Brian Simmons / The Passion Translation & the Fiery Love of God

“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.” Brian Simmons, author of The Passion Translation, talks about approaching scripture with a love theology, the oppressive impact of hyper literalism, women in ministry, equality, union, Jesus’ humanity inside the Trinity, the finished work of the cross, and the passionate, powerful, transforming love of God.

QUOTES

“Pauline theology will get perverted if you don’t start at the song of songs. I’m convinced that Paul got most of his doctrinal teachings from encounters with the Lord and from an open bible with Song of Songs.”

“It’s just error to hyper literalize the song of songs, it’s a beautiful symphony of love… it’s a book that literally starts with a kiss”

“We have forgotten that Jesus Christ is a human being, that inside the Trinity is a man…and this human nature of Jesus is mingled with the divine…”

“A human being can be moved with feelings and passions… Jesus is every bit a man, inside the trinity. The universe is ruled by the passions of a man.”  

“How we hear is every bit as important as what we are reading.”

“This love theology is the key to the great harvest of the nations.”

“God has to love you to be God. It’s almost like He wouldn’t be God if He didn’t love you intensely, powerfully.”

“To dishonor women and to say they can’t minister…goes counter to the heart of God.”

“You said earlier you’re a relational theologian, that’s exactly how we need to interpret scripture.”

“You literally have to have a love lens on your heart to read scripture, then you’ll read it the way God has written it for us.”

“The bible, minus love, equals false teaching, false living, and fosters an anger in the soul of man.”

“He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor 6:17), so the union is complete. When He said it’s finished it's not only the work of the cross but it’s the perfected union that He has given us.”

“Nothing can separate us, not things present or things future, He doesn’t even mention the past because we don’t have a past. Our past ended with three nails; we only have a destiny, not a history.”