you use tracts? Invite people to church, or to an evangelism crusade? Do you use the Roman’s Road? Do you shout into a bullhorn that people are going to hell unless they repent?

In Jonah 3:4, we see how Jonah shared the message of God to the people of Nineveh. We’ll also see that his approach to evangelism left much to be desired.

Jonah 3:4 evangelism

The Text of Jonah 3:4

Jonah began to go into the city, walking for one day. He cried out, saying, “Forty more days and Nineveh will be overturned!”

In this discussion of Jonah 3:4 we look at:

  • How Jonah evangelized the city of Nineveh
  • Why Jonah’s obedience was … less than satisfactory
  • How we too can evangelize others today

Resources:

  • Redeeming God Discipleship Area
  • The Gospel According to Scripture Online Course
  • Get my book, (#AmazonAdLink) Church is More than Bodies, Bucks, and Bricks
  • Receive emails about Loving your Neighbors and Serving the Homeless
  • Subscribe and Leave a Review on iTunes

Downloadable Podcast Resources

Those who are part of my online discipleship group may download the MP3 audio file for this podcast and view the podcast transcript below.

You must join a discipleship group or login to download the MP3 and view the transcript.

Membership-become-a-member

Thanks for visiting this page ... but this page is for Discipleship Group members.

If you are already part of a Faith, Hope, or Love Discipleship Group,
Login here.

If you are part of the free "Grace" Discipleship group, you will need to
Upgrade your Membership to one of the paid groups.

If you are not part of any group, you may learn about the various groups and their benefits here:
Join Us Today.

Membership-become-a-member


Do you like learning about the Bible online?

Do you like learning about Scripture and theology through my podcast? If so, then you will also love my online courses. They all have MP3 audio downloads, PDF transcripts, quizzes, and a comment section for questions and interaction with other students.

If you want to deepen your relationship with God and better understand Scripture, take one (or all) of these courses. They are great for personal study or for a small group Bible study.

You can see the list of available courses here, and if you join the Discipleship group, you can take all the courses at no additional cost. Go here to learn more and join now.

God is Redeeming God, Redeeming Scripture Bible & Theology Topics: Discipleship, evangelism, following Jesus, Jonah 3:4, One Verse Podcast, witnessing

Living the Gospel begins with Loving Yourself

By Jeremy Myers
17 Comments

Living the Gospel begins with Loving Yourself

As you seek to live out the gospel, you think of it as a series of concentric circles with yourself at the center. I am not encouraging a self-centered gospel, but rather a gospel that first transforms the self.

As many have said, a gospel message that doesn’t work at home should not be exported elsewhere.

This is why Jesus told us to take the plank out of our own eye before we help someone else take the speck out of theirs (Matt 7:1-5). Paul said much the same thing when he instructed elders to take care of themselves and their families at home before they thought of leading others (1 Tim 3:2-5).

God loves youLiving the gospel always begins in your own heart.

What does the gospel do in your heart?

It teaches you to love yourself. It teaches you that you are lovely, that God made you to be uniquely you.

This is what Jesus meant when He said to love your neighbor as yourself (Mark 12:31). He was saying that before you can love your neighbors as the gospel calls you to do, you must first recognize the gospel truths that you yourself are loved, forgiven, and accepted. Before you seek to live out the gospel among others, make sure the gospel has brought reconciliation and redemption into your own heart and mind.

Once the gospel has touched your own self, it is then that it can begin to emanate out from you in concentric circles toward your family, your friendships, your work, and to the rest of the world.

The first person the gospel touches is yourself.

Every person walks wounded through life. We have scars from childhood, shame from our past, fears about the future, and uncertainty about our worth. We believe lies about how little we are loved. The truth of the gospel is that all is forgiven, there is nothing to fear, we are of inestimable value, and God loves us more than we can ever possibly imagine.

I get emails every week from people all over the world who feel that there is no way God can love them, forgive them, or accept them into His family. In a fit of anger they cursed God. At a rough time in their marriage they committed adultery or got divorced. Even if there is no serious sin in someone’s life, bad things happen to all people, and when these things happen, the tendency of the average human being is to think that God is punishing them for something.

But God does not punish.

The first truth of the gospel is that God loves every person in the world so much, that He would do absolutely anything for each one of us (John 3:16).

The lie of Satan is that God does not love and cannot forgive; the truth of the gospel is that God always loves and only forgives.

Until we begin to understand this, we will never see the beautiful truths of the gospel for what they are, and we will never be able to live within those truths as God desires.

Once we begin to recognize how much we are loved, it is then that God begins to do His greatest work in us. He then begins to show us that each one of us is completely unique, and that these things that make us who we are were given to us by God, not so that we could cover them up and become like everyone else, but so that we could magnify the glory of God by living as only we can live. The glory of God is best reflected in the glory of a life that embraces and celebrates what makes it unique.

you are loved

Knowing you are loved brings you the freedom to be you

As you begin to understand the gospel, and how much you are loved and forgiven, you will then begin to find the freedom to live in this world as only you can live. You will find the freedom to stop the endless cycle of trying to be someone else, and will discover that God wants you to be you. You will discover that you do not need to be like anyone else, but simply need to be the best you that you can be. God made you to be uniquely you, and He wants you to live fully in the reality of who you are.

As you discover your strengths, abilities, talents, and desires, and as you live fully within those areas, you will be reflecting the glory of God and the gospel to the rest of the world. You most fully reflect the glory of God when you reflect the glory of yourself as God made you to be.

