Examples Of Patripassianism In The Shack

Introduction

From the very first moment that I was exposed to God in "The Shack", it struck me odd that the thought of God was fashionably human. Even from the pages of a novel, is more than merely theologically refutable. Being brought up throughout passages by both the Old and New Testaments, not the least of which is the Second Commandment (Exodus 20: 4-5). The Apostle Paul exclaims, "Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man..." (Romans 1:21-23a) Throughout the whole
The Father, in Young’s fable, has stigmata, the wounds of the crucifixion, on his theophanic body. He contains the scars of the cross. “Mack noticed the scars in her wrists, like those he now assumed Jesus also had on his” (p. 95). This follows, supposedly, evidence of Patripassianism, that is, that the Father endured on the cross as though the Father and Son embodied the same individual instead of distinct persons. Patripassianism is a form of modalism.
It is vital that we look to the Bible to truthfully specify the functions accomplished by each member of the Trinity. When we acknowledge this, we witness that although the members of the Trinity function collectively in perfect harmony, each possesses unique roles. During the account of creation we see that each member of the Trinity was active, God the Father speaking the universe into existence, the Son carrying out the work of creation and the Holy Spirit supporting it or manifesting God's presence over the creation. The Trinity moves also in redemption, the Father projecting redemption and sending Jesus his Son as the savior of men; the Son being dutiful to the Father and carrying out the redemptive work of Christ; the Holy Spirit being sent by the Son to live among God's children that are in his redemptive
This view of a God who will not penalize sin counteracts the central message of Christianity—that Christ died for our sins (1 Cor. 15:1f.) and rose from the dead. As Mack and Jesus were talking Jesus gave Mack an ultimatum that he did not really want Mack to become like him, instead that he was supposed to himself. The bible teaches that to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Meaning that in ourselves, the human bodies that we posses, full of sin and discustingness that would one day leading us down the broad road would bring us to punishment and an everlasting hell. However dying to ourselves, living in Christ, becoming more like Christ as he taught us to do, is to gain life, everlasting life. Mack asks Jesus if every road leads to him, and Jesus tells him that they do not, that most roads don’t lead anywhere, but “I will travel any road to find you.” This is absolutely unsafe to say and wrong in reference to most roads not leading anywhere. John 14:6 says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” Jesus is the only way to the father and narrow is the road, all other roads lead to