CHRISTIANS: was jesus omnipotent? (read more)?

Question

i'm still not clear on whether or not god IS jesus. christians seem to go back and forth on it.

if god is omnipotent,
and jesus is god,
then jesus is omnipotent. right?

so, when he was being nailed up to a cross, what were his reasons exactly for not just breaking away and leaving? was it just because he wanted to dehydrate to death (or whatever exactly) in order to "pay for our sins"? was jesus just playing along with the romans the whole time, and LETTING them kill him?

i'm not saying this is a contradiction or anything. i'm just curious to see where most christians stand on how omnipotent exactly jesus really was.

Answer 1

Dear Tobykeogh:

I hope this is some clarification. Spirituality seems to have addressed these questions while the Bible truly did not although Jesus certainly teaches from the Bible if you wish for that and He acknowledges the Bible often.

First, Jesus declares, Himself, that He is a brother - just like you and me. He was the first to complete His role in transcending physical life and proving there is no death. Jesus says that if He could learn what the Holy Spirit taught Him - WE can all learn it too! He was not different from us. He answered the call put out by the Holy Spirit, through our Spirit minds, to demonstrate to His brothers the truth about our Reality and to teach how to re-establish your relationship with your Creator and come to know Him again! For we no longer know Him. Jesus said, "I am not God. . .I am of God." His powers came from the Holy Spirit through Him to fulfill a Plan of God's.

Second, there is no death. We are spirit minds like our Holy Creator - created in His image. We are Eternal beings like our Father. The whole point of the Crucifixion was the RESURRECTION. That was the final demonstration of transcendence over the illusions about physical life. We do not die! Jesus instructs us, "Do not look upon the crucifixion itself and dwell upon it. Look, instead, at the Resurrection. That is the final lesson I came to teach." Jesus came into this life with a desire to make the crucifixion and Resurrection the main focus of His teachings. He was ENTIRELY WILLING.

Third, the quote while He was on the cross of, "Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken Me" was followed soon after by "Father forgive them, they know not what they have done." Jesus says quote No. 2 because until He says that - He can not Ascend and return to the Father. That quote CANCELS all responsibility the Romans and crowds of people believed they had in his death. He sets them free. If you can not forgive - you do not understand your Father's nature, your own nature, nor anything about this physical life. Forgiveness was mandatory. He is teaching you. Do you hear Him? Also, the first quote, "Father, Father, why hast thou forsaken me?" is from scripture that Jesus was repeating to fulfill the sacrifice of the lamb. Like the scripture of Isaiah. He is repeating scripture on the cross - that makes the necessary points to the people in attendance - for the people had heard and some had read some of those scriptures. Jesus saw himself in human life as the Lamb that Isaiah spoke of. He was imbued with that idea.

Fourth, The Father places Jesus in charge of the entire Sonship when he Ascends. Because, he fulfilled his role perfectly. Jesus still teaches one-on one if you invite him into your life. He will not enter without invitation. But if you begin a relationship with him he will speak with you and discuss your reading and lessons with you - as an elder brother who loves you and can, with authority, lead you back to your One-ness with all brothers (traditionally speaking) and your One-ness with your Father. He speaks through your Mind, as does the Holy Spirit. They use the One Mind (our joint-ness in Spirit) to teach through. You will hear Jesus quite clearly when you are willling to! This is quite different from what some traditional religions claim about the Master.

Finally, His power-like omnipotence is total in his Resurrected life. It is the power of the Father and the Holy Spirit flowing through Him that gives Him the power. He will lead you on your Journey when you are ready to begin it. He will never interfere in your life until you tell Him to join you - tell Him you are ready.

The Los Angeles Public Library has a videorecording and a hard back issue of "A Course in Miracles" the Miracle of your Reality. You may purchase a "Course" on the Internet or through a bookstore also. Or by phone at 415/388-2060. But decide, deeply, if you desire a real relationship with the Master. Do not "play games" with Him. I wish to be informative to you - nothing else.

Answer 2

Jesus Omnipotent

Answer 3

READ ALL THIS!!

God=Jesus=Holy Spirit
It's called the Godhead, the Trinity, three in one...They do the same thing, however three different ways.
Let me show you:

Genesis1:26
"And God said, Let US make man in OUR image, after OUR likness..." God the father, was talking to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. If you look those words up in the hebrew language (the old testament was written in hebrew) that term means Godhead, as in the Trinity of God.

As in regard to the other statement,

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden of eden, sin came into the world. Jesus had to come to earth as the "Second Adam" to correct what Adam had done wrong. The reason Jesus had to die on the cross is because blood had to be shed for the sins of man to be forgiven (that's where the term saved comes from). God (Jesus) saved us by dying on the cross to pay for the sins of the world, so that when we die our natural death, our souls could live forever with Him in Heaven.
If Jesus came down from the cross everything that Christians believe in would be null and void because His purpose would not have been fulfilled.
That's why Jesus' last words were, "It is finished." He said that because He accomplished what He had come to earth to do. To pay for the sins of the world.

