🎙️EP151. An Incomplete Gospel | From Transaction to Union

Many of us were taught a gospel that’s true—but incomplete. It became a “ticket to heaven,” divorced from daily life, intimacy, and our purpose in God’s larger story. In this candid conversation, Steve and Colleen unpack how post-Enlightenment thinking, cultural striving, and a transactional faith left them exhausted and spiritually dry—and how Jesus invited them into union, abiding, and the wholeness of Shalom (“nothing missing, nothing broken”).

They trace the story from Genesis 1:26–28 (the cultural mandate) to John 14:6, John 5:19, John 17:20–21, and John 10:10, showing how the “whole gospel” restores us to partnership with God—now. Expect practical honesty (including Colleen’s “contract with God” moment and Steve’s Monday-through-Friday faith challenge), a re-centering on intimacy over information, and a hopeful vision of life with God that integrates heaven and earth.

Chapters

00:00 The Desire for Intimacy with God

02:53 The Incomplete Gospel and Its Impact

05:44 Understanding God: Beyond Knowledge

09:00 The Journey of Faith and Relationship

12:09 The Transactional Nature of Christianity

14:59 The Call for Intimacy and Union with God

17:57 The Cultural Mandate and the Complete Gospel

20:41 The Vision of Restoration and Purpose

23:54 Living the Abundant Life in Christ