Jesus Christ : human being or God
?
Jesus Christ : human being or God ?
Is-Jesus-God
Scripture shows that Jesus Christ is a true human being. It is clear from the verses
below that he was indeed a man.
"
Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man
accredited by God to you by miracles,
wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you
yourselves know "
Acts 2:22
On the other hand, Scripture says “God
is not a man.”
God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man
Numbers 23:19
God is not a human being, that he should lie, or a mortal…
Numbers 23:19 (NRSV)
For I am God, and not man—
the Holy One among you.
Hosea 11:9
Is Jesus God ?
1. The Bible Says that God is not Man
The Bible says:
Numbers 23:19 "God is not
a man…"
Hosea 11:9 "...For I am
God, and not man..."
Jesus is called a man many
times in the Bible:
John 8:40 "…a man who has
told you the truth…"
Acts 2:22 "Jesus the
Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs
which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves
know."
Acts 17:31 "He will judge
the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed"
1.Tim. 2:5 "…the man
Christ Jesus."
God is not a man, but Jesus,
may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was a man, therefore, Jesus was
not God.
2.
The Bible Says that God Is Not a Son of Man
Numbers 23:19 "God is not
a man...nor a son of man…"
The Bible often calls Jesus
"a son of man" or "the son of man."
Matthew 12:40 "…so will
the son of man be…"
Matthew 16:27 "For the
son of man is going to come…"
Matthew 28 "…until they
see the son of man coming in His kingdom."
Mark 2:10 "But so that
you may know that the Son of Man has authority…"
John 5:27 "…because He is
the son of man."
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the
"son of man" is also used many times speaking of people (Job 25:6;
Psalm 80:17; 144:3; Ezekiel 2:1; 2:3; 2:6; 2:8; 3:1; 3:3; 3:4; 3:10; 3:17;
3:25).
Since God would not contradict
Himself by first saying He is not the son of a man, then becoming a human being
who was called "the son of man", he would not have done so.
Remember God is not the author of confusion. Also, human beings,
including Jesus, are called "son of man" specifically to distinguish
them from God, who is not a "son of man" according to the Bible.
3.
The Bible Says that Jesus Denied He is God
Luke 18:19 Jesus spoke to a
man who had called him "good," asking him, "Why do you call me
good? No one is good except God alone."
Matthew 19:17 And he said to
him, "Why are you asking me about what is good? There is only One who
is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments."
Jesus did not teach people
that he was God. If Jesus had been telling people that he was God, he
would have complimented the man. Instead, Jesus rebuked him, denying he
was good, that is, Jesus denied he was God.
4.
The Bible Says that God is Greater than Jesus
John 14:28 "My Father is
greater than I."
John 10:29 "My father is
greater than all."
Jesus can not be God if God is
greater than him. The Christian belief that the Father and son are equal
is in direct contrast to the clear words from Jesus.
5.
Jesus Never Instructed His Disciples to Worship Himself or the Holy Ghost, but
God and God Only
Luke 11:2 "When you pray,
say Our Father which art in heaven."
John 16:23 "In that day,
you shall ask me nothing. Whatsoever you ask of the Father in my
name."
John 4:23 "The hour
cometh and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him."
If Jesus was God, he would
have sought worship for himself. Since he didn’t, instead he sought
worship for God in the heavens, therefore, he was not God.
6.
The Bible Says that Jesus Recognized, Prayed, & Worshipped the Only True
God
Jesus prayed to God with the
words:
John 17:3 "…that they
might know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
Jesus prayed to God all night:
Luke 6:12 "he continued
all night in prayer to God."
…because:
Matthew 20:28: "Just as
the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve."
How did Jesus pray to God?
Matthew 26:39: "he fell
with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father."
Even Paul said:
Hebrews 5:7 "During the
days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with loud
cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard
because of his reverent submission."
Who was Jesus praying to when
he fell on his face with loud cries and petitions? Was it himself?
Was Jesus crying in tears to himself pleading to be saved from death?
No man, sane or insane, prays to himself! Surely the answer must be
a resounding ‘No.’ Jesus was praying to "the only true God." Jesus
was the servant of the One Who sent him. Can there be a clearer proof
that Jesus was not God?
The Quran confirms that Jesus
called for the worship of the Only True God:
"Truly, God
is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him (alone). This is the straight
path." (Quran 3:51)
7.
The Bible says that the disciples did not believe Jesus was God
The Acts of the Apostles in
the Bible details the activity of the disciples over a period of thirty years
after Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was raised to
heaven. Throughout this period, they never referred to Jesus as God.
For instance Peter stood up with the eleven disciples and
addressed a crowd saying:
Acts 2:22 "Men of Israel,
listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by
miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves
know."
For Peter, Jesus was a servant of
God (confirmed in Matthew 12:18):
Acts 3:13 "The God of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant
Jesus."
Acts 3:26 "God raised up
his servant..."
