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NASB | John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 1:1 In the beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Gen 1:1; Is 9:6] |
Bible Question:
Can anyone show me any passages that show that Jesus is God? A friend of mine believes that Jesus is the Son of God but not God (and the Holy Spirit is the action of God but not God). I've shown him many verses but most can also be interpreted as separate individuals (for example: I baptize you in the name of the Father and in the Son, and in the Holy Spirit could be interpreted as baptizing in the name of the three separate entities.) I've also shown him the classic John 1:1 and similar verses but he interprets it at Jesus and God think alike, have the same mission, similar in nature, etc... Is there something in the Bible that very simply and cleary says that the Three are one? To me there are many verses that state this clearly, but to him, they state something completely different. |
Bible Answer: The closest you will see that Jesus is call God is my his own Father, as a loving acclaimation, as the following shows: Hebrews 1:9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; THEREFORE GOD, even thy [Jesus'] God hath anointed thee [Jesus] with the oil of gladness above thy fellows... Regarding John 1:1, if you say, - was God - was a God - was like God - was divine all would be correct, depending upon the Bible translation used. [The argument of the-God verses a-God becomes moot at this point.] However, the words "WAS GOD" need the qualification of other scriptures to help realize that the WORD as being GOD is in the sense of Jesus having all the divine fullness of God given to him by his Father. Jesus is the preimminent representation of God. Jesus is not literally his Father at all. Jesus is called God because of his position of Glory, as acclaimed and bestowed to him by his Father. One point that helps is to realize that the trinity portion that says "their is no division of substance" could not be meant by location. The God Jesus is here; the God Yahweh is there--two different places. Again, here the Father [Jesus' God] is not proclaiming that his Son is Himself. Rather, his Father is acknowledging and bestowing upon his son Jesus Christ the title of God. For example if a boy has become a man, as through a rite of passage, the father of the boy might say, "You Oh Man..." Here the boy's father is not saying that his son is himself. For variety on John 1:1, see the Moffatt translation and the American Bible translation. These will give a different take on the wording. Also, please, remember that the scriptures [in Revelation] say, that after the 1000 year reign of Christ, Christ will then return everything in heaven and in earth back to his Father, such that everything will again be under God: Jesus' Father. Further, for people to recklessly say that if you saw Jesus, you saw you God in the Flesh, is totally misleading to those uninformed about all the scriptures. Also, I adamently express the following: The trinity was a religio-politico dogma trapped in all the "undivine" influence of a group of power players. The honest man behind the plow can understand the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit individually and in relationship, because he is not currupted as would be a power player. I would rather listen to an honest Christian sheperd than King Constantine. I think the confusion in the trinity is because it is VARIABLELY DEFINED WITH ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES, such as those influenced culturally, regionally, and denominationally. It is best to reason about the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without the word trinity. Greater light comes forth rather quickly when each is studied both independently and together. In Christ, as my Abba Father would have it. |