Jesus at 2AM - A Humorous, Intelligent Look at the Bible, Church History & the Life of Faith

I'm so grateful for all the success that Jesus at 2AM has had, and at last I am ready to do more! For years, you've been asking for additional resources - everything from video, to community forums, to individual spiritual direction. And after much work to discern the best way to make it happen, today I get to announce my new partnership with Patreon! You can hear all the details of what lies ahead in this special episode of the podcast. And when you're finished, would you take a moment to check out my new Patreon page and consider becoming a patron?

Here we come to a question that every Christian has, at some point, asked: If we have been saved by grace, forgiven in a manner that can never be revoked, why not continue in sin??? I mean, if sin is where all the fun is, can't I have the good times free of the consequences? It's a tempting proposition. And Paul's response may not be what we expected... The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 6:1-11 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

How did sin enter the world? And how is grace sin's antidote? In this episode we arrive at Paul's great declaration of ultimate hope: "where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more." And we see how Adam's sin - while affecting all creation - is overcome by Jesus's faithfulness. In short, here is where we see most clearly that love is the name of the game. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 5:12-21 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

What is the source of our hope? Not hope in the sense of optimism, but hope as in the certainty of the salvation of the world. Rome offered a version of hope, one that empires continue to promise to this day. But it is a hope that can never be fulfilled, because it is rooted in the false belief that power brings security. In this episode we examine Paul's vision of hope - one rooted in the goodness of God - against the backdrop of the Roman Empire and discover how we can even hope amidst suffering. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 5:1-11 (NRSV) The images referenced are here: Ara Pacis Roman Justice (statue) Coin (front) Coin (back) Herodian Temple Pyramids of Giza Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

That salvation comes to us by grace alone is extraordinarily difficult to comprehend. One way or another, we humans find a work we think we can perform to turn God's rescue into something we can control. It's a dynamic Paul understands all too well. And to snap us out of it, he returns to his example of Abraham - saved simply by the sovereign will of God. And what results from election is faith - a faith that transforms Abraham and can transform us. This episode is intellectually thick but worth the effort. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 4:9-25 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

For Paul there has only ever been one means of salvation: election. And to make his case, he appeals to the story of Abraham (Israel's patriarch), who received salvation as a promise, and for who responded in faith. In this episode we further examine the relationship between election and faith and what it means to have faith "reckoned as righteousness." It is also a look at God intent to include all creation in his plan of redemption. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 4:1-8 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Salvation by faith alone is one of the central pillars of Reformed theology - a doctrine based in no small measure on Paul's declaration in 3:28 "that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law." (This, of course, has only led to endless debates about what, then, constitutes "saving faith"). But what Paul meant and what the Reformers thought he meant don't totally align. In this episode we re-examine what, precisely Paul intended to communicate about the means of salvation. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 3:27-31 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The central claim of Christianity is that, in Jesus, God has accomplished all that is required for the salvation of the world. And, in particular, that this was accomplished through the cross and resurrection. It was there that Christ made atonement for this sins of the world. In this episode we look at the Paul's understanding of the atonement and do our best to explain how the death of one man accomplishes the the salvation of us all. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 3:21-26 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

At last we arrive at the announcement of salvation. Though humanity stands utterly mired in sin, God himself will provide the means of our salvation. In one act, God will both justly fulfill the covenant promise to Abraham, and accomplish the proper judgment of sin (and thereby overcome it). That act: the cross. In this episode (part 1 of 2 on the atonement) we put the pieces of Paul's argument together and see that the sacrifice of Christ is the end to which God had been working all along. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 3:21-26 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Here Paul concludes the argument he has been developing for 2.5 chapters: everyone stands utterly guilty before God. There is no excuse to be made, no special status to be conferred, humanity is rightly deserving of God's just wrath. It is the news we must hear if we are to truly take in what comes next: grace! The sermon is brilliant and preached by our regular contributor, the Rev. Mike Regele. With this one you are in for an intellectual and spiritual treat! The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is: Romans 3:9-20 (NRSV) Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.