Why do Christians believe that Jesus is God?

[may]

You're right... the word "trinity" is not used in the bible. However, the three being one IS mentioned:

1John 5:7 For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one.



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i think you need to do some more research on 1 John 5;7 dont get misled

 

[may]

So who are you saying are the true Christians in this case? The ones who believe or not believe in the Nicene creed?

the bible does not teach the nicene creed , it is a manmade doctrine, and many are misled by it .

 

[Snowbear]

... dont get misled

Though people and the devil sure make an effort of it, the Bible and the Holy Spirit will never mislead me

 

[Super Universe]

that doesnt relate to god unless he has a father then he is also a son , it doesnt relate to jesus unless he has a son . and i dont see anything strange about it except the soul bit of course

God is the father of everything, all life, all matter, all energy, and all physical laws. He did not create everything then rest, He is creating it all now. His energy keeps the universe in existence. If He were to stop, everything would disappear as if it never existed at all.

A definition of one aspect of God is the Holy Spirit. God's Soul. It is a part of Him, it is not a being on it's own. His Soul separates to form individual light beings, children which go down into the dimensions and choose a lifeform to begin their universal career.

God's Son is a created being who's purpose is to go down through the dimensions and guide God's children home. To help them find their way without interfering in their ability to find it on their own.

The universe is a schoolhouse.

 

[sojourner]

the bible does not teach the nicene creed , it is a manmade doctrine, and many are misled by it .

The Bible is also a "manmade" document. Many are mislead by incorrect interpretation of it.

The Bible could not teach the Nicene Creed. The Creed came about long after the Biblical writings were concluded. Rather, it's the Nicene Creed that attempts to clear up misleading interpretations of Biblical teaching. Correctly, most Christians believe.

many Christians believe that Jesus is God, because that's what the Bible and the Tradition teach us. The Nicene Creed is merely an encapsulation of that teaching.

 

[Katzpur]

Absolutely this is contradictory to the Biblical teaching of there only being one God! But as you can see, there are some people who don't seem to think the Bible got it right

It's only contradictory if you interpret it incorrectly. Some people can't understand the Bible without a creed to "clarify" it. I'm not one of them. There is only one Godhead (for which the word "God" is a synonym). But anybody who believes that the Father is God and the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God -- and then proceeds to insist that there is physically and ontologically only "one God" simply doesn't know how to count.

 

[lunamoth]

manmade doctrine

Strunk and White Principle of Composition Rule #17: Omit needless words.

luna

 

[Katzpur]

Strunk and White Principle of Composition Rule #17: Omit needless words.

luna

All "doctrine" really means is "teaching." Jesus' teachings were His doctrines. Are you saying all doctrines are man-made?

 

[Katzpur]

Many Christians believe that Jesus is God, because that's what the Bible and the Tradition teach us. The Nicene Creed is merely an encapsulation of that teaching.

I'll go along with the idea that Jesus is God. I'll just draw the line at saying He's the same person as His Father. As far as the Nicene Creed goes, I consider it more of an expansion and extrapolation than an encapsulation of what the Bible teaches.

 

[Snowbear]

Some people can't understand the Bible without a creed to "clarify" it. I'm not one of them.

Personally, as a 'non-mainstream, non-denominational' Christian, I don't need or use the 'creed' to clarify the Bible for me. I let the Bible itself and the Holy Spirit do it for me. While I understand that some folks *think* they need other sources to tell tham what the Bible says, to me, anything else has the potential to lead me astray.

At any rate, it seems pretty hypocritical to me to condemn those who use the creed to 'clarify' the Bible, yet one of the core beliefs of the mormons is to use the book of mormon to 'clarify' the Bible.

 

[Katzpur]

At any rate, it seems pretty hypocritical to me to condemn those who use the creed to 'clarify' the Bible, yet one of the core beliefs of the mormons is to use the book of mormon to 'clarify' the Bible.

C'mon, Snowbear... Come right out and say it: "Mormons are hypocrites." I'm waiting with baited breath. Or are you afraid I'll accuse you of attacking my religion?

There is one enormous difference between the Creeds and the Book of Mormon: During the time the Creeds were being written, revelation had supposedly ceased. Christians after the first century believed that God had revealed all He was going to reveal. Therefore, the writers of the Creeds were on their own. And don't give me, "The Holy Spirit was guiding them," nonsense. If the Holy Spirit had been present at the Council, the controversy would have been resolved following one simple appeal to God for guidance. Remember, all of those present were bishops and all were equally entitled to the Holy Spirit. The Book of Mormon, on the other hand, does not even claim to be credal in nature. It is simply a secular and religious history of a group of people. It's another testament of Jesus Christ. Period.

