Okay,
I believe Jesus to be God in the flesh. Note in the flesh - meaning He would experience pain, suffering (he bleed), temptation- basically having the characteristics of man and being confined to our world- and he would have to endure just as we do.
Obviously, this is apart from the being we think of as God b/c he is not confined to our world, etc... What I don't understand though is why people have the misconception that God is a person, He is a Being. Lets look at John 1-14:
In the beginning. This expression is used also in
Gen 1:
1. To that place John evidently has allusion here, and means to apply to "the Word" an expression which is there applied
to God. In both places it clearly means "before creation," "before the world was made," "when as yet there was nothing." The meaning is, that the
Word had an existence before the world was created. This is not spoken of the
man Jesus, but of that which
became a man, or was incarnate,
Jn 1:
14. The Hebrews, by expressions like this, commonly denoted eternity. Thus the eternity of God is described (
Ps 902):
Before the mountains were brought forth, &c.; and eternity is commonly expressed by the phrase,
before the foundation of the world. Whatever is meant by the term "Word," it is clear that it had an existence before
creations. It is not, then, a
creature or created being, and must be, therefore, uncreated and eternal. There is but
one Being that is uncreated, and Jesus must be therefore divine. Compare the Saviour's own declarations respecting himself in the following places:
Jn 8:
58,
Jn 17:
5,
Jn 6:
62,
Jn 3:
13 6:46 8:14 16:28.
Was the Word. Greek, "was the
Logos." This name is given to him who afterward became
flesh, or was incarnate (
Jn 1:
14) -- that is, to the Messiah. Whatever is meant by it, therefore, is applicable to the Lord Jesus Christ. There have been many opinions about the reason why this name was given to the Son of God. Those opinions it is unnecessary to repeat. The opinion which seems most plausible may be expressed as follows:
1st. A
word is that by which we communicate our will; by which we convey our thoughts;
2nd. The Son of God may be called "the Word," because he is the medium by which God promulgates his will and issues his commandments. See
Heb 1:
1ff.
3rd. This term was in use before the time of John.
(a) It was used in the Chaldee translation of the Old Testament, as, e.g.,
Isa 45:
12: "I have made the earth, and created man upon it." In the Chaldee it is, "I,
by my word, have made," &c.
Isa 48:
13: "Mine hand also hath laid the foundation of the earth." In the Chaldee, "
By my word I have founded the earth." And so in many other places.
(b) This term was used by the Jews as applicable to the Messiah. In their writings he was commonly known by the term "Mimra " -- that is, "Word;" and no small part of the interpositions of God in defence of the Jewish nation were declared to be by "the Word of God." Thus, in their Targum on
Deut 26:
17,
Deut 26:
18, it is said, "Ye have appointed THE WORD OF GOD a king over you this day, that he may be your God."
(c) The term was used by the Jews who were scattered among the Gentiles, and especially those who were conversant with the Greek philosophy.
(d) The term was used by the followers of Plato among the Greeks, to denote the second person of the
Trinity. The term
nous, or
mind, was commonly given to this second person, but it was said that this
nous was
the word or
reason of the first person. The term was therefore extensively in use among the Jews and Gentiles before John wrote his Gospel, and it was certain that it would be applied to the second person of the Trinity by Christians, whether converted from Judaism or Paganism. It was important, therefore, that the
meaning of the term should be settled by an inspired man, and accordingly John, in the commencement of his Gospel, is at much pains to state clearly what is the true doctrine respecting the Logos, or Word. It is
possible, also, that the doctrines of the Gnostics had begun to spread in the time of John. They were an Oriental sect, and held that the
Logos or
Word was one of the
AEons that had been created, and that this one had been united to the man Jesus. If that doctrine had begun then to prevail, it was of the more importance for John to settle the truth in regard to the rank of the Logos or Word. This he has done in such a way that there need be no doubt about its meaning.
