God's pain...

Here's why church attendance is important, as is fellowshipping with other Christians...the Holy Spirit gives each Christian unique "nuggets" of intel that He doesn't give to anyone else, at least no one else in that group. This is especially true of preachers.

Here's an example: Yesterday, our pastor preached about the pain God The father must've undergone while seeing His Son so physically abused, enough to have killed an ordinary man three times over. What normal human father doesn't undergo great anguish over the pain his child may suffer? How much more was this amplified in GOD? We can't answer that last question, of course, but it must've been immense, to put it mildly!

And, of course, the Holy Spirit suffered as well, as He is part of the Godhead with the Father & the Son.

That brings up another point - more proof that Jesus & His Father are separate Personages. When Jesus said "I & My Father are one", He meant in purposes & plans, not one PERSON. More proof: Jesus cried from the cross, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (First recorded in Matt. 27:46) Thus, He was both praying and acknowledging He and His Father are two Personages.

That aside, we CANNOT thank & praise God enough for undergoing the pain He did, for OUR sakes. He could easily have erased mankind & created new beings sin-free, who would never disobey Him whatsoever. Instead, He allowed His own Son to be sacrificed for OUR sins, keeping His decree that every sin must be punished and His words absolutely 100% true.

Thank You, O Almighty God, for bearing the anguish of seeing Your Son abused & murdered, and You, O Holy Spirit, for also witnessing & undergoing that anguish, and You, O Jesus, for undergoing that terrible ordeal of Your "passion", all for OUR sakes! In Your name, O Jesus, AMEN!

 

I believe, of course, that God had made His plan long before Jesus came to earth, and Jesus was completely aware of what was coming. It pleased the Lord that Jesus was completely-willing to go along with that plan, and it thus pleased His Father to allow Jesus to be hated & despised by many, before His "passion", let alone undergoing that ordeal itself.

And we see a hint of God's love for us by the facts of Jesus' life as a man. Being omnipotent, the Holy Trinity didn't hafta suffer whatsoever, but The Father had decreed that every sin must be punished, and He allowed Jesus to take that punishment, for everyone who accepts the fact that he/she has sinned, and comes to Jesus in belief, repentance, & submission. Those who don'e thus come to Jesus will bear the punishment for their sins themselves, with eternity on the lake of fire.

But you can bet that Jesus will never suffer again!

 

He has WRATH, as is plainly stated. And He loved the world He made.