Kris Vallotton • October 6, 2015

How I Overcame the Deception of a Vengeful God

Guest blog by Chris Cruz.


On a random and uneventful evening, Heaven was eager. The Holy Spirit rushed into my life and took me straight into His heart. Death and resurrection were my portion that night. I was a new person: the Holy Spirit buried an unsatisfied, hurt life, and raised me into something out of this world. I began walking on a new road that night – a road paved by a passion to know God.


I was a college student at the time. I thought grades, success, money, or anything good was determined by whether God was upset with me. Plainly put, my shortcomings led me to fear His vengeance. He was forgiving, but also punishing. I loved God, but was afraid of Him. Have you ever been there?


I craved clarity – my heart needed a resolve. I felt in over my head. I needed my vision of God to undergo a radical revision. My theology was perpetuated by altar calls from frantic pastors hoping to appease God’s vengeance. I didn’t know anything else!


My unsettled heart manifested in my worship: it became a confession booth. It’s how I kept God at bay. I anticipated His vengeance before His mercy. I imagined blessings as delayed or postponed until further notice. Trusting Him made me weary, because my sin turned Him to Zeus throwing bolts of lightning from the heavens in the form of bad grades and unfortunate events. In my heart of hearts, I knew this needed to change. I couldn’t survive the mood swings of heaven.


My soul was asking what the great theologian A.W. Tozer says is the “gravest question before [man]…what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like.” I didn’t expect what God would uncover for me. I had no clue how God wanted to reveal Himself.


This radical revision of God began with Bill Johnson saying, “Jesus is perfect theology.” This tore through my traditional thoughts on God and the cross. I felt shoved by the Holy Spirit to explore the Scriptures and my theology. I felt urged to go past perceptions, and I found what felt like an entirely different God. God wanted to rescue me, but in a different way. He wanted to rescue me from Himself–well, the false idol I made of Him.


I learned a radical truth, offensive to all religions of the world: Jesus is God’s self-revelation. God is best known in Jesus. God, revealed in His heart of hearts, is exactly like Jesus. This truth changes everything. It tells me Jesus isn’t the nice side of God, but the clearest definition God wanted made of Himself. I started devouring the Gospels, the New Testament’s weighty descriptions of grace, and Jesus Himself as the image of the invisible God.


I found out Jesus isn’t the sideshow of heaven trying to make people feel safe. He’s the EXACT imprint of God’s divine nature! Jesus’ life and ministry leading up to the final act of crucifixion was an UNRAVELING of the flawed and deceptive interpretations of His character. Jesus simultaneously enlightens us to the true revelation of God. I would dare say the self-sacrificing love shown in the crucifixion is what God had in mind as our theological cornerstone.


Christ frames the entire conversation on the nature of God. The Father intended us be confident in His nature by what we see in Christ. The reality of the incarnation of the Word of God rearranged every thought I’ve ever had about Him. I finally met the Father revealed in light of the Son, and scales fell from my eyes as my deception faded away.


Jesus enlightens us to the Father’s true nature.


We can see with new eyes. He’s loving – full of mercy and grace. God desires to be known not by his anger, but by His self-sacrificing love. Known for taking our sin upon Himself rather than punishing us for it.


Two events in the gospel narrative really helped fuel the overcoming of my deception of a vengeful God. The first is in the gospel of John chapter 8 – the woman caught in the act of adultery.


Simply put, the woman is caught in sin and the religious leaders think God’s plan for her is death. They want to inflict vengeance for God via throwing stones at her. It was how they saw God, and it sounds a lot like the God I had in college. These Pharisees who claimed to know God’s character brought her before Jesus.


Jesus, the self-revelation of the Father, gives the entire audience permission to kill the woman under one criteria, the man without sin can throw the first stone. Jesus says they can follow through with their judgment and execute her, but only by the one who can stand under that criteria. That person alone has the right to judge her.


I don’t know if you caught it, but Jesus was talking about Himself. He was the only one without sin. He had the right to punish her – and if He did, then He confirms God’s vengeance toward us. But Jesus doesn’t stone her, and those ready to condemn her left one by one. He picks her up and points out that her condemners left. The only one left, who CAN kill her, forgives her.


