Photo by Michael Förtsch on UnsplashYou’ve probably heard the phrase “Jesus is perfect theology.” It’s a compelling statement, and there’s truth in it. But over time, this phrase has been misunderstood by some. Pastor Tim Brown, in a recent post, pointed this out. He noted how some people use this phrase to make Jesus appear soft, all-inclusive, and free from judgment — almost as if He were a modern-progressive revision of the “harsh” God of the Old Testament.
While that view might seem appealing to many of us who cherish the love and grace of Jesus, I think it leaves us with a fragmented picture of who God truly is.
If we separate Jesus from the God of the Old Testament, we end up missing something vital — the fullness of both His love and His justice.
That’s why I prefer a phrase often used by one of my mentors:
“Jesus is what God has to say.”
He’s not a part of the message; He is the message — the full revelation of God’s heart, mission, and character.
I believe it’s vital that young Christians grasp this balance, especially in a world that loves to cherry-pick certain aspects of Jesus while ignoring others.
Just the other day, I had coffee with a young man who was once a devoted Christian — he grew up in the church, even served as a missionary for a season.
But sadly, he left the faith.
Why? Because he couldn’t reconcile God’s wrath with the love he’d been taught to believe in.
For him, God seemed cruel, vengeful, and arbitrary in the Old Testament, and the Jesus he learned about didn’t seem to match that.
Sadly, he’s not alone. So many young people are walking away from the faith because of misunderstandings like this.
Let’s explore this idea more deeply, especially for young Christians who might feel torn between the wrath of God in the Old Testament and the love of Jesus in the New Testament.
Understanding this is crucial for faith that can withstand the complexities of life.
1. Jesus is the Logos: The Full Revelation of God
When I say “Jesus is what God has to say,” I’m drawing directly from the idea of the Logos found in John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
The Greek term Logos means far more than just a spoken word. It’s the full expression of God’s reason, wisdom, and purpose — His definitive message to the world.
Some might imagine Jesus as merely the “love” part of God, as if He reveals only the kinder, gentler aspects of God’s nature.
But I believe that’s too narrow a view. Jesus is not just a part of God’s character — He’s the full picture. Everything God wants to say, He says through Jesus!
Jesus is the full revelation of God’s heart. That includes His love, His grace, His healing touch — but also His justice, His holiness, and, yes, His wrath.
And I’ll be the first to admit — this isn’t easy. I’ve wrestled with these questions myself, and I know why people struggle with the idea of God’s wrath.
It can feel harsh. It can feel like it contradicts the loving, compassionate Jesus we read about in the Gospels.
I get it. I’ve had those same questions, the ones that keep you up at night: “How can a loving God also be a God of wrath?” or “If God is so good, why does He judge so severely in the Old Testament?”
These are not abstract theological issues; they are deeply personal, because they cut to the core of how we see God!
It breaks my heart when I see people, especially young Christians, turn away from God because they can’t reconcile these things.
The story of the flood is a great example of how some tend to compartmentalize Jesus from the Father. They often picture God the Father as wrathful and angry, particularly in Old Testament stories like the flood, and then imagine Jesus as stepping in to bring love and gentleness.
It’s almost as if Jesus is standing to the side, watching an angry abusive father drown people, thinking, “Man, dad sure is an angry brute… but don’t worry, I’ll fix this when it’s my turn.”
That’s not who Jesus is. The Father, Son, and Spirit are one. Jesus wasn’t standing by during the flood; He was fully present, fully involved.
The truth is, the triune God, Father, Son, and Spirit, were acting with a deeply broken heart, grieving over the brokenness of creation.
Even as judgment fell, there was a deep longing for the day when salvation would come through Jesus. When no one else would have to die for their sins, because Jesus himself would die for them.
The flood wasn’t a random outburst of anger from God. It was a necessary step in the redemptive story, preserving a remnant from the poison of a world that was too far gone so that humanity could one day be saved through the cross.
Jesus Himself declared, “If you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9). The Jesus who offers forgiveness to sinners is the same God who judged sin in the days of Noah or in Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jesus is not the antidote to the Old Testament God’s wrath — He is that God, the same God who judged sin because of His love for creation, and the same God who would later die for that same creation.
When we say, “Jesus is what God has to say,” we are saying that He reveals the full heart of God — not just love without justice, and not just justice without love, but a perfect harmony of both.
