You shall have no other
gods before Me.
Exodus 20:3
Do not go after other gods
to serve them, and do not
provoke Me to anger with
the works of your hands;
and I will not harm you.
Jeremiah 25:6
The question before us is: Is Jesus God? Some believe that He is a god; Jehovah Witness are of such opinion. Some believe that He is another personage, or another God, but a separate Being from the Father; Mormons believe this as can be found in the writings of the Mormon church, and in the writings of Joseph Smith Jr. The Modalists believe that Jesus Christ is God, but God acting in the mode of the Son and the Father is not existent for the Father took on the mode of the Son. The Mormons believe that Jesus appeared to man in a body; so do Christians, but there is a difference in the understanding of who this Person is who visited men of old by His appearance. There are so many confusing ideologies and theologies about the Son of God, Jesus Christ so we must go to the source, the only source that is true, by any examination this source will be found to be accurate, true, and the valid source for our faith. That source is the Bible, a correct translation of the Bible, not some figment by mistranslating the manuscripts, or using manuscripts that are known to be corrupted, those who would put their theologies in place of the actual words of the manuscript. Or those who have a book, one that cannot prove what it states, that is to place it above the Bible in importance, or as they say, the Bible is only true if it is translated correctly, and then they are the ones who determine what it means to correctly translate the Bible, they do it their way, by isogesis making the Bible agree with their presuppositions and not obtaining their suppositions in accordance with Scripture.
Let us examine the Bible and not isogete, rather lets mine the words of the Bible as the Bible state them. The Old Testament is replete with reference of a person distinct from Jehovah. Doe this mean that this person referred to is not Jehovah? Huh! We'' see! This person that is distinct is given the titles, attributes and works of Jehovah, that are also given to the Redeemer. This Redeemer claims divine authority, exercises divine prerogatives, and receives divine worship. Are they the same God, for God is One and only God is to be worshiped. Yet, those who would claim that Jesus is a god, co-equal with God, another God who is to be worshiped is contradictory to the word of God. These divine attributes that are given to the God and to Jesus Christ are also given to the Angel of God, the Angel of the Lord. Jesus is said to be the "mighty God," the "Son of God." In the New Testament, Jesus manifested Jehovah in all He did. John writes: "No has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him" (John 1:18). John is saying that Jesus is "in" that is of one mind, one intent as that of God, and to be in the "bosom" of God is to have an essential relationship with God, that is to be of the same essence of God, for He is the "Only Begotten Son of God" as as the Son of God He came from the Father who begot Him and is the same essence as God, essentially is God and declares God in His Person while He on earth showing His divinity. The Son of God became flesh and it is declared in Scripture that the Angel of Jehovah is that divine Person, the Redeemer. As the Son of God, and being God, He is distinct from the Father.
Next week I will delve into the Old Testament and examine the Angel of the LORD, and the visitation by angels to Abraham, the wrestling with the angel by Jacob, and will see if the Bible reveals to us the true nature of the Angel, the Son of God, Jesus Christ is He God? How we view Jesus determines our theology and our theology determines our religion, so we must have clear understanding of the One who is the very foundation of Authentic Biblical Faith.
But as many as received Him,
to them He gave the right
to become children of God,
to those who believe in
His name: who were born,
not of blood, nor of the
will of flesh, nor of the will
of man, but of God.
John 1:12-13
May You Rest In God As You Prepare For The Sabbath
Richard L. Crumb
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