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And Messiah has only one meaning? Why are you so sure that Messiah has only one meaning? Since they knew the messiah isn't deific, according to you, right, why would they claim that Jesus is God?John 4:25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
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For example, Elohim is a masculine noun with plural. (It implies more than one... or to be "in front" of other gods.) It sort of silently admits there is more than one.
I have a few questions to ask.
First, seeing in 1 Cor 15:20-28 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep"
Can you explain what group of people is the dead in reference to, in the Bible ?
What does it mean ( Who have fallen asleep) What group of people is this in reference to ?
Have you any idea how Jesus is God Almighty ?
As you stated, ( The last enemy to be destroyed is death)
Who is death, What is the name of Death ?
As you stated, ( And if we look at passages like 1 Cor 15:20-28, Paul makes clear that Jesus is both distinct and lesser than God"
In what way is Jesus lesser than God ?
Do you have any idea, how this works ?
As you stated, 1 Corinthians 15:21---" For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man"
Who is death, what is death's name ?
What does it mean, The Resurrection of the dead?
In the Bible what group of people, are the dead in reference to ?
And Messiah has only one meaning? Why are you so sure that Messiah has only one meaning? Since they knew the messiah isn't deific, according to you, right, why would they claim that Jesus is God?
Something is off about your theory.
There's no great mystery about what these terms mean - your questions are a little odd?
The dead refers to anyone who has died."Fallen asleep" is just a euphemism for one who has died.
Death is just that - death. Death, according to scripture, is the punishment for sin. To be rid of death is to be rid of sin.
Resurrection of the dead means that those who were once dead will be brought back to life.
Since context is important, let's look at the context. This passage is a reference to Psalm 82, where the judges of Israel are referred to as 'gods' because they determined the fate of other men. If unjust, worldly humans could be called gods because they carried the words of God, how much more should Jesus be called the Son of God, since He Himself was the Word? Are the Jewish people arguing over whether Jesus is God or the Son of God? NO. They saw the two as the same thing:
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Jesus claimed to be divine, which is why they tried to stone him.
Btw just to clarify something, those who believe in the Trinity do believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Hence we address the Trinity as: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Spirit. We reject the notion that Jesus was begotten, or created by God the Father.
"..." Matthew 26:63-66
What did Jews consider blasphemy? Anyone who claimed divinity. Hence even the phrase Son of God was offensive to the Jews, which was the reason why Jesus was crucified.
Here is the theological difference between you and I. Whenever Jesus says things like "I and the Father are one" or "The Father is in me and I in the Father" you say that they are united in purpose, not nature. I say that they are united in nature and purpose.
Whenever Jesus says things like "The Father is greater than I" or "I only speak what the Father tells me to say", you say Jesus is inferior in nature, but I say Jesus is only subservient in purpose, not nature.
Those who believe in the Trinity believe that they are separate persons as well. The Athanasian creed sums this up well.
“We worship one God in trinity and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being. For the Father is one person, the Son is another, and the Spirit is still another. But the deity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty. What the Father is, the Son is, and so is the Holy Spirit. Uncreated is the Father; uncreated is the Son; uncreated is the Spirit. The Father is infinite; the Son is infinite; the Holy Spirit is infinite. Eternal is the Father; eternal is the Son; eternal is the Spirit: And yet there are not three eternal beings, but one who is eternal; as there are not three uncreated and unlimited beings, but one who is uncreated and unlimited. Almighty is the Father; almighty is the Son; almighty is the Spirit: And yet there are not three almighty beings, but one who is almighty. Thus the Father is God; the Son is God; the Holy Spirit is God: And yet there are not three gods, but one God. Thus the Father is Lord; the Son is Lord; the Holy Spirit is Lord: And yet there are not three lords, but one Lord."
What is the Athanasian Creed?
This is exactly what the Trinity doctrine teaches. Jesus is subservient to the Father, yet we have God the Father and God the Son. The Son is subservient in purpose to the Father, but not inferior in nature.
Why would Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, create a god and tell people to worship it in the New testament? Please answer this question.
Also think about the following points:
1) Jesus never denies that he is the Father. In fact, he states unity with the Father multiple times in the Gospel of John. And when Thomas called him God (which would have been idolatry/blasphemy for a Jew), Jesus never condemns him. Is that not strange to you? Show me one passage where Jesus says, "I am not God, do not worship me."
2) Why are you so adamant about separating the notion of God and Son of God? You do realize that doing so is actually creating more problems in a monotheistic belief system. Believing in God and a god is a polytheistic religion, no matter how you look at it.
