If Jesus isn't the one true god, how do we interpret the passages where he might have insinuated this? If he claimed it, how do we account for the inaccuracy of the claim?
Maybe he was just nuts.
Is Jesus God?
by Sea Breeze 48 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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nicolaou
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TTWSYF
nicolaouan hour ago
If Jesus isn't the one true god, how do we interpret the passages where he might have insinuated this? If he claimed it, how do we account for the inaccuracy of the claim?
Maybe he was just nuts
Only one of 3 possibilities of Jesus Christ
1] He's nuts
2] He's a liar
3] He's who he claimed to be [God's word with all the authority of HIS father]
The Truth Will Set You Free
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enoughisenough
I never once read in the Bible where Jesus claimed to be God...I did read he came in his Father's name, to do his Father's will.
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TTWSYF
Words from one language to another, aren’t always accurately portrayed. Some languages have words that other languages don’t. There are several examples in the Bible, where people wanted to kill Jesus for blasphemy. The words may not equate to blasphemy in translation to English, but the Jews around Jesus, knew exactly what he said. He claim to be God. That’s why they wanted to kill him for a blasphemy. That’s what blasphemy is, a claim to divinity.
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Sea Breeze
OK, I appreciate all the input from everyone. Let's look at the Creator contenders:
1. Odin - Eaten by a wolf. The meal was devine.
2. Thor - He killed a big serpent with his hammer but ultimately died from the serpent's poison.
3. Zeus - The greatest Greek God. Kratos killed him. Josepus writes that you could still visit the tomb of Zeus in Crete 2000 years ago.
4. Krishna - Considered by many to be the Creator. A hunter mistakely shoots Krishna in the foot with an arrow and he dies.
5. Nothing - The atheist Creator. The belief includes: life from non-life, matter from non-matter, order from chaos, information from non-intelligence, laws from lawlessness, logic from non-logic.
5. Allah - His greatest prophet got sick and died.
6. Jehovah - His greatest prophet is reportedly still alive.
7. Jesus - Predicted his own sacrifical death for sin atonement and subsequest resurrection.
So, the only contenders who show signs of life is Jehovah/Jesus. We wouldn't expect the Creator of Life to be dead. Why worship a dead person (or idea) ? That doesn't make any sense.
It's true that Jesus only spoke words that other people clearly understood to be a claim of the Almighty a few times. But, it was made clear in a number of other ways:
From "Got Questions":Jesus made another statement claiming to be God when He said, “Very truly I tell you, . . . before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58). The Jews, upon hearing Him, clearly understood that He was claiming preexistence and, more than that, to be Yahweh, the great “I AM” of Exodus 3:14. They tried to stone Him for blasphemy.
The Gospel of John begins with a statement of Jesus’ deity: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, emphasis added). In verse 14, John identifies the Word: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John is affirming that the Word (Jesus) is God, and He left heaven to come to earth in the form of a man to live with men and display the glory of God the Father.
The disciples of Jesus distinctly heard Him declare His deity. After Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas the doubting disciple finally understood Jesus’ deity, declaring Him to be “my Lord and my God” (John 20:28). If Jesus were not Lord and God, He would have corrected Thomas, but He did not; Thomas spoke the truth.After seeing Jesus walking on the water, His disciples worshipped Him (Matthew 14:33). When He appeared to them after the resurrection, they fell at His feet and worshipped Him (Matthew 28:9). The disciples were well aware of the Mosaic Law’s penalty for blasphemy, yet they worshipped Him as God, and Jesus accepted their worship. Jesus never rebuked people for worshipping Him, accepting their worship as good and proper.
Jesus’ deity is recognized throughout the New Testament. Paul eagerly awaited “the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13) and encouraged us to do the same. Both Paul and John declared that Jesus created the universe (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16–17), yet Genesis 1:1 clearly says that God created the heavens and the earth. This can only mean that Jesus is God. Even God the Father referred to Jesus as God: “About the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever’” (Hebrews 1:8, quoting Psalm 45:6).My thoughts: Jesus was a doer as opposed to a boaster. He taught by doing stuff. For instance, when the Pharisees took great offence when he told someone that their sins were forgiven, because only God could forgive sins, he asked them a simple question: "Which is easier? To declare someone's sins forgiven or tell a paralytic to get up and walk"? The anwser is of course obvious. So he commanded the paralytic to get up and walk, and so he did.
Instead of Jesus running around proclaiming himself to be God, which is certainly not hard for anyone to do, he taught that he was God in a similar way that he taught that he could forgive sins, as God; he demonstrated it by doing things only the Creator could do.
John 2:19-21 and 10:17-18 say that Jesus predicted that he would die and resurrect Himself from the dead, while he was dead.
I think everyone would agree that if he accomplished this feat, that would put him far and above ANY contender for Creator that the world has ever seen.Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. - John 2:19-21
Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. - John 10:17-18
So, my point to this post is that there really isn't a lot to choose from when we leave the WT other than Jesus. He provides the kind of evidence that I personally am looking for. I think the other contenders fail the "test of life" that is required to account for the life on this planet.
Evidence for the Resurrection is all over the internet. Given the choices available to us as passengers on this planet, it seems highly reasonable to investigate it. -
peacefulpete
We wouldn't expect the Creator of Life to be dead. Why worship a dead person ?
The irony is so pointed you could nail a god to the cross with it.
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peacefulpete
Yahweh passed away in 2007
Yahweh ben Yahweh, Leader of Separatist Sect, Dies at 71 - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
“I am an incarnation of myself,” he told Newsday. “In terms of accomplishing what I have I’m peerless.”
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enoughisenough
1 Cor 15:27 AMP
For He (the Father) has put all things in subjection under His (Christ’s) feet. But when He says, “All things have been put in subjection [under Christ],” it is clear that He (the Father) who put all things in subjection to Him (Christ) is excepted [since the Father is not in subjection to His own Son].///1 Corinthians 15:28New American Standard Bible 199528 When all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, so that God may be all in all.
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truthlover123
I always ask, what is the importance of sitting at the right? In scripture, many times are we told that God said to Jesus "sit at my right hand", or He is sitting at God's right hand- a seat of major importance and trust
-Mark 12:36/Luke 20:42/Acts 2:34/Acts 7:55/Romans 8:34/Heb 1:13/Heb 10:12/ Heb 12:2/ 1Peter 3:22/Rev 5:7
In Ps 110:1 -"LORD said to my Lord"- I was always under the impression that all caps meant the senior, while the junior was one cap with remaining small letters.
Heb 1: 5,6- says - "You are my son, I have become your father" and the Father brought that Firstborn to the inhabited earth.
IN Isaiah 9:6, Jesus is referred to as the Mighty God, Prince of Peace . Rev 1:8 shows Jehovah, Elohim, El, and more names is the ALmighty God. Many more times in scripture is the "Almighty" shown.
Just my thoughts
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TTWSYF
If Jesus is the word of Almighty God, then Almighty God speaks and his word ‘binds all things’ then isn’t that actually God himself?
God has no legs or arms to build or create, he just speaks and his word carries ALL of his authority.
Honor the son same as the father.
that’s pretty bluntly spoken divinity, isn’t it?
ttwsyf