The Deity of Christ

[jmwhalen]

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST IS GOD-The

[jmwhalen]

VERY nice post, John "friend of Wayne" Whalen.

Very nice, indeed.

___

Thanks brother Wayne. Too bad that overrated Aw-bern "University"(loosely used here, of course) has not been able to "post" many victories, "indeed", as they have been "blown" away, and are "sinking" in the "sea" of mediocrity. Oh, well, perhaps miracles will happen, and they will "walk on water."!

In Christ,

John "I don't always agree with him, but, I must admit, he has a certain charm in stating the obvious" Whalen

[Guest shiloh357]

As you know the word is

[Botz]

Hi Mike...if you consider what it is that actually sets G-d apart and defines Him as G-d, I think the same gradual process of revelation that dawned on the disciples will dawn on you. Here's praying. Botz

Let's look at what the Disciples said

Matthew 8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! (Would they marvel if God calmed the sea?)

Matthew 16:13-17. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. (The Christ, not God, Christ told Peter he was correct)

Matthew 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (No difference between how they would honor God, then how they would honor Moses and Elias)

Matthew 21:20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! (Would they marvel that God could do this?)

Mark 6:49-51 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. (Same as Matt.21:20)

Mark 8:23-25 23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (Would God need two attempts to heal?)

Luke 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people (A prophet not God)

Hi again Mike...thanks for your response.

I think you missed the point I was trying to make(sometimes I could be clearer...you know the feeling, its in your heart, but you cannot adequately express what you are trying to get out)....

What is it about G-d, that sets Him so far apart from anyone or anything, that there can be absolutely no doubts that He alone is G-d, and that He is incomparable? (notice I am not using any Scriptural references. )

[Guest shiloh357]

Let's look at what the Disciples said

Matthew 8:27 But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him! (Would they marvel if God calmed the sea?)

Matthew 21:20 And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away! (Would they marvel that God could do this?)

Mark 6:49-51 But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered. (Same as Matt.21:20)

Mike what you are failing to see, is that who Jesus was, became a progressive revelation to the disciples. The calming of the sea occurred BEFORE Peter declared Jesus to be the Son of God (which in Hebrew means that Jesus was equal to God and thus God). Early on in Jesus' ministry, the disciples did not have it as clear in their heads who Jesus was, but as time progressed, Peter and evidently, his fellow disciples also, recognized Jesus as God. In Matthew 16, Jesus affirmed Peter's declaration that He was both the Messiah and God. You are not very familiar with Hebraic customas as I am, and so it flies totally under your radar that "Son of God" means "fully God, fully Divne." Part of the problem is the lack of precision in English. Hebrew is a far more precise language and Hebrew cutlure contains concepts that don't translate well into English.

Matthew 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. (No difference between how they would honor God, then how they would honor Moses and Elias)

Yes, but the Bible also shows that Peter was corrected for making that assertion. Peter was caught up in the moment, having witnessed what would be the greatest experience of his lifetime.

After Peter, made that statement, a voice came out of heaven saying "this is my beloved Son (the Father's declaration of Jesus' deity) hear ye Him." The Heavenly Father declared the supremacy of Jesus over the law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah). So despite Peter's misguided suggestion, even from the Father Himself, Jesus is declared to be God.

Mark 8:23-25 23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought. And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking. After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly. (Would God need two attempts to heal?)

You are assigning a value to the story that is not there. You are assuming that Jesus failed the first time and had to try again. Everything Jesus taught was a lesson. Jesus purposely healed the man as He did.

Luke 24:19 And he said unto them, What things? And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people (A prophet not God)

That is how they viewed Jesus. Not everyone, only his closest disciples truly understood who and what He was. To the majority, He was a prophet. In fact, Jesus operated in the office of a prophet, just as now He is operating in the role of our High Priest. Jesus was more than a prophet, but condescended to operate in that office while on earth.

To claim that Jesus is not God, would leave the onus on you as to explain the mechanics of salvation. Apart from His deity, Christianity does not exist.

Christianity is predicated on the deity of Jesus. Jesus claimed to be God, He did things only God can do, and He did them in His own authority. Without Jesus' deity, He is just another member of the pantheon of religious leaders of the world. It is the deity of Jesus and His unique claims about Himself that set Him apart from Buddha or Mohammed. A rejection of Christ's deity precludes one from being a true believer, or a true Christian. Christianity has, as one of its essential, defining elements, the deity of Jesus. That cannot be compromised or discarded. No one cannot be reject the deity of Jesus, but still demand to be accepted as a Christian. It doesn't work that way.

[Guest shiloh357]

Virgin birth

Was Christ accepted as the Messiah by some Jews?

Yes

Didn

[Guest shiloh357]

We are to believe in Christ, who He is

But Jesus says He is the offspring of David in Revelation, but you don't believe Him.

Nowhere is it stated we are to believe He is God, I have point out 1 Corh. 15 where Paul says this is the gospel on which you are saved, nowhere is Christ deity mentioned .

Like I said, every reference to Jesus as the Son of God, which He affirmed, is a reference to His Deity. The Deity of Jesus is all over the NT and despite your assertions to the contrary, even the apostle Paul affirms Jesus' deity.

The problem is that you don't believe what you read. You read what you believe. You may read the entire NT, but you have trained your eyes to only see what you are willing to see.

I believe in Christ I believe in God ,

If that were true, you would believe what they say.

If believing Christ was not God means I am not a Christian , so be it .

Would you rather die in your sins than to believe that Jesus is God?

[BlindSeeker]

Explain to me why Christ had to be divine to die for our sin.

Can you explain how the death of one man can atone for the sins of all humanity?

[Guest shiloh357]

Salvation is based on accepting Christ

[jmwhalen]

(bold/underline my emphasis)