How about the passage where "equality with God for Jesus isn't robbery"? How about one person dying cannot pay more than one person's sin?
Jesus is subordinate to the Father, the same way the Spirit seeks little direct praise, but the Spirit and Jesus are also God.
There comes a very obvious theological dilemma if you identify yourself as a Christian and do not believe in the Trinity...
Context is important - but the context in question is not Psalm 82. The context is where it is referenced in John 10. In this context he is making a point about the usage of the term "God." They accuse him of blasphemy for claiming to be God. He begins his retort by pointing out that the scriptures call them gods. He further clarifies his actual claim: that he is God's Son (not God). Additionally, he asks why they would think any of this blasphemous - because from his superior understanding of the scriptures, he saw no reason why they should consider his words blasphemous.
Also, looking at John 5 instead of John 10 doesn't help your case any. This is simply another place where Jesus is correcting these Jews misunderstanding of the scriptures and the Law.
John 5:8-17 Jesus *said to him, “Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. 10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus *found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.”
I will have you discern the truth for yourself concerning the wisdom of the jews in question here. Were they correct in persecuting Jesus for instructing this man to carry his pallet and walk, even on the Sabbath? Did Jesus instruct this man to sin? Or are these jews lacking in their understanding of the nature of the Sabbath and the Law, while Jesus did what was good and right?
You cannot have it both ways. Either these jews are to be regarded as sages who know exactly what is going on, or they are fallible humans who are clearly lacking in wisdom and understanding in these matters where they are conflicting with Jesus.
I'm well aware, but thank you for saying as much. This makes it all the easier to point out another aspect of the Trinity that is clearly anti-biblical.
John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
Scripture not only maintains that Jesus is begotten - he holds the unique claim of being the only begotten Son of God. And the Trinity explicitly rejects this notion. What say you?
He did not here claim divinity. He said that he would be at the right hand of the Mighty One. While this is no small assertion, he is not here claiming to be God. Rather, he is claiming he will be at the right hand of God - thus differentiating himself from God and asserting his subservience to him. Try again.
The difference is that I read the scriptures to understand what they say. The scriptures never once suggest that the manner in which Jesus is less than and subservient to the Father is only a matter of purpose vs nature. Rather, the scriptures simply teach that Jesus is less than God and subservient to him, period.
Go back and re-read what I wrote, and the scripture in question, again. They are not compatible with any Trinity Doctrine. Paul plainly lays out that Jesus is distinct and subserviant to GOD (not the Father, GOD). This goes beyond a mere distinction of persons - its a distinction of who is and is not God Almighty.
If you want to argue that Paul implies the Father here, I would agree with you - because to Paul and the rest of the New Testament authors, there is no distinction between the Father and God Almighty - they are one in the same. Trinitarians have, once again, invented an unbiblical fiction where "Father" refers to only part of God.
There is no "God the Son" in scripture. There is the only begotten Son of God - whom the Trinity rejects, as you noted earlier.
None of these scriptures suggest either that a second God was created or that any scripture suggests that we should worship Jesus as God. Try again.
No one ever suggests that he literally is the Father that he should need to deny it. And if he did claim to literally be the Father, that would pose a serious problem for the Trinity Doctrine. In fact, such a belief was considered heresy in the early church, just as much as other competing Christologies. Patripassianism - Wikipedia
I'm after the truth - rather than blindly following whatever non-sense is handed down at the pulpit. Speaking as one who has been a Christian my entire life and who has studied and debated theology far more than most - I can tell you that MOST Christians aren't interested in the truth. They just take is whatever handed to them by their parents/pastor/etc. and run with it. At best they ignore anything that challenges their beliefs, and worse they will get violent and angry over being confronted on just about any matter. This mindset is far more damning and damaging to the faith than just about anything. It's why all these evangelicals so blindly follow Trump. They have eyes, but do not see. They have ears, but do not hear.
At any rate, my position poses no problems for a Monotheistic Belief System - I am a Monotheist. This isn't a question of Monotheism vs Polytheism. It is a matter of seeking understanding in the scriptures which both claim that there is only one God while simultaneously calling angels God (though they aren't God), calling Moses God (though he isn't God), calling the Jewish people gods (though they aren't God), and calling Jesus God (who has a God and is continually differentiated from God Almighty).
A serious question for you: why do you continue to ignore the point I have made time and again, the primary point of the OP: "God" is liberally applied in scripture to many who are clearly not God. Arguing from the scriptures: why should the term be interpreted literally when applied to Jesus despite the precedent set in the rest of scripture?
Just wanted to add that King David is a begotten son of YHVH.
Psa 2:1 Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?
Psa 2:2 The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against YHVH, and against his anointed, saying,
Psa 2:3 Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.
Psa 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.
Psa 2:5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
Psa 2:6 Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.
Psa 2:7 I will declare the decree: YHVH hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
Obviously they know Theos has other meanings such as judge, anointed one, etc. This is made plain by Christian concordances which give us these other more obvious meanings actually used in those verses.
I think they are purposely muddying the waters when they always translate Theos as god, or put Lord (making Christians think Jesus) when it actually has YHVH.
This confuses everyone and is not good.
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Actually, the verses do say that Jesus is God. Very plainly. You don't understand some basics of name and name title usage, for Deific names.Only later Christians claim Jesus is God and part of a trinity.
We have shown over and over that the verses which are being read as Jesus is deity, - do not actually say that.
And of course Jesus said he was the awaited Messiah, - and he never said he was a god, or part of a trinity.
Messiah means anointed, - not God. Special humans are anointed. Such as Jesus, and King David.
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There's no great mystery about what these terms mean - your questions are a little odd?
The dead refers to anyone who has died."Fallen asleep" is just a euphemism for one who has died.
Death is just that - death. Death, according to scripture, is the punishment for sin. To be rid of death is to be rid of sin.
Resurrection of the dead means that those who were once dead will be brought back to life.
First that's where your wrong at, in the Bible, the dead is in reference to a certain group of people, Which are Spiritually dead.
They are not dead, like in the grave, But Spiritually dead.
Take for instance, Atheists, they don't believe in God or Christ Jesus, So they are what the Bible calls Spiritually dead.
That they have no awareness of God.
Therefore they have fallen asleep.
In a Spiritual sleep.
Well seeing that you have no idea, that in the Bible there are two types of death,
The one being of course, a natural death.
And the other death is Satan, who is called death.
That's because Satan is death.
Hebrews 2:14---"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil"
Seeing the devil, which is Satan has the power of death, Death is another name for the devil,Satan.
You also made mention
( Resurrection of the dead means that those who were once dead will be brought back to life)
The Resurrection of the dead, are those who are Spiritually dead.that do not believe in God or Christ Jesus.
ING - The Jews believed ALL people both good and bad went to SHEOL, where they awaited the end and judgment.
I believe the reason the NT has Jesus going to the grave/SHEOL first - is because he was a human Messiah. ALL humans go to Sheol. The idea is that Jesus was the first to RISE from Sheol. I believe the rising whole-body idea was added later.
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As you stated, ( The last enemy to be destroyed is death)
Who is death, What is the name of Death ?
ING - The idea is that - The "first" death is death of the body, and entombment in Sheol.
The "second" "final" death, is the coming of the Jewish Messiah, and judgment. The evil don't burn in a hell, they cease to exist. No more death.
The "fire" reference is actually to the refiner's furnace burning off and destroying the dross, leaving only the precious metal.
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As you stated, ( And if we look at passages like 1 Cor 15:20-28, Paul makes clear that Jesus is both distinct and lesser than God"
In what way is Jesus lesser than God ?
Do you have any idea, how this works ?
ING - As others have said. Jesus himself makes it clear that he believes he is the Messiah, not a God.
John 4:25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." 26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
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As you stated, 1 Corinthians 15:21---" For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man"
Who is death, what is death's name ?
What does it mean, The Resurrection of the dead?
In the Bible what group of people, are the dead in reference to ?
Ing - Adam was a man - and so was Jesus.
Again - the idea is that death is just death of the body, sending ALL to Sheol to await Judgment.
At that judgment the DEAD will be resurrected (like Jesus) if found worthy, - or totally destroyed if found evil.
Since it is the END, final judgment, death is no longer needed.
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Context is important - but the context in question is not Psalm 82.
You cannot have it both ways. Either these jews are to be regarded as sages who know exactly what is going on, or they are fallible humans who are clearly lacking in wisdom and understanding in these matters where they are conflicting with Jesus.
John 3:16“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
God the Son, Son of God; is there much difference in the language? While the phrase God the Son does not appear in the Bible, these are some the titles that Jesus uses that Yahweh only claimed for himself: "The first and the last" (Revelation 1:17; 22:13), "Lord of lords" (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14; 19:16); Savior of the world (John 4:42, Isaiah 43:11).There is no "God the Son" in scripture.
Yahweh is referred to as the Father multiple times in the OT.GOD (not the Father, GOD)
You are the one who is suggesting that Jesus was created, not me.None of these scriptures suggest either that a second God was created or that any scripture suggests that we should worship Jesus as God. Try again.
