Embedded Files
“My heart exults in the LORD;
my strength is exalted in the LORD.
My mouth derides my enemies,
because I rejoice in your salvation.
“There is none holy like the Lord,
there is none besides thee;
there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly,
let not arrogance come from your mouth;
for the Lord is a God of knowledge,
and by him actions are weighed.
— 1 Samuel 2:1–3
Course Overview & Introduction
Welcome
What is salvation? What does it mean to be saved? These are questions we have all asked ourselves at one point or another in our lives. While there can be no one, simple "answer" to the question of salvation, the Bible does provide us with many images and ideas about what "being saved" is all about, and why it matters. In this course, our three presenters will guide you through three different biblical texts and explore what they might reveal about "salvation." Firstly, Jessie looks to signs of salvation in the stories of the Old Testament, and how they inform our understanding of the stories which came after. Secondly, Seán finds that "salvation" is understood by the fourth evangelist as "life," and explores this through the stories of the Wedding Feast at Cana (John 2:1–12) and the Raising of Lazarus (John 11:1–44). Finally, Kieran looks at the Good Friday readings of Hebrews 4:14–16 and 5:7–10, building upon an outline and overview of the letter as a whole, in particular the main argument presented in Hebrews 7.
Introduction Webinar
To formally begin the course, Jessie, Kieran, and Seán welcomed participants and introduced the topic in a webinar on March 4th. They outlined the theme "Being Saved: From what... For What?" and provided a brief introduction to the topics they explored in their three recorded presentations. You can find these three introductions at the beginning of each presenter's section, while the video below contains the initial discussion and responses to some opening questions.
Ideas of Salvation in the Old Testament
A Short Introduction to this Topic from Jessie
"I Am the LORD Your God Who
Brought You Out of Egypt"
Presentation One – Life in It's Fullness
In this first presentation, Jessie looks at salvation as a rescue from crisis. The story of Exodus is particularly important for exploring this idea of salvation in the Old Testament, though Jessie also looks to some of the Psalms (6; 28; 31; 118), and the story of Hagar (Genesis 16 & 21:16–19).
"You Shall Be My People,
And I Will Be Your God"
Presentation Two – Restoring Holiness
In this second session, Jessie looks at the idea of salvation as restoring holiness. This involves highlighting the importance of holiness & impurity, and cleanliness & uncleanliness in Jewish tradition. One of the East Vigil readings, Ezekiel 36:16–28, provides an excellent starting point for such an exploration.
"For I Am About to Create New Heavens
and a New Earth"
Presentation Three – Salvation as the Fulfilment of God's Dream for the World
In this final presentation, Jessie looks at salvation as eschatology – a complete, final salvation. In exploring this, she looks at how the creation and fall of Genesis lays the foundation for the later descriptions of a glorious future creation outlined by the prophet Isaiah in 2:1–5; 11:1–9; 65:17–25.
Signs of Salvation in the Gospel of John
A Short Introduction to this Topic from Seán
"Through Believing You May Have
Life in His Name"
Presentation One – Life in It's Fullness
In this first presentation, Seán provides an introduction to the Gospel of John and what salvation means for the fourth evangelist. In doing so, he lays a foundation for exploring some of the signs of salvation in the wider Gospel.
"My Hour Has Not Yet Come"
Presentation Two – The Wedding Feast of Cana
In this presentation, Seán explores the Wedding Feast of Cana in John 2:1–12. This text not only shows the symbolic nature of John's narrative, but also fundamentally points towards Easter!
"Lord, Come and See"
Presentation Three – The Raising of Lazarus
In this final presentation, Seán focuses on the Raising of Lazarus in John 11:1–44. In this text, John reveals not only a triumph over death, but also the importance of life – both of which are central to the evangelist's understanding of what it means to be saved.
Reading Hebrews on Good Friday
A Short Introduction to this Topic from Kieran
"In These Last Days He Has
Spoken to Us in a Son"
Presentation One – Welcome to Hebrews!
In this first presentation, Kieran provides a 'map' of the Letter to the Hebrews, outlining the feast days on which it is read, aspects of its composition and history, as well as an overview of the letter's structure and argument.
"He Did This In Offering Himself Once For All"
Presentation Two – The Main Argument
In this presentation, and before turning to the sections of Hebrews read on Good Friday, Kieran lays a further foundation with a commentary on the main argument in the central section of the letter, specifically Hebrews 7.
"He Became the Source of Eternal Salvation"
Presentation Three – The Readings for Good Friday
In this final presentation, Kieran turns to Hebrews 4:14–16 and 5:7–10, providing a commentary on the texts and exploring what might be at the heart of the matter for the author of the letter.
Webinars
Webinar One – Meditation Session
(7:30PM on March 25th )
Webinar Two – Q&A Session
(7:30PM on April 2nd)
In the Q&A, Jessie noted the following book should anyone be interested in exploring more:
Joel B. Green & Mark D. Baker, Recovering the Scandal of the Cross: Atonement in New Testament and Contemporary Contexts (). Available here on Amazon.
Note for the Q&A: If you watched the recording before 8:30PM on Friday April 5th, please be aware that the video incorrectly stopped after 5 minutes.
The issue has now been corrected and the full version should now play – apologies for any inconvenience.
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Your Feedback Is Important!
We are always seeking to improve and would love to hear your feedback! If you have a few moments, could you fill you the Google form below? There are a total of 11 questions, both on this particular course, and on Tarsus Scripture School more broadly. The form and your feedback is completely anonymous.
We are also happy to receive feedback by email – you can contact anyone on the Tarsus Scripture School team directly using the emails below:
Jessie Rogers – jessie@tarsusscriptureschool.ie
Kieran O'Mahony – kieran@tarsusscriptureschool.ie
Seán Goan – sean@tarsusscriptureschool.ie
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