 

[Katzpur]

Why should I, Katz? Why do you want me to say something I don't mean? My statement was about the hypocrisy of condemning what others do while condoning the same for ones self.... But hey - if the shoe fits

It doesn't even come close to fitting. For the record, though, your statement:

It seems pretty hypocritical to me to condemn those who use the creed to 'clarify' the Bible, yet one of the core beliefs of the mormons is to use the book of mormon to 'clarify' the Bible.

... is just about as close as you could get to saying "Mormons are hypocrites," as you can possibly get, without actually saying it.

No, I'm not at all afraid of that since despite your accusations and implications, I have done no such thing. Why do you insist on attributing motives and intentions to me that I don't have?

Why do you insist on reading such nonsense into my posts? Maybe you just enjoy playing the martyr, SL.

Why are you making this personal?

I think you can take the credit for that.

Believe it or not, I actually harbor no animosity towards you or your beliefs.

I'll go with "not."

Your bitterness towards me is regretable and can't possibly be much fun.... or is it??

Oh, I don't know. I'm kind of enjoying this new found freedom of expression.

 

[Snowbear]

And don't give me, "The Holy Spirit was guiding them," nonsense.

Guidance by the Holy Spirit is NOT nonsense.... He is, as the Bible tells us, the form/manifestation/whateveryouwanttocallit of God that indwells in us to teach and guide us.

 

[verita]

[/font]
God does not follow human rules. He does not change to meet our expectations.

I went to the park with my friend and daughter. Is this saying that my daughter is my friend or is it saying that I went to the park with two individuals?

The meaning can be different depending on how you read it.

You see the son of man is man, the son of a donkey is donkey, the son of goat is a goat. Therefore the Son of God is GOD.

What I meant here is the offspring. For human their children are also human, for donkey their offspring is also donkey, for goat their offspring is also a goat. This is true even to plants and insects etc.

God bless you.

 

[Snowbear]

The Book of Mormon, on the other hand, does not even claim to be credal in nature. It is simply a secular and religious history of a group of people. It's another testament of Jesus Christ. Period.

OK then, my mistake... if not the bom, it must be the other teachings, writings and books that you guys use to 'correctly' interpret, clarify, translate, instruct or otherwise 'complete' your understanding of the Bible and what you are supposed to believe according to your church....

From www.lds.org on the Doctrines and Covenants

In the revelations the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the resurrection and the judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family.

From other posts:

The purpose of the Book of Mormon is stated on the title page: "...which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord harth done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever-and to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations."

In my mind, the King James version is correct for the most part. I use the JST as clarification on some scriptures. Some changes are insignificant. Others are very significant. Two of the inspired changes made were cannonized in the Pearl of Great Price as Joseph Smith - Matthew and the Book of Moses.

I believe that Joseph Smith had strong mistrust of the various Christian churches, which is what led him to believe that it was possible that changes or mistakes had been made by translators, transcribers, recorders, compilers, etc. I don't think he knew exactly what those mistakes were, but he went through the Bible trying to find places where it contradicted itself. He also felt that there were truths that were lost from the Bible. This process resulted in many revelations, some of which are contained in the Doctrine and Covenants.

It really isn't as much about the Bible being in error as it is about having a living prophet who speaks for God and makes sure that we understand the scriptures as God intended us to understand them, without having to rely on a lot of different interpretations.

...it just boggles my mind to think that anyone would simply dismiss the words of a prophet God sent to clarify those doctrines.

But you must realize that I believe in three volumes of scripture other than the Bible. And I believe these contain a more complete record of Christ's gospel than what is found in the Bible.

A perfect Bible would have been nice, but without individuals who were authorized to receive revelation on behalf of His Church, it still would be just a book... a perfect book, a vitally important book, but just a book.

God has given us 4 books so far (5 if you count the OT and NT separately, I'm lumping them both into The Bible). Each book does it's part to clarify what the others are saying - and the footnotes are a great help.

 

[Genna]

I don't disagree with you at all. There are three Gods, but their spiritual unity is so absolute and so perfect that they are said to be "one." It's the same kind of usage as you'll see describing the newlywed couple as "one flesh," a choir that performs so flawlessly that 300 singers are said to be singing in "one voice," etc.

