Frank (fjtoth) said:
Many other passages tell us that Jesus was given all the above authority and power following his birth and even more so following his resurrection.
Here is the list of verses that fjtoth used to "prove" that Jesus was only given His power and authority AFTER He was born on earth, and my comments are below each verse:
* You shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end. ... So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (Luke 1:31-33, 35)
That verse simply has the angel describing what Jesus will do in the future. It says nothing about whether or not He existed in Heaven prior to being born.
* The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, " Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." (Luke 4:17-21)
I don't see how this Scripture in any way "proves" that Jesus did not have His authority before coming to earth. It is just showing that, as a Human, God has anointed Christ with His Spirit, and thus, as a Human, Christ relied on the power of The Spirit more than on His own power.
* And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. (Matthew 28:18)
John 17:5 shows that following His resurrection, Jesus was RESTORED to His previous position of glory with The Father in Heaven.
* The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. (John 3:35)
That verse does not say WHEN The Father gave all things into His Son's hand, does it? How do you know this occurred AFTER He was born on earth?
* For just as the Father has life in himself, even so he gave to the Son also to have life in himself; and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. (John 5:26, 27)
This does not say anything at all about whether or not Jesus had authority BEFORE coming to earth. How do you know that The Father did not give this to The Son before creation, especially in light of John 1:3-4 and 1 John 1:1-3:
John 1:3-4 (ESV): All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
1st John 1:1-3 (ESV): That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life--the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us--that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Therefore, at what point did God grant The Son to have Life in Himself? It must have been prior to creation, wouldn't you agree?
* Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified . (Acts 2:36)
This is an interesting verse, and I will comment on it in the near future after I do some research and studying on it.
* He raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places , far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things in subjection under his feet, and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all . (Ephesians 1:20-23)
Yes, but in John 17:5, Jesus showed that His exaltation after His resurrection was actually a RESTORATION of His previous glory before the world began.
As a Man, Jesus was temporarily a little lower than angels, but, after His resurrection and ascension, was exalted by God The Father to His previous position above all angels and men.
However, it is true that now Jesus receives even more glory and honor because of His sacrifice and resurrection and His work on the earth, and more people know about The Son now than ever before (whereas, in the Old Testament, the Tri-Unity God was not as clearly revealed). Also, Jesus now has the added role of High Priest and Mediator of the New Covenant.
* I am the Living One; I was dead , and behold I am alive for ever and ever ! And I hold the keys of death and Hades . (Revelation 1:18)
How does that verse, in any way, prove that Jesus did not have authority before being born on earth?
In fact, in that Verse, Jesus is called "The Living One," which is very similar to God's title "The Living God."