Jesus of Nazareth (ca. 4 BCE - 31 CE). Jewish itinerant of 1st century Roman Palestine: Healer, storyteller of 'the Kingdom of God' – He was called the son of man, executed by crucifixion for sedition against the Roman Empire... recognized as the Son of God, resurrected and caught up to the throne of God on behalf of all.... He is coming again soon.
The

Jesus

Institute

Forum

The Jesus Institute Forum (JIF) is a small study group of ministers and other scholars who are compelled by the gospel of the Kingdom of God to seek to recapture the 1st century New Testament proclamation: The coming Kingdom of God entered through justification by faith in an eschatological Jubilee Day of Atonement setting, fulfilled and soon to be consummated. This eschatological Day of Atonement context is consummated in Revelation, ready for recovery after the long centuries of delay in the Common Era.
 

'Justification by faith' is the Scriptural teaching that in the Judgment (past since Calvary, present continuous, future consummated till Advent; John 12:31-33; 16:11; Rom. 3:1-28; 8:31-39; Hebrews 4:11-16; 9-10(:14); 11:39-40; 12:22-24; I Tim. 5:24-25; Rev. 4-5; 12:5-12; 14:6; cf. Ps. 2; 110; Dan. 7:9-14; 8:14; 9:24-27), God renders verdict in Christ on behalf of believing sinners – for the sake of Jesus alone, God reckons believing sinners as righteous and this way grants them eternal life of the Kingdom of God full and free on the ethical ground of the perfect substitutionary doing and dying of Jesus of Nazareth, called Christ, who is now risen and interceding on their behalf at the right hand of God (Rom. 8:34; I Cor. 15:1-4; past–Rom. 3:19-23, 25; 4; John 12: 30-31; Rev. 14: 6-7; present – Rom. 3:19-24, 26, 28; 4:4-7; I Cor. 4:4; future and consummation – Rom. 3:19-23; 4:8, 24-25; Dan. 12:1; Phil. 3:9; Rev. 6-7; 10-11; 14; 17-18; 22:11). Believed whole-heartedly, this objective truth is the foundation for a new, transformed, Holy Spirit-filled life of obedience, service to others in their needs and suffering, and freedom from meaninglessness, addiction, and bondage to sin. At Advent will be the judgment of glory and the Kingdom of God (Mark 8:38; 13:26-27; Matt. 16:27; 19:28; 25:31; Luke 9:26; I Cor. 3:11-15; 4:5; Heb. 9:27-28; Rev. 11:18-19; 15:14-20; 22:12) when eternal rewards will be given. 
Campus Hill Confession of the Gospel
Jesus:  A  Panorama  of  our  Justification

This website is a developing online resource of papers and historical materials on justification by faith, NT eschatology, and their ethical consequences in the world today. Please be patient with our website's growing pains – we are updating and streamlining as we are able.

The 8-part 'nature of God' series has been incorporated into the main section of JIF papers below with updates and new papers.

JIF symposia and meetings

Proceedings of the 1st Symposium of 
the Jesus Institute Forum:

"From Alpha to Omega: Jesus as Advent, Sanctuary, and Eschaton"

06-08 April 2001
Proceedings of the 2nd Symposium of
the Jesus Institute Forum:

"Jesus and Daniel 8:14"

02-04 November 2001
Proceedings of the 3rd Symposium of
the Jesus Institute Forum:

"The Covenant and the Revelation"

11-14 October 2002
Proceedings of the 4th Symposium of 
the Jesus Institute Forum:

"The Covenant, the Judgment, and the book of Revelation"

09-11 April 2004
Loma Linda, CA
Hosted by the Campus Hill SDA Church.
Proceedings of the 5th Symposium of 
the Jesus Institute Forum:

"Recovering the New Testament Gospel"

18-20 March 2005
Loma Linda, CA
Hosted by the Campus Hill SDA Church.
Special seminar:

"God, Jesus, and the Kingdom"

14-16 October 2005
Loma Linda, CA
Loma Linda University & Medical Center,
Schumann Pavilion, Rooms A605A, A610-11
Balancing the Vertical and the Horizontal
(I) Root / cause and (II) fruit / effect: Christians should strive to proclaim a Biblical Gospel in answer to the vertical question "How can man be just with God?" and not neglect the horizontal question, "Where is your brother?" An eschatological New Testament faith must have both the Gospel of Christ and the ethics of Christ. 

