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If you’re not gonna believe what Jesus Christ said about Himself, why would you believe what He said about how to gain eternal life?
Jesus Christ gives people three options on what to think and believe about Him - He was God in the flesh, He was crazy or He was a liar. That’s it.
Here is the first passage in which Jesus claims to be God:
“And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.
Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.
I and my Father are one.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”
(John 10:23-33)
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Here, Jesus Christ identifies Himself as God by affirming what Thomas, one of His disciples, says about Him.
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you.
Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”
(John 20:24-29)
"Who do you say I am"?
When Jesus asked Peter this question, Peter did NOT say "you are God ".
Peter said "you are the SON of God", and Jesus did not correct him.
Jesus was never completely clear about saying that He was "God", but emphasized over and over again that He was the son, and that God was the Father.
Through time, however it started, people combined Son and God. Jesus said when He ascends, He will send the Holy Spirit.
How the Trinity/Godhead belief system unfolded is unclear to me, but it doesn't appear that Jesus preached that during His life on earth.
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@chaney3 saidI think you’re assuming that being the Son of God is of lesser stature than being God the Father, and I don’t think that’s the case.
"Who do you say I am"?
When Jesus asked Peter this question, Peter did NOT say "you are God ".
Peter said "you are the SON of God", and Jesus did not correct him.
Jesus was never completely clear about saying that He was "God", but emphasized over and over again that He was the son, and that God was the Father.
Through time, however it started, people combined So ...[text shortened]... unfolded is unclear to me, but it doesn't appear that Jesus preached that during His life on earth.
I think the Holy Bible says that Jesus Christ, while in the flesh on earth, was of lesser stature than God the Father, and I base that, in part, on the book of Hebrews.
“Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”
(Hebrews 2:7-9)
But before He was born of the Virgin Mary, I think Jesus was of equal stature with God the Father, and I base that on John 1.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
(John 1:1-3)
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
(John 1:14)
I think Jesus references the Trinity when He gives instructions to His disciples after His Resurrection.
“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
(Matthew 28:18-20)
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Interesting response from Jesus to one of His disciples asking Him to show them the Father.
“Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?
Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.”
(John 14:8-11)
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From what is known as the “High Priestly Prayer” in the Gospel of John, chapter 17:
“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.”
(John 17:1-5)
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Here, Jesus Christ says He existed before Abraham and uses the “I Am” identification that God used to identify Himself in the Old Testament.
“Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.”
(John 8:57-59)
The Pharisees’ reaction to Jesus saying, “Before Abraham was, I am” is (imo) related to God in the Old Testament declaring Himself to be “I am.” This is seen, among other places, in Exodus chapter 3.
“And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.”
(Exodus 3:11-14)
Jesus’ statement to the Pharisees, “Before Abraham was, I am” was (imo) an obvious reference to how God identified Himself to Moses many centuries before Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees as recorded in the Gospel of John, chapter 8.
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@rajk999 said“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
What does this mean? There is absolutely no statement from Jesus Christ that he is God.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
(1 John 2:22-23)
@pb1022 saidJesus never made a CLEAR statement that He is God. He did make statements that would lead to the assumption that He COULD be God.
“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.
Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”
(1 John 2:22-23)
It's a frustrating issue, because it seems to be such an important matter of identity.
He was never clear, and that doesn't make sense.
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@rajk999 saidFrom gotquestions.org
What does this mean? There is absolutely no statement from Jesus Christ that he is God.
What does it mean that Jesus is the Son of God?
Jesus is not God’s Son in the sense of a human father and a son. God did not get married and have a son. God did not mate with Mary and, together with her, produce a son.
Jesus is God’s Son in the sense that He is God made manifest in human form (John 1:1, 14). Jesus is God’s Son in that He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 declares, “The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.’”
During His trial before the Jewish leaders, the High Priest demanded of Jesus, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26:63).
“‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied. ‘But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven’” (Matthew 26:64).
The Jewish leaders responded by accusing Jesus of blasphemy (Matthew 26:65-66). Later, before Pontius Pilate, “The Jews insisted, ‘We have a law, and according to that law He must die, because He claimed to be the Son of God’” (John 19:7).
Why would His claiming to be the Son of God be considered blasphemy and be worthy of a death sentence? The Jewish leaders understood exactly what Jesus meant by the phrase “Son of God.” To be the Son of God is to be of the same nature as God. The Son of God is “of God.” The claim to be of the same nature as God—to in fact be God—was blasphemy to the Jewish leaders; therefore, they demanded Jesus’ death, in keeping with Leviticus 24:15.
Hebrews 1:3 expresses this very clearly, “The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being.”
Another example can be found in John 17:12 where Judas is described as the “son of perdition.” John 6:71 tells us that Judas was the son of Simon. What does John 17:12 mean by describing Judas as the “son of perdition”? The word perdition means “destruction, ruin, waste.” Judas was not the literal son of “ruin, destruction, and waste,” but those things were the identity of Judas' life. Judas was a manifestation of perdition.
In this same way, Jesus is the Son of God. The Son of God is God. Jesus is God made manifest (John 1:1, 14).
https://www.gotquestions.org/Jesus-Son-of-God.html
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@chaney3 saidI think He was clear enough.
Jesus never made a CLEAR statement that He is God. He did make statements that would lead to the assumption that He COULD be God.
It's a frustrating issue, because it seems to be such an important matter of identity.
He was never clear, and that doesn't make sense.
Saying “I and the Father are one,” saying He proceeded forth from God, saying He existed with God the Father and shared God the Father’s glory before the world began, not correcting Thomas, who called Him God, but in fact affirming what Thomas said, etc. seem clear to me.
And then there’s the words of His apostles.
If one wants a declaration of Jesus saying “I am God,” they won’t find it. But I think Hebrews is clear that Jesus, while in the flesh on earth, had been made “a little lower than the angels.” In other words, as I see it, fully human and fully God is not of the same stature as fully God.
But look what else Hebrews says:
“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high:
Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
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.”
(Hebrews 1:1-8)
In the eighth verse, God the Father calls the Son “God.”
If you believe the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the eighth verse in Hebrews chapter 1 should clear up Jesus’ identity (though I think it’s clear from the Gospels.)
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“Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
He answered and said, Who is he, Lord, that I might believe on him?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.”
(John 9:35-37)
I don't deny the Trinity, but rather, I try to understand it.
Yet, it's not something that the human mind can comprehend, in my opinion.
I find a need to be correct with "who" exactly I am worshipping, because if the Trinity is wrong, then we're breaking a Commandment by worshipping Jesus instead of "God".
@chaney3 saidI really cannot understand why you are allowing these apostate Christian churches mislead and frustrate you. If you want the truth you stay with what Jesus Christ preached. Did Jesus say he was God? NO. End of Story
Jesus never made a CLEAR statement that He is God. He did make statements that would lead to the assumption that He COULD be God.
It's a frustrating issue, because it seems to be such an important matter of identity.
He was never clear, and that doesn't make sense.