HE LETS HER GO! OFF THE HOOK! It’s crazy – before, if I even looked at a woman wrong, I anticipated a week of chaos. This shook me up. My image of God before Christ was ready to throw stones. Heck, I even thought He already threw a few. Jesus enlightened the Father, and pressed the delete button on my vengeful image of God.


The next event that changed my perception was the crucifixion narrative, and the last words of Jesus before death.


Luke 23:34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”


A murdered God’s famous last words.


Those are the words labored by Jesus at His crucifixion; His death at the hands of bloodthirsty, violent Romans. An innocent man, dying on the cross. Vengeance feels like a proportionate response to me – but it didn’t with Jesus.


He was handed “every right” by the standard of “fair justice” to give an equal retribution. If there was a moment to start an insurrection and burn the city out of vengeance towards sin, this was it. It was man’s worst crime, the killing of God. The sinful had their way with Christ, murdering Him undeservedly.


Jesus’ response brings the true God into focus with such a convicting blow that it eradicated any remaining fear of His vengeance. Jesus last words hit the ears of His oppressors, telling them there’s a way back – whether the murderers decided to hear it or not. It wasn’t “I will come back for you and your families for your sin.” His justice wasn’t an eye for an eye. He left them with no concern of His revenge.


He left them with a way out, telling them “I don’t count this against you.” This kind of violence and murder creates tyrants out of men, but for God it became the ultimate showcase of His true nature. God decided He wanted reconciling love as the mark of His nature. I love how Miroslav Volf, a Croatian theologian and Professor of Theology at Yale Divinity, depicts the cross. He says it is “the giving up of God’s self in order not to give up on humanity…the arms of the crucified are open—a sign of a space in God’s self and an invitation for the enemy to come in.” The New Testament is clear: we considered God to be our enemy. And His arms were opened up to us.


My vision of God was pleasantly torn down and rebuilt, but this time on the foundation of the incarnate Son of God. The clarity of Christ shakes me with unmatched grace. Worship now transcends any previous height, as I taste His kindness. I no longer keep one eye open around Him to feel safe – His forgiveness eclipses any concern of harm.


This might challenge you, and I imagine your passion for holiness might be reaching for the “but He…” aspects of your theology. Trust me, this isn’t a careless Father. He invites us to attempt to exhaust His inexhaustible kindness, and this leads us to repentance. His trust in the transformational power of His grace shames our attempts to force holiness through punishment. He’s not indifferent or irresponsible with sin – He’s a Father who instead guides us with correction and correction isn’t punishment.


When the MO of heaven is reconciliation, through the means of not counting our trespasses against us, we feel the scandal of His grace. We can obsess over those who abuse grace, while God chooses instead to keep running out to meet them as they return home. I don’t claim to have it all worked out; I understand there’s mystery regarding certain passages of Scripture. I simply want to take seriously the authority Scripture gives to know God through Christ and see Him as the same yesterday, today, and forever.


Jesus overcame my deception of His vengeful alter ego. I come to Him to be clothed and picked up, not embarrassed and punished. He dusts me with off with a holy disregard for my mess and leaves me with no threats. I expect His mercy every morning. My worst moments are opportunities to know His grace. I don’t fear the retribution of a vengeful deity: I wake up basking in His pleasure over me. His kindness has kept me from sin with far greater success then any threats of punishment ever did.


Here are some verses to spend time meditating on:


John 1:18


John 5:36


John 14:9


Luke 6:27-36


Luke 15:11-32


Colossians 1:15


Hebrews 1:1-3


Hebrews 13:8


2 Corinthians 3:7-18


2 Corinthians 4:4-6


2 Corinthians 5:11-21


2 Timothy 1:9-10


1 John 5:20


Bio


Chris Cruz is a husband, pastor, speaker and blogger. He serves on the leadership teams at Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry and Tribe Young Adults at Bethel Redding. His role includes preaching, mentoring interns and pastoring students. Chris loves to see the church be a cultural influence for positive change in the world, and he lives to see heaven and earth become one. In his free time, Chris and his wife, Lana, love exploring and experiencing different cultures and cities. Chris is an avid creative, pursuing outlets that vary from graphic design to handmade leather goods. He also has a love for craft coffee and a slight fascination with raw denim.


