The Godhead Breach

 Fellowship made from grief

There is a new album out by Toby Mac and it ministers to me. Not because of the catchy beats, joyful melodies, or "fresh" lyrics; it’s because he sings about abiding in Jesus. Honestly, it’s our commonality that makes me a fan, he’s got a son in heaven. When he sings about having a grief that will be with him till the day he dies and keeping things in the rearview, it preaches to me better than a Sunday sermon.

 

God has allowed me to identify with fathers who suffer similarly and walk in faith. They are responding with hope in God's Word and that is my aim. Here’s my circle co-father's greif, a father younger than I that I still have breakfast with, a pastor on the radio, Toby Mac, Tim Challies, a mentor, a homeless man, a special needs dad, and an elder from my old church. We are all walking wounded, maybe not bleeding anymore but changed. Those events, the loss, do not define us, Jesus Christ defines us. Therefore, my loss is not all consuming. If I didn’t have the Church, I would never have experienced this brotherhood, they are not blaming God, nor mad at Him (or at least they worked through those seasons). Now they are submissive in releasing their loss to the Lord. This unity compels me in worship!

 

 “Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6

 

Their Jesus factor, the way they have walked longer than me in grief compounds this sense of “if they can do it, then I can do it.” Satan wants to tempt me by comparing the variables of their situation to mine, but I have rejected that and listen to their hearts of hope amid the loss.

 

Love

Now I humbly turn to the cross of Christ to talk about the love that will not let me go. Words are lacking because there is no comparison of the loss of my son to what God the Father grieved on the day Jesus was pierced for my transgressions. It sounds weird to think of God having to “live through” something since He is the author of life and Omnipresent through it all. But He didn’t create death. God did not deserve to ever experience death because He is disqualified, He is sinless. He didn’t invent it. In His justice He allowed it as a curse for sin. Jesus went through it… “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” 2 Corinthians 5:12

 

 Jesus’ Biological Father “lived through” the loss of His Son… it may have been the quietest day in heaven. Were angels telling Him "sorry for your loss."?

 

From forever God knew it was coming, the one and only time that a relational breach in the Godhead happened was on Good Friday when Jesus chose to take on our sin and die. Being the God-man, Jesus prayed “If there is any other way take this cup (suffering the cross) from me.” Jesus continues “Yet not my will be done.” Jesus’s humanity didn’t want to die, that’s not hard to understand because we don’t want to die. However, God’s prophetic Word still needed fulfilling. Since Genesis 3, He promised an atonement for sin through a new, everlasting covenant. There is no other way to reconcile God’s perfect, good, justice with mankind's rebellion.

 

The Father knew He was going to see His Son die, and He endured Jesus's suffering and death on the cross. The Father relented in preserving His Son's life because Jesus took on the curse and became sin-saturated. The Father cut off the relationship with the Son. Death won on that day, but God was in control. This sacrifice of love was a ransom payment for sinners looking to God for mercy, grace, and repentance from their sin. Forgiveness from God was fully realized, actuated and finished on the cross. What was meant for evil God turned for good. As the Scriptures attest, time went on, death got swallowed up in victory by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The non-God bi-product, the curse and consequence of sin was consumed by the resurrection. God gave His creation a way back to Him because God loves us. 

 

The triumph that comes with the power of sin being taken away is adoption by faith. God went from having His one and only, pre-existent Son to signing adoption papers for those who trust in His Word. The signed paternal line for all the sons of Abraham, is written in the blood of the Lamb. Jesus is the firstborn from the dead, bringing many sons and daughters to glory.   The love of God the Father cost Him His Son. Jesus the sinless became filled with sin for one day and it killed Him. What a Messiah.  

 

For today’s world maybe death is too visible and the Resurrection of Jesus too invisible? Maybe faith becomes visible when the suffering Christian suffers in such a way that says “God I trust you, because Jesus did when He prayed “thy will be done.” An unbelieving world will never have faith to look at death as temporary unless the blood of Jesus becomes their lens.

 

God suffered the loss of His Son. It makes me move on without my son Simon and eager to look for the good He’s growing from this.

[Chorus]
“I've been through it, yeah
The kinda pain that makes a man just lose it, yeah
A broken that goes way beyond the bruises and the scars
This old world can be so hard
Yeah, I've been through it
But somehow You've been with me through it all”
-Toby Mac

 

Hopefully this wasn't too wordy or circular in thought. I know there may be some imperfect theology here, I welcome correction as we search the Scriptures for ourselves. I tried to write and imagine with a holy fear of God. It blesses me to spend time writing and praying on this. It's like peering into the things of God, it's all about Jesus!

with love, Nic