You’ve heard it too, haven’t you? “God is so holy that he turned away from Jesus on the cross.” It’s a common phrase used by many well-meaning people, but it is not true to the biblical text, the character or God, or the mission of Jesus. Beliefs impact actions and therefore during this Easter season, we want to share why we think this phrase is biblically inconsistent.
So where does this idea come from, that “God cannot look upon sin?” Perhaps from Habakkuk 1:13, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrongdoing.”
When reading the biblical text, it is always important to look at who is speaking. Here, the prophet Habakkuk speaks and in his speech he expresses his confusion about why evil is prevailing. These are words Habakkuk uses to describe God, not God’s own explanation of where he can and cannot look.
There are many problems to a belief system that declares God turns his face from Jesus on the cross because God cannot look at sin.
1. God loves and God looks. When the first man and woman sinned… who hid and Who searched? The man and woman hid in shame; God came looking for them despite their sin! Jesus later declared that “The Son of Man (Jesus) came to seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). He did not avoid sinners. Rather Jesus healed them, taught them, ate with them, cast demons from them, discipled them, and more. The Holy One touched the unclean – and the unholy became clean. If God could not look upon sin, then the incarnation (and many other significant events) could not take place. Yes, God got dirty when he became a human and lived among us for 33 years. But on the cross, Jesus (who is God) took upon himself the world’s sin. Because he loves us, not only could Jesus look at sin, he wore it and absorbed it for us so that he can pay for the failings of all humanity.
2. If God cannot look at sin, then what does that say about Jesus? Jesus is fully God, and fully human. If we say that God cannot look at sin, then we dishonor the divinity of Jesus Christ. We should not think that God the Father is more holy than Jesus the Son. This belief would effectively mean that, “Jesus can look upon sin, but the Father cannot!” Indeed, not the case! Jesus took sin upon himself and then in His holiness and power overcame it.
3. Sin cannot split the Trinity. If God turned away from Jesus on the Cross, then sin appears to be more powerful than the unity of the Triune God. Did sin break the Trinity? No! The Triune God is too strong to be split by anything, including all of the world’s combined evil! What separates Christianity from all other belief systems is the truth that God came to earth, lived perfectly though tempted, and took upon himself the shame and punishment of humanity’s sin. This is why from the cross we see Jesus speaking to the other Persons of the Trinity, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do” and “Father, into your hands I commit my Spirit.” (Talk about the strong unity of the Trinity to the very end! Awesome!) Jesus knew the Father was with him – watching him, strengthening him, suffering with him, and seeing holiness fulfilled through him. Rather than sin breaking apart the most holy and unified relationship in the universe, sin was shattered and the Enemy spectacularly defeated.
4. The entire Trinity shared in the sufferings of the cross. All three Persons of the Trinity experienced the Cross because they are united in action. Whether we consider creation, redemption, Pentecost, or the end of time (consummation), all three Divine Persons participate in the work of the other Persons. For example, the Spirit never operates independently from the Father and the Son, etc. Therefore, when Jesus died on the Cross, the Spirit and the Father participated in the suffering with him. Therefore, Jesus was never alone.
5. Jesus called his audience to remember a psalm. Yes, Jesus cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” However, this is not a cry of defeat. Rather in an oral culture, it could prompt people to think of Psalm 22, and remind them of the victorious conclusion. The psalm which begins with despair and vividly describes Jesus’ sufferings, ends with a rallying cry of victory. To hear more about the messianic prophecy of Psalm 22 and Jesus’ reminder of the song in his oral culture, listen to 10/40’s podcast Live it Out! from Friday, April 14. You can find it here.
So why does it matter?
⦁ God has set us apart to engage the world – not to retreat from it. God did not retreat from the heartbreak and agony of Jesus on the cross, and neither should we.
⦁ As God’s holy people, we are set apart for his purposes. We should seek to reflect the holiness of God while loving and reaching out to unholy people.
⦁ Jesus got dirty as he left heavenly comfort to come and engage this messy world. In the same way, God wants us to engage others even when it is uncomfortable. We can choose to live simply so that others might simply live.
⦁ As a new creation in Christ, God is working within us to renew and restore the image of God. With our thoughts, actions, and words; each of us should seek to reflect the character and action of Jesus.
⦁ If God forsook Jesus on the cross, then we could imagine that God might forsake us when we mess up. NO! Indeed, Jesus promises to never leave us or forsake us.
10/40 Connections wants to see a generation of Christ-followers rise up who live out their faith and engage in love and war with commitment and courage – in partnership with Jesus Christ! May 16, our book is releasing called Engaged in Love and War. If you order before midnight on May 16, you receive THREE giveaways! Get this book.
As you ponder Holy Week, may you realize that God loves you so much that he didn’t turn away from Jesus on the cross. Rather Jesus “wore your sin” so that you could “wear His righteousness.” This is the divine exchange – our failings and filth for his faithfulness and forgiveness. That’s how much God loves you. Now go and make this amazing Jesus known.
Thank you for sharing this truth and clearing up what has become a common error preached with great vigor by well-meaning teachers.
Thank you Hudson for your comment. We have heard is so many times by teachers with great hearts. But we do think is saddens God to hear that… Thanks for reading and commenting!
Thank you so much for sharing such a great truth, I still would like you to shed light on the scriptures Jesus quoted. I doubt if that was a mere oral tradition. Jesus actually was in anguish
We fully agree. Jesus was in great anguish. We also agree that Psalm 22 is not oral tradition. But in oral learning cultures, they memorized much, and when Jesus started the famous Psalm 22 with the famous words “Eloi Eloi…” the Jews listening would automatically know the rest of it. They would see the reality of the fulfillment of the prophetic aspects of the psalm. They would also see the promise of the coming victory, which we hear at the end of Ps 22.
While we see Jesus’ anguish in full view on the cross, we do NOT see that the sin could break the Trinity. In fact Ps 22:24 says that God has NOT forsaken, has NOT turned his face away. Perhaps later we will post another podcast or article with a more full exegesis of Psalm 22. Blessings!
Thank you so very much for clearing that up for me I was asked by someone why could God not look upon sin if the devil came before him in job with the angles and now I have this in my knowledge box thank you and GOD BLESS YOU have a blessed day
Turn 2 psalms 14:1 although there are scriptures which are not true they are truly recorded. “how long will you hide your face from me” is truly recorded because Jesus said these scriptures testify of me. it speaks of a time where Jesus was on the cross in the Sinners place bearing his curse. when he made a covenant with us he had to take the place of the sinner. this scripture testifies of him taking our place, he had to fulfill both judgments of the two lineages of humanity. God did hide his face… he did not deliver him, but certainly wanted him to take the curse for us… in our place! But afterwards, his lineage was judged being found worthy… God did not turn his face from “him” and he was resurrected, but notice it was from the dead (Hades, our places) and took those in faith of their covenants with himand leaving the rest, as it is today! We must “rightly divide the word of God”… rightly divide the lineages… rightly divided Saul from Paul and so on.
Hi Rick,
thanks for your comment. i read the verses in Ps 13, but the emphasis we made in the blogpost was that on the cross Jesus reminded his followers of Ps 22 which starts in despair, begins to turn in vs 22, states that God had not hidden his face but has listened in vs 24, and finishes with a grand crescendo at the end of the psalm. We go into more detail in our podcast with the link in blog.
Not sure what you mean by “although there are scriptures which are not true they are truly recorded.”
Also, not sure what you mean about “both judgments of the two lineages of humanity.”
Happy to discuss further. blessings!
“turning your face away” symbolizes a break in fellowship. we experience this when walking down the street strangers will turn their face away to avoid social contact.
When christ died on the cross he bore the sins of the entire world AND the punishment of those sins. The punishment include a break from gods fellowship. This is why on the cross Jesus cried out in aramaic, “My God, My God why hast thou forsaken me”. because the father punished christ in the same way christians and the church should punish our brothers and sisters when found in Fornication, drunkenness, idolatry, or covetousness.
1 corinthians 5:11
“But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.”
Ill mention this swell, when Adam and eve sinned God cast them out of his garden and clothed them with animal sacrifices. God could not fellowship with those two without the shedding of blood. We are the same, without faith in the shedding of christ blood, we are alienated and enemies in the mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present us holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight.
Are you saved? tell me what you think a person needs to do to have everlasting life? do you think someone can lose their salvation?
Thank you for articulating this truth so clearly. I have long believed this, but was unable to explain it this precisely. If God cannot look on sin there is no salvation for we are all sinners in need of a Savior!
Thanks, bro!
Great article.
This topic has been bugging me for almost a year and a half now. I too believe that the Father DID NOT look away or abandon or separate Himself from Jesus.
I see it preached EVERYWHERE and also as a worship pastor at my church I’ve noticed it in songs that we sing from some of the biggest worship artists, Hillsong, Bethel, Kari Jobe, etc…
One of my brothers in the faith and I have been researching this and pouring over scripture again and again to find the right answer, even to try to prove the opposite of what we believe, but cannot find substantial evidence that supports the “God abandoned Jesus” idea. Now when I say “abandoned” I mean in the fullest sense as that is what seems to be implied when I hear it preached or in songs.
For me, I started to question this when I heard a teaching by Kyle Volkmer at a church called Gateway Fellowship in San Antonio, TX. He really dived into the Psalm 22 quotation as His main point like you did here. I started my own study and research after that.
Later, I brought it up with some people at my current church and you would think I was telling them something from another religion! Heresy! After I said that God wouldn’t separate the unity that He had one friend told me that I was falsely looking at it through the lens of the Trinity and that was not biblical! He also said he felt that if Jesus was saying that the Father forsook him, then he really did. I just couldn’t believe that fully though, and I still don’t. That was a frustrating conversation for me because at the time I didn’t realize how prevalent this whole “separation” idea was. I brought it up because I wanted to learn more about it. Now I know better. I am more careful about how I approach the topic because people are really defensive about it.
All that being said, I believe there is so much more than we could ever know about the Atonement and the cross.
One conclusion that we stumbled upon as an added point was the idea of the wrath of God. People say that the cross satisfied God’s wrath. But Jesus never once says anything about having to endure God’s wrath. He talks twice about having to endure the cup of SUFFERING, but not of wrath. And many times throughout the NT there is mention of Jesus saving us from the coming wrath, but that’s it. My point is, what is God’s coming wrath? And what is the fullness of it? The answer: Separation from Himself for all eternity. So if Jesus was separated from God, as people claim, and if He had to endure that, then why does God need to exercise this same wrath and judgement at the end of the days? It’s a question I’m still wrestling with.
Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Chris. You are correct, it takes sensitivity to bring up a topic like this, since people preach and sing about it so definitively. To help folks rethink something can be painful.
The idea of Jesus initiating a hymn of worship, which pointed to himself on the cross can seem like a strange way to interpret Jesus’ words on the cross. Yet we believe that is what he did – and what a psalm, and what a majestic conclusion to that psalm!
Agreed that Jesus accomplished so much on the cross. In the future we may use another blog and go through Ps 22 piece by piece, to dig a little deeper and not keep people wondering exactly what we mean. We go a little further in the podcast, but a blog may be helpful also.
Blessings!
Chris, I would really love to hear the sermon by Kyle Volkmer you mentioned. Do you have a link? Also, the original Greek does not indicate the cup “of suffering” – these words are only found in a few English translations. I wonder if Jesus isn’t asking for the cup of wrath, or suffering to be “removed” but is offering the cup of his blood (which he defined just a few moments earlier at the Lord’s Supper) to be received by the Father. Did Jesus say, “Take this cup of suffering away from me” or, “Receive this cup of my blood from me, shed for the forgiveness of sins, poured out as a drink offering.”??
Hi Amy,
Thanks for your comments. I agree the garden cup does not mention “suffering” specifically in the Greek.
While Jesus certainly could have thought about the cups he had just shared with friends in the Upper Room, the garden cup in itself is not directly one of the cups from the previous Passover meal. Perhaps in his own mind, but we can’t say for sure! Maybe he was thinking, “I really don’t prefer cup #3!” but that is pretty much a speculation.
The gospels do not say what Jesus’ cup of Gethsemane contained (wrath, suffering, punishment, sin, etc.), but the phrase has strong roots in Jewish prophecy. Refer to BibleGateway and you will see Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Habakkuk, and Zechariah all talk about taking the “cup” that contained many bad things.
The cups in the upper room were the four cups associated with the Pesach meal, AND ALSO (we believe) paralleled with the four cups of the Jewish betrothal ceremony. We just produced a short video on this topic (https://vimeo.com/405919307). Probably for this reason, seeing Jesus as the joyful fulfilment of Passover, and the joyful initiation of a marriage covenant, I would not see him regretting any of these four cups.
Therefore, I see the garden cup as something totally other, totally bad, something he did NOT want to partake, and not really related to the 4 cups in the Upper Room. I think that the blood-sweat producing garden cup is better seen as a stark contrast to the joyful cups in the Upper Room.
Cups of sanctification/deliverance/redemption/praise vs. Cup of grief, etc.
Blessings!
I I have a different understanding of this. Jesus willingly took on what we could not. As such, I believe He did for a time. He Jesus, willingly took on what we could not. As such, I believe He did for a time…..take on that separation from God the Father; “My God, my God! Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Abandoned or deserted). Are you suggesting that Jesus (God) mis-spoke. It isn’t possible.
I believe rather than just the idea that God is too holy(and He is), that He couldn’t ” look upon sin”….He is too Holy to partake in it. That is where Jesus life in the flesh ultimately was sacrificed. In that giving of himself to partake in what we can not give to obtain a life forever with the Father….Can you imagine the plethora of unimaginable evil that would incure in a life without God?!? No. Our imaginations can not fathom the whole of the evil in that concept. But……Jesus can. He knows. He knows full well!
Jesus willingly took on what we could not. As such, I believe He did for a time. He Jesus, willingly took on what we could not. As such, I believe He did for a time…..take on that separation from God the Father; “My God, my God! Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Abandoned or deserted). Are you suggesting that Jesus (God) mis-spoke. It isn’t possible.
I believe rather than just the idea that God is too holy(and He is), that He couldn’t ” look upon sin”….He is too Holy to partake in it. That is where Jesus life in the flesh ultimately was sacrificed. In that giving of himself to partake in what we can not give to obtain a life forever with the Father….Can you imagine the plethora of unimaginable evil that would incure in a life without God?!? No. Our imaginations can not fathom the whole of the evil in that concept. But……Jesus can. He knows. He knows full well the weight of sin. Only, it wasn’t His sin. It was ours. The sin of,the whole world. So you see, I believe that God the Father and God the Son willingly encumbered the WHOLE weight of sin at the cross. The ULTIMATE price . That seperation. We too will suffer it…..only forever if we do not accept His sacrifice for OUR sin.
I believe that Gods word is infallible. As such, we must consider that Jesus did not mis-speak in His anguish when He cried: “Father, Father! Why hast thou forsaken me?”
This is how I understand this passage.
In love,
Laticia Smith, Pisgah Alabama
Laticia,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comment. Agree with your post in so many ways. Not at all suggesting that Jesus mis-spoke or was wrong. We were pointing out that perhaps rather than seeing Jesus cry of anguish to mean that sin had the power to splinter the Trinity, that instead Jesus was in ultimate faith pointing his hearers to the powerful Psalm 22.
To his hearers in an oral culture, starting a psalm would cause them to remember the whole song and realize that Jesus was not taken by surprise. What they saw with their eyes was prophesied 1,000 years before. They would remember verse 24 which states, “For he has not despised…he has not hidden his face from him”. And of course, this amazing psalm ends with glorious victory, with nations remembering, turning, bowing, serving, proclaiming, for “He has done it!” Now to us that seems like a victory chant in the face of the reality of the deathly cross.
No doubt that Jesus could “feel” abandoned and alone on the cross. Yet in those moments he still calls out “Father into your hands I commit my Spirit,” which to us shows that the Trinity remained intact.
Blessings!
