Have you ever wondered how the wrath of God fits within the Love of God?

If “God is love” as the Bible says, is God’s wrath an expression of His Love?

Have we been looking at wrath and judgement and even hell with the wrong paradigm all along?

These questions and more are the subject of this interview with Paul Young the author of the Shack, Crossroads, Eve, and Lies we Believe about God. Paul has been a major influence in my life. The Shack gave me a liberating new perspective on who God really is. I began to experience God, His love and his grace in beautiful ways ever since.

Forgiveness in The Shack

In the interview I talk about my own experience of how reading the Shack helped to heal my relationship with my father.

Here is the forgiveness scene from the movie The Shack between Mac and his dad:

In the movie the Shack there is another beautiful scene where Papa is encouraging Mac to forgive. Papa wanted to free Mac from the enslavement and self inflicted torture that unforgiveness brings.

“So you would just let him get away with it?” Mac asks.

Papa responds, “Nobody gets away with anything. Everything bears consequences. I’m not asking you to excuse what he did. Im asking you to trust me to do whats right and know what’s best. Forgiveness doesn’t establish relationship. It is about letting go of his throat.”

God loves us all unconditionally. He desires to redeem his lost son, the murderer, just as much as he does for Mackenzie. Watch the scene here:

“There is no one beyond God’s reach of redemption.” (Quote from my song Unfailing Love, from the Reflect Love album.)

Who is God, What is “He” Like, and Can we get along?

Jesus gives us the clearest picture of the Father and represents him perfectly. I think of the prodigal son story.

God is Love and His love drives ALL our fear away! Inspired by the Shack and 1 John 4 “God is Love” passage, I wrote this song Your Love Drives My Fear Away:

C. Baxter Kruger has written many profound theological books (including THE SHACK REVISITED) and essays on the nature of the Trinity and our interwoven identity in and among the Trinity. John 14:20 was a very profound Scripture for him (and me):

“On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.” John 14:20 NLT

As mentioned in the interview Baxter also wrote a profound article called “God in the hands of angry sinners”. Here is the link for that if you should want to read it… by the way, you want to read it (That was said with a Jedi wave of the hand): https://www.perichoresis.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/God-in-the-Hands-of-Angry-Sinners.pdf

Paul and I talk briefly about the nature of Christ’s Atonement. Which is the main subject of the article above as well. Who didn’t Christ’s atonement cover? What was the point of the cross? To appease an angry God? Nothing could be further than the truth.

Many unfortunately still believe that Jesus came to try to change Gods mind about us when the truth is exactly the opposite, Jesus came to change our minds about who God is. By the way this describes the very definition of repentance (Greek: metanoia = change of mind).

THE WRATH OF GOD = LOVE OF GOD

“This is not a God who will stand idly by while anything that is not of loves kind remains in you” George McDonald

How is the wrath of God is an expression of the Love of God?

God’s wrath is always for you and never against you.

His judgement is a good thing. It is a cleansing thing. His judgement is always redeeming. He judges in favor of his saints and who doesn’t he want for a saint? God is not willing that any should perish but all should come to metanoia (transformation, change of mind, repentance).

Is there a redemptive nature to the Biblical words regarding judgement?

THE CURATIVE AND RESTORATIVE QUALITIES OF “HELL”?

Both Paul and I have read Brad Jersaks book Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hell, Hope, and the New Jerusalem. It helps give a much needed perspective on how broken theology has influenced mistakes in how English translations deal with the subject of hell. I will be interviewing Brad Jersak so please subscribe either here or on facebook so you don’t miss it.

We briefly discuss deception by the spirit of the Antichrist and who and what the AntiChrist really is. I loved Pauls response. He talked about how none of us have that kind of clarity about the depth and magnitude of who Jesus is so we are all to one extent or another worshiping a false idea of Jesus. Paul said, “I don’t worry about that. We are all in process and Holy Spirit is working all that out for all of us. It’s not even how I think about Jesus, it’s about the reality of that relationship that has a a hold of me.”

I love how down to earth and human Paul Young is. What an example for “Loving the person you are with in the moment as we go through our life.”

Paul Young Quotes on PARADIGMS:

“When Jesus showed up he was not recognizable inside the paradigm that religion had constructed.”

“Your paradigm will change the words right in front of your face. You will read it the way your system believes it should be rather than what it truly is. How do we read law into words of grace? How do we read performance into unconditional love?”

“God will go down any road to find you. He has come for every last one of his lost kids. Jesus didn’t come to make people Christians or to start a new religion instead he came to destroy religious thinking by introducing relationship. Relationship always moves you away from control and into mystery. The mystery of relationship.”

“It always hurts to get kicked in your paradigm.”

Blogs I have Written about The Shack and Wm Paul Young’s Other Books:

God is Love (Theology Behind the Shack): https://daniellovett.com/2017/04/21/god-is-love/

The Scandal of The Shack (It Changed My Life): https://daniellovett.com/2017/03/26/the-scandal-of-the-shack-it-changed-my-life/

Papa With Scars? (Theology behind The Shack): https://daniellovett.com/2017/03/21/papa-with-scars-theology-behind-shack/

The Shack Revisited: https://daniellovett.com/2017/03/17/10278/

The Shack, a Response to a Critic (Theology behind The Shack): https://daniellovett.com/2017/03/12/the-shack-a-response-to-a-critic/

Universalism? (Theology behind the Shack): https://daniellovett.com/2017/05/17/universalism-theology-behind-the-shack/

William Paul Young, and His New Novel “Eve”: https://daniellovett.com/2015/09/23/william-paul-young-and-his-new-novel-eve/

Cross Roads by William Paul Young (book review): https://daniellovett.com/2013/07/15/cross-roads-by-william-paul-young-book-review/

Barbecue Jesus, “Bon Appetit”: https://daniellovett.com/2017/06/04/barbecue-jesus-bon-appetit/

Check out my previous interview of Lisa Perna which also features her interview of Wm. Paul Young!

