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

We humans place too much confidence in willpower, particularly where the spiritual life is concerned. We imagine that what stands between us and true shalom is a greater internal effort. If only we could try harder, be more devout...we could make grand strides towards righteousness. In this episode we look at Paul's critical insight that volition is no antidote to sin (as our inability to Torah obey Torah proves!). Indeed, Torah's ultimate role was to bring sin starkly into the open where it can be healed - by grace alone! The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 7:13-25 (NRSV) Want more Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

So often we imagine that the road to holiness is marked out by the Law; that God's moral command is the key to reducing sin and increasing love in our lives. And thus our tendency to return to piety and legalism as strategies for intimacy with God. But, as Paul has already argued, the Law is powerless to accomplish this purpose! In this episode we examine Paul's exhortation for Christians to regard themselves as dead to sin, and why such regard is the only way to holiness. The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 7:1-12 (NRSV) Want more Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

We humans have an incredible longing to return to Egypt. That is to say, to return to the land of our captivity, even after we have been set free. As harmful as it may have been, it was home...for a long time. And learning to manage freedom is harder than it looks. It was true for historical Israel, and it is true for us. Through Christ, we have been set free from our bondage to sin. And yet we have a strong propensity to return. In this episode Paul explains what such returns look like and how to stop them.  The biblical passage referenced in this sermon is:  Romans 6:12-23 (NRSV) Want more Jesus at 2AM?? Learn how to become a patron! Want to connect? You can send e-mail here. Or find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

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.