Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am."
Now, how come Jesus come during Judgment days to judge humansin earth? Did it proof Jesus is God? Yes or no????
Do you believe that Jesus Christ is God in flesh or not?
As for : I and the Father are 1 one.
can you say " you (sam) and allah one????
LOL , I did not answer or you are too scared to read any of my responses? Are you worried that your faith would be shaken? I thought you have been bragging that the Pejabat Ugama folks had their faith shaken by you with your questions but now you are just running from the questions asked of you. Why is this so?
I will just copy paste my answers from my previous posts
- with regards to your argument of 'I AM' ; from my post#32
- the so called 'I Am' statement , suddenly Jesus is God (joh8:58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!”)
Can you read the statement carefully (10x if needed)?
If Jesus is trying to say he existed before Abraham he would have said 'I WAS' instead of 'I AM'. 'I Am' can mean that he is already in God's foreknowledge being a messiah. It is in no way stating that he is God and this is confirmed in joh10 where he used the word 'god' for the judges and religious people and he only proclaim himself to be the 'son of God'. The title of 'son of God' is not in any way being God.
- with regards to Jesus being the judge in the judgement day ; from my post#34
Now you run off to the issue that since Jesus is the judge in the judgement day , then he is God. Ok then lets examine the said verses (Bible NIV)
joh5:22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
joh5:30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.
rom2:16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
These verses inform us that Jesus judges on the authority given to him by God. To make it clear to you - God gave Jesus the authority to be the judge. Therefore how can Jesus be God? You mean Jesus is a lesser God than the Father? The Father is the all powerful and Jesus has to wait for authority to be given to him.
In light of these verses can you explain just how can Jesus be God?
I say again , Jesus was just a Prophet of God per evidence from the bible. He is NOT God
No , I do not believe that Jesus is God in the flesh. Jesus has NEVER claimed to be God and demanded worship.
- with regards to I and the Father are 1 ; refer to my post#24
joh10:30 , is not about Jesus being God. If you read before and further on , the context of this verse is about Jesus and his father being one in purpose (the context from verse 25 onwards). You are doing exactly the same as what you have been bitching about single verse. Cakap tak serupa bikin ya. If you want to take joh10:30 literally , then I suggest you refer to joh17:21
'..that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me..'
LOL , now the disciples are also in Jesus and the Father. If I go by your logic , the disciples are also God(s).
Any reason that I am to say Allah and I are 1? I am not a Prophet nor messenger of Allah who is one in purpose with Allah.
See ..... I don't have any difficulty addressing your repeated arguments. I fact I find them quite simple as I have the references of your bible in my support.
However I noticed that you are having a tough time addressing my arguments. Why is this so? Can you now answer my questions?
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
Lets see how and where you run. Run tambi .... run .... masuk lubang cacing nak cari tempat menyorok
sam1528 replied at 22-1-2016 06:23 PM
Any reason that I am to say Allah and I are 1? I am not a Prophet nor messenger of Allah who is one in purpose with Allah.
Hello!! Anybody in there? You are not reading what I wrote.
I repeat what I stated :
Any reason that I am to say Allah and I are 1? I am not a Prophet nor messenger of Allah who is one in purpose with Allah.
Which part of the sentence that you do not understand?
Can you now answer my questions?
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
LOL , I think you are a dimwitted person. In my post#24 , I already explained the meaning of joh10:30 in context. This has been repeated twice in my previous posts asking you to reference my post#24.
However you still ask the same question over and over again. Do you understand what I stated in my post#24? If you don't understand , let me know so that I can explain it once again in simple terms.
By the way 1tim6:15-16 says it all (bible NIV)
15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
The biblical verses states of 2 things
(1) Only God is immortal (for you , it means - cannot die lah) ; Jesus died therefore he was / is not God
(2) God lives in light ; therefore how can God go into Jesus - a human body?
Can you now answer my questions?
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
LOL , is that all? For the umpteenth time , I ask you what is the context of the phrase of joh10:30 : '... I and the Father are one..'?
You have not answered me except parroting your naive thinking that it means Jesus is God. Why don't you read from verse 20 , it clearly states that the context is 'one in purpose'.
You will have a big problem if you argue that joh10:30 means Jesus is God. This is because the phrase itself states that Jesus is one with the Father meaning Father = Jesus. However you claim that Jesus is a seperate God from the Father with your binitarianism belief of 2 Gods in 1 Godhead.
Ha ha , this is what I call a self refuting argument.
Can you now answer my questions?
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
LOL , is that all? For the umpteenth time , I ask you what is the context of the phrase of joh10:30 : '... I and the Father are one..'?
John 10:30 (I and my father are one)
In this chapter, Mr. Al Kadhi attempts to dismiss John 10:30 in which Jesus said that "I and the Father are One". According to Al Kadhi : "This verse, however is quoted out of context". For those of you who have read Mr. Al Kadhi's work, this is an extremely humorous, and extremely hypocritical, accusation! Sometimes, I do not know where to begin my evaluation of Mr. Al Kadhi's claims - he clearly does not know, or want to know, what the Bible really says. He picks up a phrase out of context and ploughs ahead to make his point. In Section 1.2.2.12, he implied that this verse was an accusation hurled against Jesus by his enemies. In this section, Al Kadhi implies that verse 30 is not proof for the Trinity or proof that God and Jesus are One - it is simply a statement concerning the Christian unity. Is it really?
John 10: 22-30
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.
24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me,
26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep.
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
In this chapter, Mr. Al Kadhi attempts to dismiss John 10:30 in which Jesus said that "I and the Father are One". According to Al Kadhi : "This verse, however is quoted out of context". For those of you who have read Mr. Al Kadhi's work, this is an extremely humorous, and extremely hypocritical, accusation! Sometimes, I do not know where to begin my evaluation of Mr. Al Kadhi's claims - he clearly does not know, or want to know, what the Bible really says. He picks up a phrase out of context and ploughs ahead to make his point. In Section 1.2.2.12, he implied that this verse was an accusation hurled against Jesus by his enemies. In this section, Al Kadhi implies that verse 30 is not proof for the Trinity or proof that God and Jesus are One - it is simply a statement concerning the Christian unity. Is it really?
John 10: 22-30
22 Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter,
23 and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade.
24 The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly."
25 Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me,
26 but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. 27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
LOL another answering islam article with no head nor tail.
Ok then , the author feels that the context of 'one in purpose' is wrong - what is the alternative explanation. Ha ha - nothing , zilch , nada. This sums you up. You claim others are wrong but you are incapable to provide alternative explanations nor can you answer any questions.
Refer to the underlined (as above). Can you now explain what is the meaning or context of the verses.
Still no answer from you. If you say Jesus and the Father are one , this means that Jesus = Father which contradict your faith that Jesus and the father are 2 seperate Gods that make up the godhead of binitarinism. Ha ha , you just cannot help refuting yourself.
Can you now answer my questions?
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
I want to humbly submit to all readers, this fact; I did not make this video for the purpose of attacking the Islamic faith or Mr. Evans and the deen show. I made this response for one purpose and one purpose only, to accurately present the Lord Jesus Christ as He is presented in the New Testament. I have no hatred towards any Muslim or the Islamic faith. In fact I quite enjoy healthy, loving discourse between Christians and Muslims. From what I have seen of Mr. Evans and the deen show that they are sincere loving people. I hope to also present my perspective from a position of respect and love. God bless you all!
Number 10: God Cannot be Born
The dictionary defines born as, “Existing as a result of birth”. Being born speaks of coming into existence. At one point I did not exist, and then at my conception I was brought into existence. Then at my birth I was brought forth into the world as we know it.
But this is not the case with Jesus. Christians believe Jesus was pre-existent. He existed before He was seen as the baby in the manger. His coming to earth was not a birth like we understand it. Before human eyes were laid on Jesus, He had eternally existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself says in John 17:5, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Furthermore YHWH says in Isaiah 42:8, “I am YHWH; that is my name; my glory I give to no other,” God does not share His glory with anyone or anything. But Jesus Himself states that He was in the presence of the Father in glory BEFORE the world existed. How can a mere man, or prophet utter these words? It would be blasphemy! Only God can speak in this way.
Jesus birth is not only unique in that He was born from a virgin womb, but it is unique in that Jesus is the only person ever born who did not come into existence by that birth!
Early church father Ignatius writes to the church in Ephesus about Christ being born, yet not born, “There is one Physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and yet not born, who is God in man, true life in death, both of Mary and of God, first passible and then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord.[1]” The argument here is does not have so much to do with birth as it does existence. The words of Jesus clearly show us that He did not come into existence, ever!
Number 9: Jesus Never Claimed Divinity
When Moses was commissioned to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery He asked God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” Then God said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14
YHWH told Moses to tell the people of Israel that I AM has sent him.This is significant!
In John 8 there is a story of the Pharisees (children of Israel, so called, “experts in the Law”) and Jesus in a public discourse. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being an enemy of Israel. They Call Him a Samaritan (which in the eyes of the Hebrews were the scum of the earth) and say he has a demon. Essentially they were calling Jesus a demon possessed scumbag. Then Jesus replies, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (John 8:49-51) The Pharisees are outraged by this statement. “How is it that you can say those who keep my word will never taste death? Abraham and the Prophets all died and so did those who heard them, Who do you make yourself out to be with these words?” Jesus then says, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:54-56) The Pharisees become increasingly more enraged and say, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Then Jesus absolutely drops the bomb saying, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM!” Upon hearing those words they all picked up stones to stone and kill Him.
You see, Jesus not only says I am God, but He makes it personal saying, “I am the same God that sent Moses.” Moses told the children of Israel that I AM has sent me, and Jesus told the children of Israel that I am, the I AM of Exodus 3!
There are many Scriptures where Jesus is explicitly referred to as God, please refer to John 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, John 20:28, John 8:58, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:5-8.
Number 8: No man has seen God
In John 14:8 Thomas says, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” In response to this question Jesus says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Jesus does say if you have seen Him you have seen God! He also says that if you ask (pray) in my name, I will answer. We pray to the Father in Jesus name, and JESUS answers the prayers.
All throughout history God has manifested Himself in various ways to various people for various reasons. Although God did veil His full glory from them, He nonetheless was seen by His servants, albeit in a veiled manner.
Jesus is God, because He explicitly said seeing Him, was seeing God!
Number 7: Jesus, His disciples or the early Christians did not teach it!
It is true that the word Trinity is found nowhere in the bible. But just because something is non-biblical (not in the bible), doesn’t mean it is un-biblical (not taught in the bible). For example, the word Theophany (the visible manifestation of God to man) is nowhere in the bible, but the teaching of God revealing Himself to man is clearly taught in the bible. God has shown Himself to various people, (Abraham, Isaiah, Jacob and the list goes on). Just because a word is not in the bible, does not mean its teaching is unbiblical. The Trinity is non-biblical, but not un-biblical.
Early Christians believed in the divinity of Jesus
Justin Martyr wrote in His first apology sometime before AD 165 when he was martryed, “Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judæa, in the times of Tiberius Cæsar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove. For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all; for they do not discern the mystery that is herein, to which, as we make it plain to you, we pray you to give heed.[2]
In an anonymous letter dated at AD 130, the author who calls himself simply “A disciple of the Apostles” writes, “He did not, as one might have imagined, send to men any servant, or angel, or ruler, or any one of those who bear sway over earthly things, or one of those to whom the government of things in the heavens has been entrusted, but the very Creator and Fashioner of all things[3]…..As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him“[4]
Polycarp, who was a disciple of John writes in his epistle to the Philippian church dated in the middle second century, “and to all under heaven who shall believe in our Lord and God Jesus Christ and in his “Father who raised him from the dead.”[5]
It is clear that the disciples, Jesus and early Christians all believed and taught in the divinity of Jesus, and yes, even the doctrine of the Trinity!
Number 6: Jesus ate, slept and prayed
The question is, if Jesus was God and prayer is made to someone greater than yourself, Why did He pray? This is the dilemma presented by Muslim apologists.
