August 3, 2025
Summer Mixtape 5
Josiah’s sermon challenges the traditional American view of sin shaped by penal substitutionary atonement, which paints God as wrathful and punitive. Instead, Josiah argues that Jesus’ life and the cross reveal a God of mercy and love—not a cosmic judge demanding punishment. Drawing on the *Christus Victor* perspective, he presents the cross as God’s victory over evil and darkness rather than divine wrath taken out on Jesus. Exploring two biblical stories of women labeled as sinners, Josiah broadens the understanding of sin beyond individual wrongdoing to include the harm done to us and oppressive systems that trap people in cycles of brokenness. Through these stories and reflections on Adam and Eve, he emphasizes that Jesus meets us with grace and restores belonging, reminding us that we are loved, treasured, and never alone.