If you believe Jesus is God, how would you explain these scriptures:?

Question

King James Version

Matthew 26:39 - "(Jesus said) O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

John 8:18 - "(Jesus said) I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."

Colossians 1:15 - "(Jesus) is the...firstborn of every creature"

Mark 13:32 - "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

Matthew 20:23 - "...(Jesus said) to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father"

John 14:28 - "(Jesus said) I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I."

Corrinthians 11:3 - "the head of Christ is God"

John 17:1-3

1 Corinthians 15:28

Can every Trinitarian please actually read the scriptures quoted...
Jesus cannot be God because he spoke to himself, looked to God for guidance and permission, God has authority over Jesus, Jesus went TO God.

Christian Soldier;

Although I don't agree with you, you have the best answer so far...I will come back to you...brb

I used the KJV not NWT

Jesus said that God is greater than him in the sense that God has more authority than him (this is made clear in other scriptures too), nowhere in that verse does it imply that he meant it in a physical way (i.e. Jesus was a man, but God is the almighty spirit). If a king is greater than a servant, what does that mean?

Christian Soldier - I agree with some things you said (e.g. the nature of the relationship between Jesus and God) but Jesus was still under God's authority in heaven, not just as a man.
How did God know something that the son did not? Mark 13:32
The trinity teaches that Jesus was not created, but there are scriptures that state otherwise.
Read what the Catholic Encyclopedia states about the trinity (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm); it was made up by the church and accepted as doctrine towards the end of the 4th century. It even says that "In Scripture there is as yet no single term by which the Three Divine Persons are denoted together".

It says that "There is therefore nothing created, nothing subject to another in the Trinity". But Jesus IS subject to God, and Jesus WAS created.

Basing a doctrine (i.e. trinity) on one or two scriptures (which have been misinterpreted), is not good scholorship. Having a doctrine then twisting every other scripture to suit it is not right either. Anyone who reads the bible from cover to cover would not conclude that the 30+ other scriptures the trinitarians quote is proof that Jesus is God. This is because it is taking them out of context.

Twisting scriptures that contradict the trinity is not being objective:

Joh 6:38 - For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

How can you say that Jesus IS God if God SENT him down from heaven, to do not JESUS' will, but GODS will???

Answer 1

If you say Jesus is God, then you directly contradict other verses that say otherwise. For instance, if Jesus is God...

Why did he say his Father is the only true God? John 17:3.

Why did Gabriel tell Mary that she would give birth to God's Son, NOT God? Luke 1:35.

Why did he tell Mary that they BOTH worshiped the SAME God? John 20:17.

Why did Jesus tell his followers to pray to someone OTHER THAN HIMSELF?

Who is his God and Father? Col. 1:1

Why did SOMEONE ELSE know something that neither he nor the angels knew? Matt. 24:36

Why did he have to be taught what to say? John 8:28

Why would the HUMAN Jesus say that God was a SPIRIT and that he was looking for those to worship HIM with sprit and truth"? John 4:23, 24.

Why would Heb. 9:14 say that he offered himself to God? Did he offer himself to himself?

Who was sent to earth? God or SOMEONE ELSE?

Why did he say his teachings weren't his? If they weren't his, whose were they? John 7:16, 17.

Why would Satan and the demons call him "Son of God"? Luke 4:3, 9; 41. Could they have been mistaken?

Why did he call himself God's Son? John 10:36.

Why did he say that salvation hinged on doing SOMEONE ELSE'S will, and not his own will? Matt. 7:21.

Why would he come to earth to makes someone ELSE'S name known? John 17:26.

Who gave him the revelation? Rev. 1:1.

Why would Peter call him the Son of God and NOT God? Matt. 16:16.

Why would his disciples call him God's Son and NOT god? Matt. 14:33.

Why would SOMEONE ELSE have to give him "authority over all flesh"? John 17:2. If he were God, wouldn't he already have that authority?

Why would it be necessary to pray to the Father? Why not pray directly to Jesus?

Why did he say that SOMEONE ELSE was greater than he was? Who could be greater than God? John 14:28.

Why did Jesus' best friend call him God's Son and NOT God? John 20:31.

Why was it necessary for SOMEONE ELSE to raise him from the dead?

Can God die? Ps. 90:2.

How could he be at his own right hand? Ro. 8:34

Why does 1 Cor. 8:6 say that ONLY the Father is God?

How could he be God when he is the Mediator BETWEEN God and men? Was he between himself and men? 1 Tim. 2:5.

How could he "appear in the presence of God for us"? Did he appear before himself? Heb. 9:24.

Why would SOMEONE ELSE have to GIVE him "all authority in heaven and earth"? If he were God, wouldn't he lready have that authority? Matt. 28:18.

If Jesus were calling himself God at John 8:58, WHERE does that leave the Father and the holy spirit?

In John 5:18 we are told that Jesus’ opponents sought to kill him because he "called God his Father, making himself equal with God." Did you read this verse carefully? Apparently not. If you had, you would have noticed that the Jews did NOT call Jesus God. Instead, they wrongly concluded that Jesus was making himself EQUAL to God because Jesus called God his Father. CAN'T YOU SEE THAT? The Jews also wrongly concluded that Jesus was breaking the Sabbath because he healed a man on the Sabbath which was NOT wrong!

The evidence is overwhelming that Jesus is God's Son, NOT God.

Answer 2

Since people love to use JOHN 1:1 I love to stay in the book of John also for clearer understanding so here goes,

Davidm no he did not say that he was God because he knew that he is not God Almighty i or you or anyone else has ever read in the scriptures that Jesus said he was God Almighty But since you use your scripture of John 10:30 . If you want to go into specifics he said the Father and I are One, not the Father & I are the Same. One as in Unity.
John 10: 33 reads the latter part as saying "being a man makest thyself God". My friend those pharisees that Jesus was talking to were thinking the same way people today think when they read the Father & I are One scripture they were mistakened as they are today.
But read your scriptures down a little further & you will see what Jesus meant because he corrected them in John 10:34 I said Ye are Gods,. there are many gods (1 Cor 8:5).
he corrected them in John 10:36 "you blaspheme because I said I am the Son of God.... Like today they were saying he was saying he was God but Jesus said he was the Son of God.

If the Father & I are One is proof for you that they are the same then the same scripture Down a little further John 17:22 says that they may be ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE.
can" THEY" be God too? Come on now really. And dont even go down to vs 23. With all due respect sir, how simple can it be?

John 17:3 This means life eternal that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has SENT.
Galations 4;4 God Sent Fort his Son..... Not himself.

What Angel or other being can God Send that is so much like him that understand him better than HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON? No One.
They are a spitting image of one another but...
Christian Soldier.. Mark 13:32 shows that even though they are one or in unity with ea. other Jesus still does know all except one thing that ONLY the Father knows.

John 20:17 Jesus himself out of his own mouth said " I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to MY God and your God.
Now Soldier i could somewhat however see your point on Col 1:15 depending on which translation you use but the rest of the scriptures still doesnt explain that one better than Rev 3:14 like the person above me mentioned.
so abandon the watchtower eh? then where would we go? to you? or your belief system? are you a faithful and descreet slave? Interesting...........

Answer 3

Trinitarians would explain it away by saying that Jesus was speaking as a man while on earth. However, this excuse does not address at least one of the scriptures that you quoted: 1 Cor. 11:3.

"The head of Christ is God." This is speaking of Jesus Christ in heaven and cannot be explained away as if Jesus was a mere man in this instance.

In 1 Cor. 11:3, not only does God exercise headship over Christ, but Christ is phrased as a seperate person altogether from God.

Answer 4

You need a new Bible, one that is easier to read in terms of the age of the language and interpretation of the Greek text. I use a study Bible that helps me understand the deeper Biblical principles that frustrate myself and other Christians.

That particular question has been raised over and over, and many denominations deviated from their mothers just because of this one question. Is God 1 or is God 3? Are they separate? Or are they one?

The Bible I speak of is a Recovery Version available free of charge at www.biblesforamerica.org. They will never ask you for money. It is funded privately, and their only mission is to get the Word of God delivered into the hands of people who want and need it. Everyone is invited to visit the website and get a Recovery Version of their own.

Take care, dear ones.

Debbie

Answer 5

You have to remember Jesus was both fully God and fully man - so being found in the form of a human being, he submitted himself to God out of obedience.

- Matthew 26:39 - "(Jesus said) O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Jesus's submission to the Father's will despite the fear that rose up in his very human nature - demonstrating the humble character of our Lord:
"Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross."
- Philippians 2:6-8

"John 8:18 - "(Jesus said) I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."
- What about this is saying that Jesus is not God? God is triune.

"Colossians 1:15 - "(Jesus) is the...firstborn of every creature"

The idea of firstborn is to be supreme over all creation... Colossians 1:15 from the NLT translation:
"Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation"

"Mark 13:32 - "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."

When he was on earth, he voluntarily relinquished his glory and some of his powers.

I could go on, but basically just check out any biblical commentary on the above verses and you will see the meaning - check out blueletterbible.org for example - it has multiple commentaries on every verse. What you're doing is called prooftexting - trying to take a verse out of context and make it say something it isn't saying.

You can't take a verse that is not explictly teaching something and take it to mean something that is the opposite of a verse that does explicitly teach something. (And there are many that teach Jesus is God)

Answer 6

Yeah, Colossians 1:15 is a very important scripture to consider because the title "first born" always applied to a first born of a set of family in the Bible. Since Jesus is called born, that means he created.

Revelation 3:14
14"To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: The Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God, says this:

As you can see, it says the beginning of the creation, which means he was the first of Gods creation. Scriptures don't get any more clear than this.

Heres a article on the first born
http://www.scripturaltruths.com/jesus/firstborn/
Another article on Revelation 3:14
http://www.scripturaltruths.com/jesus/beginning/

Answer 7

Jesus is never recorded in the Bible as saying the exact words, “I am God.” That does not mean, however, that He did not proclaim that He is God. Take for example Jesus’ words in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.” At first glance, this might not seem to be a claim to be God. However, look at the Jews’ reaction to His statement, “We are not stoning you for any of these, replied the Jews, but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God” (John 10:33). The Jews understood Jesus’ statement to be a claim to be God. In the following verses, Jesus never corrects the Jews by saying, “I did not claim to be God.” That indicates Jesus was truly saying He was God by declaring, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 8:58 is another example. Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am!" Again, in response, the Jews take up stones in an attempt to stone Jesus (John 8:59). Why would the Jews want to stone Jesus if He hadn’t said something they believed to be blasphemous, namely, a claim to be God?

John 1:1 says that “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says that “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. Acts 20:28 tells us, "...Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood." Who bought the church with His own blood? Jesus Christ. Acts 20:28 declares that God purchased the church with His own blood. Therefore, Jesus is God!

Thomas the disciple declared concerning Jesus, “Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. Titus 2:13 encourages us to wait for the coming of our God and Savior - Jesus Christ (see also 2 Peter 1:1). In Hebrews 1:8, the Father declares of Jesus, "But about the Son He says, "Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom."

In Revelation, an angel instructed the Apostle John to only worship God (Revelation 19:10). Several times in Scripture Jesus receives worship (Matthew 2:11; 14:33; 28:9,17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38). He never rebukes people for worshiping Him. If Jesus were not God, He would have told people to not worship Him, just as the angel in Revelation had. There are many other verses and passages of Scripture that argue for Jesus’ deity.

The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world (2 Corinthians 5:21), die, and be resurrected - proving His victory over sin and death.

Answer 8

In my humble opinion, the explanation of scripture resides in faith. Without faith the bible is nothing more than a paper weight fool of cool quotations. There is no explanation without faith. The bible can be quoted in and out of context and it means nothing. The explanation lies within the relationship with our lord and savior. Through that relationship based on faith In the beginning, Jesus was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word is God.

Hebrews 11:1
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen

John 1:1
In the beginning was the Word , and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Hebrews 1:8-10
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.

Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands

Answer 9

You are correct. These scriptures illustrate that Jesus Christ and God the Father are two distinct beings. Try thinking of of the term "God" as a title or state of being rather than a name.

Answer 10

Is the Holy Spirit God's active force?

Does Jesus tell the Holy Spirit what to do?