BLOG: ChrisJosephCruz.com

PODCAST: Equip The Saints with Chris Cruz



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4 Lessons After 50 Years of Marriage

By Kris Vallotton • February 12, 2025
Kathy and I are celebrating our 50th anniversary this year, and we’ve been together for 54. We’ve experienced highs and lows together and built a life I never imagined possible! Over the past 50+ years, we’ve learned a few things that I want to share with you to help your marriage thrive!  Know when to sacrifice pleasure for the pursuit of joy. Kathy and I have learned when to sacrifice pleasure for the pursuit of joy; this is the discipline of laying down your life for another. A practical example of this is when people find out we have horses. They say, “Oh wow, Kris, you have horses!” My response to them goes something like this, “No, I don’t have horses. Kathy has horses. I only pay for the horses.” Their next question for me usually is, “Don’t you like horses?” To which I respond, “No, I don’t like horses, but I like Kathy.” You see, I get a lot of joy out of doing what Kathy wants to do. I am willing to sacrifice my own pleasure to pursue what develops joy in our marriage. It’s not one-sided, Kathy does the same for me. 2. Forgiveness restores the standard. If you’ve been in a relationship for any length of time, then you know the honeymoon phase doesn't last forever. The person that you love and cherish at the deepest level is the same person that will stretch, challenge, and offend you. I learned this lesson years ago when my kids were teenagers. I became angry with Kathy in front of them and treated her disrespectfully. An hour later, I apologized, and she forgave me. Colossians 3:13 tells us that “Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive". The truth is, forgiveness restores the standard of holiness in us and through us. 3. It’s not bad if your spouse thinks differently than you. Men and women think differently, and this is metaphorically demonstrated in the way they were created. Please understand what I am trying to communicate here. I am not at all trying to dishonor either gender. I know that women and men are equally intelligent. When Kathy and I got married, I didn’t understand marriage or women at all. I was so ignorant that it wasn’t even funny. I just had no value for Kathy’s opinion, while we were making decisions, when she refused to produce the facts for her conclusions. She often prefaced her statements with phrases like, “I feel like...,” “It troubles me that...,” “I don’t feel good about that...,” and so on. But what I learned over time, as many of my great decisions began to turn into mistakes, was that her “It feels like” or “This troubles me” were often a lot more accurate than the so-called facts! As the years have rolled on, I have learned to invite the rest of me, and my other half, my wife, into all of my decisions. And she has learned the same thing. We were made to be together. We are one flesh, a mystery that continues to unfold with time. 4. Vision gives pain a purpose. It is my conviction that we are living in a generation perishing for lack of vision. This is evident in many different areas of life, but I also see it in marriages. Having a vision for your marriage will help you persevere through the harder seasons that you’ll face together. Many years ago I had a vision where I was standing next to this elderly gentleman and could see him perfectly, but the man could not see me. The older man was surrounded by children and grandchildren telling stories about the family's history, lineage, and favor with God. In the vision he said, “And all of this began with your great-great-grandmother and great-great-grandfather.” I looked up and above the mantle of the fireplace and there was a huge portrait of Kathy and me! The Lord spoke to me and said: “You are no longer to live for a ministry—you are to live to leave a legacy! Your children’s children’s children are depending on you leaving them a world in revival. From this day forward, you will live for a generation that you will never see. You are to have a one-hundred-year vision so that you can build from the future.” This vision of our future helped us in developing a strategy to apprehend God’s goals for our lives, and it was the fuel that kept us going in the harder seasons. Consequently, from that day on, we began to build from the future, as the Lord had said. Let me be clear: you don't have to have a literal vision like I did, but you should have a vision and a direction for the future! ​​Your marriage isn’t just about you, it’s about the generations that will follow. The truth is, the way you love, lead, and fight for your marriage today is building a legacy for your children and their children. So take time with your spouse, dream with God, and dream with each other. Get a vision for your family’s future! The breakthrough you experience now will impact the generations to come.

