Is Jesus God?
Apr 4, 2024 19:53:01 GMT -5
Post by Radrook Admin on Apr 4, 2024 19:53:01 GMT -5
Is Jesus God?
The best way to investigate this controversial matter is to go to the Bible and see what the scriptures said about Jesus, what Jesus's disciples said about Jesus, and and what Jesus said about himself. When we do, then we find that the preponderance of evidence which Trinitarians claim exists really doesn't. Quite to the contrary, the preponderance of evidence indicates otherwise and lends support to what Jesus clearly said about himself, that he was the Son of God whom God, his Father had sent as a messenger, and as a Ransom sacrifice for the sins of mankind.
Another very important thing to keep in mind, is that Trinitarians tend to ignore scriptures that clearly contradict their Trinitarian notions. Some, in fact, as translators, have even tampered with the translations so that they seem to support their Trinitarian preferences.
For example, the term holy spirit and the word son, referring to Jesus, are always capitalized. Scriptures that mention how long Jesus existed, are mistranslated as referring to eternity, and everlasting, in order to convey the impression that Jesus was claiming to be everlasting. For example, consider how they translated Micah 5 below as using the word everlasting. Compare that to other translations which don't.
Another very important thing to keep in mind, is that Trinitarians tend to ignore scriptures that clearly contradict their Trinitarian notions. Some, in fact, as translators, have even tampered with the translations so that they seem to support their Trinitarian preferences.
For example, the term holy spirit and the word son, referring to Jesus, are always capitalized. Scriptures that mention how long Jesus existed, are mistranslated as referring to eternity, and everlasting, in order to convey the impression that Jesus was claiming to be everlasting. For example, consider how they translated Micah 5 below as using the word everlasting. Compare that to other translations which don't.
Micah 5
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Contemporary English Version
Bethlehem Ephrath, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the LORD will choose one of your people to rule the nation--someone whose family goes back to ancient times.
World English Bible
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
Young's Literal Translation
And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth -- to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth are of old, From the days of antiquity.
New American Bible
But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.
NET Bible
As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah--from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past.
New Revised Standard Version
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
JPS Tanakh 1917
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.
Literal Standard Version
“And you, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, | Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From you He comes forth to Me—to be ruler in Israel, | And His comings forth [are] of old, | From the days of antiquity.”
GOD'S WORD® Translation
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
Good News Translation
The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
Legacy Standard Bible
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from everlasting, From the ancient days.”
Amplified Bible
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah; From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel, His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago, From ancient days.”
Christian Standard Bible
Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.
New International Version
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
New Living Translation
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
English Standard Version
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Contemporary English Version
Bethlehem Ephrath, you are one of the smallest towns in the nation of Judah. But the LORD will choose one of your people to rule the nation--someone whose family goes back to ancient times.
World English Bible
But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
Young's Literal Translation
And thou, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From thee to Me he cometh forth -- to be ruler in Israel, And his comings forth are of old, From the days of antiquity.
New American Bible
But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, From you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times.
NET Bible
As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, seemingly insignificant among the clans of Judah--from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, one whose origins are in the distant past.
New Revised Standard Version
But you, O Bethlehem of Ephrathah, who are one of the little clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to rule in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.
JPS Tanakh 1917
But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah, Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth are from of old, from ancient days.
Literal Standard Version
“And you, Beth-Lehem Ephratah, | Little to be among the chiefs of Judah! From you He comes forth to Me—to be ruler in Israel, | And His comings forth [are] of old, | From the days of antiquity.”
GOD'S WORD® Translation
You, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are too small to be included among Judah's cities. Yet, from you Israel's future ruler will come for me. His origins go back to the distant past, to days long ago.
Good News Translation
The LORD says, "Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are one of the smallest towns in Judah, but out of you I will bring a ruler for Israel, whose family line goes back to ancient times."
Legacy Standard Bible
But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from everlasting, From the ancient days.”
Amplified Bible
“But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah; From you One shall come forth for Me [who is] to be Ruler in Israel, His goings forth (appearances) are from long ago, From ancient days.”
Christian Standard Bible
Bethlehem Ephrathah, you are small among the clans of Judah; one will come from you to be ruler over Israel for me. His origin is from antiquity, from ancient times.
New International Version
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
New Living Translation
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, are only a small village among all the people of Judah. Yet a ruler of Israel, whose origins are in the distant past, will come from you on my behalf.
English Standard Version
But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose coming forth is from of old, from ancient days.
Of course they cunningly omit the part where it says that he would not be God himself, but that he would have a God.
Micah 5
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
Then they give great importance to the fact that the apostle Thomas made the declaration "My Lord and My God!" in the presence of the resurrected Jesus, and Jesus said nothing to correct him.
John 20:17-31
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
Which of course must have been because Jesus considered it an exclamatory declaration, and not one that was literally referring to him. Why do we know this? Well, because when someone had previously shown such an attitude in reference to him directly, Jesus had immediately responded in the following way:
Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone.
Then there are the following expression from Jesus himself after he was resurrected, both pre-glorification, and post-glorification, in which he repeatedly describes himself as a worshipper of God.
Post Resurrection but pre-Glorification
John 20:17-31
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.
Post Glorification
◄ Revelation 3:12 ►
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
The one who is victorious I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will they leave it. I will write on them the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on them my new name.
Furthermore, God has no beginning, yet the Bible clearly describes Jesus as being finite, or being the first of God's creations:
Colossians 1:15 l
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
That is why, despite God mentioning having other sons in Genesis in the book of Job, Jesus is referred as his Only Begotten Son, because he was the only one which God created directly, while all the other spirit sons, the angels, were brought into existence through Jesus as the scripture below explains.
Colossians 1:15-17 ESV /
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Another proof that Trinitarians offer as evidence that Jesus is God, is that he is described as being the exact representation of God's attributes.
”Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
But representation does not equate with identify. Consider the definition of the word Representation below.
noun
rep·re·sen·ta·tion ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən -zən-
Synonyms of representation
1
: one that represents: such as
a
: an artistic likeness or image
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/representation
rep·re·sen·ta·tion ˌre-pri-ˌzen-ˈtā-shən -zən-
Synonyms of representation
1
: one that represents: such as
a
: an artistic likeness or image
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/representation
Also, and very significantly, first-century Christians clearly acknowledged only one God, and not two, nor three, and that one God which they exclusively
acknowledged, they clearly identified as the Father, as the scripture below proves.
acknowledged, they clearly identified as the Father, as the scripture below proves.
1 Corinthians 8:6 ESV
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
Furthermore, theologians agree that God cannot learn because God knows everything. Yet Jesus speaks about learning things from his Father in Heaven before arriving on Earth.
John 8:28
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.
Jesus himself repeatedly differentiates himself from God and speaks about God as a person totally apart from himself
John 14:1 ESV
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me
“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me