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Impassability and the Passion, etc.

Oct 15, 2008
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Hey Everybody,

I haven't posted a thread in some time, but I got to thinking the other day about impassability, and I often wonder if most folks (myself most definitely included!) understand it and how it relates and works with the Lord and His Passion as well as His Life?

I think of the idea that God cannot be impacted by emotions or else it affects his omnipotence and His Godhead. If God can be moved by us, then he can be moved! What makes Him God is He cannot be moved! But at the same time, I got to thinking how radically different Love from God must be from our understandings of love. I know love is a complex topic, but I think there is an emotional element to love, and if God does not respond to us emotionally, then how are we to understand His Love?

I also think of the scourging, the crown of thorns, the pain the Lord suffered, His falling multiple times, the fierce hatred thrown at him and rejection, and ultimately the pain of crucifixion, and impassibility almost seems like it would make the Lord numb to those things? As a young boy and eventually, man, I always felt Christianity's power was in that Christ truly suffered like we do. There is an empathy in His Existence that we can grab onto. With Islam and Judaism, God is so "otherly." So apart. So "out there" beyond us. With Christ, it felt like He is truly among us. But I feel like impassability creates a distance. Did the Lord feel pain when He suffered through this Passion? Did impassability create a strength for Him not to hurt or emotionally feel the pain we would feel? Did the mockeries and awful things thrown at Him hurt? When the Lord cried for Lazarus, was that more for our benefit?

I guess this is a silly question and maybe one that is in Theology 101 for novices, but it has been in my mind. I don't imagine God being like Spock, a Vulcan with no emotions, but impassability makes that seem possible to me, that He is fully Human but the fact he is impassible puts a confusion about His feelings into it for me. Does anyone else wonder about this issue ever or understand it far better than this feeble me?
 

Greengardener

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Hi Gurney,
You raise an interesting set of thoughts. I guess people for all times have tried to nail God into something understandable, and from reading the Bible it's clear that God wants us to KNOW Him. Just this morning I was reading around Jeremiah 31-32, and I was deeply touched by several places where you can see right into His heart. Give it a read aloud, just a little slower than you would normally read it, and see what you find there.
Best to you!
 
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ArmyMatt

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Did the Lord feel pain when He suffered through this Passion? Did impassability create a strength for Him not to hurt or emotionally feel the pain we would feel? Did the mockeries and awful things thrown at Him hurt? When the Lord cried for Lazarus, was that more for our benefit?

yes, He truly suffered in the flesh while His Divinity remained impassable. the mystery is that this same one Christ both fully suffered and died, while remaining Life.
 
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So His human side felt the emotions associated with pain though?

yes, He truly suffered in the flesh while His Divinity remained impassable. the mystery is that this same one Christ both fully suffered and died, while remaining Life.
 
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disciple Clint

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Hey Everybody,

I haven't posted a thread in some time, but I got to thinking the other day about impassability, and I often wonder if most folks (myself most definitely included!) understand it and how it relates and works with the Lord and His Passion as well as His Life?

I think of the idea that God cannot be impacted by emotions or else it affects his omnipotence and His Godhead. If God can be moved by us, then he can be moved! What makes Him God is He cannot be moved! But at the same time, I got to thinking how radically different Love from God must be from our understandings of love. I know love is a complex topic, but I think there is an emotional element to love, and if God does not respond to us emotionally, then how are we to understand His Love?

I also think of the scourging, the crown of thorns, the pain the Lord suffered, His falling multiple times, the fierce hatred thrown at him and rejection, and ultimately the pain of crucifixion, and impassibility almost seems like it would make the Lord numb to those things? As a young boy and eventually, man, I always felt Christianity's power was in that Christ truly suffered like we do. There is an empathy in His Existence that we can grab onto. With Islam and Judaism, God is so "otherly." So apart. So "out there" beyond us. With Christ, it felt like He is truly among us. But I feel like impassability creates a distance. Did the Lord feel pain when He suffered through this Passion? Did impassability create a strength for Him not to hurt or emotionally feel the pain we would feel? Did the mockeries and awful things thrown at Him hurt? When the Lord cried for Lazarus, was that more for our benefit?

I guess this is a silly question and maybe one that is in Theology 101 for novices, but it has been in my mind. I don't imagine God being like Spock, a Vulcan with no emotions, but impassability makes that seem possible to me, that He is fully Human but the fact he is impassible puts a confusion about His feelings into it for me. Does anyone else wonder about this issue ever or understand it far better than this feeble me?
well back to the subject of Christology and the reminder that Jesus is 100% human as well as 100% divine. So yes his human nature felt everything that any other human feels. Two natures one person. My apologies, just noticed I posted in the E.O. area, I will delete my post if it is offensive in any way or conflicts with your theology in any way. I respect your beliefs and ask your forgiveness.
 
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