The designations  and  indicate changes within the last 3 months
 in the sections below:

I. Jesus of Nazareth & Covenant Redemption
II. Jesus of Nazareth in disguise 
(For links to help with the Asian earthquake / tsunami disaster, see below)

The Vertical (Root / cause)

I. Jesus of Nazareth & Covenant Redemption (provided for the whole human race)
JUSTIFICATION by faith alone

"How can man be just with God?" (Job 9:2)

JIF papers and links (Part I)   (top)
Jesus and Covenant
On covenant and a covenantal paradigm of prophecy
Jesus and Justification
On the gospel and justification by faith
Jesus and Sanctuary
The gospel in the Torah and its antitype in the NT
Jesus and the Revelation
The gospel and the covenant in the last epistle of the NT
  • Rosetta stone: How Ephesians provides a key to interpreting Revelation (Chris Mack)
  • The Synoptic tradition in the Apocalypse (Chris Mack)
  • Suzerain Kings: The wonderful things God has done for you in Jesus – Part 1 (Trenton Frost)
  • Jesus – the Christ and 'the Son of man': The unsealing of Daniel in the New Testament" (Lee F Greer; to be posted...)
Jesus, Justice, and the Sabbath
The Kingdom and Jubilee Day of Atonement liberation
Jesus and God
Theology & christology in the 1st century CE
Jesus and history
On the search for the historical Jesus, Biblical exegesis and hermeneutics
Jesus and the church's story
Incidental papers on issues in church history

Freedom of thought and conscience
(top)
The JIF freedom forum
Papers and links on democracy, freedom of expression, 
religious freedom, church-state separation, and human rights in general

The Horizontal (fruit / effect) (top)
II. Jesus of Nazareth in Disguise (i.e., the human race)
SANCTIFICATION through the Holy Spirit

"Where is Abel your brother?"
"I don't know – Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9)

YES – "Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these My brothers, you've done it to Me" (Matthew 25:40)

  • What can you as a human being do? How to help!... Some suggested starting places (Links included are not all necessarily endorsed by all members of JIF).
  • The basis in the Gospel and Covenant for defending justice (To be posted....)

Helping victims of the Asian quake/tsunami disaster, etc.
When the Son of man comes in His glory and all the angels with him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory; and all the nations will be assembled before Him, and He will separate them from one another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats....
Congratulations to the poor
Because yours is the kingdom of God


(More links on the world's poor to follow...)
I was hungry...


(More links to come on the world's hungry and how to help)
Congratulations to the hungry
Because you will be satisfied

World Vision International fighting hunger.

(More links on the world's hungry to follow...)
I was thirsty...
(Links on the world's water crisis to follow...)


On the attempt to seize control of the planet's water
by the greedy from the needy

Congratulations to those weeping
Because you will laugh

Sept 11 families for

I was a stranger...
(Links on the world's refugees, outcast, and displaced to follow...)


More than 1 million displaced, Darfur
(Info on Darfur, Sudan)
Congratulations to the hated, the separated, the reproached, and the cast out....
For great is your reward in the heavens
I was naked...
(Links on the world's destitute to follow...)
Woe to the rich
because you have had your reward
(Links on the world's greed and its cost to follow...)
 
I was sick...

Modern manna Online with Hans Diehl, Dr.HSc

(More links to follow on the world's disease and health...)
Woe to those laughing
because you will mourn and lament
I was in prison...


Woe when all men speak well of you
for in the same way their fathers spoke of the false prophets
Congratulations to the poor in spirit
Because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens
Congratulations to those mourning
Because they will be comforted
Congratulations to the meek
Because they will inherit the earth

Church of the Brethren:


Veterans for Peace


Desmond Doss, Metal of Honor laureate
Conscientious Objector, World War II
Congratulations to those hungering and thirsting for justice (righteousness)
Because they will have a feast


Congratulations to the merciful
Because they will receive mercy

Congratulations to the clean in heart
Because they will see God


Adventist advocacy against tobacco and sexual trafficking
Congratulations to the peacemakers
Because they will be called sons of God

Congratulations to those persecuted for the sake of justice (righteousness)
Because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens

(Links on the world's persecuted and ill-treated to follow...)
(Matt. 25:31-46; Luke 6:20-26 = Q = Matt. 5:3-10; cf. Scholars' Version, Funk RW, Hoover RW, and the Jesus Seminar. 1993. The five gospels: The search for the authentic words of Jesus. A Polebridge Press book. New York, NY: The Macmillan Publishing Company.)