So how do you interpret this passage then?No one ever suggests that he literally is the Father that he should need to deny it. And if he did claim to literally be the Father, that would pose a serious problem for the Trinity Doctrine. In fact, such a belief was considered heresy in the early church, just as much as other competing Christologies. Patripassianism - Wikipedia
The thread clearly states "Jesus is not God Almighty Himself." God Almighty refers to El-Shaddai which is Yahweh. So your stance is that Jesus is not Yahweh Himself, which I am trying to disprove.A serious question for you: why do you continue to ignore the point I have made time and again, the primary point of the OP: "God" is liberally applied in scripture to many who are clearly not God. Arguing from the scriptures: why should the term be interpreted literally when applied to Jesus despite the precedent set in the rest of scripture?
You can't use another English version to prove your point (please use Greek). We could be disputing over variances in English versions the whole day which is not the topic of discussion.Regarding that particular verse, I suggest you use a better translation like the NASB. The KJV is filled with errors, and it is in old english.
Phil 2:5-7 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
This far more accurate translation says he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. This also flows far better with the rest of the surrounding text: "but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."
As far as Jesus' death goes: his blood is the blood of the New Covenant. Through his death, we are given the opportunity for salvation. However, eternal life is a reward for our own good works.
Regarding that particular verse, I suggest you use a better translation like the NASB. The KJV is filled with errors, and it is in old english.
Phil 2:5-7 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
This far more accurate translation says he did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. This also flows far better with the rest of the surrounding text: "but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men."
As far as Jesus' death goes: his blood is the blood of the New Covenant. Through his death, we are given the opportunity for salvation. However, eternal life is a reward for our own good works. Everyone wasn't automatically saved by Jesus' death (else there would be no talk of judgement)
Romans 2:6-11 [God] will render to each person according to his deeds: 7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; 8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 11 For there is no partiality with God.
It is the context actually. Everything becomes clear once you read this Psalm.
There is no such thing as a perfect human being. All humans are fallible, no matter how intelligent you may be.
There is also mention that Christ is the firstborn in Colossians. So does that mean Christ was a created being? Not at all. The original Greek for begotten is monogenes. This word is variously translated into English as "only," "one and only," and "only begotten."
According to the Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (BAGD, 3rd Edition), monogenes has two primary definitions.
The first definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind within a specific relationship." This is its meaning in Hebrews 11:17 when the writer refers to Isaac as Abraham's "only begotten son" (KJV).
The second definition is "pertaining to being the only one of its kind or class, unique in kind." This is the meaning that is implied in John 3:16
Yahweh is referred to as the Father multiple times in the OT.
You are the one who is suggesting that Jesus was created, not me.
So you do not worship Jesus then? If not then that's fine, but that goes contrary to what Yahweh wanted in Philippians 2:5-11. If you say that is not worship, what exactly do you consider to be worship?
So how do you interpret this passage then?
And you keep on bringing up the same points I answered already? The term 'God' is used for Moses and the Jewish people to denote their authority, not divinity. Moses never claimed to be divine, neither did the Jews. This is obviously not the case with Jesus, who refers to himself as the Son of God multiple times. Hence the conversation has progressed to the question at hand: Is he merely the Son of God, or God Himself? Please do not regress the conversation back to Moses and the Jews.
You can't use another English version to prove your point (please use Greek). We could be disputing over variances in English versions the whole day which is not the topic of discussion.
Please read the entirety of Romans. Is he saying that our salvation is dependent on doing good works, or are we merely rewarded in heaven for doing good works? I am pretty sure that our concepts on heaven, hell and salvation are quite different; but let us not mistake what the new covenant is all about. The Old covenant based on the Mosaic Law stated that we needed to follow the Law in order to be saved. This is righteousness through works. The New covenant made the Old covenant obsolete, stating that our salvation no longer depended on doing good works, but exclusively through faith in Jesus Christ.
'that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ' Romans 10:9-10
'For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. ' Ephesians 2:8-9 [a gift is something you simply receive, not something to work for]
'Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. ' Romans 3:27-28
For the Christian, salvation is the beginning of our Christian faith, not the destination like other religions. From that point onwards, the good deeds come through the Holy Spirit that lives inside us. Hence James said "faith without deeds is dead." Jesus also claimed to Nicodemus that in order to be saved, one needed to be born of water and spirit.
Thank you, I find certain translations are a bit easier for others. The "equality not a thing to be grasped" has to do with not having the need to grasp something already had.
I'm familiar with Romans 2. The same passage says that both things can be one person, their thoughts alternately accusing and defending them--salvation is specifically NOT of works, and in Romans--it's a free gift for the taking/asking.