He wasn't 'playing' with the Romans, per say, but the thing is, no matter how bad it felt, and I know it felt bad, He had to stay on the cross. The Bible says, "For the JOY that was set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame..." (Hebrews 12:2)
See Jesus already knew the future, so He wasn't worried about His present state. He knew how much joy was before Him, so he took the beatings, and people laughing at Him, and all that other stuff. Just for You...

Yes, it hurt, because he was in human form, however, he still had to finish His course.

And that's why Christians love Him so much because we realize that if it were not for Jesus, we would be on our way to eternal damnation. But He loved us enough to complete the assignment that God had for Him...to die for our sins so that we could have eternal life. It's an awesome thing!
God Bless.

Answer 4

Jesus temporarily set aside His divine powers so that He could live life here on earth as a man who was free from sin and thereby provide a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

Philippians 2:5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Jesus told Peter and the other disciples that He would lay down his life and when Peter tried to rebuke Him and tell Jesus that this should never happen, Jesus likened Peter to Satan and said that he was a stumbling block ot Him.

It was planned all along that Jesus would come and offer himself up as a sacrifice for our sins. That's what all of the Old Testament sacrifices and the passover lamb were pointing to.

1 Peter 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Corinthians 5:7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

Answer 5

God sent his Son into this world to die for our sin so that through his blood we could be saved.
Jesus was held to that cross by love. It wasn't the nails that kept Him there. He could have come down from that cross at any time. But he was sent here as the perfect sacrifice for our sin. The first thing that Jesus said from the cross was asking the Father to forgive them for they didn't know what they were doing. He didn't go kicking and screaming, He went like a lamb to slaughter. This was His purpose and He was fulfilling God's Will. It's really hard to believe that anyone could love anyone else enough to give their life for that person. The least we can do in return is to give our lives to Him.

Answer 6

Well, I'll try to stick on the idea of "omnipotence" rather than trying to explain the theology behind Jesus' refusal to avoid the cross.

(I anticipate you already know all the theology you need to know about this, if you've examined the gospels at all.)

The best understanding I've got of the Trinity and the relationship between the Father and Son suggests that, when the Son became human (Jesus), he willingly accepted blinders/limitations placed upon himself by the Father.

Thus, while he remained part of the Trinity, he only knew what the Father permitted him to know and he only could do what the Father permitted him to do. (Jesus' words in the Gospels attest to this and reinforce his submission to and reflection of the Father).

That means that he knew what a mortal knew, and could do only what a mortal could do, until God removed blinders/limitations in specific situations, when it was appropriate.

So Jesus simply lived his life (growing from childhood into adulthood), trusting that at the opportune time, he would know what to do and have the ability to do it.

(This idea also has theoretical beauty, since it emulates the level of trust and faith that God asks of normal human beings... The road of Jesus and the road of normal believers, in terms of the spiritual journey, thus is the same.)

I couldn't begin to tell you the details of how this played out, or when Jesus became aware (as a man) of the depths of sacrifice he would choose to make. The gospels attest that he did not desire to die (who would?), anticipating the horror and pain of both physical and spiritual death, but he chose to submit rather than using any power invested in him to serve his own purposes.

Again, it's a taste of the Trinitarian "community" that God is, the same community we lost and now long for, yet are afraid to risk ourselves for -- the limitless depth of commitment/love and willingness to invest oneself in others rather than oneself.

I'll save theology about "atonement" for some other question...

Answer 7

Jesus is God and God is omnipotent, but Jesus came to be a servant and chose to give up his omnipotence to be human. He didn't want to be nailed to the cross and die that agonizing death, but he knew that was what had to be, so he submitted to it. I don't know whether or not Jesus had the power then to remove himself from the cross, but he obviously chose not to do so because his sacrifice is our salvation and he was selfless enough to suffer for us so that we might be saved. Saving himself would have been pointless and against God's will...

Answer 8

Jesu was completely omnipotent. He didn't come off the cross because he wanted to save people like you and me from having to go to hell. He rose again in 3 days to prove that fact.

Answer 9

Jesus did not even know he was God's son until the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Jericho River. So NO, he was not omnipotent. Also, he prayed TO HIS FATHER, to "take this cup away from him, if it was his will," in other words, "oh my god, i'm so scared of what's going to happen to me, if you allow it, please let me live." (Mat. 26:39) However, IT HAD TO HAPPEN and Christ was a FAITHFUL and DISCREET SLAVE, or in other words, He was NOTHING if not devoted to "us" and his Father. So, instead of "passing" the cup, he drank the death contained in it for us and God, so that we would have our CHANCE at Eternal Life.

Christ says over and over that the Father is greater than HE is. Just read the first 4 books of the N.T., he himself makes this SO PLAIN, and he is not a liar.

Answer 10

Jesus wasn't omnipotent when he was on earth. He gave that up, but he did have the power to stop the Romans from killing him. He could have called down angels. He willingly gave his life for the world.

Answer 11

This is probably the hardest topic in Christiany to explain.

God is one person in three parts (its really hard to explain and understand). Our God is one God in three forms, the holy trinity (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Jesus is God in human form (the Son more specifically). He is %100 man therefore he can not be omnipotent. He is is also %100 God too (also very hard to wrap your mind around)

GO TO THIS WEBSITE:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Trinity-Bible.html

That website has answers for just about any question in Christianity and it can probably explain Jesus better than me.