It's not contradictory if you remember than "God" is a synonym for "Godhead." Would it seem contradictory to you if I said there is one "Godhead"?

There are 3 GODS?

Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

How does the personal noun "me" refer to more than one person? God Himself says that He (singular) is the only God and there is no other, He didn't say Is there a God beside us?

I am just utilizing common sense and logic, just as there are grammatical and mathematical rules that are applied. Your belief that there are 3 GODS are in direct contradiction to both Islam and Orthodox Christianity, and the Bible itself! No matter what sort of semantical twist you put on the meaning of the word "one", it contradicts both the bible, Islam and Orthodox Christianity and other religions which believe solely in one absolute God Creator. Your oneness of God is borderline hinduistic I believe, where they believe in many god or I think that they are called "avatars." Even Orthodox's Christianity "Trinity" has problems since Jesus calls God "you" and Himself "me", unlike God in the passage I cited from the bible refers to Himself as "ME" (Singular). Now you see why I have such problems with the belief in a God? And believe me, I have done my research. But I'm still searching and learrning...

 

[Hacker]

People believe that jesus was a god simply because the bible said so. No one ever dared to contest the writings of the bible from the 3rd centruy on. I believe it was the reign of Constantine who used it as a political pawn for his own advancement. Why people believe, close to 2000 years of mind control and behavioral modifications certainly is a hard habit to break.

Yes, there is much historical writings pertaining to this. Through a series of universal councils, Constantine and his successers completely altered the doctrine without regard to the original writings of the bible, set up churches of hierchy of his own design, established a set of beliefs and practices which correlate with mainstream bible based churches today. There are also missing scripts, called the "missing sea scrolls" which contained scriptures pertaining to reincarnation...there is so much more but Ialso believe it was used as a "policial pawn" with no doubt. Many people don't want to be detered from the bible which is understandable, but without evidence from God him/herself, then who is to say what is right...the history of Constantine and the altered writings, or the contradicting versus of the holy bible?

 

[Katzpur]

Guidance by the Holy Spirit is NOT nonsense.... He is, as the Bible tells us, the form/manifestation/whateveryouwanttocallit of God that indwells in us to teach and guide us.

You're right. Guidance by the Holy Spirit is NOT nonsense. So were the bishops whose beliefs were overruled by the majority also being guided by the Holy Spirit?

 

[Katzpur]

OK then, my mistake... if not the bom, it must be the other teachings, writings and books that you guys use to 'correctly' interpret, clarify, translate, instruct or otherwise 'complete' your understanding of the Bible and what you are supposed to believe according to your church....

Wow! You've really done your research. I'm impressed.

 

[Katzpur]

There are 3 GODS?

Evidently, I'm not explaining myself very well. I'm sorry, but I've done the best I can. About all I can say is what I've already said: "God" and "Godhead" are synonyms. The Father and the Son are so perfectly and absolutely united in will and purpose, either one of them can use the pronoun "I" or "me" and mean "we" or "us."

I'll give you just one brief example of what I mean. Granted, it's not a perfect example, but it'll give you an idea of what I'm getting at. Let's say there is an automobile dealership that has a TV advertising campaign. The owner of the dealership likes being in his commercials. As part of each commercial, he says, "I've give you the best deal in town. Don't buy your next car from anybody but me!" If a customer goes down to the dealership the next day and Mr. John Q. Salesman sells him a brand new $30,000 car, do you think the owner of the dealership is going to be mad because he didn't personally make the sell? The buyer didn't, after all, buy the car from him?

I am just utilizing common sense and logic, just as there are grammatical and mathematical rules that are applied. Your belief that there are 3 GODS are in direct contradiction to both Islam and Orthodox Christianity, and the Bible itself! No matter what sort of semantical twist you put on the meaning of the word "one", it contradicts both the bible, Islam and Orthodox Christianity and other religions which believe solely in one absolute God Creator. Your oneness of God is borderline hinduistic

I'm quite sure my beliefs contradict orthodox Christianity. I have no desire whatsoever to be considered orthodox and, as a Christian, my belief in the divinity of Jesus Christ automatically contradicts the Islamic concept of God. But hinduism? :biglaugh:Give me a break! How many Hindus do you know who believe that Jesus Christ is their Savior? I see my understanding of the nature of God as being entirely consistent with what the Bible teaches. I actually think my explanation is far more logical than the Trinitarian one. But, to each his own.

Now you see why I have such problems with the belief in a God?

Not really, but don't bother explaining. I don't really care whether you believe in Him or not.