Preview

Examples Of Patripassianism In The Shack

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1371 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
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
…show more content…

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
…show more content…

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

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    5. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity defines God as three divine persons, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. The three persons are distinct, yet are one "substance, essence or nature". A nature is what one is, while a person is who one is.…

    • 848 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Keller is a master in clarifying the case for Christ to anyone who reads this book. C.S. Lewis uses the same type of arguments in many of his written works, part of the reason why it is not surprising to see over ten different quotes from Lewis’ works this book. Lewis states that there are two kinds of people, “those who say “thy will be done” to God or those to whom God in the end says, “Thy will be done”” (82). This insight is amazingly clever, but not only that, it accentuates the point that Keller is trying to get across. People are not thrown into hell by a judgmental, eternal damning god who hates the world; these people choose where they go.…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    BIBL 104 Worldview Essay

    • 1019 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In Romans, Paul makes reference to the natural world when he wrote “since the creation of the world, God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made” (NKJV, Rom.1:20). He then goes on to say that the people did not glorify God for what He made, but instead “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles” (NKJV, Rom. 1:23). At this point of the scripture, Paul makes no concessions for his candidness with his audience. It’s kind of interesting how he is so passionate about God’s awesomeness, but doesn’t extend a lot of grace to those who are foolishly not following God’s law. According to Paul, God allows these people to get a hardened heart so that they cannot enjoy his fullness. Paul seems dumbfounded that anyone can see and be amazed by the wonders of the Natural World around them, but they would rather worship what they see, rather than what they cannot see. He clearly believed that the natural world is proof of God’s existence and that anyone who couldn’t see that was a fool.…

    • 1019 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    That God isn’t even fathomable by our human brains, and equating the Almighty as human is not right. The church I grew up in said that God is a Supreme Being that we cant comprehend and if we anthropomorphize God, we are bringing Him down to our level of human. The people of the Vineyard frequently speak of God like He is just a guy they hang out with. Giving God human characteristics of walking with them or consuming coffee is the exact act of making God humanlike. The author talks about them having to develop a relationship with God saying, “God does indeed become more person-like, the difference between knowing God and knowing persons will become more marked.” (71). Though they insure that the difference will become clearer, it doesn’t seem so for those described in the book. For a church like the Vineyard that prides themselves in their holiness, it is odd they would dismiss this major act of disrespect against their…

    • 1203 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth Your Spirit and we shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth. O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy Your consolations. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”…

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Humans are now in the likeness (shape and form) of God. As the text states, “but we are to be made in the image (or character) of God” (Leap, 2005). Thinking they know more than their creator, the combination of higher education and science have exercised their academic freedom to acknowledge creation, but without its true Creator. Together, they have engaged in the activity of knowledge production with the total rejection of any possibility of the miraculous, the supernatural, the existence of the Living God, or anything outside the realm of the natural. Instead, science and higher education contemptuously and arrogantly include the world evolution as to how humanity has descended through…

    • 3147 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    For Part I of this assignment, you will look up the following passages in the Bible to learn about certain characteristics of God and how they shape the Christian Worldview. This is a brainstorming exercise, in which the listing of ideas is more important than writing. Consider using a bullet list or outline to discuss elements and sub elements.…

    • 2739 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Christ has died and left the Holy Spirit to dwell among us as a paraclete (a comforter and helper). The Holy Spirit is what guides Christians to a better spiritual connection with Christ. In the past during the biblical time, the sacrifices of a lamb were in use. Christ came and became the lamb for all Christians. In doing that action of love, he left with us the Holy Spirit to help us in our daily lives. As an individual through this article, I have learned more about the Holy Spirit and the role that it played among us. As stated in the article pg. “ The paraclete teaches believers by informing and inspiring teachers in the Christian community.” In the article I have concluded about why the Holy Spirit came and what is the mission for being here with humanity. I have learned that the mission of the Holy Spirit is to…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This topic was visited heavily in the Council of Nicaea and was revisited and expounded upon during the subsequent councils. The apologists played a large role in the formation of this doctrine, but the early church fathers did as well. Without this doctrine, it would seem, there would have not been a formation of the Trinity.…

    • 56 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Richard Dawkins Evolution

    • 1892 Words
    • 8 Pages

    “Since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” (Romans 1:19-20,…

    • 1892 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    One thing we must keep in mind though is that we will never be fully able to understand God. Erikson says in his book, Christian Doctrine “God can never be captured in human concepts.” Later he states, “There will always be a difference gap between God and human beings.” We will never be able to completely understand Him, but he reveals enough of himself to us for us to be able to comprehend some of His most important characteristics. Another aspect that is very important to consider, is that God enjoys his creation. We find in Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.” What does that mean to us as his creation? It means that He cares for us and is invested in us. Not invested in way that means he is reliant on us, however he wants best for us. God created Humans in “His image” according to Genesis. This means that we are special to Him, and even more- He wants to have a relationship with us. This further means that he created us with the intention…

    • 910 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Says the LORD. “I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fed cattle. I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs or goats…” Man had always betrayed the deal of redemption with the Lord. But, God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son… (John 3:16). HE does not want sin to always overcome us, because no sinner would dwell with Him in…

    • 1270 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    He can think and act, and designed his creation to have those same capabilities. The Lord has his own characteristics. As well as being personal, God is also triune. The Father, God, the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are separate and joined at the same time. They are "coequally and coeternally God" (Universe Next Door p.29). C.S. Lewis compares the Trinity to a cube, an object that "is six squares while remaining one cube"(Mere Christianity, p.162).…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Although Christians believe the Holy Spirit is undeniably true, other people like Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Christians adopted the concept of the trinity from the pagans. Certain pagan cultures like the Babylonians and the Assyrians developed a Trinitarian belief far from the birth place of Christianity, so it is understandable why people assume that Trinitarianism was introduced to the Christians rather than it being an original thought. However, Christianity’s Trinitarianism differs from the idea ancient pagan cultures had. Rather than believing that one God is composed of three parts, ancient pagans held to a triad, or three separate gods who reigned over other gods. The pagans held a more polytheistic belief whereas Christianity…

    • 140 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Spiritual Formation

    • 1978 Words
    • 8 Pages

    In chapter 14 to 16 of the gospel of John, Jesus talks to his disciples about the promise of the Holy Spirit, who would come after Jesus died on the cross and was ascended. He describes some of the works and roles of the Holy Spirit, in order that his disciples will know what to expect. The words of Jesus about the Holy Spirit are just as relevant to us today. It is vital for us to understand that the Holy Spirit is God, and that He is always present with us, to help us draw closer to God. Drawing closer to God is the goal of the Christian’s life. “Christ is the very source of the church’s life, and so to be in the church is to experience Christ’s life in a unique way. By his Spirit he directs the church, gives spiritual gifts to its members and creates unity and love.” (Bewes, The Pocket Handbook of Christian Truth, Section 8). God has a unique way to relate to every believer. Spiritual formation, through the work of the Holy Spirit, is how believers maintain and increase their fire and passion for God, while becoming more like Jesus. “Sanctification is an immediate work of the Spirit of God on the souls of believers, purifying and cleansing their natures from the pollution and uncleanness of sin, renewing in them the image of God, and thereby enabling them, from a spiritual and habitual principle of grace, to yield obedience unto God, according unto the tenor and terms of the new covenant, by virtue of the life and death of Jesus Christ. Or, more briefly, it is the universal renovation of our natures by the Holy Spirit into the image of God through Jesus Christ….” (John Owen, quoted by…

    • 1978 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays