The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God (cf. John 8:58, 10:38, 14:10; Col. 2:9). And yes, Jesus DID say he was God. In John 8:58, when quizzed about how he has special knowledge of Abraham, Jesus replies, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I Am"—invoking and applying to himself the personal name of God—"I Am" (Ex. 3:14). His audience understood exactly what he was claiming about himself. "So they took up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple" (John 8:59).
In John 20:28, Thomas falls at Jesus’ feet, exclaiming, "My Lord and my God!" (Greek: Ho Kurios mou kai ho Theos mou—literally, "The Lord of me and the God of me!")
Philippians 2:6 says that Jesus "who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" (New International Version). So Jesus chose to be born in humble, human form though he could have simply remained in equal glory with the Father for he was "in very nature God."
2007-09-20 06:57:25 · 37 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Also significant are passages that apply the title "the First and the Last" to Jesus (Rev. 1:17). This is one of the Old Testament titles of Yahweh: "Thus says Yahweh, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, Yahweh of armies: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; besides me there is no god’" (Is. 44:6; cf. 41:4, 48:12).
But did the early Christians believe this? YES! Here are some quotes:
Ignatius of Antioch: "Ignatius, also called Theophorus, to the Church at Ephesus in Asia . . . predestined from eternity for a glory that is lasting and unchanging, united and chosen through true suffering by the will of the Father in Jesus Christ our God" (Letter to the Ephesians 1 [A.D. 110]).
2007-09-20 06:58:33 · update #1
Aristides: "[Christians] are they who, above every people of the earth, have found the truth, for they acknowledge God, the Creator and maker of all things, in the only-begotten Son and in the Holy Spirit" (Apology 16 [A.D. 140]).
Clement of Alexandria: "The Word, then, the Christ, is the cause both of our ancient beginning—for he was in God—and of our well-being. And now this same Word has appeared as man. He alone is both God and man, and the source of all our good things" (Exhortation to the Greeks 1:7:1 [A.D. 190]).
Do we have it straight now? Comments?
2007-09-20 06:59:55 · update #2
Yes I agree with you I think it's obvious. It's pretty silly to deny the trinity.
2007-09-20 07:03:26 · answer #1 · answered by Saved by Grace 3 · 9⤊ 11⤋
To say that Jesus is God is to deny the doctrine of the trinity which is subscribed to by the majority of the people who call themselves Christian. Familiarize yourself with the concept of mystery. Most of the really fundamental things are mysterious in either science or religion. To "finally get it straight" you have to put God in a box (and your box at that). While all that you quote is true it is not the whole picture and you are ruling out that the Son of God is by being less is actually more and consequently miss the whole point.
Meditate on such things as:
He who would save his life must loose it.
The first will be last and the first last.
And while you're at it figure out whether an electron is a particle or a wave.
2007-09-20 15:15:40 · answer #2 · answered by skip 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Prophecies to Identify the Messiah, Which Jesus Does Not Fulfill:
1) Matthew 1:23 says that Jesus (the messiah) would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us." Yet no one, not even his parents, call him Immanuel at any point in the bible.
2) The Messiah must be a physical descendant of David (Romans 1:3 & Acts 2:30). Yet, how could Jesus meet this requirement since his genealogies in Matthew 1 and Luke 3 show he descended from David through Joseph, who was not his natural father because of the Virgin Birth. Hence, this prophecy could not have been fulfilled.
3) Isaiah 7:16 seems to say that before Jesus had reached the age of maturity, both of the Jewish countries would be destroyed. Yet there is no mention of this prophecy being fulfilled in the New Testament with the coming of Jesus, hence this is another Messiah prophecy not fulfilled.
2007-09-20 07:28:15 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 2⤋
The Diety of Christ in his divine nature as an Eternal Person of the Trinity and equal to the Father and Spirit is central to Christianity. Those who reject the above may be sociological,culturally or even ethically Christian but not theologically Christian.
2007-09-20 12:52:21 · answer #4 · answered by James O 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You seem to have got some of the best verses from the New Testament indicating that Jesus is God.
Also good to see some of the early church fathers' witness.
I wonder if the title 'Lord' used of Jesus frequrently in the epistles also indicates His divinity, like 'Adonai' in the Jewish Scriptures. ('Lord' used of Jesus in the gospels is probably the Greek translation for rabbi, I guess)
2007-09-20 07:25:12 · answer #5 · answered by Cader and Glyder scrambler 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋
Amen to that my friend.... listen, to your own heart because Jesus is within you... so you can't be decieved by no one... by no one!
. The true church of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, lays within the hearts and minds of all the men, women and children throughout the whole world who willingly let Him in their hearts and where the might and powers of Satan and men who Satan works through, cannot get at it,. It is not a building of cold stones and mortar nor a money making institution of calloused administrators and professors, it is alive and well, catholic yet hidden and even the gates of hell cannot prevail against it.
So go my friend go!! AMEN! Thank You Jesus!
2007-09-20 07:16:59 · answer #6 · answered by iamh2ok9 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
as a christian i have difficulty believing that Jesus and God were the same being. Jesus said that he would be sitting at the right hand of the father, he prayed was he talking to himself, i really struggle with this...
2007-09-20 07:12:05 · answer #7 · answered by jon 3 · 3⤊ 2⤋
OK, so your opinion is that the bible says jesus is god.
Good for you.
Since I don't believe the bible has any god-given truth in it, your opinion based on fiction is irrelevant. You might as well believe that Harry Potter is a sorcerer because it says so in a book.
2007-09-20 07:09:51 · answer #8 · answered by BAL 5 · 3⤊ 2⤋
If Jesus is God, then WHY does everyone pray through Jesus? It is extremely offensive to non-Christians in public gatherings. Do you do it out of ignorance or to impose you beliefs on all of us?
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2007-09-20 07:28:00 · answer #9 · answered by Hatikvah 7 · 3⤊ 2⤋
Yes Jesus is a God, and a Son of God. His Father is the God we worship. Just like I am human and my Father is Human, but we are not the same humans. :This is why Christ would consider himself an equal with God, but not the God, God the father. Jesus and his Father are one in the same way that Jesus and his disciples were one, but obviously Jesus and his disciples were not the same being.
2007-09-20 07:06:50 · answer #10 · answered by Someone who cares 7 · 2⤊ 5⤋
Surely you know that such a belief is only given to someone supernaturally by God.
2007-09-20 07:03:45 · answer #11 · answered by cheir 7 · 2⤊ 2⤋