I once had the unfortunate experience of feeling like I had to correct someone’s language when they were sharing their pain with me. They said they were “broken” and I gave them a Bible lesson instead of entering into their suffering. Ah, alas. Really bad timing. So insensitive. But now, here, in a blog post, I’ll just say what’s still true about the whole “broken” paradigm….

If I think of myself as broken, hoping the kingdom will break in so I can get my breakthrough, it reveals a breakdown in how I understand scripture.

Brokenhearted

This is biblical. God draws near to the brokenhearted and heals them.

• Yahweh is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. – Psalm 34:18
• He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. – Psalm 147:3
• The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners – Isaiah 61:1

Broken People?

The Bible doesn’t describe people as broken. That would makes our need sound like pain to be treated, not sin to be crucified.

Jesus didn’t come to fix what was damaged. He came to raise what was dead. The gospel isn’t a repair job. It’s resurrection. “If anyone is in Christ — new creation.” Not patched up. Not fixing our flesh. New.

Breaking In?

It’s become popular to say that we can see the kingdom breaking in to places. But when someone “breaks in”, isn’t that a thief? The owner never breaks in. In Scripture, that phrase is only used of thieves.

Jesus is not trying to sneak his way into a world controlled by Satan. King Jesus already reigns. Satan is the one who has been dethroned and now just prowls around like a roaring lion.

Breakthrough?

We often use breakthrough personally: overcoming an obstacle, achieving success or getting free from some struggle. The only instances I could find in the Bible are where God is defeating his enemies. So if we use it that way, then it fits.

• So David went to Baal Perazim, and there he defeated them. He said, “As waters break out, the Lord has broken out against my enemies before me.” So that place was called Baal Perazim. [the Lord who breaks out] – 2 Sam 5:20 & 1 Chr 14:11
• The One who breaks open the way will go up before them; they will break through the gate and go out. Their King will pass through before them, the LORD at their head. – Micah 2:13

Breakdown

Brokenhearted is honest, biblical, and worthy of our full engagement — not something to correct, but something to enter into.

But the rest of our “broken” language can train us to see ourselves as passive victims waiting for a rescue. Scripture tells a better story: in Christ, we are not patched-up people; we are new creations. Jesus isn’t trying to break in — He already reigns. And we aren’t waiting for a breakthrough — we’re part of His unstoppable movement, already underway.