2. Love and Wrath Are Not Opposites
It’s easy to think of God’s wrath and love as opposing forces. But I believe that couldn’t be further from the truth. God’s wrath and His love are deeply intertwined — they are both essential to His character and mission.
Some might ask, “If Jesus is God’s ultimate message, why is there still judgment?” The answer lies in understanding what God’s wrath is really about.
God’s anger is not like human anger, driven by frustration or impatience. His wrath is aimed at sin and evil — at the things that corrupt and destroy His beloved creation. It’s a holy, righteous anger directed at the forces that stand against His goodness.
Imagine you see an elderly woman being mugged on the street. Instantly, you feel deep anger and a strong desire for justice — you want the attacker stopped and held accountable. This isn’t petty irritation; it’s a righteous response to blatant wrongdoing.
But now, consider that we’ve all unleashed evil into the world in our own ways. We’ve lied, hurt others, or acted selfishly. Just as the mugger deserves justice, so do we for our own sins. We all stand deserving of wrath for the wrongs we’ve committed.
However, God’s response to us isn’t default wrath. While He rightfully detests sin, His primary desire is to restore us, who He loves!
He offers forgiveness and a path back to goodness. So, even though we all deserve judgment, God’s deepest aim is our restoration, not our condemnation.
For many people, especially those raised in church, there’s been a lot of confusion about God’s character.
I’ve had countless conversations with young Christians who imagine God as distant, easily angered, or always waiting to strike people down for their failures.
They see Him through the lens of pagan ideas — an angry deity who can never be appeased. And sadly, some leave the faith because they can’t reconcile that version of God with the Jesus they encounter in the Gospels.
But here’s the truth: God’s wrath is not arbitrary or petty. It’s not about punishing people for the sake of it.
His wrath has always been directed at sin, injustice, and the dark spiritual forces that work against His plan for humanity. He’s the doctor trying to root out the cancer in the world. His ultimate goal has always been to redeem, not destroy.
At the cross, we see this perfectly.
Jesus took on the full weight of God’s judgment, not because God is wrathful in some detached, cold sense, but because He loves us so deeply that He was willing to bear the consequences of sin Himself.
The cross is where love and wrath meet. Jesus’ sacrifice shows us that God’s wrath against sin is real, but His love is even greater — so great that He would take the penalty for us!
3. The Old Testament Prepares Us for the Cross
When we start to understand that “Jesus is what God has to say,” it changes how we read the Bible, especially the Old Testament.
For so many people, the Old Testament is a series of disconnected stories about a God who is angry, while the New Testament introduces a Jesus who is full of love and grace.
But that’s not how the Bible works.
The Old Testament is not a collection of random stories — it’s a carefully woven prequel to the cross.
Each moment of judgment and each act of mercy is part of the same redemptive story.
Every act of wrath is leading humanity one step close to the Cross.
God wasn’t simply angry with the world during the flood or the exile. He was leading humanity to a point where salvation could come through Jesus.
When I explain this to young Christians — especially those who grew up in the church but never went deeper into their faith — it’s like the Old Testament comes alive for them.
They start to see that all those stories they learned as kids aren’t disconnected from the Gospel; they are the foundation of it.
Every story is leading to the moment when God’s ultimate message would be revealed: “I love you enough to die for you. I hate your sin, but I love YOU, and I want to save you!”
The more we understand the Jesus of the Gospels, the more we understand the God of the Old Testament.
God the Father and God the Son are not different characters playing competing roles; they are one and the same.
Conclusion
So yes, Jesus is perfect theology — but only when we understand Him fully. He is the full and final Word of God, the Logos, the ultimate message of what God has to say to the world.
But I prefer the phrase “Jesus is what God has to say” because it reminds us that Jesus is the complete revelation of God’s heart, not just in the New Testament but throughout all of Scripture.
We need to teach the whole picture of Jesus — the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world and the King who confronts evil and defeats it.
Only then can young Christians understand the fullness of God’s character, and only then will they be rooted in a faith that can withstand the complexities of life.
In the end, the God who loves us enough to die for us is also the God who loves us enough to confront the sin and evil that would destroy us.
That’s the message we find in Jesus — the full, redemptive story of God’s love and justice intertwined. And that’s the God we worship.
Jesus is What God Has to Say: Redeeming Perfect Theology was originally published in GoodLion Theology on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
