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#Post#: 69--------------------------------------------------
Is Jesus God OR A Man Sent By God( Part 1)
DIR By: Captshittu
Date: August 11, 2017, 7:28 pm
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IS JESUS GOD OR SENT BY GOD? (PART 1 OF 2)
Description: The first of a two-part article discussing the true
role of Jesus. Part 1: Discusses whether Jesus called himself
God, Jesus referred to as Lord and the nature of Jesus.
Jesus is a figure who is loved and revered by billions of people
the world over. Yet there is so much confusion surrounding the
status of this colossal personality. Muslims and Christians
both hold Jesus in high regard but view him in very different
ways.
The questions raised in this article aim to get to the heart of
the issues surrounding Jesus: Is Jesus God? Or was he sent by
God? Who was the real historical Jesus?
Some ambiguous verses of the Bible can be applied erroneously to
show that Jesus is in some way divine. But if we look at the
clear, direct verses of the Bible, we see again and again that
Jesus is being referred to as an extraordinary human being and
nothing more. What emerges, when we consider the historical and
logical facts about Jesus’ life, is conclusive proof not only
that Jesus cannot be God, but that he never claimed to be
either.
What follows are five lines of reasoning which clarify this
subject for us through the Bible itself and thereby allow us to
discover the real Jesus.
1. Jesus Never Calls Himself God
The Bible (in spite of being changed and adulterated over time)
contains many verses in which Jesus speaks of God as a separate
person to himself. Here are just a few of them:
When a man addressed Jesus as “Good Teacher”, he replied "Why do
you call me good? No one is good except the one God.’’ [Mark
10:18]
In another instance he says: "I can’t do anything by myself.
Whatever I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just. I don’t seek
my own will but the will of the one who sent me.” [John 5:30]
Jesus speaks of God as a separate being to himself: I’m going up
to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God. [John
20:17]
In this verse he affirms that he was sent by God: This is
eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom you sent. [John 17:3]
If Jesus was God he would have told people to worship him, but
he did the opposite and disapproved anyone worshipping him: And
in vain they worship Me [Matthew 15:9]
If Jesus claimed to be God than there should be hundreds of
verses in the Bible which would have mentioned it. But there is
not a single verse in the entire Bible in which Jesus says I am
God, worship me.
2. Jesus as Son and Lord?
Jesus is sometimes referred to as ‘Lord’ in the Bible and at
other times as ‘Son of God’. God is called the ‘Father’, so
putting these names together it could be claimed that Jesus is
the son of God. But if we look at each of these titles in
context we will find that they are symbolic and not to be taken
literally.
‘Son of God’ is a term used in ancient Hebrew for a righteous
person. God calls Israel his ‘son’: This is what the LORD says:
Israel is my oldest son.[Exodus 4:22]. Also, David is called
the ‘Son of God’: The LORD has said to Me, ‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.’ [Psalm 2:7]. In fact anyone who is
righteous is referred to as God’s ‘son’: All who are led by
God’s Spirit are God’s sons and daughters. [Romans 8:14].
In the same way, when the word ‘Father’ is used to refer to God
it shouldn’t be taken literally. Instead it’s a way of saying
God is the creator, sustainer, cherisher etc. There are many
verses for us to understand this symbolic meaning of the word
‘Father’, for example: one God and Father of all. [Ephesians
4:6].
Jesus is sometimes called ‘Lord’ by the disciples. ‘Lord’ is a
term used for God and also for people who are held in high
esteem. There are many examples of the word ‘Lord’ being used
for people in the Bible: So they (Joseph’s brothers) went up to
Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house.
“We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said. [Genesis 43:19-20].
Also, in other parts of the Bible, Jesus is even called a
‘servant’ of God by the disciples: the God of our fathers, has
glorified his servant Jesus. [Acts 3:13]. This clearly shows
that when ‘Lord’ is used to refer to Jesus, it is a title of
respect not of divinity.
3. The Nature of Jesus
The nature of Jesus was totally different to that of God. There
are many parts of the Bible that highlight this difference in
nature:
God is All-Knowing but Jesus by his own admission was not
All-Knowing. This can be seen in the following passage when
Jesus says "But nobody knows when that day or hour will come,
not the heavenly angels and not the Son. Only the Father knows.”
[Matthew 24:36]
God is independent and he doesn’t need sleep, food or water.
Jesus however ate, drank, slept and depended on God: As the
living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father. [John
6:57]. Another sign of Jesus’ dependence on God is that he
prayed to God: Going a little farther, he (Jesus) fell with his
face to the ground and prayed [Matthew 26:39]. This shows that
Jesus himself sought help from God. God, being the one who
answers prayers does not need to pray to anyone. Also, Jesus
said: I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater
than me. [John 14:28].
The Bible is clear that God is unseen and is not a man: "for no
one may see me and live. [Exodus 33:20], God is not a man
[Numbers 23:19]". Jesus on the other hand was a man who was seen
by thousands of people, so he could not be God. Furthermore, the
Bible makes it clear that God is too great to be inside his
creation: But how could God possibly live on earth with people?
If heaven, even the highest heaven, can’t contain you [2
Chronicles 6:18]. According to this verse Jesus cannot be God
living on the earth.
Also the Bible calls Jesus a Prophet [Matthew 21:10-11], so how
could Jesus be God and be God’s Prophet at the same time? That
wouldn’t make sense.
Additionally the Bible informs us that God does not change: I
the Lord do not change. [Malachi 3:6:]. Jesus however went
through many changes in his life such as age, height, weight
etc.
These are just some of the *proofs* within the Bible, which make
it clear that the nature of Jesus and God is completely
different. Some people may claim that Jesus had both a human
and a divine nature. This is a claim that Jesus never made, and
is in clear contradiction to the Bible which maintains that God
has one nature.
HTML http://www.islamreligion.com/articles/5232/is-jesus-god-or-sent-by-god-part-1/
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