C and L
Chad, My heart believes that God would not forsake Jesus. I brlieve this was Jesus’ last call for believers. If there was anyone who knew the prophecy of 1000 years previous and had not yet accepted Jesus as the Mesiah, this should convince them. How beautiful to have that experience and these people will have it again when Jesus returns.
Laticia, I believe Chad explains very clearly why what you’re saying cannot be so. The triunity of God cannot be broken by His creation. Furthermore, 2Cor 5:18-19 says “Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Messiah reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.” How could He be in Him and turned away at the same time?
What Jesus was doing was using a form of teaching called remez or hint or clue. When I say “For God so loved the world,” you will automatically remember John 3:16 and finish the verse. He was doing the same, telling people He was the one David spoke of in Psalm 22. Even in judgment, the Lord was teaching, right up until the very end.
I’ve been a Protestant Pastor for over 20 years and I’m just now getting a better understanding of what some call “The Chair Gospel” teaching of the early church’s understanding of salvation. This is spot on! We as Protestant’s need to invite more people to “the table.” This needs to be taught more, but it starts when Protestant Pastors are no longer scared to invite others who may have a different understanding than themselves to the table. So Good!
Does this follow then that Jesus has not in fact experienced the judgment or consequence of human rebellion. By being separated from God? So we assume then that the consequences for those who die still in defiant rebellion against God don’t in fact get cut off from God? Is there an experience of judgment for people that is beyond what Jesus experienced?
“Indeed the hour is coming, yes, has now come, that you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave Me alone. And yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
John 16:32
Jesus himself said that all will leave him EXCEPT the Father because he is with Him.
I think people when they use the expression ‘turned His face away’, they are not saying God can’t look upon sin, but that the punishment that we deserve, eternal separation from God, was somehow experienced by the Son. Otherwise their is some portion of our punishment that has not been paid by the perfect Man.
To say that he was referring people back to Psalm 22 seems forced. It is more likely that it was an expression of what He was feeling. The experience was so horrible that the night before, Jesus prayed that this cup would be taken from him.
Seems to me a trivial thing for Christians to be wasting their time arguing about.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your comment. We have heard many times (including in songs) the teaching that “turning his face away” means that God the Father cannot look upon sin, and the result is that fellowship between Father and Son was broken. Perhaps you have not heard that? So, our article was bringing a different perspective.
For us in the West, starting a psalm to make people think may seem strange. But Jesus employs this tactic often in his teaching. Look up the concept of “remez” as a hint or clue. We agree with you and do not doubt that Jesus felt alone and pained on the cross.
Possible significant theologically since it can imply a break in the Trinity, or that human sin could destroy divine unity, or that God the Father may also abandon a person in their deepest agony. These applications are not necessary to make, but our view does away with those incorrect thoughts. We also think that holding to a strong and unified Trinity brings great confidence that God is the Overcoming Victor who can fully identify with humans.
Blessings!
Nowhere in scriptures does it teach Christ was PUNISHED for our sins. Show me the verse please. That is penal substitution theory, not the scriptures. He purchased us and ransomed us from sin and darkness. He experienced the wages of sin, death. The bible doesn’t teach he endured eternity in hell, since that is unscriptural as well. Also, Christ is a man, no fellowship was broken, and Trinity is also unbiblical.
Hi Ernie,
Thanks for your comment. I think of the Isaiah 53 passage about the Suffering Servant the Messiah, particularly 53:5 “the punishment that brought us peace” which was “for our iniquities.” Not sure if you are responding to another comment about an “eternity in hell” since we never mentioned that. Also, you seem quite certain about the Trinity, and your word “unbiblical” can mean many things. Correct, no word Trinity in the Bible, but the concept certainly is there, and you probably know the references, but let me know if you don’t. Blessings! C and L
The comments are marked by only responses to those in agreement with the article. For God not to have ‘looked away’ is for the Christ not to have died. The schism / void / brokeness would not have been transferred from the earth to heaven. (O Death, where is your sting?) The KNOWLEDGE of this existed as God’s grief from the beginning (Jesus as the ‘Man of Sorrows’) the POTENTIAL of autonomous man to grieve God by his separation through sin. This is why Jesus was required to be part of the triune unity from the beginning. God did not make mankind choose yet, like the providing of permanent clothes for their sojourn in the wilderness, He made the way for mankinf to survive (always giving a way out 1 Corinthians 10 v13). The exchange, during that moment is that Jesus won the victory. God was able to return to Him and lift Him to the highest place (a beginning process, the war in the grave must also be waged before Christ ascended) ) but the journey was begun then. Jesus obtained the RIGHT and in doing so obtained the dominion of the earth from the enemy and carried it back to Heaven. The pathways was therefore opened FROM earth TO heaven, a path that all who would call upon the name of Jesus could follow. This is the completed work of Jesus, and the joy and triumph of heaven, to have absorbed death’s sting without being touched or marred by it. All glory to God.