Be looking for my upcoming book, The Christian Mystic – Encounters With Jesus and His Love. This book will feature many stories of people I have interviewed (including Brian Simmons and Lisa Perna) who have had amazing life altering encounters with Jesus and His Love!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

The Passion Translation

In this interview with translator Brian Simmons we cover these questions and topics:

Is the Bible’s trustworthy? Brians Testimony and Encounter with Jesus! What does it mean that God is Love? What is the meaning of the Revealing of the Sons of God in Romans 8? End times and Prophecy perspectives? How important is it to marinate our minds in the Word of God?

Connect with Brian at The Passion Translation facebook Page!

Brian Simmons Testimony and Encounter With Jesus

I am currently working on a book about Encounters With Jesus and His Love and so it is a real treat to hear about Brians Divine visitation. I am delighted that he agreed to allow me to publish his story in my book!

Brian came to trust in Jesus in 1971. Brian then married and he and his wife became career missionaries. He planted churches and worked alongside Wycliffe translators serving the Piacuna people group. God directed them through an audible voice back to the United States just prior to a hostile takeover of the village. Sadly, the men Brian had put in place to lead the church were murdered.

Brian and his wife moved to New England where they pastored a church for eighteen years. When the Lord eventually led them to hand over leadership of the church, Brian then asked the Lord, “What do you want me to do next?”

God answered his request with a Divine visitation. Jesus appeared to Brian and commissioned him for the work of making the Passion Translation. He told him he would help him and share secrets with him (we talk more about this in the interview) and that persecution would come.

Watch the Youtube interview or download the podcast and enjoy this powerful testimony for yourself!

God Is Love!

Brain is passionate about “expressing God’s fiery heart of love to this generation” (from thepassiontranslation.com).

“We have come into an intimate experience with God’s love, and we trust in the love he has for us. God is love! Those who are living in love are living in God, and God lives through them.” (1 John 4:16 TPT)

Brian explains how the Scriptures are an on ramp to encountering Jesus and His love for yourself. Love is the Bibles mega theme. God’s mission for each one of us is this:

“Love the person you are with in the moment as you go though life.”

Jesus shared this message directly with Howard Storm in his encounter with Jesus! (I interviewed Howard in Sozo Episode 2)

God’s plan to save and change the world is Love. Anyone who doesn’t have love, doesn’t have God. But those who live in love most certainly have God!

OUR MYSTICAL UNION WITH GOD IN CHRIST

Brian and I talk about the importance of a real intimate loving relationship and connection with God. After all, isn’t this what we were created for?

I asked Brian, “What does it mean to be “one with God in Christ?”

“So when that day comes, you will know that I am living in the Father and that you are one with me, for I will be living in you.” John 14:20

Our mystical union with God in Christ is something I’m very passionate about and something God has highlighted for me in one of my encounters with Jesus. I reference this in the interview but unpack it a bit more here:

Brian Simmons Exposed!

In conclusion, it is clear to me that Brian Simmons has been exposed as a lovely man of God who fears and loves God. His heart is centered on opening people’s eyes to the Fathers fiery heart of love for his children in his labor of love, The Passion Translation. Brian is also committed to forgiving his persecutors realizing that they are God’s servants to further refine his character.

What else did we talk about in this interview? Below are some other fine things that on the surface don’t seem as exciting but perhaps necessary to consider for many people:

Is The Bible Trustworthy?

“Every Scripture has been written by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God. It will empower you by its instruction and correction, giving you the strength to take the right direction and lead you deeper into the path of godliness. Then you will be God’s servant, fully mature and perfectly prepared to fulfill any assignment God gives you.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17 The Passion Translation (TPT)

Brian and I began the interview by clearing through the conspiracy theory fog that claims that the Scriptures have been tampered with. Indeed, it would have been impossible to alter the Scriptures given the amount of copies of the texts that were spread throughout the known world.

The New Testament has been better preserved than any other historical document. Scholars have reconstructed reliable original autographs from over 5,800 complete or fragmented Greek manuscripts. We can trust that the translators are working from documents that reflect with utmost accuracy what the prophets and apostles originally penned by inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

In light of the facts and evidence, we can indeed trust the inspired Word of God. But how then do we understand and apply what has been written? The way I see it, we must have the Author, the Holy Spirit, with us to explain it. I thank God that the Holy Spirit is a very willing and available Teacher.

Do Certain Translations Have Weaknesses?

If you think about it, to properly understand the Scriptures, wouldn’t you have to have lived in the culture and be fluent in the original languages in which it was written? We depend on translators who have studied the culture and original languages to bring the nuances and understanding out of the text for modern readers.

All translations have certain weaknesses. For example the manuscripts that the translators of the King James Version worked from had additions of a few extra notes and verses that were inserted by various scribes through the previous centuries. This created confusion as people today have formed a misguided conspiracy about “verses being removed” from modern translations like the New International Version and most others.

Translations are also inevitably swayed by the bias and theologies of the translator(s). Because this is the case, the important question for any translator is this:

Does the translator truly know and love the real Jesus? Are they filled with the Holy Spirit of Truth? Does the translation hold up under the scrutiny of other scholars and theologians?

I think you will find that the Passion Translation has passed the test.

Tag: God is love

Wm. Paul Young, God is Love, There is No Fear in Love – SOZO EP0022