4 Spiritual Disciplines to Propel Your Growth in the New Year

By Kris Vallotton • January 1, 2025
As we step into 2025, people are often thinking about engaging in the time-honored yet unspoken custom of setting New Year’s Resolutions. Many people jump on the opportunity to develop new healthier habits and pursue positive change with the start of a brand new year. Most New Year's Resolutions revolve around diet and exercise, finances, relationships, and hobbies or personal interests. New Year's Resolutions help by giving people a vision for when they endure the challenges that come with change. Losing 100 pounds or being more diligent with saving money isn't always easy and vision gives pain a purpose! All of these areas are important to focus on, but oftentimes we neglect spiritual topics when forming our resolutions. As we focus on building our physical lives and pursuing health and wholeness with the New Year, it’s crucial not to overlook our spiritual growth and well-being. I’m going to share four spiritual disciplines you can grow in this New Year, along with practical tips to help you follow through. Some of these may appear simple, but when practiced consistently over a long period of time, they can lead to deep transformation! 1. Bible Reading This should come as no surprise, but it can be very difficult to find time on a busy day to sit down and read the Scriptures. Some people have a hard time sitting and being still to read while others are bombarded by the busyness of their lives. I want to encourage you to prioritize your time in the Word this year - I make sure to read at least one chapter each day. It might mean having to sacrifice something. Perhaps it’s waking up earlier to have an extra 30 minutes in your routine. Try leaving your Bible open on your kitchen counter the night before, so you see it in the morning. Maybe you can bring your Bible during your lunch break and have a meal with Jesus. You can even listen to the Bible on audio for your morning commute! My encouragement is to start small and build the habit. 2. Prayer Personal prayer can look different to everyone. Some people have no problem praying for over an hour a day, other people have a hard time finding a moment in an entire week! The goal here is to make sure that we are staying in communion with God. There may be sometimes where you only have two minutes to pray in-between meetings or running errands. There may be other times where you have to go into your room, lock your door and pray in secret for an extended period of time like the Bible says. Let me be clear: the goal is consistent communion with the Father. Try setting reminders or alarms on your phone to go off at certain parts of the day. It doesn't have to be long. These reminders can be specific like, “Pray for my family member” or “Pray for healing for this coworker.” You can write them down on pieces of paper and stick them to the walls in your house. 3. Community This may not feel like a discipline, but one of the most challenging things that a person's spiritual growth could face is solitude. When God created Adam he said that it was not good for man to be alone. We were created for community and Jesus was often found doing ministry and life around a group of people except for the times where he went alone to pray. Stepping out into community can be challenging. Maybe you struggle with fear of rejection, not fitting in, or you're scared of how people will respond when they really begin to know you. If you find yourself being isolated, reach out to some people. Text a friend that you know and trust and share that you want to spend more time around people. If you're part of a local church see what kind of small groups they have to offer. Community is a key for growth in 2025. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” 4. Serving When Jesus was on earth he said in Matthew 20:28 that, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Serving was at the center of Jesus’ ministry. He met the physical needs of people by providing food miraculously as well as the spiritual needs of people by offering salvation to everyone who would believe. When we serve people we are like Christ. There may be people coming to your mind already who have a need. They could be in your church family, or a friend from school or work. It doesn’t have to be someone you know! Try paying for someone’s coffee in line and leaving them with some encouragement. There are so many ways that we can serve people and make them feel seen and loved. When they feel seen and loved, they are often very receptive to the Gospel. The power in these disciplines isn’t just doing them once, but in repeating them over a long period of time. As Zechariah 4:10 reminds us, we should not despise small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin. My prayer for you is that what would start as spiritual disciplines would grow into spiritual devotion. That you would find joy in these things and that they would draw you closer to the Father!

