The Flowage

Vinnie responds and debunks some common Penal Substitutionary Atonement passages and concepts such as: divine-on-divine punishment, the Father forsaking the Son, the veil torn in two, authority over cosmic evil, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and a few other comments.

Vinnie talks about understanding "the wrath of God" in light of Christus Victor and in a Jesus-Centered lens, and how eliminating the Law of Moses was tied into Jesus's victory over the cosmic forces of evil.

Vinnie used this episode to go over the mechanics behind Christus Victor—if not via a legal mechanism, then how does Jesus’s death defeat the cosmic powers and free humanity from the Kingdom of Darkness? Great question! Vinnie gives some answers.

Vinnie explores the true purpose of Jesus’s death on the cross through the lens of Christus Victor. He begins by reestablishing the foundation of two kingdoms locked in a very real war, outlines two perspectives on how Satan gained authority over the earth, and then explains how Jesus’s victory over sin and the devil does not need to be understood within a legal framework.

The blood was the element in Old Testament animal sacrifices that made atonement for sin. But contrary to traditional Penal Substitutionary interpretations, Vinnie reframes its significance around an earlier Old Testament definition of atonement. He shows how Jesus’s spiritual blood has now become the pitch—the tar-like covering—that seals us through the New Birth, releasing us from the foundation...

In this episode, Vinnie takes a fresh look at several Old Testament animal sacrifices that took place before the Law of Moses, reinterpreting them through a relational lens rather than the typical penal substitutionary atonement view. He then unpacks the original meaning of the word atonement, revealing its deeply relational—rather than legal—significance. The episode wraps up by showing how God’s...

What were the purposes of the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament and how are these related to why Jesus had to die on the cross?

Vinnie closes out talking about The Law of Moses by answering 3 questions: 1) How can the Law not be reflective of God's true nature when Paul in the New Testament says that the Law was "good, holy, and just", 2) What was the actual purpose of the Law, 3) How does Jesus become our curse and die to the Law if it wasn't for the purpose of Jesus being the scapegoat and means for God's penal substitut...

Many of us assume the Old Testament Law simply “dropped from the sky” as a flawless, direct reflection of God’s nature and a perfect standard of divine justice. But in this episode, Vinnie explains that much of the Law is actually a harsh, culturally conditioned distortion of God’s character—one that Jesus came to correct and ultimately abolish. Using the Law as a proof text to claim that God’s ju...

Vinnie explains that after humanity’s fall in Genesis 3, God allows people to develop their own cultures, laws, and concepts of justice apart from Him. As a result, when God begins His redemptive work through Abraham to ultimately bring Jesus into the world, He engages with humanity within their fallen cultural frameworks. God uses these flawed systems—including cultural conditioning in the Law of...

Does the Law of Moses prove that God MUST punish sin with violence and death? Vinnie’s preliminary episode on the Law walks viewers through the basics of the Law of Moses (10 commandments, 613 laws total) and shows how those who advocate for Penal Substitutional Atonement (PSA) use the giving and contents of the Law as proof for this position.

Does God need to respond with violence in order to forgive? Are there penalties for sin that God is obligated to impose, or can He forgive freely and unconditionally? Vinnie explores both human and biblical concepts of forgiveness through a Jesus-centered lens, offering an alternative perspective on the necessity of Jesus’s death that challenges the traditional Penal Substitutionary Atonement view...

This episode kicks off a new series exploring the necessity of Jesus’s death. From the Old Testament to the words of Jesus Himself and His earliest followers, there is a consistent thread affirming that His death was essential and necessary—and intimately connected to the forgiveness of sin. Throughout history, theologians have offered various explanations for why this was the case. In this series...

How do we live out the inward reality of the New Birth in our everyday lives? If we've truly been set free from sin and empowered in our born-again human spirits, what does it take for that spiritual transformation to shape our actions and behavior? In this tenth and final episode of the Born-From-Above series, Vinnie tackles this life-changing question head-on, offering practical insight into how...

After laying the groundwork with the first seven chapters of Romans, Episode 21 dives into Paul’s climactic revelation in chapter 8—the glorious reality of the new birth. Vinnie unpacks how reading this passage with a lowercase “s” on the word spirit can dramatically shift our understanding toward a “born-from-above” perspective, unlocking the powerful truths Paul intended us to grasp about our ne...

The Book of Romans centers on the glorious good news of God's answer to sin—being Born-From-Above! While Paul reaches the climax of this new birth theme in chapter 8, Vinnie uses this episode to walk through chapters 1–7, revealing how Paul masterfully builds his theological case. These opening chapters are rich with Born-From-Above insights that Vinnie unpacks on the journey toward the powerful t...

As Vinnie walks verse-by-verse through Ephesians chapters 1and 2, he shows how this section of Scripture—often taught from a different angle—is actually centered on the NEW BIRTH. The "immeasurable greatness of His power toward us who believe" (1:19) refers to the infusion of life we received when we were born-from-above. It is through this new birth that we are "created in Christ Jesus" (2:10), e...

Building on the insights from Episode 17—where we discovered that the word SPIRIT in Scripture often does not necessarily refer to the presence or indwelling of the Holy Spirit—Vinnie applies this understanding to Galatians 4. This perspective unveils a whole new way of interpreting the passage and its profound, direct connection to our experience of the new birth.

Part 5 of the Born-From-Above miniseries offers a profound exploration of the New Testament Greek word PNEUMA (commonly translated as 'Spirit'). In this episode, we'll uncover seven different meanings of PNEUMA and also discover how many modern translations have—completely unintentionally—obliterated the message and theology of the new birth in favor of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit a...

Vinnie continues the Born-From-Above miniseries by addressing several key "Nuts and Bolts" questions—such as when and how the new birth occurs, and the metaphysical framework behind it. He then explores a few New Testament passages where the New Birth is clearly referenced, offering insight into what these texts reveal about our new nature.

After establishing that we have a human spirit, and that the condition of our human spirit is in pretty rough shape apart from God, part 3 explains what it means to be born-from-above.

In part 2 of these mini-series on Born From Above, Vinnie explains the condition of the human spirit. Yes, Jesus and the biblical narrative confirm that we have a deep, inner reality to our existence that is transcendent, and confirm that the state of that self is not in good shape. But we will also uncover God's beautiful solution to remedy the situation.

Vinnie kicks off the Born-From-Above series by exploring the concept of the human spirit. Every person possesses an aspect of their existence that goes beyond the physical world—whether you call it the heart, soul, or spirit, it is an intrinsic part of being human. Drawing from science, everyday experiences, the Biblical narrative, and the words of Jesus, Vinnie lays a compelling foundation for th...

Vinnie explains what it means to approach the Bible with a Jesus-centered perspective and how this lens helps us better understand and interpret the violent passages in the Old Testament.

Vinnie continues his series, The Problem of Evil, by exploring six different ways that followers of Jesus have interpreted and responded to the violent portrayals of God in the Old Testament.