No Longer Slaves

How can we ‘count it all joy’ when we meet trials? And if God tempts no one, why does Jesus teach us to pray that our Father does not lead us into temptation? This article explores the difference between being tested and being tempted, through the experiences of Abraham, Adam and Eve, and Jesus himself. Testing is how God shapes us, intending to do us good in the end, even when the same situation becomes a seedbed for temptation. Understanding how the two work can help us face them with our eyes on the joy set before us.

Are our lives just a waiting room ‘in the region and shadow of death’, or has light dawned? The message Jesus preached was not a reminder of the Kingdom visions of the Old Testament but a radical invitation to experience the realm of God here and now. His miracles showed that the Kingdom had already broken through, and the Sermon on the Mount describes what it means to live under the sovereignty of God: the transformation of who we are, not a performance of piety. Jesus is already our King, and we can experience God’s Holy Spirit in our lives now.

How much of what we think about a passage is actually coming from the text, and how much is coming from us? This article looks afresh at three familiar passages: the parable of the Prodigal Son, Paul’s letter to Philemon, and the Great Commission. It shows how titles, tradition, our social context and the understandings of others before us can colour, and even distort, what we hear. We will always bring preconceptions; the only protection is to bring humility too, and to recognise that discipleship is a path of learning and discovery.

Roman culture had a practice of using adoption to ensure a desirable heir, sometimes even freeing a trusted slave for this purpose. Paul uses slavery as a metaphor to show what God has done for us: bought us at a high price, clothed us with Christ, and adopted us as his children. We can call God ‘Abba, Father’ and live free as his cherished heirs.

The book of Job throws up many theological, moral, and linguistic questions. For the purposes of this article, the author is assuming that the book of Job is a poetic and dramatic portrayal of the story of a faithful man in adversity. This assumption does not diminish its truth; rather, it clarifies the kind of truth the book is about. Using scholarly works and personal study, the author discusses the question: what actually happened to Job’s children?

This article is a call to action for us to take being stewards of God’s creation seriously by looking afresh at what it means to ‘rule’ and ‘care’ for the earth. Instead of simply waiting for the future Kingdom, we are urged to consider making lifestyle changes today that will lessen the negative impact humans are having on the earth we have been blessed to live upon. Practical suggestions are made for both individuals and ecclesias to embrace as we endeavor to live more sustainably.

Let’s meet the real Rabbi Jesus. This first century figure was unexceptional in his appearance and way of life until he began his ministry, and it was then he showed himself as fundamentally radical, revolutionary and extraordinary. He stirred people up, and he still has the ability to disturb and change us if we’re willing to spend the time looking and listening to him; to see beyond our own image of him and our preconceptions to the real Jesus.

Are we more in love with the Bible as the word of God than we are with the Lord Jesus Christ himself? This article draws a distinction between the living "word of God"—God's contemporary revelation that challenges and changes us—and "scripture," the archived record that we are too easily tempted to venerate and manipulate in its place. Jesus is presented as the Word made flesh, God's final and unmistakable revelation, greater than the prophets and the Old Covenant that pointed toward him. We are challenged to recognise that the scriptures are a signpost testifying to Christ, not a substitute for coming to him; so we must ask whether we are "Bibladelphians" or Christadelphians.

Come and meet the real Jesus, as depicted within his time and cultural setting. We will meet a man of his time, looking and sounding and behaving as a man of his time would be expected to. He becomes ever more real to us as our preconceptions of that shampoo-advert-Jesus fall away. And our relationship with him may become more personal because we now see him as a rounded relatable figure with emotions much like ours And that has to be a good thing, moving from knowing about him, to knowing him.

How do we deal with the cognitive dissonance between the violent, retributive warmongering God of the OT and the NT non-violent Son of God who is full of mercy and grace? Learning to let go of the inaccurate theological doctrine that we have been inadvertently raised with, and reading the Bible through the historic and cultural lenses in which it was written, is faith renewing and freeing.