Subject: Tara1 - Is Jesus true or false god? |
Bible Note: Hi, Aniset! (Part I) There were those who also examined the Scriptures very carefully when Joshua appeared to them (Masters of the Law, Sadducees, Pharisees…); yet, they refused to listen (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 17:5; John 10:30; John 8:24; John 15:26, 16:13-15), they refused to understand (Mark 2:5-12; John 10:32-38; John 3:36; John 3:17-21) , and they refused to obey (John 14:1; John 1:1-5, 9-12, 14-18; John 15:5-6). I am appending my previous post to Tara1 which basically covers the reasons for my statements in the post you have responded to: Tara1, hi! Please do not discard this post before reading it in its entirety! You seem as confused as the JW--you (unless otherwise stated, for the purpose of simplification “you“ is inclusive of Tara1 and JW) want to give God a rank. Where do you position I am? (Exodus 3:14: God said to Moses, ‘I am he who is.’ And he said, ‘This is what you are to say to the Israelites. “I am has sent me to you.”) Is it first, which implies that there’s at least a second? Is it last, which implies inferiority? You attest that “His Son is Jesus Christ, second in all the universe.“ ”Second,” this implies that He is not as able, as powerful, as divine, as perfect as the “first.” In essence what you are saying is that “I am” of Ex 3:14 and Is 43:11 is first and that “I am” of Jn 8:58 and 8:24 (8:58--Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, before Abraham ever was, I am. 8:24--I have told you already: You will die in your sins. Yes, if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.) is second, an inferior counterpart. And, if that is what you are saying, can I conclude that you believe that God is both perfect and imperfect? For some reason that confounds me, you seek to define God not in His infinite faculty but in our finite human capacity. If you believe that the Bible is God’s Word (not Jesus as the Word), then why do you not believe God? Why do you seek to invent meanings and interpretations that can only lead you to perdition? (John 8:24) From the very first book of the Bible to the last, God has revealed Himself to the people of Israel, and to the world in general, in various forms and functions. What reasons does God have to communicate and interact with humanity in such composite manner? I do not know--it is a mystery of faith (believing in that which is not known: Heb 11:1). What I do know is that God is: One; Eternal; Omniscient; Omnipotent; Transcendent; Perennial; Life; Light; Spirit; Perfection; Truth; Love; Patience… So when God tells me that He alone is God, I believe Him!: Is 43:10-11; Dt 4:39; Is 46:9-10; Hos 13:4. Clearly, to me, there is only one God! Therefore, neither before, during nor after creation can there have been any other God but Yahweh--I see no room for interpreting anything else from these passages! Either through faith or logic, there’s no way to understand these verses other than that there is ONLY ONE GOD! Did God reveal everything about His Essence in the above verses? No! God only clarified that there is ONE GOD; that there was NO OTHER GOD BEFORE HIM, WITH HIM OR AFTER HIM. But I can understand how people throughout the ages have been mystified by God’s Word… Mostly, I believe, that the problem lies in reading a single verse or a limited number of verses and attempting to surmise that God’s infinity is know and defined by those limited verses. A secondary reason is that people tend to take in a few specific words from a Bible passage and run with them, rendering all other words and their context immaterial. Lastly, I believe that when seeking to strengthen their position, people negate complete Biblical passages or books. But the Bible is much more than just a few clear cut verses! The same God who said that He alone is God, also said: “…I will not yield my glory to another.” (Is 48:10) Undoubtedly, God refutes all challenges to His authority: THERE’S ONLY ONE GOD, YAHWEH, WHO WILL NOT YIELD HIS GLORY (POWER, MIGHT, AUTHORITY, POSSESSION, TITLE, IDENTITY, EXISTENCE…) TO ANOTHER. Had God stopped there all would be crystalline: not a single servant (believer) would ever have reasons to speculate about the Word. But God is infinite, thus His Way, His Being, is infinite. In His infinite wisdom God knows how finite we are. He understands that, let alone to our own inadequate means, we would never be able to see past His simplest teachings. Hence, to facilitate our growth and understanding, the ONE GOD, YAHWEH, sent Jesus, who would bring us out of the darkness (Is 9:1; Jn 1:9-10), and the Father commanded that we listen to Him: Mt 17:5. |