Hi. Thanks for your comment. Actually there have been only a few who disagreed strongly, and those are included.
How do you justify the statement that if “God did not look away, then Christ would not have died?”
Clearly Christ died, but did his cry from the cross imply that God had left him?
Or perhaps he was calling his hearers to remember Psalm 22, with the amazing details and truths and hope and rallying cry at the end when “It is Finished!” (See particularly Ps:22:24 which says directly “he has not hidden his face from him”)
Our article takes a different perspective on Jesus’ statement, that he was communicating his fulfillment of prophesied events which every Jewish person would understand if they knew the Scriptures. Look up the rabbinic “remez” teaching style.
In writing about the Trinity, precision is important (“Jesus was required to be part of the triune unity from the beginning”) Need to make your point sharper. “Jesus is a Person of the Triune Godhead for all eternity.”
Would be good to flesh out your statements more clearly as you jump from one large theological topic to another (God’s grief?, choice, clothing, survival, escaping temptation, journey, pathways). Agree fully that Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection made the way for salvation and forgiveness and restored relationship with God. But Jesus was indeed “touched” by death’s sting.
Blessings, bro!
Christ said i do nothing of myself, so how can he be fully God and Human if he does nothing of his self ? This theology contradicts alot of scripture and twists it
Hi Andre,
Large question you have. John 1:14 says, “The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.” The eternal Word incarnated himself and took on the nature of a human. The early Church discussed and agreed on the dual nature of Jesus… full divine and fully human (see Nicea-Constantinople, see Chalcedon and Ephesus Councils).
Well said! Have you ever considered Eastern Orthodoxy?
Hi Phil,
Thanks! Personally, we are interdenominational. See great value in church history. Love reading Athanasius and the Cappadocian Fathers. They protected the early Church so well against various attacks on God’s character. Currently finishing up Kevin Giles book “The Eternal Generation of the Son: Maintaining Orthodoxy in Trinitarian Theology”.
Not light reading, but so rich and shows the firm foundation based on the Triune God’s character and nature.
Easter messages disappoint me when they portray Jesus as weak and feeble in Gethsemane, unsure and alone on the cross. He set His face to suffer, and was never alone or forsaken. Thank you for this teaching, I have returned to often through the years.
I agree and appreciate your thoughts on this matter, as it has been a topic of much thought for me as well. From all of scripture, I see so much more evidence of God’s faithfulness and willingness to look upon a sinner with grace, then that somehow, in all of His strength and power, He simply can’t bear to look at it. He loved us first, Jesus looked directly upon sinners, and he promises not to leave or forsake us. What I see is a savior and high priest who identifies with our deepest struggles. As one who has battled depression, I find it so comforting that even Jesus, in His greatest anguish, “felt” forsaken, when He actually was not. How true this is for me, that in my great despair, I can be deceived into believing that God is less than He is. What a gracious God He is to help me see this reality through His own suffering for my sake. That’s what it was to take on my sin and all the suffering related to my helpless estate.
Bless you, Kathryn. Fully agree. Jesus sees, understands, and promises to be with us. Nothing can separate us from his love. And we should also not think that sin can separate the Persons of the Trinity. Sin lost the battle on the cross! The Trinity did not split because of sin. God has been looking on my sin and the sin of humanity for a long time, and he loved us and came and dealt with it once and for all. Thanks for your beautiful thoughts.