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NASB | Matthew 24:11 "Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 24:11 "Many false prophets will appear and mislead many. |
Subject: Is the UPC a Christian Church? |
Bible Note: Greetings Jcsav, In John 14:28 Jesus said, "If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I." Jesus is not speaking in this verse about His nature or His essential being (Christ had earlier said "I and the Father are one" in this regard- John 10:30) but is rather speaking of His lowly position in the Incarnation. The Athanasian Creed affirms that Christ is "equal to the Father as touching his Godhood and inferior to the Father as touching his manhood." The Father was seated upon the throne of highest majesty in heaven; the brightness of His glory was uneclipsed as He was surrounded by hosts of holy beings perpetually worshiping Him with uninterrupted praise. Far different was it with His incarnate Son-despised and rejected of men, surrounded by implacable enemies, and soon to be nailed to a criminal's cross. It is from this perspective that Jesus could say that the Father is "greater" than Him. In 1 Corinthians 11:3 we read, "Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God." A close examination of this verse shows that it had nothing to do with inferiority or superiority of one person over another; rather, it has to do with patterns of authority. Notice that Paul says the man is the head of the woman, even though men and women are utterly equal in their essential nature. Men and women are both human and both are created in God's image (Genesis 1:26-28). As well, they are said to be "one" in Christ (Galatians 3:28). These verses, taken with 1 Corinthians 11:3, show us that equality of being and social hierarchy are not mutually exclusive. Even though men and women are completely equal in terms of their nature, there is nevertheless a functional hierarchy that exists between them. In the same way, Christ and the Father are utterly equal in their divine being (Jesus said "I and the Father are one"- John 10:30), though Jesus is functionally under the Father's headship (1 Corinthians 11:3). There is no contradiction in affirming both an equality of being and a functional subordination among the persons in the Godhead. Christ in His divine nature is fully equal to the Father, though relationally (or functionally) He is subordinate or submissive to the Father. This verse in no way implies that Jesus is less than God. In John 10:30, Jesus was claiming deity, that He and the Father "are one." While the Greek word for "one" (hen) by itself does not have to refer to more than unity of purpose, the context of John 10 is clear that much more than this is meant in terms of Jesus and the Father. How do we know this? For one thing, the Jewish leaders immediately picked up stones to put Jesus to death. They understood Jesus to be claiming to be God in an unqualified sense. Indeed, according to verse 33, the Jews said: "For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God" (NASB). The penalty for blasphemy, according to Old Testament law, is death by stoning. Jesus didn't respond by saying, "Oh, no, you've got it all wrong. I wasn't claiming to be God. I was just claiming to have a unity of purpose." Even the Jews claimed to have a unity of purpose with God. They wouldn't have tried to stone Jesus for that. They understood Jesus as He intended to be understood- they understood Him to be claiming deity. At the same time, the Father is considered by Jesus as someone other than Himself more than 200 times in the New Testament. Over 50 times in the New Testament, the Father and Son are seen to be distinct within the same verse (Ex: Romans 15:6; 2 Cor. 1:4; Gal. 1:2,3; Phil. 2:10,11; 1 John 2:1; 2 John 3). Blessings to you, Makarios |