How to see Jesus' role with us and God?

[Onkara]

It seems there are different ways of viewing Jesus Christ.
Jesus for some people is the actual son of God. For others a prophet and still for others the way to the Lord. Maybe he is seen just as a guru by some?

I would like to know if these are defined or explained specifically, please.

Are they specifically based on denominations or can it left to the individual to decide how they want to interact or see Jesus in relation to themselves and God?

 

[wordmagnifiedabovenames]

Hello.

Many scriptures talk about Jesus' relationship with "the Father." Jesus shows His father-son relationship in Matthew 11 and Mark 12 (as well as in a whole lot of ther places.) John 1 (and a whole lot of other scriptures) say that Jesus was also God.

The Bible teaches that during His time on Earth, Jesus held the office of a prophet, insofar as He did things the OT prophets did. Jesus says that He is a prophet in Luke 13.
I understand some religions (specifically Islam) see Jesus as only a prophet, and not God, but appearantly his message was corrupted so Islam doesn't regard Jesus' teachings as written in the Bible as being true. I don't follow Islam though, so I could be wrong about this.

There are lots of scriptures in the Bible that portray Jesus as being the "way to the Lord," particularly John 14 and Romans 10.

AFAIK a guru is something to do with Hinduism, so not compatable with Christianity. My understanding of Hinduism is quite limited though, so I could be wrong.

That's not to say that any of these views is wrong, only that one of them by themselves is incomplete. The Bible teaches that there are a huge nuber of other characteristics of Jesus (and God, and the Holy Spirit) that should be taken into account when considering one's interaction with Him.

Some denominations promote one point of view more than others, or, to be more accurate, promote one aspect of Jesus' character, or one of His teachings more than others.

I think it's better that the individual decides (as opposed to a specific denomination telling you what you believe,) as the Bible teaches that God wants an individual relationship with each person (and that we will be judged individually based on what we believe and what we have done, not what a particular denomination believes.) The Bible also teaches that getting this "interaction with, or point of view of Jesus in relation to onesself and God" wrong is a bad thing.

 

[Onkara]

Thank you, wordmagnifiedabovenames
I think you are right about the word "Guru", perhaps "teacher" would be more apt.

The point I am interested in is how to see Jesus in relation to us, as surely this makes a difference to which denomination or church people choose to attend? .

 

[PVE1]

Jesus is Lord, but God is God. The term "Lord" just means a leader, or someone with authority. This would be applicable to Jesus for the people of Israel, since Jesus created and revamped laws under the permission of God. Jesus would be the "Lord" of Israel, but God is the God of all mankind. I do not believe Jesus is God, and I'm not completely convinced that he is the "begotten son of God". I had believed the latter up until I realized that the term "son of God" was used for all the main righteous prophets of God in the Old Testament. With that in mind, Jesus would be A son of God, not THE son of God.

I do not adhere to Paul, but I do agree with him when he says that Jesus was the mediator between God and man. Jesus is special because God had created Jesus separately from man, with the intentions of having Jesus show man how to be a righteous person in the eyes of God. Therefore, although Jesus was a man and could not be perfect like God, he was able to show man how one can become perfect if they strive hard enough. He was the ultimate rabbi, and was given the ability to heal and forgive sins by God.

I'd also like to point out that I do identify myself as a Christian and believe Jesus was the highest of the prophets of God, in which their relationship cannot be truly explained but concepts such as the Trinity can be easily debunked.

 

[PVE1]

I think it's better that the individual decides (as opposed to a specific denomination telling you what you believe,) as the Bible teaches that God wants an individual relationship with each person (and that we will be judged individually based on what we believe and what we have done, not what a particular denomination believes.) The Bible also teaches that getting this "interaction with, or point of view of Jesus in relation to onesself and God" wrong is a bad thing.

I think you're absolutely right on.

 

[ninerbuff]

The man jesus was a tool for creating christianity IMO.

 

[sandandfoam]

can it left to the individual to decide how they want to interact or see Jesus in relation to themselves and God?

That depends upon the denomination.

I found Spong's 'Jesus for the Non-Religious' helped me on my way back into the Church of Ireland (Anglican church)

 

[Just_me_Mike]

I should think that the origins of Jesus might offer insight on how to interact with Jesus. In that, if we did not have the scriptures, we would know little to nothing about Jesus. Since that is the case, it is entirely up to the individual to read and meditate on the scriptures, resulting in an individual opinion of your interaction.
This can be adjusted by talking to others, reading, researching external sources to understanding Jesus.
Reality is for most people the latter is how they know Jesus.

Hope that helps...