Word of Life Church Podcast

The sacrifice of Jesus was not a payment offered to an offended deity bound to an economy of appeasement. That is a pagan and ugly distortion of who God is—the God whom Jesus called Father. The ugly violence of the cross is entirely attributable to human structures of sin, while the beautiful forgiveness of the cross is entirely attributable to God’s extravagant love and mercy.

Q&A session from the message "What About Old Testament Violence?"

In responding to the the troubling question of genocidal violence in the Old Testament and its alleged divine endorsement, we really only have three options:1. We can question the morality of God.2. We can question the immutability of God.3. We can question how we read Scripture.

Q&A from the message "What about the Wrath of God?"

The wrath of God is a biblical metaphor we use to describe the very real consequences we suffer from trying to go through life against the grain of love. The wrath of God is understood as divine consent to our own self-destructive defiance. When we sin against the two great commandments—to love God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves—we suffer the inevitable consequences of acting against love. We can call this the wrath of God if we like; the Bible does, but that doesn’t mean that God literally loses his temper.

Q&A Session from the message "Sinners in the Hands of a Loving God"

The hands of God are not hurling thunderbolts from heaven like Zeus of the Greek pantheon. The hands of God have been stretched out in love where they were nailed to a tree. The nail-pierced hands of God now reach out to every doubter and every sufferer, revealing the wounds of love. The hands of God are not hands of wrath but hands of mercy. To be a sinner in these hands is where the healing begins.

Seen my share of broken halosFolded wings that used to flyThey've all gone wherever they goBroken halos that used to shineAngels come down from the heavensJust to help us on our wayCome to teach us, then they leave usAnd they find some other soul to saveSeen my share of broken halosFolded wings that used to flyThey've all gone wherever they goBroken halos that used to shineBroken halos that used to shineDon't go looking for the reasonsDon't go asking Jesus whyWe're not meant to know the answersThey belong to the by and byThey belong to the by and bySeen my share of broken halosFolded wings that used to flyThey've all gone wherever they goBroken halos that used to shineBroken halos that used to shineBroken halos that used to shineBroken halos that used to shine

Us and themAnd after all we're only ordinary menMe and youGod only knowsIt's not what we would choose to doForward he cried from the rearAnd the front rank diedAnd the general satAnd the lines on the mapMoved from side to sideBlack and blueAnd who knows which is which and who is whoUp and downAnd in the end it's only round 'n roundHaven't you heard it's a battle of wordsThe poster bearer criedListen son, said the man with the gunThere's room for you inside"I mean, they're not gonna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short, sharp, shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off lightly, 'cause I would've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once! It was only a difference of opinion, but really...I mean good manners don't cost nothing do they, eh?"Down and outIt can't be helped that there's a lot of it aboutWith, withoutAnd who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?Out of the wayIt's a busy dayI've got things on my mindFor the want of the priceOf tea and a sliceThe old man died

Father tell me, we get what we deserveOh we get what we deserveAnd way down we goWay down we goSay way down we goWay down we goYou let your feet run wildTime has come as we all oh, go downYeah but for the fall oh, myDo you dare to look him right in the eyes?'Cause they will run you down, down til the darkYes and they will run you down, down til you fallAnd they will run you down, down til you goYeah so you can't crawl no moreAnd way down we goWay down we goSay way down we go'Cause they will run you down, down til you fallWay down we goOh bab-bab-yeahWow babyBabyBab, down we goYeahAnd way down we goWay down we goSay way down we goWay down we go