3 Ways to Think Differently About Gratitude

By Kris Vallotton • November 27, 2024
During Christmas of 2012 Kathy and I learned a very valuable lesson about gratitude and entitlement… In years past leading up to Christmas we had always gotten a “Christmas want list” from each of our grandkids. Kathy would go through all the lists and pick out only a few items to buy for each of our grandkids. But that year Kathy decided to get them everything on their list! As we bought gifts our Christmas tree soon began to disappear behind a wall of wrapped presents. Christmas morning came and we gathered as a family as I shared the story of baby Jesus. I finished the story of our savior's birth and started handing out the presents. Over the course of 2 hours lights and ornaments began to emerge as our tree slowly became visible again. Suddenly I heard a whimpering cry to my left. I looked over to see my daughter giving a strong correction to one of her children. I went over to investigate and learned that the child was upset because, “Grandma missed one gift.” Kathy has overseen the administration for our businesses for our entire marriage. She’s looked over hundreds of spreadsheets, time cards, and other documents. I had a hard time believing that she would miss a gift on a Christmas list. Kathy went to our office and came back a moment later with a somber look on her face. “I did forget one gift,” she said with compassion. “I’m so sorry,” she explained while choking back tears. Trying to smooth the situation over, she added, “I’ll go tomorrow and buy the gift I missed.” In our quest to bless our family, we had unknowingly sown seeds of entitlement into the soil of their little hearts. Something that was a great sacrifice for us was disregarded in a child's expectation for more. We live in a world where entitlement runs rampant. It doesn’t always look like throwing a temper tantrum over a forgotten gift. Sometimes it can be the anger that comes when your coffee order takes too long, or it can be the person who is driving in front of you who's not driving your preferred speed limit. These small seeds of entitlement can take root in our heart and if we’re not careful they can lead to a life led by pride. Gratitude is what breaks entitlement in your life. I’m going to share 3 ways to think differently about gratitude this season. 1. Gratitude is a discipline. Gratitude is not merely a fleeting emotion but a discipline that aligns our hearts with God’s truth and His will. Gratitude requires intentionality, often going against the grain of our natural tendencies to complain or focus on what we lack. Scripture commands us to "give thanks in all circumstances" (1 Thessalonians 5:18), not because life is always easy, but because gratitude acknowledges God’s sovereignty and goodness regardless of our situation. Cultivating gratitude as a discipline trains our souls to see life through the lens of God’s faithfulness, fostering a spirit of humility and trust. It shifts our focus from temporal struggles to eternal promises, rooting our joy in the unchanging nature of God rather than the shifting sands of circumstance. 2. Gratitude changes your attitude about situations Gratitude has the power to transform our perspective on even the most challenging situations. From a biblical standpoint, it shifts our focus from what we lack to what God has already provided, reminding us of His faithfulness and provision. When we choose gratitude, we realign our hearts to trust in God's sovereignty and His ability to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28). This perspective doesn't necessarily change the situation itself, but it changes us —replacing fear, frustration, or bitterness with peace, hope, and contentment. Gratitude reframes trials as opportunities for growth and deepens our awareness of God's presence, enabling us to face life's difficulties with a renewed attitude of faith and trust. 3. Gratitude Cures Entitlement Gratitude is the antidote to entitlement. It shifts our hearts from demanding what we believe we deserve to recognizing every blessing as an unmerited gift from God. Entitlement breeds discontentment, rooted in the false belief that we are owed something, while gratitude humbles us, reminding us that all we have comes from God's grace. As James 1:17 says, "Every good and perfect gift is from above," and acknowledging this truth uproots the pride that fuels entitlement. Instead of fixating on unmet expectations, gratitude cultivates a spirit of thanksgiving, teaching us to celebrate God’s goodness and approach life with humility and joy. In this posture, we find freedom from the restless pursuit of "more" and learn the richness of contentment in Christ. As we reflect on the story of that Christmas morning and the lessons it taught us, it’s clear that gratitude is more than a seasonal sentiment—it’s a heart posture that can reshape our lives. Entitlement may creep in subtly, disguised as disappointment or frustration, but gratitude stands as its cure, redirecting our hearts toward humility and joy. This season, let’s commit to cultivating gratitude—not just for the blessings we see, but for the ways God works in every circumstance. May we remember that every good gift comes from Him, and may our hearts overflow with thanksgiving, transforming how we live, love, and give. What are you grateful for? Share in the comments below!
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