I recently watched the movie, Kung Fu Panda 3 with my daughters. In the movie, the main character, Po, is able to defeat the villain, Kai, by harnessing the secret powers of a village of pandas. What sort of powers did they have? Well, a few were really good at napping. Others loved to roll down hills. Some of the children liked to play hacky sack. One female panda was quite good at ribbon dancing. While these may not seem like powerful or useful skills which can be used to defeat an enemy, Po was able to teach, train, and encourage this village of pandas to be the best they could be at whatever they were good at, and when they all worked together, their skills complimented each other to defeat Kai.

This is how it works in our own lives as well. God made me to be me and you to be you. There are things you are really good at which I can never do, and vice versa. If I try to be you, or you try to be me, neither of us will ever live up to our God-given potential, and we will never be able to help each other in our battle against sin and Satan.

The only way the gospel can advance in this world is if each of us recognizes that we are perfect as God made us to be, and we rejoice and celebrate in the things that make us unique, and then we all work together to advance the cause of the gospel. When we do this, the gates of hell will not prevail against us.

So who has God made you to be?

The gospel calls you to live fully in that reality. If you do not know who God made you to be, the best way to discover this is to return to the knowledge that you are fully loved. And if God loves you, you can love you too.

It is within the safety and security of this knowledge that God begins to blossom and flourish the dreams He has for you and your life.

So begin with the knowledge that you are loved, and then see where God takes you from there.

The Gospel According to ScriptureWant to learn more about the gospel? Take my new course, "The Gospel According to Scripture."

The entire course is free for those who join my online Discipleship group here on RedeemingGod.com. I can't wait to see you inside the course!

God is Redeeming Church, Redeeming Life Bible & Theology Topics: biblical living, Christian living, following Jesus, good news, gospel, love of God

My review of Greg Boyd’s “Cross Vision”

By Jeremy Myers
5 Comments

My review of Greg Boyd’s “Cross Vision”

Cross Vision Greg BoydGreg Boyd is out with a new book,  Cross Vision. I interviewed him yesterday about this book and his theology, and here is my review of his book.

Having read both Cross Vision and the longer 2-volume work, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God, I think that this shorter book should be the one you start with. Then, if you want more details, footnotes, and scholarly discussion, you can get the longer two-volume explanation.

As I read through the longer two-volume work, I found myself thinking about Cross Vision and what Greg Boyd should take out and leave in. While I liked the 2-volume work, I found much of it to be rather repetitive. He spent SO much time in The Crucifixion of the Warrior God (most of volume 1) defending the idea that the crucifixion of Jesus should be our guiding lens through which to read the entire Old Testament, including the violent portions of the Old Testament.

Most of Greg’s readers were probably already on board with this idea, and so this made much of what he wrote in the 2-volume work unnecessary. That is why this present volume, Cross Vision, is such a breath of fresh air.

What is GREAT about Cross Vision

In a concise and easy-to-read way, Greg Boyd presents the central ideas of his cruciform hermeneutic (how to read the Bible through the lens of Jesus Christ and Him crucified), while addressing some of the major issues related to this approach.

Also, this book includes more “illustrations” and stories than does the more scholarly work. This helps generate interest in the average reader and helps show why Greg’s cruciform hermeneutic is helpful for life, theology, and ministry.

There are so many other excellent things about his book. Just buy and read it. You’ll see.

My ONE Criticism of Cross Vision

As with the two-volume work, although I agree with nearly everything Greg writes in the book, I once again found myself disagreeing with the central idea … that God withdraws from Jesus on the cross, and therefore, in the violent portions of the OT, God is withdrawing Himself from the people and nations who experience/suffer violence.

While Greg is absolutely right that “something else is going on” in those violent texts, I do not think that the “something else” is that God is withdrawing from Jesus or from other people.

This doesn’t mean I reject the idea of understanding God and violent Scriptures through the cross of Christ. Far from it!

Yes, the Cruciform Hermeneutic is Correct

I too have a cruciform hermeneutic (which I refer to as crucivision), and I do not believe it is necessary to read Jesus’ statement from the cross “My God, My God, Why have you forsaken me?” as a statement about God withdrawing from Jesus. Therefore, I do not believe that it is necessary to read the violent portions of the OT as God withdrawing from other people/nations.

I do not believe God ever withdraws from the objects of His love, whether it is Jesus or humans. Jesus said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you,” and since Jesus fully reveals God to us, then we must not say that God ever leaves us or forsakes us either. He did not forsake Jesus, and God does not forsake (or withdraw from) humans (See my book, Nothing but the Blood of Jesus for my view).

Anyway, … yes, read this book. You can buy Cross Vision on Amazon. I recommend you read it before the two-volume work, The Crucifixion of the Warrior God. Greg presents a spectacular vision of the love God has for all people, as revealed in the crucified Christ.

Greg is absolutely correct that we must understand God, Scripture, and life through the lens of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. But if you are uncomfortable with the idea that God withdraws when people need Him most, just recognize that there are other ways of understanding what happened to Jesus on the cross and what His crucifixion reveals about the violent portions of Scripture.

Have you read these books by Greg Boyd? What were your thoughts?

God is Redeeming Books, Redeeming Theology Bible & Theology Topics: Books I'm Reading, crucifixion of Jesus, cruciform, crucivision, Greg Boyd

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