"And the seventh angel trumpeted....and the nations were angry, and Your wrath has come and the time of the dead to be judged and to give reward to Your servants... and to destroy those who destroy the earth." (Rev. 11:15-19 in part)

We have been the wasteful and unfaithful stewards of the planet....



(More links on environmental 
and social justice to follow....)


(top)

"Congratulations to the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God"
– Jesus of Nazareth
Wars rage. Many suffer and die. 

Some do not care. Some would rather hate. Some are silent through fear.

But some will speak out – How about you?

  • "If you falter in the day of trouble, how meager is your strength. If you hesitate to deliver those being taken to death, and those stumbling to the slaughter; If you say, 'Look, we knew nothing about this,' does not He who weighs the hearts consider it? And the Keeper of your soul, doesn't He know? And shall He not repay to each man according to his works?" (Prov. 24:10-12).
  • "Open your mouth for the mute in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction. Open your mouth, judge righteously, and plead the cause of the poor and needy" (Prov. 31:8-9, KJV). 
Defending the hurting and the perishing:


Christian peacemaker teams.


(top)

The Rwanda Genocide – the 10 year anniversary

   Between April and early July of 1994, as many as 800,000 (perhaps up to 1 million) people of the ethnic-social minority Tutsi together with many moderate Hutu were butchered in the worst incident of ethnic cleansing and genocide in recent history by an extremist interim government in a time of civil war. This happened in Rwanda, the most Christianized nation in Africa (>90%). As the world stood by –  the UN and the western powers – where were the various Christian churches?

Bystander complicity and the church:

(top)
Slavery today

Disposable people: New slavery in the global economy

Kevin Bales
Hoehampton Institute, 
University of Surrey, UK

University of California Press
Berkeley, Los Angeles, CA

 Disposable People is an indispensable compendium of meticulous research on the ongoing and growing tragedy of contemporary human slavery in the global economy. Dr. Bales plumbs the roots of trafficked and disposable slaves who are being exploited to created a substantial part of the wealth of the emerging global marketplace. He is not merely talking of 'sweat shops' and low-paid workers but of actual slaves. His research sweep includes domestic slaves held in large western cities like Paris or Los Angeles, sex slaves in Thailand, chattel slavery in Mauritania, plantation/charcoal slavery in Brazil, and debt-bonded slaves in Pakistan and India.

Research suggests that there are about 27 million actual slaves in the world today. The book asks, "If there are still slaves, how can you be proud of your freedom?"
What can I do?

Dr. Bales suggests something like the following:
(1) Get informed – start with Disposable People and lend it to others
(2) Question your charities and churches. If involved in the Third World, ask them what they are doing to stop slavery? If nothing, ask them why not? Put your money where your mouth is.
(3) Question your politicians. They want your vote, you want to know what they're doing to stop slavery.
(4) Question your pension funds and investments. Ask for assurances and information about whether they invest in companies profiting from slavery. No straight answers, no investment with them.
(5) Join Anti-Slavery International the world's oldest human rights organization, founded in 1839 to combat the Atlantic slave trade, and fighting still.

Sierra Leone (W Africa) – The world's poorest country
(top)

Recovering from a brutal 10 year civil war financed largely by the western lust for diamonds – thousands killed, forced amputees, orphans, and child soldiers....

Gifts of Limbs Project


New Sierra Leone war affected amputees site.

Freedom of thought and conscience in the church

Thoughtful critiques of and quotations from the new "International board of ministerial and theological education" (IBMTE) handbook on "accreditation" of religious education in Seventh-day Adventist colleges and universities
  Sanctified and set apart – A summary of Scripture passages


E-mail the Jesus Institute Forum.