We hear quite a bit about brokenness from those who are speaking to the church and by those speaking about the church as well as by those who would describe our general human condition. I certainly do not disagree with the term brokenness (Romans 8:19-23). My only concern is that we should use the term in such a way that reflects the whole of scripture in its context along with all of the texts that speak of victory, conquering, and overcoming through Christ. Otherwise, we as a body of Christ are tempted to commiserate in our brokenness, halted on the sanctification pathway, manifesting little difference between ourselves and the world.
Certainly, we are all broken people, saved and unsaved, because of the fall and its dark effects. Depravity has touched all parts of our being and has caused brokenness to show up and to manifest itself in many different forms. But the point of this article is to point out what distinguishes our brokenness from the world’s chains to brokenness without Christ. Sin’s effects stretch across the landscape of our lives. Families, churches, schools, teams, government, and on it goes–they all can be shown to have been affected by the sinful brokenness of mankind. But let’s remember, there is victory through Christ. All of us experience the following brokenness; however, we have the answer and the pathway to be conquerors (Romans 8:37) scripturally:
- People in a family experience brokenness as that unit is split in two by the pride and selfishness of the parents.
- Churches experience it as people in the pew become driven by their fears and evil desires, their controlling manipulation and attacking antics.
- Our country experiences the brokenness of political rivals who attack and cause hurt to their opponents, doing whatever it takes to win.
- Friends who have been hurt by others take out that hurt on someone else in turn. Unchecked brokenness usually leads to more brokenness.
Healing is offered by the Powerful, Great Physician (Matthew 8 and 9)
Although we as believers will always feel the effects of brokenness on our lives until Christ comes back to make all things new, we still can begin to enjoy the renewing and healing work of God now. In the writing of our day, the phrase sometimes used to express this concept is already/not yet. The work of God has begun in us, especially in our inner man. We feel the decay of our outer man, as Paul describes it; but we get to enjoy the renewing work of God on our inner man. So we are not the Humpty-Dumpty of our world. God is beginning to put us back together again.
In fact, I have realized how many times in the gospels, when God puts Christ on display for the world to see who He is and what He can do, God is not just showing them so that they would accept Him as Messiah. God is not just healing people so they can experience His compassion. God is definitely putting his power on display so that we can get a taste of what it will be like in His Kingdom forever. And we should definitely be enjoying, even if it is in fits and spurts at times, the healing work of our inner man. The brokenness that we have known can be replaced and should be in the process of being replaced with His grace and mercy, love and goodness. The paralytic got to experience what every paralyzed person will know forever in God’s kingdom. The disciples saw how powerful Christ is over nature while in a little boat; and therefore, they got to experience what everyone will know in the Kingdom of God–nothing within nature will harm them. The demon-possessed men of Gadarenes experienced what all of us in God’s Kingdom will know: Satan cast out and restrained so he has no power over us at all.
Now, we can think about Jesus’ prayer in this new way: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in Heaven.” So then the God who will bring healing to the nations, justice to His people, peace and safety to our world, this God has already begun that work in our hearts. If we have surrendered to the KING, and my life, heart, and soul is His kingdom, we should know its reality and work daily. This truth means that we need to live in light of His power and healing of our soul. We should not keep living in despair. I realize we need to apply the grace of God and the Word of God directly to the areas of our soul and life that are the most heavily impacted by brokenness. Another reality is that although the brokenness within is being healed, I will still be impacted and affected by the brokenness of the world around me. I will be the recipient of their sinful brokenness, even when I have already begun to know healing myself. But enjoy and embrace the new life that comes directly from the King of Kings. Don’t stay broken, at least not in the same way you were broken when you came to Christ and knew His complete and unconditional forgiveness.
Be an overcomer (I John 5:4-5) “Who is it that overcomes the world except the one that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”; be victorious through Christ; be more than conquerors through Him who loves us. Yes, we are broken. But don’t stay broken. Don’t settle for an Eeyore, “Woe is me” attitude in the body of Christ. Have a healthy perspective of your sin, but also have a healthy perspective of the Over-comer in your life as well. He is the Victor. Otherwise, we let sin reign in our mortal bodies, and knowing God and enjoying God does not make room for such weight of brokenness here on earth.
One final thought–Brokenness connects us to a sinful world simply because, in reality, we are not better than anyone else. This honest attitude helps us to disciple and to counsel new believers to come out of their brokenness. BUT if we overemphasize brokenness void of hope, we have little to offer unbelievers or new believers as well (Romans 5:2-5). Let’s be careful that we don’t boast in brokenness to the neglect of hope. Don’t stay broken.