What is prayer? Prayer is essentially communion with God. Jesus did not pray to the Father because He was not God, He prayed to the Father for precisely the opposite reason, because He IS GOD. As the second person of the Twoness, Jesus has always been in communion with the Father. John 1:1-3 teaches that before eternity past the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit had always existed. Jesus prayed because that’s what He’s always done!
Jesus ate and slept because He was a man. He had a stomach, a bladder, lungs and a heart. He was both fully God and fully Man, at one and the same time.
Number 5: Jesus claimed that God’s knowledge was greater than His
In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only”. The funny thing about using this Scripture to somehow refute the divinity of Christ, is that in the whole chapter previously Jesus is actually explaining the end times in great detail! He is revealing to us in great detail only things God could know! Most Bibles have a footnote that reads, “Some manuscricpts omit ‘nor the son’” Regardless if it says “nor the son” or not, this does not undermine the divinity of Jesus. If Jesus did not know of His coming in His earthly ministry, He certainly knows it now in His exalted throne at the right hand of the Father!
Some Muslim apologists suggest that you must be able to explain the concept of God to a child, and to a rocket science. It has to make sense to all people.
The argument that God must be understandable to a child actually puts God on a lower level. If God truly did create the heavens and the earth, which are extremely complex in their unity and being, yet easily seen by the eye, why couldn’t God be the same?
The human body is an extremely complex system of cells that all work together in perfect unity to make one body. We breath effortlessly, we see and hear effortlessly, yet what goes into all those effortless tasks is extremely complex and hard to fully understand. I don’t understand the great mysteries of the human body and how it works, but I believe it works. God is similar. Though infinitely complex in His being, He is still relational and able to known personally. I don’t understand God in His complexity, but I know He exists.
How can He be Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet one God? I don’t know! But that is not grounds for disbelief. God’s infinite nature and being must not be completely understandable in order to be true. If that’s the case, then please help me understand how God can exist without a beginning? You can’t! But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Number 4: Jesus explicitly states that He is not God.
John 17:3 teaches us that eternal life is knowing the one true God AND Jesus Christ whom He sent. If eternal life is knowing God AND Christ then Christ must be God. These verses refute the very argument Muslim apologists are trying to make.
Furthermore in John 20:28-29 Thomas worships Jesus and calls Him God! “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” Jesus did not scold Thomas for his worship. He actually encouraged it!
Number 3: The Son of God is not a term of Divinity
It is true that the word “Lord” is not necessarily a title of divinity. However, when early Christians would profess, “Jesus is Lord”, it meant a whole lot more then just calling him Lord!
In Romans 10:9 and 13 Paul writes,“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” You may be thinking, “Yes, if you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved. This doesn’t proved a thing.” But Paul is actually quoting from Joel 2:32 which says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” The term LORD in Joel 2:32 is actually the name of God, YHWH. The Jews have such a reverence for God’s name that they instead translate it as LORD in all capitals. What Paul is essentially saying is, in order to be saved, you must confess that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is YHWH, that Jesus is GOD!
Number 2: God cannot change
In Christ God did not change! He was still fully God. Malachi 3:6 teaches that God does not change therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed. His coming in the person of Jesus further demonstrates the truth found in this verse. The truth that He is merciful beyond measure and a loving salvific God! He came, to save us, because He doesn’t change, therefore we are not consumed by His wrath!
Number 1: God is the object of worship
We have established that Jesus is in fact God and salvation is only through Him. He is the object of worship!
Amen
Truth.8 replied at 30-1-2016 08:35 AM
I want to humbly submit to all readers, this fact; I did not make this video for the purpose of attacking the Islamic faith or Mr. Evans and the deen show. I made this response for one purpose and one purpose only, to accurately present the Lord Jesus Christ as He is presented in the New Testament. I have no hatred towards any Muslim or the Islamic faith. In fact I quite enjoy healthy, loving discourse between Christians and Muslims. From what I have seen of Mr. Evans and the deen show that they are sincere loving people. I hope to also present my perspective from a position of respect and love. God bless you all!
Number 10: God Cannot be Born
The dictionary defines born as, “Existing as a result of birth”. Being born speaks of coming into existence. At one point I did not exist, and then at my conception I was brought into existence. Then at my birth I was brought forth into the world as we know it.
But this is not the case with Jesus. Christians believe Jesus was pre-existent. He existed before He was seen as the baby in the manger. His coming to earth was not a birth like we understand it. Before human eyes were laid on Jesus, He had eternally existed with the Father and the Holy Spirit.
Jesus Himself says in John 17:5, “And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.” Furthermore YHWH says in Isaiah 42:8, “I am YHWH; that is my name; my glory I give to no other,” God does not share His glory with anyone or anything. But Jesus Himself states that He was in the presence of the Father in glory BEFORE the world existed. How can a mere man, or prophet utter these words? It would be blasphemy! Only God can speak in this way.
Jesus birth is not only unique in that He was born from a virgin womb, but it is unique in that Jesus is the only person ever born who did not come into existence by that birth!
Early church father Ignatius writes to the church in Ephesus about Christ being born, yet not born, “There is one Physician, who is both flesh and spirit, born and yet not born, who is God in man, true life in death, both of Mary and of God, first passible and then impassible, Jesus Christ our Lord.[1]” The argument here is does not have so much to do with birth as it does existence. The words of Jesus clearly show us that He did not come into existence, ever!
Number 9: Jesus Never Claimed Divinity
When Moses was commissioned to lead Israel out of Egyptian slavery He asked God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” Then God said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I am has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:13-14
YHWH told Moses to tell the people of Israel that I AM has sent him.This is significant!
In John 8 there is a story of the Pharisees (children of Israel, so called, “experts in the Law”) and Jesus in a public discourse. The Pharisees accuse Jesus of being an enemy of Israel. They Call Him a Samaritan (which in the eyes of the Hebrews were the scum of the earth) and say he has a demon. Essentially they were calling Jesus a demon possessed scumbag. Then Jesus replies, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me. Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge. Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death” (John 8:49-51) The Pharisees are outraged by this statement. “How is it that you can say those who keep my word will never taste death? Abraham and the Prophets all died and so did those who heard them, Who do you make yourself out to be with these words?” Jesus then says, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad” (John 8:54-56) The Pharisees become increasingly more enraged and say, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Then Jesus absolutely drops the bomb saying, “ Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM!” Upon hearing those words they all picked up stones to stone and kill Him.
You see, Jesus not only says I am God, but He makes it personal saying, “I am the same God that sent Moses.” Moses told the children of Israel that I AM has sent me, and Jesus told the children of Israel that I am, the I AM of Exodus 3!
There are many Scriptures where Jesus is explicitly referred to as God, please refer to John 1:1, 2 Peter 1:1, John 20:28, John 8:58, Colossians 2:9, Philippians 2:5-8.
Number 8: No man has seen God
In John 14:8 Thomas says, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” In response to this question Jesus says, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.”
Jesus does say if you have seen Him you have seen God! He also says that if you ask (pray) in my name, I will answer. We pray to the Father in Jesus name, and JESUS answers the prayers.
All throughout history God has manifested Himself in various ways to various people for various reasons. Although God did veil His full glory from them, He nonetheless was seen by His servants, albeit in a veiled manner.
Jesus is God, because He explicitly said seeing Him, was seeing God!
Number 7: Jesus, His disciples or the early Christians did not teach it!
It is true that the word Trinity is found nowhere in the bible. But just because something is non-biblical (not in the bible), doesn’t mean it is un-biblical (not taught in the bible). For example, the word Theophany (the visible manifestation of God to man) is nowhere in the bible, but the teaching of God revealing Himself to man is clearly taught in the bible. God has shown Himself to various people, (Abraham, Isaiah, Jacob and the list goes on). Just because a word is not in the bible, does not mean its teaching is unbiblical. The Trinity is non-biblical, but not un-biblical.
Early Christians believed in the divinity of Jesus
Justin Martyr wrote in His first apology sometime before AD 165 when he was martryed, “Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who also was born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judæa, in the times of Tiberius Cæsar; and that we reasonably worship Him, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third, we will prove. For they proclaim our madness to consist in this, that we give to a crucified man a place second to the unchangeable and eternal God, the Creator of all; for they do not discern the mystery that is herein, to which, as we make it plain to you, we pray you to give heed.[2]
In an anonymous letter dated at AD 130, the author who calls himself simply “A disciple of the Apostles” writes, “He did not, as one might have imagined, send to men any servant, or angel, or ruler, or any one of those who bear sway over earthly things, or one of those to whom the government of things in the heavens has been entrusted, but the very Creator and Fashioner of all things[3]…..As a king sends his son, who is also a king, so sent He Him; as God He sent Him; as to men He sent Him; as a Saviour He sent Him“[4]
Polycarp, who was a disciple of John writes in his epistle to the Philippian church dated in the middle second century, “and to all under heaven who shall believe in our Lord and God Jesus Christ and in his “Father who raised him from the dead.”[5]
It is clear that the disciples, Jesus and early Christians all believed and taught in the divinity of Jesus, and yes, even the doctrine of the Trinity!
Number 6: Jesus ate, slept and prayed
The question is, if Jesus was God and prayer is made to someone greater than yourself, Why did He pray? This is the dilemma presented by Muslim apologists.
What is prayer? Prayer is essentially communion with God. Jesus did not pray to the Father because He was not God, He prayed to the Father for precisely the opposite reason, because He IS GOD. As the second person of the Twoness, Jesus has always been in communion with the Father. John 1:1-3 teaches that before eternity past the relationship between Father, Son and Holy Spirit had always existed. Jesus prayed because that’s what He’s always done!
Jesus ate and slept because He was a man. He had a stomach, a bladder, lungs and a heart. He was both fully God and fully Man, at one and the same time.
Number 5: Jesus claimed that God’s knowledge was greater than His
In Matthew 24:36 Jesus says, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only”. The funny thing about using this Scripture to somehow refute the divinity of Christ, is that in the whole chapter previously Jesus is actually explaining the end times in great detail! He is revealing to us in great detail only things God could know! Most Bibles have a footnote that reads, “Some manuscricpts omit ‘nor the son’” Regardless if it says “nor the son” or not, this does not undermine the divinity of Jesus. If Jesus did not know of His coming in His earthly ministry, He certainly knows it now in His exalted throne at the right hand of the Father!
Some Muslim apologists suggest that you must be able to explain the concept of God to a child, and to a rocket science. It has to make sense to all people.
The argument that God must be understandable to a child actually puts God on a lower level. If God truly did create the heavens and the earth, which are extremely complex in their unity and being, yet easily seen by the eye, why couldn’t God be the same?
The human body is an extremely complex system of cells that all work together in perfect unity to make one body. We breath effortlessly, we see and hear effortlessly, yet what goes into all those effortless tasks is extremely complex and hard to fully understand. I don’t understand the great mysteries of the human body and how it works, but I believe it works. God is similar. Though infinitely complex in His being, He is still relational and able to known personally. I don’t understand God in His complexity, but I know He exists.
How can He be Father, Son and Holy Spirit yet one God? I don’t know! But that is not grounds for disbelief. God’s infinite nature and being must not be completely understandable in order to be true. If that’s the case, then please help me understand how God can exist without a beginning? You can’t! But that doesn’t mean it’s not true.
Number 4: Jesus explicitly states that He is not God.
John 17:3 teaches us that eternal life is knowing the one true God AND Jesus Christ whom He sent. If eternal life is knowing God AND Christ then Christ must be God. These verses refute the very argument Muslim apologists are trying to make.
Furthermore in John 20:28-29 Thomas worships Jesus and calls Him God! “Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’” Jesus did not scold Thomas for his worship. He actually encouraged it!
Number 3: The Son of God is not a term of Divinity
It is true that the word “Lord” is not necessarily a title of divinity. However, when early Christians would profess, “Jesus is Lord”, it meant a whole lot more then just calling him Lord!
In Romans 10:9 and 13 Paul writes,“because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved… For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” You may be thinking, “Yes, if you call on the name of the Lord you will be saved. This doesn’t proved a thing.” But Paul is actually quoting from Joel 2:32 which says, “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” The term LORD in Joel 2:32 is actually the name of God, YHWH. The Jews have such a reverence for God’s name that they instead translate it as LORD in all capitals. What Paul is essentially saying is, in order to be saved, you must confess that Jesus is Lord, that Jesus is YHWH, that Jesus is GOD!
Number 2: God cannot change
In Christ God did not change! He was still fully God. Malachi 3:6 teaches that God does not change therefore the sons of Jacob are not consumed. His coming in the person of Jesus further demonstrates the truth found in this verse. The truth that He is merciful beyond measure and a loving salvific God! He came, to save us, because He doesn’t change, therefore we are not consumed by His wrath!
Number 1: God is the object of worship
We have established that Jesus is in fact God and salvation is only through Him. He is the object of worship!
Amen
LOL , you are running all over the place just to avoid answering my question. We might as well call you chicken.8.
If you claim the context of the phrase 'I and the father are one' is not 'one in purpose' then what is your alternative explanation? So far nothing from you except running away from the issues. I think you do not even understand your own faith thus making you actually having blind faith.
Lets go thru your latest 'run to' argument :
10 . - Everyone of us can say that we are in the presence of God before the world existed. We are in the foreknowledge of God
- You still have not answered - how can a God be born? God has always existed
9. - Of course Jesus has never claimed divinity. Can you pinpoint as to where Jesus claimed to be God and demanded worship?
- If Jesus meant to have said that he existed before Abraham , he would have said 'Before Abraham was , I WAS' not 'I AM'.
8. - If no man has seen God , it means that Jesus is not God. Asking anything in his name and he would do it does not mean Jesus is God and it is by no means negating the statement ' no man has seen God'
7. Dey tambi , the early christians are the disciples. People like Justin Martyr and Polycarp are about the 3rd generation of 'believers'. The Disciples of Jesus never regarded him being God. This is attested by the words of Peter (acts2:22 , bible NIV)
"Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.
If Jesus own followers do not regard him being God , why are you in the belief that he is God?
6. LOL , I copy paste your reasoning of why Jesus prayed :
Jesus did not pray to the Father because He was not God, He prayed to the Father for precisely the opposite reason, because He IS GOD. As the second person of the Twoness, Jesus has always been in communion with the Father.
LOL , we now have a lesser God in Jesus praying to the Father asking for help , thanking etc. How come the Father never pray to Jesus? You now have one God (Jesus) praying to another God (Father). Don't you think this is bit silly?
5. If Jesus doesn't know when is 'hour' in mat24:36 , this means that he is not God. He does not have the knowledge of God thus discounting of him being God. In fact Jesus made a horrible mistake in predicting that the 'hour' or end of times would occur in the same generation , mark13:30 (bible NIV)
29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that itis near, right at the door.
30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
More than 30 generations have passed , still nothing. This means that Jesus is not God.
4. You mean when Thomas stated 'My Lord and my God!' in joh20:28 you naively conclude that Jesus is God? Why don' you read just 3 lines after in verse 31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
Calling a person 'God' at that time can mean a person with divine authority (refer to Joh10:34). If Thomas wants to refer Jesus of being God he would have stated 'My Lord God'.
3. Of course the title 'Son of God' does not mean GOD. Even Paul acknowledge it in 1cor8:6 (bible NIV)
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.
2. Therefore if in Jesus God did not change , then how can Jesus die on the cross per your belief? This contradict your belief that God cannot die per 1tim6:15-16 (bible NIV)
15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
1. If God is the object of worship , why do you still worship Jesus who is clearly not God?
See .... no problems to engage your very simplistic arguments.
You still have not answered my questions :
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
Are you that scared to answer such simple questions? Are you scared of losing your blind faith?
simple understanding yet you parroting...
Jesus was born in virign worm and Adam made of clay...
Jesus was concieved by Holy spirit....do you understand the meaning concieved by holy spirit..I doubt
you making fool out of yourself again again and again
The Bible never records Jesus saying the precise words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did not proclaim that He is God. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” We need only to look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement to know He was claiming to be God. They tried to stone Him for this very reason: “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood exactly what Jesus was claiming—deity. When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one,” He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence. John 8:58 is another example. Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth … before Abraham was born, I am!” Jews who heard this statement responded by taking up stones to kill Him for blasphemy, as the Mosaic Law commanded (Leviticus 24:16).
John reiterates the concept of Jesus’ deity: “The Word [Jesus] was God” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). These verses clearly indicate that Jesus is God in the flesh. Acts 20:28 tells us, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Who bought the church with His own blood? Jesus Christ. And this same verse declares that God purchased His church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!
Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. Titus 2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (see also 2 Peter 1:1). In Hebrews 1:8, the Father declares of Jesus, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” The Father refers to Jesus as “O God,” indicating that Jesus is indeed God.
In Revelation, an angel instructed the apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). He never rebukes people for worshiping Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation did. There are many other passages of Scripture that argue for Jesus’ deity.
The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that, if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and death.
Truth.8 replied at 30-1-2016 09:02 PM
simple understanding yet you parroting...
Jesus was born in virign worm and Adam made of clay...
Jesus was concieved by Holy spirit....do you understand the meaning concieved by holy spirit..I doubt
you making fool out of yourself again again and again
The Bible never records Jesus saying the precise words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did not proclaim that He is God. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” We need only to look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement to know He was claiming to be God. They tried to stone Him for this very reason: “You, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood exactly what Jesus was claiming—deity. When Jesus declared, “I and the Father are one,” He was saying that He and the Father are of one nature and essence. John 8:58 is another example. Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth … before Abraham was born, I am!” Jews who heard this statement responded by taking up stones to kill Him for blasphemy, as the Mosaic Law commanded (Leviticus 24:16).
John reiterates the concept of Jesus’ deity: “The Word [Jesus] was God” and “the Word became flesh” (John 1:1, 14). These verses clearly indicate that Jesus is God in the flesh. Acts 20:28 tells us, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Who bought the church with His own blood? Jesus Christ. And this same verse declares that God purchased His church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!
Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. Titus 2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ (see also 2 Peter 1:1). In Hebrews 1:8, the Father declares of Jesus, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” The Father refers to Jesus as “O God,” indicating that Jesus is indeed God.
In Revelation, an angel instructed the apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). He never rebukes people for worshiping Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation did. There are many other passages of Scripture that argue for Jesus’ deity.
The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that, if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and death.
LOL , you are parroting the same issues over and over again but you are just too scared to engage in any discussion nor answer any questions.
Why is this so? Issit because you don't know your bible or / and you do not understand your faith resulting in you actually having blind faith. This is why you keep on providing copy paste answers but you yourself do not understand what you copied pasted.
You mean the Holy Spirit has a sexual relationship with Mary then Jesus was conceived? Why is it that he is God then? It doesn't make sense
LOL , you keep on repeating joh10:30. I am asking you to state what is your understanding of joh10:27-29 which provides the context to joh10:30
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Can you be brave enough to state your understanding. Why are you , a Christian , who so scared to explain your bible to a muslim? If you claim of joh10:33 , then the next verse state as follows , joh10:34
Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’?
For the 4th time , if Jesus were to mean his existence before Abraham , he would have stated 'I WAS' instead of 'I AM'.
Joh1:1 is not evidence that Jesus is God. I stated earlier , substitute 'word' with God' per your claim , and Joh1:1 becomes rubbish. Acts20:28 , nowhere it states that Jesus is God. It is by your mental gymnastics you are claiming Jesus to be God.
Like I stated , if Thomas were to declare Jesus to be God , he would have stated 'My Lord God'. The greek word here is 'theos' which have a broad meaning of it being GOD or a god (person of divine authority). Therefore the context is is that Jesus is not God
2pet1:1 states Jesus is God? Can you pinpoint where? This is because in verse 2 it clearly states of 'Jesus our Lord' not 'Jesus our God'. LOL , tambi , lu sudah kena tipu with heb1:8. If you care to read the whole chapter , there is a footnote at verse 9 which states that it is a direct copy from psalm45:6-7 which states as follows
6 Your arrows are sharpened, nations shall fall under you, in the heart of the king's enemies
7 Your throne, O judge, [will exist] forever and ever; the scepter of equity is the scepter of your kingdom.
8 You loved righteousness and you hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, anointed you with oil of joy from among your peers.
Poor you , looks like the translators of the bible already lied to you and you swallowed it hook line and sinker. Hmm , wonder why they change it from judge to God??
Ooi tambi , 'worship' can also mean an act of expressing reverence. If Jesus never proclaim to be God , therefore people who 'worship' him was just expressing reverence.
LOL , God taking on the sins of this world , die and be resurrected? First of all - can God die? if God died , what entity resurrected God? A bigger God? Aiyoo , why talk cock?
You still have not answered my questions :
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
The Muslim Challenge: “Where did Jesus say, “I am God worship Me?”
And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah?” He will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). . . . ” (Qur’an, Sura 5.116).[1]
Anyone who has interfaced with Muslims (or also JWs) on the Person of Christ or nature of God has probably been asked that question. Although, Muslims are taught that Jesus was a prophet of Allah, sinless, virgin born, preformed miracles, etc. they reject that He was eternal God in the flesh, crucified, and resurrected from the dead. The rejection of the deity of Jesus Christ (and the Trinity) is common to all non-Christian cults and false religions. Because Jesus said in John 8:24 that “unless you believe that I am [egō eimi], you will die in your sins” we cannot be hesitant or be timid in proclaiming that Jesus is God in the flesh—for salvation is predicated on that belief. A few months ago, in a formal debate with a Muslim apologist, I was asked the typical question: “Where did Jesus claim to be God and say worship Me?” The fact of the matter is this: If Jesus is God, Islam is proven a false religion and thus, Mohammad is merely another false prophet who deceived his followers.
Jesus’ claims to deity were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God”
First, we must understand that in the NT, Jesus never literally said, “I am God.” As we will show, the term “God” is subject to different meanings according to the context. In other words, the term “God” (Heb. Elohim; Gk. theos) had many meanings in the OT. And in the NT, the plural form of theos (theoi, “gods”) denoted false gods (cf. John 10:34-35; 1 Cor. 8:5). In the OT, Elohim (“God”/“gods”) referred to judges (cf. Exod. 21:6; 22:8-9), false gods (cf. Ps. 96:5), the true God (cf. Jer. 10:10); etc. In Exodus 7:1, the Lord said to Moses: “See, I make you as God [Elohim] to Pharaoh.” Of course, Moses was not actually made deity, but only as God’s direct representative, he was made as God to Pharaoh. The point is, Moses, judges, angels, etc. were called “God(s),” even though they were not God by nature. So if Jesus would have stated, “I am God,” those that deny the deity of Christ could construe the phrase to mean that Jesus was merely claiming that He was a representative of God, or a perfect judge, or a mighty angel (as the JWs see it, using Isa. 9:6).
However,Jesus’ claims to deity were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God.” In other words, Jesus made specific claims to express His deity (some of which were used only of YHWH in the OT), which were clearly understood by both friends and enemies as claims to be equal with God. These specific claims were not used by nor were they applied to humans or angels, as with the term “God.”
Note the following claims, which explicitly demonstrate that Jesus did indeed claim to be equal with God, in the same sense as God the Father.
Egō Eimi (“I am”)
In John 8:24 Jesus declared: “For if you should not believe that I am [egō eimi] you will perish in your sins” (lit. trans.). Although, many translations add the pronoun “he” (e.g., NKJ, NASB, NIV)[2] after “I am” in spite of the fact that the pronoun is not contained after egō eimi (“I am”) in any Greek manuscripts of John 8:24—nor is the pronoun contained after Jesus’ other egō eimi affirmations in John 8:28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, and 8. Jesus claimed He was the “I am” seven times in the Gospel of John. These instances are absolute “I am” claims—i.e., with no supplied predicate. Hence, they are the not same as statements such as, for example, “I am the door” or “I am the shepherd.” These all have predicates following “I am” whereas the seven “I am” statements listed above have no supplied predicate, but rather the “I am” stands alone. Cleary this was an absolute and clear claim to deity.
The Hebrew phrase, ani hu, which was translated egō eimi (“I am”) in the LXX,[3] was an exclusive and recurring title for YHWH (cf. Deut. 32:39; Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 46:4; etc.). Thus, this title, then, clearly denoted YHWH alone (which the Jews clearly understood, cf. John 8:59). Further, Jesus’ claim to be the “I am” was not only seen in John 8:58 (as many assume), but note the marked progression starting in 8:24, then, vv. 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, and 8. It is when we take all the “I am” statements do we see the thrust of His claim.
So strong was this affirmation of deity that the Jehovah’s Witnesses had to mistranslate the present active indicativeverb, eimi (“am”) in John 8:58 turning it into a past tense, “I have been” (NWT), as if Jesus was merely claiming to be older than Abraham. However, what immediately refutes this false notion is the response of the Jews in verse 59: They wanted to stone Him (legally, under Jewish law), which clearly shows that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim as an unequivocal claim to be God. Jesus’ claim to be the “I am” was essentially a claim to be YHWH, not a mere judge, angel, or representative of God, but YHWH. Hence, salvation is predicated on believing that the Son, Jesus Christ, is the eternal God, YHWH, the great “I am.”
The Son of God—in Essence
Muslims deny that Jesus’ claim to be the “Son of God” was in fact a claim of deity. Muslims are taught that Jesus was only speaking metaphorically when He referred to Himself as the Son of God (cf. John 10:36). In other words, Muslims argue that Jesus was the Son of God by doing good works, glorifying God, being humble, etc., thus, Jesus was not the one and only (monogenēs)[4] Son in a unique sense.[5] They further point out that in both the OT and NT, “son(s) of God” was applied to both angels and men (cf. Gen. 6:2; Job 1:6; Luke 3:38). So, as Muslims argue, when Jesus claimed Himself to be God’s Son, it could not have been a title of deity. In response,
1) The meaning of biblical words and phrases are determined by the context (as with the term Elohim). In aSemitic (Jewish) context, to be the “son of” something meant that one possesses or shares the nature of that something. InEphesians 2:2-3, for example, the unsaved are said to be the “sons of disobedience . . . by nature children of wrath” in that they possess the nature of disobedience and wrath. Unbelievers are sons of the devil (cf. John 8:44), whereas believers are sons of God by adoption (cf. Eph. 1:5), through faith (cf. Gal. 3:26).
2) Even though the phrase “son(s) of God” was applied to angels and men, when applied to Jesus, it was in a context of essence or nature. Whereas Christians are sons of God by adoption, Jesus is the Son of God by nature—which wasa clear claim of deity.[6]
3) Son of God = God the Son(cf. John 1:18). In John 5:17-18, when Jesus said, “My Father is working until now,” note the response of the Jews (similar to John 8:59): [they] “were seeking all the more to kill Him.” But why? The Apostle John tells us: “because He . . . was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” The Jews (and the Apostle John) clearly understood that by claiming God was His Father, Jesus was claiming to be “equal with God.”
“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)
Many Christians rightfully point to this passage to show that Jesus claimed equality with God the Father. As with Jesus’ other undeniable claims to be God (cf. John 5:17-18; 8:58-59), the response of the Jews in verse 33 is an irrefutable confirmation of Jesus’ claim to be God: “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
However, it is not merely in verse 30 where we see a clear claim of equality with God. Note the passages leading up to verse 30. In verses 27-29, Jesus claims that He is the Shepherd and He gives His sheep eternal life and no one can snatch them from His or His Father’s hand. The Jews were familiar with Psalm 95:7: “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” Knowing that only YHWH can make this claim of having sheep in His hand as well as giving them eternal life (cf. Isa. 43:11), when Jesus made this exact claim and then added, “I and the Father are one,” it’s easy to understand the response of the Jews: “You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
Therefore, to answer the question of the objectors, Yes, Jesus claimed He was God in the most unequivocal and explicit way.
He claimed He was the egō eimi(“I am”; John 8:24 et al); Son of God (by nature; John 5:17-18; cf. 17:5), which was only applied to YHWH; and claimed that He has sheep in His hand and He is one in essence[7] with the Father (John 10:27-30). Jesus’ claims to be equal with God were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God.” We also see other unmistakable claims of deity such as when Jesus boldly stated He was “greater than the Temple” (Matt. 12:6); that He has “the authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10); that He gives His life as a ransom (Mark 10:45); etc.
The Worship of Jesus
We worship Jesus because He is truly God. Jesus came to earth as a humble servant (cf. Phil. 2:7-8); He came to serve, not to be served (cf. Mark 10:45). His mission on earth was to die for the redemption of sinners, for this reason, God became flesh. Hence, it was not His role on earth to demand His creatures to worship Him—believers did this naturally.
However, in John 5:22-23, Jesus states that the purpose of the Father giving all judgment to Him was for the result of all honoring the Son in the same way(kathōs) they would honor the Father.The honor that is given to the Father is clearly religious honor—namely, worship. Therefore, Jesus asserts His essential equality with God by expressing that the worship/honor given to the Father is to be given to the Son and if one does not worship/honor the Son, he or she “does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Further, we find many examples in both the OT and NT where Jesus was worshiped in a religious context[8]and He accepted it (e.g., Dan. 7:14; Matt. 14:33; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:13-14).
[1] Yusufali’s translation.
[2] The pre-2011 NIV had a bracketed clause after “I am” that read: “the one I claim to be.”
[3] LXX is the abbreviation for the Septuagint (meaning “seventy”—the traditional number of scholars that translated the OT Hebrew into Greek originating in Alexandria, Egypt around 250 B.C.). The NT authors frequently utilized the LXX in their OT citations (esp. in Hebrews).
[4] Monogenēs means “one and only”/“unique one” (cf. John 1:14, 3:16) with no idea of “to beget,” “give birth,” or origin. Thus, monogenēshuios, means,“one and only Son” (NIV) or “unique Son” (cf. John 1:18: monogenēs theos, “God the One and Only”/“only begotten God”). The lexical meaning of the term is especially seen in Hebrews 11:17 where Isaac is called one and only (monogenēs) son, yet Isaac was not Abraham’s first or only son, but he was the unique son from whom God’s “covenant would be established” (Gen. 17:19-21).
[6] The most substantial way that the “Son of God” is used is in a Trinitarian sense. Jesus Himself employs it that way in several places (cf. Matt. 11:27; 14:28-33; 16:16; 21:33-46; 26:63).
[7] The neuter hen (“one”) here denotes essential unity, not identity, as Oneness Pentecostals assert. In addition, it is one in essence as the context demands (cf. vv. 27-30 along with the response of the Jews in v. 33).
[8] A religious context is any such context where spirituality or holiness exists.
And behold! Allah will say: “O Jesus the son of Mary! Didst thou say unto men, worship me and my mother as gods in derogation of Allah?” He will say: “Glory to Thee! never could I say what I had no right (to say). . . . ” (Qur’an, Sura 5.116).[1]
Anyone who has interfaced with Muslims (or also JWs) on the Person of Christ or nature of God has probably been asked that question. Although, Muslims are taught that Jesus was a prophet of Allah, sinless, virgin born, preformed miracles, etc. they reject that He was eternal God in the flesh, crucified, and resurrected from the dead. The rejection of the deity of Jesus Christ (and the Trinity) is common to all non-Christian cults and false religions. Because Jesus said in John 8:24 that “unless you believe that I am [egō eimi], you will die in your sins” we cannot be hesitant or be timid in proclaiming that Jesus is God in the flesh—for salvation is predicated on that belief. A few months ago, in a formal debate with a Muslim apologist, I was asked the typical question: “Where did Jesus claim to be God and say worship Me?” The fact of the matter is this: If Jesus is God, Islam is proven a false religion and thus, Mohammad is merely another false prophet who deceived his followers.
Jesus’ claims to deity were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God”
First, we must understand that in the NT, Jesus never literally said, “I am God.” As we will show, the term “God” is subject to different meanings according to the context. In other words, the term “God” (Heb. Elohim; Gk. theos) had many meanings in the OT. And in the NT, the plural form of theos (theoi, “gods”) denoted false gods (cf. John 10:34-35; 1 Cor. 8:5). In the OT, Elohim (“God”/“gods”) referred to judges (cf. Exod. 21:6; 22:8-9), false gods (cf. Ps. 96:5), the true God (cf. Jer. 10:10); etc. In Exodus 7:1, the Lord said to Moses: “See, I make you as God [Elohim] to Pharaoh.” Of course, Moses was not actually made deity, but only as God’s direct representative, he was made as God to Pharaoh. The point is, Moses, judges, angels, etc. were called “God(s),” even though they were not God by nature. So if Jesus would have stated, “I am God,” those that deny the deity of Christ could construe the phrase to mean that Jesus was merely claiming that He was a representative of God, or a perfect judge, or a mighty angel (as the JWs see it, using Isa. 9:6).
However,Jesus’ claims to deity were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God.” In other words, Jesus made specific claims to express His deity (some of which were used only of YHWH in the OT), which were clearly understood by both friends and enemies as claims to be equal with God. These specific claims were not used by nor were they applied to humans or angels, as with the term “God.”
Note the following claims, which explicitly demonstrate that Jesus did indeed claim to be equal with God, in the same sense as God the Father.
Egō Eimi (“I am”)
In John 8:24 Jesus declared: “For if you should not believe that I am [egō eimi] you will perish in your sins” (lit. trans.). Although, many translations add the pronoun “he” (e.g., NKJ, NASB, NIV)[2] after “I am” in spite of the fact that the pronoun is not contained after egō eimi (“I am”) in any Greek manuscripts of John 8:24—nor is the pronoun contained after Jesus’ other egō eimi affirmations in John 8:28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, and 8. Jesus claimed He was the “I am” seven times in the Gospel of John. These instances are absolute “I am” claims—i.e., with no supplied predicate. Hence, they are the not same as statements such as, for example, “I am the door” or “I am the shepherd.” These all have predicates following “I am” whereas the seven “I am” statements listed above have no supplied predicate, but rather the “I am” stands alone. Cleary this was an absolute and clear claim to deity.
The Hebrew phrase, ani hu, which was translated egō eimi (“I am”) in the LXX,[3] was an exclusive and recurring title for YHWH (cf. Deut. 32:39; Isa. 41:4; 43:10; 46:4; etc.). Thus, this title, then, clearly denoted YHWH alone (which the Jews clearly understood, cf. John 8:59). Further, Jesus’ claim to be the “I am” was not only seen in John 8:58 (as many assume), but note the marked progression starting in 8:24, then, vv. 28, 58; 13:19; 18:5, 6, and 8. It is when we take all the “I am” statements do we see the thrust of His claim.
So strong was this affirmation of deity that the Jehovah’s Witnesses had to mistranslate the present active indicativeverb, eimi (“am”) in John 8:58 turning it into a past tense, “I have been” (NWT), as if Jesus was merely claiming to be older than Abraham. However, what immediately refutes this false notion is the response of the Jews in verse 59: They wanted to stone Him (legally, under Jewish law), which clearly shows that the Jews understood Jesus’ claim as an unequivocal claim to be God. Jesus’ claim to be the “I am” was essentially a claim to be YHWH, not a mere judge, angel, or representative of God, but YHWH. Hence, salvation is predicated on believing that the Son, Jesus Christ, is the eternal God, YHWH, the great “I am.”
The Son of God—in Essence
Muslims deny that Jesus’ claim to be the “Son of God” was in fact a claim of deity. Muslims are taught that Jesus was only speaking metaphorically when He referred to Himself as the Son of God (cf. John 10:36). In other words, Muslims argue that Jesus was the Son of God by doing good works, glorifying God, being humble, etc., thus, Jesus was not the one and only (monogenēs)[4] Son in a unique sense.[5] They further point out that in both the OT and NT, “son(s) of God” was applied to both angels and men (cf. Gen. 6:2; Job 1:6; Luke 3:38). So, as Muslims argue, when Jesus claimed Himself to be God’s Son, it could not have been a title of deity. In response,
1) The meaning of biblical words and phrases are determined by the context (as with the term Elohim). In aSemitic (Jewish) context, to be the “son of” something meant that one possesses or shares the nature of that something. InEphesians 2:2-3, for example, the unsaved are said to be the “sons of disobedience . . . by nature children of wrath” in that they possess the nature of disobedience and wrath. Unbelievers are sons of the devil (cf. John 8:44), whereas believers are sons of God by adoption (cf. Eph. 1:5), through faith (cf. Gal. 3:26).
2) Even though the phrase “son(s) of God” was applied to angels and men, when applied to Jesus, it was in a context of essence or nature. Whereas Christians are sons of God by adoption, Jesus is the Son of God by nature—which wasa clear claim of deity.[6]
3) Son of God = God the Son(cf. John 1:18). In John 5:17-18, when Jesus said, “My Father is working until now,” note the response of the Jews (similar to John 8:59): [they] “were seeking all the more to kill Him.” But why? The Apostle John tells us: “because He . . . was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” The Jews (and the Apostle John) clearly understood that by claiming God was His Father, Jesus was claiming to be “equal with God.”
“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)
Many Christians rightfully point to this passage to show that Jesus claimed equality with God the Father. As with Jesus’ other undeniable claims to be God (cf. John 5:17-18; 8:58-59), the response of the Jews in verse 33 is an irrefutable confirmation of Jesus’ claim to be God: “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
However, it is not merely in verse 30 where we see a clear claim of equality with God. Note the passages leading up to verse 30. In verses 27-29, Jesus claims that He is the Shepherd and He gives His sheep eternal life and no one can snatch them from His or His Father’s hand. The Jews were familiar with Psalm 95:7: “For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand.” Knowing that only YHWH can make this claim of having sheep in His hand as well as giving them eternal life (cf. Isa. 43:11), when Jesus made this exact claim and then added, “I and the Father are one,” it’s easy to understand the response of the Jews: “You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
Therefore, to answer the question of the objectors, Yes, Jesus claimed He was God in the most unequivocal and explicit way.
He claimed He was the egō eimi(“I am”; John 8:24 et al); Son of God (by nature; John 5:17-18; cf. 17:5), which was only applied to YHWH; and claimed that He has sheep in His hand and He is one in essence[7] with the Father (John 10:27-30). Jesus’ claims to be equal with God were much stronger and clearer than if He had said, “I am God.” We also see other unmistakable claims of deity such as when Jesus boldly stated He was “greater than the Temple” (Matt. 12:6); that He has “the authority on earth to forgive sins” (Mark 2:10); that He gives His life as a ransom (Mark 10:45); etc.
The Worship of Jesus
We worship Jesus because He is truly God. Jesus came to earth as a humble servant (cf. Phil. 2:7-8); He came to serve, not to be served (cf. Mark 10:45). His mission on earth was to die for the redemption of sinners, for this reason, God became flesh. Hence, it was not His role on earth to demand His creatures to worship Him—believers did this naturally.
However, in John 5:22-23, Jesus states that the purpose of the Father giving all judgment to Him was for the result of all honoring the Son in the same way(kathōs) they would honor the Father.The honor that is given to the Father is clearly religious honor—namely, worship. Therefore, Jesus asserts His essential equality with God by expressing that the worship/honor given to the Father is to be given to the Son and if one does not worship/honor the Son, he or she “does not honor the Father who sent Him.” Further, we find many examples in both the OT and NT where Jesus was worshiped in a religious context[8]and He accepted it (e.g., Dan. 7:14; Matt. 14:33; Heb. 1:6; Rev. 5:13-14).
[1] Yusufali’s translation.
[2] The pre-2011 NIV had a bracketed clause after “I am” that read: “the one I claim to be.”
[3] LXX is the abbreviation for the Septuagint (meaning “seventy”—the traditional number of scholars that translated the OT Hebrew into Greek originating in Alexandria, Egypt around 250 B.C.). The NT authors frequently utilized the LXX in their OT citations (esp. in Hebrews).
[4] Monogenēs means “one and only”/“unique one” (cf. John 1:14, 3:16) with no idea of “to beget,” “give birth,” or origin. Thus, monogenēshuios, means,“one and only Son” (NIV) or “unique Son” (cf. John 1:18: monogenēs theos, “God the One and Only”/“only begotten God”). The lexical meaning of the term is especially seen in Hebrews 11:17 where Isaac is called one and only (monogenēs) son, yet Isaac was not Abraham’s first or only son, but he was the unique son from whom God’s “covenant would be established” (Gen. 17:19-21).
[6] The most substantial way that the “Son of God” is used is in a Trinitarian sense. Jesus Himself employs it that way in several places (cf. Matt. 11:27; 14:28-33; 16:16; 21:33-46; 26:63).
[7] The neuter hen (“one”) here denotes essential unity, not identity, as Oneness Pentecostals assert. In addition, it is one in essence as the context demands (cf. vv. 27-30 along with the response of the Jews in v. 33).
[8] A religious context is any such context where spirituality or holiness exists.
I am wondering why is it Jesus was so shy or scared to admit that he is God? This has presented a huge problem for Christians like you that you need to scour the NT to look for implicit passages that seem to suggest he is God just to satisfy your blind faith. I thought God should be very clear of himself however in this case Jesus is like a God with many riddles and of course a shy one.
Why are you running from one copy paste article to another in which you don't even understand? Issit because you don't even know the basic of binitarianism that you cannot stand your ground when queried? To make matters worse , you keep on recycling the same verses over and over again but too scared to address the arguments put forth against the verses.
It appears that you cannot think for yourself , therefore you need to run to the copy paste articles (never mind understanding them) to address the arguments that has been forwarded.
Now you run to joh8:24 which states
told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”
Suddenly Jesus is God because of 'I am'? What a load of bullocks is this? This verse has been answered in joh20:31
But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
So , where does it state that Jesus is God? He is the messiah - yes ...
If the NT never literally state that Jesus is God , highly likely he is not God .... simple as that.
How can 'I am' means Jesus is God? In joh9:9 , the blind man stated of 'I am'
Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
Is the blind man God?
LOL , you are regurgitating joh8:58 again. I repeat my argument , if Jesus meant to state of his pre existence before Abraham he would have stated 'I WAS' instead of 'I AM'. Therefore in this case it is about his existence in God foreknowledge. This context is explained in joh8:56
Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.”
'Son of God' is just a title , not God lah tambi. Can you now show me where in the bible 'son of God' means God? I have asked you so many times yet you failed to provide any evidence of this.
LOL , you mean in joh1:18 - 'Son of God = God the Son'? Let see what the different bible got to say of joh1:18
No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known. (NIV bible)
No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (King James bible)
Which one is right? Even such , 'God' when ascribed to the 'son' means its just a title as we can see with joh10:34-35
34 Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods” ’?
35 If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside—
LOL , why are you regurgitating joh10:30 again? I did ask you for your explanation of the verses perceeding it
27 My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.
28 I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand.
29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand.
Appears that you don't have any understanding of your own bible. That is why you run from one copy paste to another (which I think you do not even understand). I really think you have blind faith. LOL , to think that you claim to have studied in depth ..... podah lah tambi ....
You still have not answered my questions :
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
The Gospels tell us Jesus died in the spring at the time of the Passover. But why did He have to die? To understand, we need to realize why it was Jesus' destiny to enter this chaotic, sin-sick world.
Scholars and theologians, ministers and teachers have long pondered the meaning of the life and death of the teacher from Nazareth. Jesus Christ was born and lived on earth for a little more than three decades. But why did He come? Few realize that ultimately there was no other option—Jesus had to be born!
God's great plan for mankind included the necessity of a savior, a redeemer of mankind. Here are seven reasons, leading up to the greatest of all, that Jesus the Messiah, the very Son of God, had to be born. 1. Jesus had to be born because of mankind's sin. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful environment that supplied their every need. In the Garden of Eden our original human parents found food plentiful, animals tame and a loving teacher—God Himself—accompanying them and teaching them everything they needed to know.
If Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they could have bridged the gap between mortality and immortality; they had access to the tree of life.
They had every advantage, so what went wrong? Adam and Eve did what every other human being has done: They sinned . They disobeyed God.
God gave our original human parents the gift of free choice. He gave them the ability to decide whether they would obey Him, and they missed the mark. God allowed Satan, in the form of a serpent, to attempt to subvert God's will for mankind ([url=]Genesis 3:1-4[/url]). The devil appealed to Eve's vanity, convincing her she could be as God Himself, “knowing good and evil” (verse 5).
Satan, in a blatant lie, told Eve she didn't have to depend on God for anything. Satan posed as the liberator, offering Eve instant gratification. Eve was willingly deceived by this appeal to her vanity, so she ate the forbidden fruit and presented the same fruit to her husband. Adam then also ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (verse 6).
Why did Satan's deception of Adam and Eve mean that Christ had to be born? The Savior had to be born because mankind, after the sin of Adam and Eve, would have been eternally lost—cut off from God—had not Jesus come to earth and allowed Himself to be sacrificed to save mankind from its sins, which began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 2. Jesus had to be born because God wanted to reveal His own character to humanity. God wanted to reveal His righteous character to Adam and Eve and to all of mankind so they could become like Him in mind and spirit.
God created our two original parents in His own image ([url=]Genesis 1:26-27[/url]; 2:7). Accordingly, God instructed them to exercise their free will by urging them to look to Him as the revealer of good and evil. God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to embrace His divine wisdom.
Tragically, Adam and Eve followed the father of lies, Satan, and both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This wrong choice, this rebellion against their Creator, severed their close relationship with Him. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden, cutting off their access to the tree of life, which was symbolic of God's Holy Spirit ([url=]Genesis 3:22-23[/url]).
Why did God's desire to reveal His character to mankind mean Jesus had to be born? Jesus had to be born because Adam and Eve failed to carry out God's mandate to glorify Him in their lives. It was left for the Son of God, thousands of years later, to ultimately fulfill the divine revelation of God's character and purpose for man. 3. Jesus had to be born to remove the sins of humankind through a perfect sacrifice. Noah and the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—offered sacrifices to God. God asked Abraham, the father of the faithful, to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith and obedience. Though God intervened to stop Abraham from actually going through with it, Abraham's willingness to give up his son foreshadowed the role of God the Father, who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” as a sacrifice for our sins ([url=]John 3:16[/url]). Isaac, in offering no resistance, was a forerunner of Jesus, who willingly and obediently offered His life's blood for the sins of the world.
Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth , God revealed through His faithful servant Moses a religious system that included animal sacrifices and offerings. “… Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle … so you shall make it” ([url=]Exodus 25:8-9[/url]).
God instructed His people during this time to set up in the wilderness the tabernacle, the tent that was the forerunner of the temple. God filled the tabernacle with His glory ([url=]Exodus 40:34-35[/url]). God's Spirit in this earthly tent pointed forward to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of Christians.
Why did the need for a perfect sacrifice mean that Jesus had to be born? It was because the earlier, physical sacrifices were imperfect. They could not take away the penalty for sin ([url=]Hebrews 10:4[/url]).
God instructed the Israelites in the need for sacrifice, but they had access only to physical forerunners of the ultimate sacrifice, which would come later in the form of Christ Himself. God instructed His people to participate in the physical rituals of animal sacrifices not because they were sufficient to remove people's sins, but because of the lessons they taught—that sacrifices were necessary because of mankind's sins.
Jesus had to be born because, without the true sacrifice, humanity was doomed. All would die, with no hope beyond the grave. 4. Jesus had to be born for mankind to have a Mediator. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, God replaced the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood with the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Himself. “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” ([url=]Hebrews 8:6[/url]).
But what were the terms of the New Covenant? God explained that “this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (verse 10, quoting [url=]Jeremiah 31:33[/url]).
The law written on the believer's heart under the terms of the New Covenant is the immutable spiritual law of God. Paul wrote that this law, summarized by the Ten Commandments, is “holy, and the commandment holy and just and good … For we know that the law is spiritual …” ([url=]Romans 7:12-14[/url]). This law serves as the basis for the covenant agreement. [url=]Psalms 19:7[/url] tells us that “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”
The understanding that Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind makes it easier for us to comprehend that the ministry of Christ is an administration superior to the Levitical priesthood.
This understanding lets the believer purge his conscience from dead works to serve the living God ([url=]Hebrews 9:14[/url]). Upon acceptance of the terms of the New Covenant, the believer is imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit so God can write His laws on the believer's heart and mind ([url=]Hebrews 8:8[/url]).
Why does the need for a mediator mean Jesus had to be born? It is because the priesthood, staffed by the Levites, as revealed in the Old Testament, was imperfect. It was only a forerunner. Jesus had to be born because the salvation of mankind requires something better. 5. Jesus had to be born to provide the promised Seed of Abraham. God promised Abraham that through his (Abraham's) “seed,” or descendants, all nations of the world would be blessed ([url=]Genesis 22:18[/url]; [url=]Galatians 3:14-16[/url]).
Through faith in God and His name, people of all nations have access to God's mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation with God the Father. God does not show favoritism ([url=]Acts 10:34[/url]). Indeed, His plan of redemption includes all people of all races, of all national and ethnic groups. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” ([url=]Galatians 3:28-29[/url]).
The key word here is heirs . Through Christ, believers become sons of God ([url=]Romans 8:14[/url]). “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ …” (verse 17).
Under the Old Covenant, God chose a physical people, Israel, to set the example for other nations ([url=]Deuteronomy 4:5-8[/url]). Israel, being unconverted and subject to the frailties of humanity, failed. But the Israelites were forerunners of a converted, spiritual Israel, which includes believers of every ethnicity and nationality ([url=]Galatians 3:27-29[/url]; 6:15-16; [url=]Romans 2:28-29[/url]).
Jesus had to be born to provide the promised spiritual fulfillment of the Seed of Israel. Jesus, quite appropriately, was a literal, physical descendant of Abraham. He was Abraham's Seed, through whom all nations of the world would be blessed. 6. Jesus had to be born for God to make His Spirit available to all humankind. Not only did Jesus have to be born, but He had to pay the penalty for our sins through His own death, then be resurrected to ascend to the Father as our High Priest. Only then would humanity at large be able to receive and benefit from the incredible gift of God's Holy Spirit.
“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” ([url=]Acts 2:32-33[/url]).
On the Day of Pentecost, only a few weeks after Jesus died and was resurrected, God poured out His Spirit on the few assembled followers of Jesus. Peter, who was among that early gathering, summarized what we must do to receive the Spirit of God. He powerfully proclaimed, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (verse 38).
Why was Jesus' physical birth essential to His followers' receiving of the Holy Spirit? Because no one is worthy to receive the Holy Spirit, and we must be begotten of God through His Spirit to receive eternal life.
Jesus' death—His ultimate sacrifice—made possible the forgiveness of sins, which in turn enables us to look forward to living and reigning with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Without Jesus' birth, none of this would be possible.
Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in the Garden of Eden: access to a right relationship with God and access to the tree of life. Through the sacrifice of Christ, God has made possible this right relationship with mankind. “As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people'” ([url=]2 Corinthians 6:16[/url]).
God has made it possible for all mankind—every person—to come voluntarily into an intimate relationship with Him. This could not have been possible, in God's great plan, without the birth and subsequent sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. 7. Jesus had to be born for God to redeem mankind. The salvation of mankind was dependent on Jesus coming to earth and living a perfect life, then dying as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world—for every disobedience, by every man and woman who has ever lived, to God's righteous laws.
All of this is another way of saying that Jesus had to be born because He is our Redeemer. God in His infinite mercy foreordained His plan of redemption for sinful mankind through Christ ([url=]1 Peter 1:20[/url]). Jesus was declared to be “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” to redeem humanity ([url=]Revelation 13:8[/url]).
But why does sin require a redeemer? The Bible shows us that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” ([url=]Romans 6:23[/url]), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ([url=]Romans 3:23[/url]). Therefore, all have earned the death penalty for sin. People speak of human “rights,” yet the only real right anyone has earned is the right to eternal death.
But God has made allowance for sinners to be redeemed, or bought back, from the death penalty by a redeemer. Romans 5 calls Jesus “the second Adam,” in contrast to the first, the original man. The first Adam brought sin into the world (verse 12). The second Adam—Jesus Christ—brought redemption, reconciliation and the hope of eternal life (verses 6-10).
Since the wages of sin is death, redemption requires the sacrificial death of the Redeemer. God promised a redeemer God promised a redeemer to Adam and Eve even before He cast them out of the Garden of Eden. After the Creator confronted our first parents with their sins, He spoke to Satan, who appeared in the form of the serpent. He told him, “… I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” ([url=]Genesis 3:15[/url]).
What is the meaning of this prophecy, and what does it have to do with the redemption of humanity?
As Walter Kaiser Jr. writes in his book The Messiah in the Old Testament : “[url=]Genesis 3:15[/url] has commonly been called the protoevangelium (the 'first gospel') because it was the original proclamation of the promise of God's plan for the whole world … The 'seed/offering' mentioned in this verse became the root which the tree of the OT [Old Testament] promise of a Messiah grew. This, then, was the 'mother prophecy' that gave birth to all the rest of the [messianic] promises” (1995, p. 38).
In this great prophecy, “woman” can refer to Eve, the mother of all living, who was present in the garden. “Woman” in prophecy can also symbolize Israel—the physical nation or the spiritual Israel, the Church of God ([url=]Revelation 12:1[/url], 6, 13; compare [url=]Genesis 37:9-10[/url]).
In this particular prophecy, then, we should consider that through the woman Eve, the mother of all living, will come the “woman” Israel. Revelation 12 pictures a child being born of the woman Israel. The nation gives birth to this child through an actual woman. Thus we have here also a picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus: “… A woman … being with child … cried out in labor and in pain to give birth … And the dragon [Satan] stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born” ([url=]Revelation 12:1-4[/url]).
With this background in mind, we can see the prophecy becoming clearer. The Seed of woman (Christ) bruises the head of Satan by eventually nullifying his influence ([url=]Romans 16:20[/url]). In the meantime, however, the devil wages war against Jesus.
Satan attempted to “devour” the woman's child by influencing Herod to order the murder of all male children age 2 and younger in Bethlehem, and Satan eventually instigated Jesus' crucifixion.
However, Satan's scheme backfired, for the death of the Son of God provided mankind with a redeemer. History of redemption Redemption is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. God, in His love and mercy, is long-suffering, not willing that any should ultimately perish ([url=]2 Peter 3:9[/url]). He wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of His truth ([url=]1 Timothy 2:4[/url]).
Because sin results in death—physical and eternal death—and the promised redeemer had not yet been born, God in days of old revealed to Moses a religious system based on animal sacrifices and offerings.
Israel came into God's presence through sacrifices the Levitical priesthood offered at the tabernacle and later the temple. However, these sacrifices could never provide redemption for sins to enable worshipers to receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit ([url=]Hebrews 10:1-4[/url]). They could provide only a temporary ceremonial cleansing that represented the genuine cleansing to come through Christ's sacrifice.
Lacking the heart and mind for true obedience, Israel as a whole neglected its promise to obey God and keep His commandments. Instead, the Israelites gradually placed far more importance on the sacrificial laws and their oral traditions. Obedience from the heart became far less important than physical sacrifice and ritual.
By the time of Jesus' life on earth, the Israelites were placing more emphasis on their own oral tradition than on the law of God. Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? … In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” ([url=]Matthew 15:3-9[/url]).
God gave the ancient Israelites His great, immutable spiritual law. But at the same time He gave them a temporary physical system for worshiping Him. The spiritual law revealed to people the basis for conducting their affairs with God and their fellow man ([url=]Matthew 22:35-40[/url]). The physical system of rituals served mostly to remind them of their sinful nature and the need to be clean and without spot or blemish when they came into God's presence.
This physical dimension was temporary, however, until the promised Redeemer would come and pay the ultimate price for sin ([url=]Hebrews 9:9-12[/url]).
Jesus the Messiah is the promised Redeemer. He had to be born for humanity to be redeemed from sin.
As we noted earlier, Peter summarized what we must do to be redeemed: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” ([url=]Acts 2:38[/url]). Through Christ's blood God forgives our sins, and by Christ we receive the promise of eternal inheritance ([url=]Hebrews 9:12-15[/url]).
Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in Eden—access to the tree of life. Moreover, repentant people have become the temple of the living God.
“As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people” ([url=]2 Corinthians 6:16[/url]). Yes, God has made it possible for all people to enter an intimate relationship with Him—which is why Jesus had to be born.
Truth.8 replied at 31-1-2016 01:07 PM The Gospels tell us Jesus died in the spring at the time of the Passover. But why did He have to die? To understand, we need to realize why it was Jesus' destiny to enter this chaotic, sin-sick world.
Scholars and theologians, ministers and teachers have long pondered the meaning of the life and death of the teacher from Nazareth. Jesus Christ was born and lived on earth for a little more than three decades. But why did He come? Few realize that ultimately there was no other option—Jesus had to be born!
God's great plan for mankind included the necessity of a savior, a redeemer of mankind. Here are seven reasons, leading up to the greatest of all, that Jesus the Messiah, the very Son of God, had to be born. 1. Jesus had to be born because of mankind's sin. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in a beautiful environment that supplied their every need. In the Garden of Eden our original human parents found food plentiful, animals tame and a loving teacher—God Himself—accompanying them and teaching them everything they needed to know.
If Adam and Eve had obeyed God, they could have bridged the gap between mortality and immortality; they had access to the tree of life.
They had every advantage, so what went wrong? Adam and Eve did what every other human being has done: They sinned . They disobeyed God.
God gave our original human parents the gift of free choice. He gave them the ability to decide whether they would obey Him, and they missed the mark. God allowed Satan, in the form of a serpent, to attempt to subvert God's will for mankind ([url=]Genesis 3:1-4[/url]). The devil appealed to Eve's vanity, convincing her she could be as God Himself, “knowing good and evil” (verse 5).
Satan, in a blatant lie, told Eve she didn't have to depend on God for anything. Satan posed as the liberator, offering Eve instant gratification. Eve was willingly deceived by this appeal to her vanity, so she ate the forbidden fruit and presented the same fruit to her husband. Adam then also ate the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (verse 6).
Why did Satan's deception of Adam and Eve mean that Christ had to be born? The Savior had to be born because mankind, after the sin of Adam and Eve, would have been eternally lost—cut off from God—had not Jesus come to earth and allowed Himself to be sacrificed to save mankind from its sins, which began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. 2. Jesus had to be born because God wanted to reveal His own character to humanity. God wanted to reveal His righteous character to Adam and Eve and to all of mankind so they could become like Him in mind and spirit.
God created our two original parents in His own image ([url=]Genesis 1:26-27[/url]; 2:7). Accordingly, God instructed them to exercise their free will by urging them to look to Him as the revealer of good and evil. God gave Adam and Eve the opportunity to embrace His divine wisdom.
Tragically, Adam and Eve followed the father of lies, Satan, and both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This wrong choice, this rebellion against their Creator, severed their close relationship with Him. God cast them out of the Garden of Eden, cutting off their access to the tree of life, which was symbolic of God's Holy Spirit ([url=]Genesis 3:22-23[/url]).
Why did God's desire to reveal His character to mankind mean Jesus had to be born? Jesus had to be born because Adam and Eve failed to carry out God's mandate to glorify Him in their lives. It was left for the Son of God, thousands of years later, to ultimately fulfill the divine revelation of God's character and purpose for man. 3. Jesus had to be born to remove the sins of humankind through a perfect sacrifice. Noah and the patriarchs—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—offered sacrifices to God. God asked Abraham, the father of the faithful, to sacrifice his son Isaac as a test of faith and obedience. Though God intervened to stop Abraham from actually going through with it, Abraham's willingness to give up his son foreshadowed the role of God the Father, who “so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son” as a sacrifice for our sins ([url=]John 3:16[/url]). Isaac, in offering no resistance, was a forerunner of Jesus, who willingly and obediently offered His life's blood for the sins of the world.
Hundreds of years before Jesus' birth , God revealed through His faithful servant Moses a religious system that included animal sacrifices and offerings. “… Let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them. According to all that I show you, that is, the pattern of the tabernacle … so you shall make it” ([url=]Exodus 25:8-9[/url]).
God instructed His people during this time to set up in the wilderness the tabernacle, the tent that was the forerunner of the temple. God filled the tabernacle with His glory ([url=]Exodus 40:34-35[/url]). God's Spirit in this earthly tent pointed forward to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the minds and hearts of Christians.
Why did the need for a perfect sacrifice mean that Jesus had to be born? It was because the earlier, physical sacrifices were imperfect. They could not take away the penalty for sin ([url=]Hebrews 10:4[/url]).
God instructed the Israelites in the need for sacrifice, but they had access only to physical forerunners of the ultimate sacrifice, which would come later in the form of Christ Himself. God instructed His people to participate in the physical rituals of animal sacrifices not because they were sufficient to remove people's sins, but because of the lessons they taught—that sacrifices were necessary because of mankind's sins.
Jesus had to be born because, without the true sacrifice, humanity was doomed. All would die, with no hope beyond the grave. 4. Jesus had to be born for mankind to have a Mediator. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. Under the New Covenant, God replaced the sacrifices of the Levitical priesthood with the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Himself. “But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises” ([url=]Hebrews 8:6[/url]).
But what were the terms of the New Covenant? God explained that “this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord:
I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (verse 10, quoting [url=]Jeremiah 31:33[/url]).
The law written on the believer's heart under the terms of the New Covenant is the immutable spiritual law of God. Paul wrote that this law, summarized by the Ten Commandments, is “holy, and the commandment holy and just and good … For we know that the law is spiritual …” ([url=]Romans 7:12-14[/url]). This law serves as the basis for the covenant agreement. [url=]Psalms 19:7[/url] tells us that “the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.”
The understanding that Jesus is the mediator between God and mankind makes it easier for us to comprehend that the ministry of Christ is an administration superior to the Levitical priesthood.
This understanding lets the believer purge his conscience from dead works to serve the living God ([url=]Hebrews 9:14[/url]). Upon acceptance of the terms of the New Covenant, the believer is imbued with the power of the Holy Spirit so God can write His laws on the believer's heart and mind ([url=]Hebrews 8:8[/url]).
Why does the need for a mediator mean Jesus had to be born? It is because the priesthood, staffed by the Levites, as revealed in the Old Testament, was imperfect. It was only a forerunner. Jesus had to be born because the salvation of mankind requires something better. 5. Jesus had to be born to provide the promised Seed of Abraham. God promised Abraham that through his (Abraham's) “seed,” or descendants, all nations of the world would be blessed ([url=]Genesis 22:18[/url]; [url=]Galatians 3:14-16[/url]).
Through faith in God and His name, people of all nations have access to God's mercy, forgiveness and reconciliation with God the Father. God does not show favoritism ([url=]Acts 10:34[/url]). Indeed, His plan of redemption includes all people of all races, of all national and ethnic groups. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise” ([url=]Galatians 3:28-29[/url]).
The key word here is heirs . Through Christ, believers become sons of God ([url=]Romans 8:14[/url]). “And if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ …” (verse 17).
Under the Old Covenant, God chose a physical people, Israel, to set the example for other nations ([url=]Deuteronomy 4:5-8[/url]). Israel, being unconverted and subject to the frailties of humanity, failed. But the Israelites were forerunners of a converted, spiritual Israel, which includes believers of every ethnicity and nationality ([url=]Galatians 3:27-29[/url]; 6:15-16; [url=]Romans 2:28-29[/url]).
Jesus had to be born to provide the promised spiritual fulfillment of the Seed of Israel. Jesus, quite appropriately, was a literal, physical descendant of Abraham. He was Abraham's Seed, through whom all nations of the world would be blessed. 6. Jesus had to be born for God to make His Spirit available to all humankind. Not only did Jesus have to be born, but He had to pay the penalty for our sins through His own death, then be resurrected to ascend to the Father as our High Priest. Only then would humanity at large be able to receive and benefit from the incredible gift of God's Holy Spirit.
“This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” ([url=]Acts 2:32-33[/url]).
On the Day of Pentecost, only a few weeks after Jesus died and was resurrected, God poured out His Spirit on the few assembled followers of Jesus. Peter, who was among that early gathering, summarized what we must do to receive the Spirit of God. He powerfully proclaimed, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (verse 38).
Why was Jesus' physical birth essential to His followers' receiving of the Holy Spirit? Because no one is worthy to receive the Holy Spirit, and we must be begotten of God through His Spirit to receive eternal life.
Jesus' death—His ultimate sacrifice—made possible the forgiveness of sins, which in turn enables us to look forward to living and reigning with Christ in the Kingdom of God. Without Jesus' birth, none of this would be possible.
Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in the Garden of Eden: access to a right relationship with God and access to the tree of life. Through the sacrifice of Christ, God has made possible this right relationship with mankind. “As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people'” ([url=]2 Corinthians 6:16[/url]).
God has made it possible for all mankind—every person—to come voluntarily into an intimate relationship with Him. This could not have been possible, in God's great plan, without the birth and subsequent sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ. 7. Jesus had to be born for God to redeem mankind. The salvation of mankind was dependent on Jesus coming to earth and living a perfect life, then dying as the perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world—for every disobedience, by every man and woman who has ever lived, to God's righteous laws.
All of this is another way of saying that Jesus had to be born because He is our Redeemer. God in His infinite mercy foreordained His plan of redemption for sinful mankind through Christ ([url=]1 Peter 1:20[/url]). Jesus was declared to be “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” to redeem humanity ([url=]Revelation 13:8[/url]).
But why does sin require a redeemer? The Bible shows us that “the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” ([url=]Romans 6:23[/url]), and “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” ([url=]Romans 3:23[/url]). Therefore, all have earned the death penalty for sin. People speak of human “rights,” yet the only real right anyone has earned is the right to eternal death.
But God has made allowance for sinners to be redeemed, or bought back, from the death penalty by a redeemer. Romans 5 calls Jesus “the second Adam,” in contrast to the first, the original man. The first Adam brought sin into the world (verse 12). The second Adam—Jesus Christ—brought redemption, reconciliation and the hope of eternal life (verses 6-10).
Since the wages of sin is death, redemption requires the sacrificial death of the Redeemer. God promised a redeemer God promised a redeemer to Adam and Eve even before He cast them out of the Garden of Eden. After the Creator confronted our first parents with their sins, He spoke to Satan, who appeared in the form of the serpent. He told him, “… I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” ([url=]Genesis 3:15[/url]).
What is the meaning of this prophecy, and what does it have to do with the redemption of humanity?
As Walter Kaiser Jr. writes in his book The Messiah in the Old Testament : “[url=]Genesis 3:15[/url] has commonly been called the protoevangelium (the 'first gospel') because it was the original proclamation of the promise of God's plan for the whole world … The 'seed/offering' mentioned in this verse became the root which the tree of the OT [Old Testament] promise of a Messiah grew. This, then, was the 'mother prophecy' that gave birth to all the rest of the [messianic] promises” (1995, p. 38).
In this great prophecy, “woman” can refer to Eve, the mother of all living, who was present in the garden. “Woman” in prophecy can also symbolize Israel—the physical nation or the spiritual Israel, the Church of God ([url=]Revelation 12:1[/url], 6, 13; compare [url=]Genesis 37:9-10[/url]).
In this particular prophecy, then, we should consider that through the woman Eve, the mother of all living, will come the “woman” Israel. Revelation 12 pictures a child being born of the woman Israel. The nation gives birth to this child through an actual woman. Thus we have here also a picture of Mary, the mother of Jesus: “… A woman … being with child … cried out in labor and in pain to give birth … And the dragon [Satan] stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born” ([url=]Revelation 12:1-4[/url]).
With this background in mind, we can see the prophecy becoming clearer. The Seed of woman (Christ) bruises the head of Satan by eventually nullifying his influence ([url=]Romans 16:20[/url]). In the meantime, however, the devil wages war against Jesus.
Satan attempted to “devour” the woman's child by influencing Herod to order the murder of all male children age 2 and younger in Bethlehem, and Satan eventually instigated Jesus' crucifixion.
However, Satan's scheme backfired, for the death of the Son of God provided mankind with a redeemer. History of redemption Redemption is a prominent theme throughout the Bible. God, in His love and mercy, is long-suffering, not willing that any should ultimately perish ([url=]2 Peter 3:9[/url]). He wants everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of His truth ([url=]1 Timothy 2:4[/url]).
Because sin results in death—physical and eternal death—and the promised redeemer had not yet been born, God in days of old revealed to Moses a religious system based on animal sacrifices and offerings.
Israel came into God's presence through sacrifices the Levitical priesthood offered at the tabernacle and later the temple. However, these sacrifices could never provide redemption for sins to enable worshipers to receive forgiveness and the Holy Spirit ([url=]Hebrews 10:1-4[/url]). They could provide only a temporary ceremonial cleansing that represented the genuine cleansing to come through Christ's sacrifice.
Lacking the heart and mind for true obedience, Israel as a whole neglected its promise to obey God and keep His commandments. Instead, the Israelites gradually placed far more importance on the sacrificial laws and their oral traditions. Obedience from the heart became far less important than physical sacrifice and ritual.
By the time of Jesus' life on earth, the Israelites were placing more emphasis on their own oral tradition than on the law of God. Jesus asked the Pharisees, “Why do you also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? … In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” ([url=]Matthew 15:3-9[/url]).
God gave the ancient Israelites His great, immutable spiritual law. But at the same time He gave them a temporary physical system for worshiping Him. The spiritual law revealed to people the basis for conducting their affairs with God and their fellow man ([url=]Matthew 22:35-40[/url]). The physical system of rituals served mostly to remind them of their sinful nature and the need to be clean and without spot or blemish when they came into God's presence.
This physical dimension was temporary, however, until the promised Redeemer would come and pay the ultimate price for sin ([url=]Hebrews 9:9-12[/url]).
Jesus the Messiah is the promised Redeemer. He had to be born for humanity to be redeemed from sin.
As we noted earlier, Peter summarized what we must do to be redeemed: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” ([url=]Acts 2:38[/url]). Through Christ's blood God forgives our sins, and by Christ we receive the promise of eternal inheritance ([url=]Hebrews 9:12-15[/url]).
Through Christ, God has restored that which was lost in Eden—access to the tree of life. Moreover, repentant people have become the temple of the living God.
“As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people” ([url=]2 Corinthians 6:16[/url]). Yes, God has made it possible for all people to enter an intimate relationship with Him—which is why Jesus had to be born.
Ha ha , you are running around in circles chasing your backside lah tambi. This what happen when a person like you ascribe to blind faith. You do not even know your bible.
Why did Jesus had to die? Can you show me the exact verses of your bible that stated Jesus died on the cross? Oops , I am sure you will run away again (as usual) because you actually have blind faith.
1. Jesus had to be born because of mankind sins? I will qualify your statement. Jesus was born with the purpose of being a messiah to the Israelites leading them back to God. There is no such thing of mankind inheriting the sins of Adam and Eve. This is because one person cannot inherit the sins of another per eze18:20
The one who sins is the one who will die. The child will not share the guilt of the parent, nor will the parent share the guilt of the child. The righteousness of the righteous will be credited to them, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against them.
Where do you come to understand that mankind inherit the sins of Adam and Eve?
2. God wanted to reveal his character to humans? For what? Issit not enough that God has messengers and prophets that he sent to guide mankind. It is an admission that all the messengers / prophets he sent failed him therefore he needs to get things done himself. This is so silly
3. Jesus to be born to remove the sins of humans via a perfect sacrifice? Uh oh , now you are attesting that you are in support of human sacrifice. Human sacrifice is a pagan concept that a human needs to be killed and be presented to some pagan god(s). God in the bible has already stated that he is sick of sacrifice , horsea6:6
For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.
All you need to do is to repent.
4. Jesus need to be born for mankind to have a mediator. For what? Why can't you pray directly to God. The Lord's Prayer in mat6:9-13 state so
9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,[a] but deliver us from the evil one.’
Why the need for a mediator as you pray directly to God?
5. Jesus had to be born to provide the promised seed of Abraham. Ha ha , what rubbish is this? You admitted that Jesus was born without a father , in fact you argued that Jesus was born with the coupling of the Holy Spirit and Mary. So where does this 'seed of Abraham' comes from? Your wet dreams? LOL , your arguments are getting from bizarre to crazy.
6. Jesus had to be born for God to make his spirit available to all humankind. Don't think so. Mary per your argument was impregnated by the holy spirit. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit in luk1:41. The holy spirit was already floating and gliding around even before Jesus was born.
7. Jesus had to be born for God to redeem mankind. Nope , Jesus was born to be the messiah for the Israelites. Dying for your sins is not in his jobscope per joh17:3-4
3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.
Jesus admitted to have finished the work God gave him. This means dying for your sins was never in his job description nor function.
LOL , nowhere in the bible Jesus admitted to come to die for your sins in order to redeem mankind of the so called 'original sin'. This is is a grotesque doctrine of human sacrifice usually practiced by some pagan religion to please their God(s). This is again evidence of your blind faith.
You still have not answered my questions :
(1) If Jesus is God , how can God die?
(2) What kind of God can die?
(3) Just how is it that one person's death can absolve all others of their sins? This does not make sense.
(4) Authority to judge is given to Jesus by God. How can a God receive authority from another God? Are you admitting that Jesus is a lesser God?
Jesus claimed to be the Son of God The Bible makes the direct claim that Jesus is the Son of God.1 Many others, including the disciples,2 a Roman Centurion,3 angels,4 demons5, John the Baptist,6 Martha,7 Saul (Paul),8 and the Ethiopian Eunich9 make the same claim. Others said that Jesus Himself made the claim to be the Son of God.10 The gospel accounts also indicate that Jesus Himself made the statement or acknowledged that He was the Son of God many times.11
The title Son of God, does not denote second class status. No other prophet ever called himself the Son of God. The Jewish leaders of the time knew exactly what this title implied - that Jesus was claiming to be God Himself:
For this cause therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God. (John 5:18)
Claiming to be the Son of God also conferred the title of Messiah or the anointed One. Psalm 2 talks about the Messiah (mashiach), whom it says is God's Son.12 This great messianic Psalm warns the reader to do homage to the Son and take refuge in Him,13 since He will rule the nations and judge the earth.14 The Sibylline Oracles make it clear that the Son of God is God Himself:
Know him as your God, who is the Son of God. Sibylline Oracles (Lactantins p. 10 s.)
Jesus claimed to be the Messiah (the Christ) The Bible says that Jesus is the Christ, or Messiah - the anointed One of God. Jesus Himself made the claim or acknowledged that He was the Messiah.15 The title is especially significant with regard to the question at hand - is Jesus God? The Old Testament tells us that the Messiah is God and the eternal Father:
For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Other prophecies of the Old Testament tell us that the Messiah would be God:
"The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)
The title, "The LORD Our Righteousness" indicates that the Messiah is God. The Hebrew word translated "LORD" is yhvh (Yahweh), which is the personal name of God. Jesus claimed to have the attributes of God Jesus claimed to have many of the attributes that God alone possesses. Jesus claimed to have sent the prophets:
"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, (Matthew 23:34)
However, the Old Testament indicates that God sent the prophets.16 Therefore, Jesus was claiming the authority that was previously reserved only for God.
Jesus claimed that His origins are from heaven, whereas men are from the world:
"And no one has ascended into heaven, but He who descended from heaven, even the Son of Man. (John 3:13)
And He was saying to them, "You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. (John 8:23)
Not only did Jesus claim to come from heaven, but He said that it was "my kingdom" Isn't heaven God's kingdom?
that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (Luke 22:30)
Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting, that I might not be delivered up to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm." (John 18:36)
Jesus claimed to have existed before He was born in Bethlehem:
"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:58-59)
The claim included the term "I am" - a reference God made of Himself when talking to Moses.17 The Jews immediately recognized that Jesus was claiming to be God and attempted to stone Him.
Jesus also claimed to have existed "before the world began":
"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." (John 17:5)
This statement is an obvious claim to deity. Not only did Jesus claim to exist before the creation of the universe, but He claimed to share the glory of God! Jesus also claimed that He had "all authority... in heaven and on earth" and that everything of God was His.18
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (Matthew 28:18)
Jesus claimed to be the supreme judge who will exercise all judgment.19 However, there are at least 50 verses in the Bible that claim that Jehovah God will judge the earth (seeWho Will Judge Mankind?). Jesus claimed to be the one to separate the "sheep from the goats".20 However, the book of Ezekiel says that Jehovah God will do this.21 Jesus claimed to be the resurrection and the life.22 He said that He would personally raise everyone from the dead.23 These are all attributes of God.
Jesus claimed to be Lord of the Sabbath,24 although the Bible indicates that God held such title.25
Jesus claimed the ability to forgive sins.26 Even the Jews recognized that this was a function of God alone.27
Jesus claimed that He would return in the clouds in glory.28 Isaiah makes the same claim for Jehovah God.29 Obviously, Jesus was making a claim to deity.
Jesus claimed to be the light of the world who provides salvation.30 In the Psalms, David tells us that Jehovah God is our light and salvation.31 Jesus also claimed to be the way to life32 - an assertion that is made for God.33 Jesus said that He was the one who searched the hearts and minds,34 gives eternal life,35 and rewards those who follow Him.36 All of these characteristics are found only in God.37, 38, 39
Jesus said He was the good shepherd,40 who searches for His sheep.41 These are claims made of God in the Old Testament.42, 43 Jesus claimed to be the fountain of living water.44 This is a clear reference to what God said of Himself as recorded by the prophet Jeremiah.45 Jesus said He would give rest to those who found Him.46 The same claim is made of God in the book of Exodus.47
Jesus claimed to send the Holy Spirit (Helper).48 The same claim is made for God.49 Jesus said that He raised Himself from the dead,50 even though the Bible says that God did it.51 Among Jesus' parting words, He told His disciples to baptize new followers in "the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit."
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)
It should be noted that the other two names (Father and Holy Spirit) are names for God. In fact, the text says specifically that they should be baptized in the name (singular), not names, of the three persons mentioned. In order to be one name, they must all represent God. Jesus claimed that His disciples would be unable to do anything of significance without His power. Such a statement is a clear claim of divine power.
"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. (John 15:5)
More information about how Jesus embodied the characteristics of God can be found at The Son, Jesus Christ, is God. Jesus accepted the title of God Not only did Jesus claim the attributes of God, but He even accepted the title "God." Thomas, the ever-skeptical disciple, was unconvinced that Jesus had risen from the dead and wanted to see direct proof. However, when the Lord Jesus appeared to him, his only reaction was "My Lord and my God!"
Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him, "Because you have seen Me, have you believed? Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed." (John 20:28-29)
What was Jesus' reaction to the title of God? Did Jesus rebuke him for calling Him "God"? No! In fact, Jesus praised Thomas for his belief. And the belief that Thomas exhibited was that Jesus was Lord and God. If Jesus were not God, accepting such a statement for truth would be a grievous sin. Either Jesus is God or He would have to be a sinner! Jesus claimed to be God Some skeptics say that Jesus and God were "one in purpose." However, this is a rather weak claim. Every disciple of Jesus Christ has the goal of being "one in purpose" with God the Father. Even so, Jesus never used the word "purpose" in His claims of oneness with God.
"I and the Father are one." The Jews took up stones again to stone Him. Jesus answered them, "I showed you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?" The Jews answered Him, "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God." (John 10:30-33)
Obviously, the Jews did not think that this claim of being one with the Father referred to purpose. They knew that He was claiming equality with God, which is why they tried to stone Him. In addition, Jesus said outright that He was Lord52 and claimed to be the first and the last,53 an obvious trait reserved for God alone.54 Jesus accepted worship reserved for God alone Some of the most significant statements Jesus made regarding His deity actually involve an argument from silence - what Jesus did not say. In no less than 12 instances, Jesus was worshipped by various people - the wise men,55 the disciples,56 a leper,57 a synagogue official,58 a woman of Canaan,59 Mother of Zebedee's children,60 a blind man,61 angels,62 and everybody in heaven.63 The Bible clearly indicates that God alone is to be worshipped.64 Even Jesus proclaimed this to Satan, when he tempted Him and demanded that He worship him.65 Some skeptics claim that the people who worshipped Jesus did so improperly. There are a number of examples where people attempted to worship the disciples66 or angels67 and were warned not to do so by the parties being worshipped, since the Bible clearly indicates that angels are not to be worshipped.68 The problem arises that Jesus never told anyone to stop worshipping Him. If Jesus were not God, to say nothing in the face of worship would be a huge sin. So, if Jesus is not God, then He sinned in allowing others to worship Him. If He sinned, then Jesus could not even be the Savior, since the Savior must be without spot or blemish. Non-biblical sources Besides the writings of the Bible, the writings of the early Christian leaders clearly state that Jesus was regarded as being God by the second century. In the earliest extra-canonical Christian book, the Didache, which scholars agree was written no later than the late 100s, the word "Lord" (Greek Kyrios) was used by the Greeks to designate divinity. In addition, Justin Martyr, a second-century church father, baptized new believers in the name of the triune God - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - acknowledging the equality of the three distinct persons of the Trinity.
Among secular sources, the letter from Plinythe Younger, governor of Pontus/Bithynia from 111-113 A.D. to Emperor Trajan stand out. In this letter, Pliny talks about the early Christian church, their worship of Christ, and how he persecuted,tortured, and murdered them:
"They asserted, however, that the sum and substance of their fault or error had been that they were accustomed to meet on a fixed day before dawn and sing responsively a hymn to Christ as to a god, and to bind themselves by oath, not to some crime, but not to commit fraud, theft, or adultery, not falsify their trust, nor to refuse to return a trust when called upon to do so."69
This example shows quite clearly that even the Romans knew that Jesus was being worshipped and wanted to "check and cure" "the contagion of this superstition" that had "spread not only to the cities but also to the villages and farms."70
Another source indicating that Jesus was worshipped as God before the fourth century was discovered in Megiddo, Israel. A third century Christian church was found with a tile floor inlaid with an inscription that was a tribute to Jesus, "Akeptous, the God-loving, offered this table for (the) god Jesus Christ, as a remembrance." So, it is obvious that early Christians considered Jesus to be God (see Early (3rd Century A.D.) Christian Church at Megiddo, Israel for more information). More information about the secular evidence for the divinity of Jesus can be found at Jesus Christ as God and the Trinity Was Not Invented Until the Fourth Century? Jesus is God So, we can see that Jesus and others made numerous claims that He was God in human flesh. However, making the claim in itself does not automatically make a person God. Many crazy people have claimed to have been God. Let's examine the evidence that, in fact, Jesus is God. Teachings of Jesus I did not read the Bible at all until I was 32 years old. If you grew up in the church or were exposed to the Bible when young, it probably seems rather mundane and ordinary. However, as one who never read the gospels at all, I was struck by the amazing words of Jesus in the gospels. The religious hypocrites of Jesus' time were constantly trying to trap him with "impossible" to answer questions. However, His words were always strikingly effective at shutting their mouths and exposing their hypocrisy. In fact, the words of Jesus were instrumental in convincing me that Jesus was God at the age of 33. For more information, please see Nothing Unique About the Teachings of Jesus Christ?
Post time 22-1-2016 06:23 PM
Author
