Post by Sheila on Mar 5, 2024 16:10:47 GMT -5
There are people, even some who are Christians, who say Jesus was just a man. Yet many statements made throughout the Bible tell us something different. Those verses do indeed show that Jesus and God are one and the same.
The most used proof texts for what I have said are John 1:1 and John 1:14. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). Notice the final part of that sentence. The Word was God. Instead of saying a thing and a person are equivalent, we can say that Word is another name for God. When we move on to verse 14, we are told "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us". We've already established that the Word and God are one and the same. So who is being referred to as becoming flesh? Taken in the context of the chapter, we know it is referring to Jesus. The Word = God. The Word made flesh = Jesus. So that must mean that Jesus = God.
In the book of Matthew, the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection. They had strong reactions. When they "saw Jesus, they worshiped him" (28:17). We know Jesus accepted the worship because he never corrected the disciples by telling them not to do so. Step further back in time. In the first commandment, God tells us to have no other gods before him (Exodus 20:3) and not to bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:5). So that leaves us with two conclusions. The first is that Jesus is God and could accept the worship and the disciples did not break the commandment. The second is that Jesus wasn't God and accepted worship he should not have and the disciples broke the first commandment. When we look at the many other proof texts, we know Jesus accepted the worship because he is God.
Two good proof texts can be found in the book of John. Jesus declared that "before Abraham was born, I am" (8:58). It sounds like a silly statement considering Abraham lived many centuries before Jesus. Yet the Jews knew what he meant and were going to stone him. Why? He used the same reference to himself that God used with Moses. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses "I AM WHO I AM" and that Moses was to tell the Israelites "I AM has sent me to you". They would have seen Jesus' statement as blasphemy for which the penalty was death by stoning. If this sounds a little like speculation, you can read John 10:30-33. In verse 30, Jesus states " I and the Father are One". In this case, when Jesus asked the Jews why they were going to stone him, they answered "for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God" (verse 33).
One last example. Colossians 2:9-10 states, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness". This statement was made by Paul, not Jesus. Nor is it God being quoted. How should we take it then? Did Paul simply make it up? What does it mean? Think about the claims Jesus made about himself. He claimed to be God. Paul learned this fact directly from the original disciples. Either Jesus and the disciples lied or this statement is the truth. It means that Jesus is God in a bodily form.
* All quotes are from the New International Version of the Bible
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers
The most used proof texts for what I have said are John 1:1 and John 1:14. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (1:1). Notice the final part of that sentence. The Word was God. Instead of saying a thing and a person are equivalent, we can say that Word is another name for God. When we move on to verse 14, we are told "the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us". We've already established that the Word and God are one and the same. So who is being referred to as becoming flesh? Taken in the context of the chapter, we know it is referring to Jesus. The Word = God. The Word made flesh = Jesus. So that must mean that Jesus = God.
In the book of Matthew, the disciples saw Jesus after the resurrection. They had strong reactions. When they "saw Jesus, they worshiped him" (28:17). We know Jesus accepted the worship because he never corrected the disciples by telling them not to do so. Step further back in time. In the first commandment, God tells us to have no other gods before him (Exodus 20:3) and not to bow down to them or worship them (Exodus 20:5). So that leaves us with two conclusions. The first is that Jesus is God and could accept the worship and the disciples did not break the commandment. The second is that Jesus wasn't God and accepted worship he should not have and the disciples broke the first commandment. When we look at the many other proof texts, we know Jesus accepted the worship because he is God.
Two good proof texts can be found in the book of John. Jesus declared that "before Abraham was born, I am" (8:58). It sounds like a silly statement considering Abraham lived many centuries before Jesus. Yet the Jews knew what he meant and were going to stone him. Why? He used the same reference to himself that God used with Moses. In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses "I AM WHO I AM" and that Moses was to tell the Israelites "I AM has sent me to you". They would have seen Jesus' statement as blasphemy for which the penalty was death by stoning. If this sounds a little like speculation, you can read John 10:30-33. In verse 30, Jesus states " I and the Father are One". In this case, when Jesus asked the Jews why they were going to stone him, they answered "for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God" (verse 33).
One last example. Colossians 2:9-10 states, "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness". This statement was made by Paul, not Jesus. Nor is it God being quoted. How should we take it then? Did Paul simply make it up? What does it mean? Think about the claims Jesus made about himself. He claimed to be God. Paul learned this fact directly from the original disciples. Either Jesus and the disciples lied or this statement is the truth. It means that Jesus is God in a bodily form.
* All quotes are from the New International Version of the Bible
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers