Did Jesus pray to himself ?

by hooberus 64 Replies latest watchtower beliefs

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  hooberus

  Trinitarians are often asked questions such as "Did Jesus pray to himself"?

  Some, who don't belive in the Trinity teaching ask these questions thinking that such questions show a fallacy in the Trinity doctrine. However the fact is that Jesus praying to the Father is entirely consistent with the Trinity doctrine of one God in three persons. While Trinitarians believe that the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, are God, they also believe that they are distinct persons within the one God. Thus they are able to speak to one another. So Jesus (one person) speaking to the Father (another person) in prayer is not a problem.

  But why would Jesus pray to the Father?

  Trinitarians believe that Jesus (while remaining fully God) became fully human at the incarnation. Since Jesus became a human man, he did what human men are supposed to do and prayed to the Father.
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  Sentinel

  Hummm, now that I give this some thought, why not? Prayer is nothing more than a thought, either spoken aloud or kept silent-- and I find myself talking to "me" quite often. Sometimes, I give myself heck for doing something stupid, sometimes I ask where I've put something, and many times I even answer myself.
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  rem

  >Trinitarians believe that Jesus (while remaining fully God) became fully human at the incarnation. Since Jesus became a human man, he did what human men are supposed to do and prayed to the Father.
  
  Is someone really fully human if they are also "fully God"?
  
  rem
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  logansrun
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  Elsewhere

  Oops... sorry... I thought this was the bathroom.
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  Love_Truth

  I can't rationalize the Trinitarian thing. Going beyond your subject of was Jesus praying to "himself, I think the Trinity falls apart in two ways (at least).

  1)- It was necessary for Jesus to die (be truly dead) in order to attone for Adam's sin. Someone other than he, then,, had to raise him from the dead.

  2)- The Israelites, Go's origianl chosen people, were pure monotheists, there was never any belief in any but truly one God, not three in one, or any other such number.

  I've had many a discussion on this subject since leving the jaydubs, and I still believe they are correct on this one. So I see no support for a belief that Jesus prayed to anyone other than his Creator, and Father, God, YHWH.
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  Yerusalyim

  Is someone really fully human if they are also "fully God"?

  Rem,

  It's only happened once in history...but the answer is yes.

  I can't rationalize the Trinitarian thing. Going beyond your subject of was Jesus praying to "himself, I think the Trinity falls apart in two ways (at least). No one can, it's a matter of faith not reason.

  1)- It was necessary for Jesus to die (be truly dead)ummm, so ya buy into this whole no immortal soul issue? in order to attone for Adam's sin. Someone other than he, then,, had to raise him from the dead. Scripture is pretty clear in John, where Jesus says he lays his life down and takes it up again. As a human, Jesus died, his imortal soul went to the abode of the dead and freed the those who died before his coming...the righteous dead (see 2 Peter),

  2)- The Israelites, Go's origianl chosen people, were pure monotheists, there was never any belief in any but truly one God, not three in one, or any other such number. True enough.

  I've had many a discussion on this subject since leving the jaydubs, and I still believe they are correct on this one. So I see no support for a belief that Jesus prayed to anyone other than his Creator, and Father, God, YHWH.I don't think this is the question...
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  BluesBrother

  So Jesus (one person) speaking to the Father (another person) in prayer is not a problem

  Umm, is not this what non trinitarians believe? I always thought that having three in one was different to having at least two persons?
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  logansrun

  Most scholars believe there was a slow evolution of Christology from Jesus being totally human (Mark) to him being the special son of God (Matthew, Luke, Paul) to an apotheosis in the Johannine gospel and letters. Makes sense to me.

  Bradley
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  Love_Truth

  I can't rationalize the Trinitarian thing. Going beyond your subject of was Jesus praying to "himself, I think the Trinity falls apart in two ways (at least). No one can, it's a matter of faith not reason.

  Yes, but one must be careful to put their faith in those things that have a firm foundation, as Jesus illustrated with his parable about building on the "rock mass". So, I think it makes sense to put one's faith in what seems most likely. Again, God's "friend" Abraham, believed in a monotheistic God, and the majority of Scripture supports this belief rather than trinitarianism.

  1)- It was necessary for Jesus to die (be truly dead)ummm, so ya buy into this whole no immortal soul issue?

  I buy into the interpretation that the soul is the human, and so, dies with the human.

  in order to attone for Adam's sin. Someone other than he, then,, had to raise him from the dead. Scripture is pretty clear in John, where Jesus says he lays his life down and takes it up again. As a human, Jesus died, his imortal soul went to the abode of the dead and freed the those who died before his coming...the righteous dead (see 2 Peter)

  Not sure what you are alluding to here (second coming obviously, but I fail to find text to support your assertion). Please cite the specific references you are using to subsytantiate your viewpoint.