Our Bible reading for today: Mark 1:

9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him. 11 And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tested by Satan, and he was with the wild beasts, and the angels waited on him.

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Today we launch a new direction of sorts in our podcast as Terey, Jon, and I take you on a study of Mark’s Gospel. Today, in addition to some background, we look at Mark 1:1: The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Bible Translations mentioned:

NRSV: The New Revised Standard Version

The Good News Bible Translation

The New Living Translation

(Check out https://www.biblegateway.com/ where you will find dozens of different translations that you can compare side by side.

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Terey is back! She shares the story of losing her husband, the grief she’s working through, and the faith that sustains her.

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This is one of the oldest questions in human history. And, as you’ll discover from this podcast, not an easy one to tackle. Tim is joined by Jon as they talk about free will, God’s control, the Cross, and Promise.

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Does it make any difference in terms of the Gospel story if Jesus didn’t rise from the dead? Did the resurrection happen literally?

Resource mentioned by Jon:

Cold Case Christianity by J. Warner Wallace

Cold Case Christianity Website

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A couple of listener questions around forgiveness serve as the focus of this episode. I’m joined once again by Jon D. Burgess, filling in while Terey continues to grieve the loss of her husband.

The Lord’s Prayer: Matthew 6

Our Father in heaven,    may your name be revered as holy.10     May your kingdom come.    May your will be done        on earth as it is in heaven.11     Give us today our daily bread.12     And forgive us our debts,        as we also have forgiven our debtors.13     And do not bring us to the time of trial,        but rescue us from the evil one. (NRSV)

Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurts We Don’t Deserve. Lewis B. Smedes

Stages of forgiveness:

We hurt

We hate (as in our hurt turns to anger)

We heal

We come together

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Jon Burgess joins Tim once again as we continue our look at Grace, Salvation, Hell, Eternity, and Christian Universalism.

(Continue to pray for Terey as she mourns the passing of her husband, Jonathan.)

Philippians 2:

Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

6 who, though he existed in the form of God,    did not regard equality with God    as something to be grasped,7 but emptied himself,    taking the form of a slave,    assuming human likeness.And being found in appearance as a human,8     he humbled himself    and became obedient to the point of death—    even death on a cross.

9 Therefore God exalted him even more highly    and gave him the name    that is above every other name,10 so that at the name given to Jesus    every knee should bend,    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,11 and every tongue should confess    that Jesus Christ is Lord,    to the glory of God the Father.

Book reference: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader—C.S. Lewis.

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Terey’s husband Jonathan passed away about a month ago. Please keep her in your prayers.

A long time friend, Jon Burgess, joins Tim on this episode and asks some follow up questions raised by the last several podcasts.

Book Reference: Reading Genesis by Marilynne Robinson

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Tim and Terey look at what the Bible has to say about the eternal destiny of evil people.

Notes:

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be children of your Father in heaven, for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous. (Matthew 5:43-45)

Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial. Netflix

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Surprisingly, Jesus never once uses the word, Hell. Tim and Terey dive into the concept of Hell, where it came from, and what it really means.

Notes:

That All Shall Be Saved: Heaven, Hell, and Universal Salvation, David Bentley Hart

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit recklessgrace.substack.com