Making Sense of Choice Part 2

As I said in my first post, I tend to be more theological. Today I would like to continue my thoughts on “Making sense of choice.” In my previous post, I noted that our salvation happened before the foundation of the world. God in His eternal plan decided our eternity by choosing us in Christ, before the foundation of the world. So that is when it happened, but when was it accomplished. That is what I would like to point out today.

In John 19:29-30 we read, A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit. (MSG) The question screams out to be asked, “What is done … complete?” The simple answer is, our salvation. Is there more to this than first meets the eye? I would not be writing this if it were not so.

In our imaginations, let us go back, before God began creating (as if we can limit God by time. But for the sake of this we will). Imagine Father, Son and Spirit sitting around the kitchen table, having an espresso they have just made on their espresso machine. They are talking about their eternal plan. They know what will happen, what hurt it will cause, everything. For nothing is hid from them. They so love Don, Joey, Ryan and Cam that nothing can stop them from going ahead with it. They desire a people so much that nothing can stop them even though they know what will happen as a result of this plan. Father and Spirit look at the Son with deep sympathy, for they know what He will go through. The Son looks back because He knows what they will go through. But for their people they will do it.

What is it that I am talking about? Think back with me to that Friday when the Son is hanging on the cross and He cries out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?” Do you wish to understand the depth of this? It is simply this, for the next three hours, (which must have been an eternity) there was no Trinity. For Father, Son and Spirit, this was hell. Father and Spirit absolutely, completely denying the existence of the Son and the Son experiencing that denial. We talk easily about the Son going to hell, but what about the hell that the Father and Spirit went through. Can any of us truly comprehend the depth of their suffering on our behalf? I honestly do not think so! All we can do is in humilty thank our God for what He accomplished.

Then three hours later, with a great cry, “It is done, complete.” What this means is that everything needed for our eternity was done. This is a cry of victory, for not only was the suffering of the Son over, so also the suffering of the Father and Spirit. The time of denial is over, now is the time of renewed fellowship, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.”

I can never fully understand the depths to which my God went, but everytime I really think about it, I weep, that He would love me so much as to deny His own existence for me. It is accomplished, completed and there is nothing that I can do to add to it or take away from it. It is especially the add to it that we all need to keep in mind. God’s desire for us is so awesome and deep, that He would not leave our eternity in our hands, for us to choose if we so desire. This is something He had to do, otherwise we would all be in hell.