When faced by opposition from
the authorities, Peter said:
Acts 5:29-30 "We must
obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus..."
The disciples prayed to God
just as they were commanded by Jesus in Luke 11:2, and considered Jesus to be
God’s servant,
Acts 4:24 "...they raised
their voices together in prayer to God. ‘Sovereign Lord,’ they said, ‘you
made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.’"
Acts 4:27 "...your holy
servant Jesus, whom you anointed."
Acts 4:30 "…of Your holy
servant Jesus."
This is exactly what the Quran
states of Jesus:
Quran 19: 30 "…I am
indeed a servant of God."
8.
The Bible says that Jesus was God’s servant, chosen one, and beloved
Matt. 12:18 "Behold, My
servant, whom I have chosen, in whom My soul is well pleased."
Since Jesus is God’s servant,
Jesus can not be God.
9.
The Bible says that Jesus could not Do Anything by Himself
John 5:19 "The son can do
nothing by himself; he can only do what he sees his Father doing."
John 5:30 "I can of mine
own self do nothing."
Jesus did not consider himself
equal with God, rather he denied doing anything by himself.
10.
The Bible says that God performed miracles through Jesus &
Jesus was limited in what he could do
Matt. 9:8 "But when the
crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God, who had given such
authority to men."
Acts 2:22 "a man attested
to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through
Him in your midst."
Acts 10:38 "…he went
about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was
with Him."
If Christ was God, the Bible
would simply say that Jesus did the miracles himself without making reference
to God. The fact that it was God supplying the power for the miracles
shows that God is greater than Jesus.
Also, Jesus was limited in
performing miracles. One time when Jesus tried to heal a blind man, the
man was not healed after the first attempt, and Jesus had to try a second time
(Mark 8:22-26). Once a woman was healed of her incurable bleeding.
The woman came up behind him and touched his cloak, and she was immediately
healed. But Jesus had no idea who touched him:
Mark 5:30 "At once Jesus
realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd
and asked, ‘Who touched my clothes?’"
Mark 6:5 "He could not do
any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal
them."
Quite obviously, someone with
such limitations can not be God. The power of miracles was not within
Jesus.
11.
The Bible says that at times of weakness angels strengthened Jesus; God,
however, does not need to be strengthened
Luke 22:43 "An angel from
heaven appeared to him and strengthened him [in the garden of
Gethsemane]."
Mark 1:13 "And he was in
the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild
beasts, and the angels were ministering to him."
Men need to be strengthened;
God does not because God is All-Powerful. If Jesus had to be
strengthened, he must not be God.
12.
The Bible says that Jesus wanted God’s will to be done, not his own
Luke 22:42: "not my will
but Yours be done."
John 5:30 "I do not seek
my own will, but the will of Him who sent me."
John 6:38 "For I came
down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of Him that sent
me."
Are some members of the
coequal Trinity subservient, and less than equal, to other members? Even
though they have different wills ("I do not seek my own will"), do
they obey without question the others’ commands ("the will of Him who sent
me")? Jesus admits to subordinating his own distinct will, yet
according to the Trinitarian doctrine they should all have the same will.
Should one of the triune partners have to forgo his own will in favor of the
will of another member of the Trinity? Should not they all have the exact
same will?
13.
The Bible says Jesus regarded God’s testimony as separate from his own
Jesus regarded himself and God
as two, not "one."
John 8:17 and 18: "I am
one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father."
John 14:1 "Do not let
your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."
If Jesus was God, He would not
have regarded God’s testimony as separate from his own.
14.
The Bible says that Jesus is subordinate to God
1 Corinthians 11:3 “Now I want
you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman
is man, and the head of Christ is God.”
1 Corinthians 15:28 “When he
has done this, then the son himself will be made subject to him who put everything
under him, so that God may be all in all.”
Since Jesus was subordinate to
God, he was not God.
15.
The Bible says that Jesus grew in wisdom & learning, but God is All Wise
& does not (need to) learn
Jesus grew in wisdom, but God
is all wise:
Psalms 147:5 “Great is our
Lord and abundant in strength; His understanding is infinite.”
Luke 2:52: “And Jesus
increased in wisdom.”
God does not need to learn,
but Jesus learned.
Heb. 5:8 “Although he was a
son, he learned obedience…”
16.
The Bible says that Jesus had limited knowledge, but god’s knowledge is
infinite
Mark 13:32 “No one knows about
that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the
Father.”
Since Jesus, may the mercy and
blessings of God be upon him, did not know, he was not all-knowing, and
therefore, he cannot be the God whose knowledge is all-encompassing.
17.
The Bible says that Jesus was tempted, but God cannot be tempted
Heb. 4:15 “tempted in
every way—just as we are”
James 1:13 “for God cannot be
tempted by evil”
Since God can not be tempted,
but Jesus was, therefore, Jesus was not God.
18.
The Bible says that Jesus’ teachings were from God, NOT Jesus himself
John 7:16 “So Jesus answered
them and said, "My teaching is not mine, but His who sent me.”
Jesus could not have said this
if he were God because the doctrine would have been his.
19.
The Bible says that Jesus died, but God cannot die
The Bible teaches that Jesus
died. God cannot die. Romans 1:23 and other verses say that God is
immortal. Immortal means, “not subject to death.” This term applies only
to God.
20.
The Bible says that Jesus lived because of God
John 6:57 “I live because of
the Father.”
Jesus cannot be God because he
depended on God for his own existence.
21.
The Bible says that Jesus’ powers were given to him
Matt 28:18 “All power is given
unto me.”
God is all-powerful, no one
gives God His powers, otherwise He would not be God because He would be
weak. Therefore, Jesus could not be God.
22.
The Bible says that Jesus was taught & commanded by God
John 8:28 “As my Father hath
taught me, I speak these things,”
John 12:49 “The Father, who
sent me, he gave me a commandment.”
John 15:10 “I have kept my
Father’s commandments.”
No one can teach God, otherwise
God cannot be All-Knowing and would owe His teacher. Since Jesus was
taught and commanded by God, Jesus cannot be God himself. The teacher and
the student, the commander and the commanded are not one.
23.
Bible says that God made Jesus “Lord”
Acts 2:36 “God has made this
Jesus... both Lord and Christ.”
“Lord” is used in many ways in
the Bible, and others beside God and Jesus are called “Lord.” For example:
1) property owners
(Matt. 20:8)
2) heads of
households (Mark 13:35)
3) slave owners
(Matt. 10:24)
4) husbands (1
Pet. 3:6)
5) a son called
his father Lord (Matt. 21:30)
6) the Roman
Emperor was called Lord (Acts 25:26)
7) Roman
authorities were called Lord (Matt. 27:63)
“Lord” is not the same as
“God.” “Lord” (the Greek word is kurios) is a masculine title of
respect and nobility used many times in the Bible. If Jesus were God,
then for the Bible to say he was “made” Lord would make no sense.
24.
The Bible says that Jesus was lower than angels
Hebrews 2:9 “But we do see him
who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus.”
God, the Creator of angels,
can not be lower than His own creation, but Jesus was. Therefore, Jesus
was not God.
25.
The Bible says that Jesus called the Father “my God”
Matt. 27:46 “My God, My God,
why have You forsaken me?”
John 20:17 “I ascend to my
Father and your Father, and my God and your God.”
Rev. 3:12 “… the temple of my
God… the name of my God… the city of my God… comes down out of heaven from my
God.”
Jesus did not think of himself
as God, instead Jesus’ God is the same as ours.
26.
The Bible says that God cannot be seen, but Jesus was
John 1:18 “no man has seen God
at any time.”
27.
The Bible says twice that Jesus was accused of being God, but he denied it
According to the Bible, on
only two instances the Jews opposed Jesus on the basis that he pretended to be
God or equal with God. Had Jesus, may the mercy of God be upon him,
claimed to be God, he is likely to have been opposed on this basis more frequently.
Because in these two instances, when charged, in the one case, with
making himself God, and in the other, with making himself equal with God, he
denied the charges. In reply to the charge of being an equal with God, he
says immediately:
John 5:19, 30 “The son can do
nothing of himself, but what he sees the Father do”; and directly after:
“I can of mine own self do
nothing.”
In answer to the charge of
making himself God, he appeals to the Jews in substance thus: Your own
Scriptures call Moses a god, and your magistrates gods; I am surely not
inferior to them, yet I did not call myself God, but only the “son” of God
(John 10:34-36).
This is unlikely to have been
Jesus’ actual response. Hastings in “The Dictionary of the Bible” says,
“Whether Jesus used it of himself is doubtful.” Grolier’s encyclopedia, under
the heading “Jesus Christ,” says, “it is uncertain whether the Father/Son language
(Mark 18:32; Matt. 11:25-27 par.; John passim) goes back to Jesus himself.” A
University of Richmond professor, Dr. Robert Alley, after considerable research
into newly found ancient documents concludes that:
“....The (Biblical) passages
where Jesus talks about the Son of God are later additions.... what the church
said about him. Such a claim of deity for himself would not have been
consistent with his entire lifestyle as we can reconstruct. For the first
three decades after Jesus’ death Christianity continued as a sect within
Judaism. The first three decades of the existence of the church were
within the synagogue. That would have been beyond belief if they (the
followers) had boldly proclaimed the deity of Jesus.”
Assuming Jesus did say that he
was “son” of God. What did it mean? We first need to know the
language of his people, the language of the Jews to whom he was speaking.
First, most people think there
are no other verses that contradict or give equal divine sonship to other
persons in the Old or New Testament. But according to the Bible God had
quite a few “sons”: Adam,[1] Jacob
is God’s son and firstborn,[2] Solomon[3], Ephraim[4] is God’s
firstborn, common people are called the sons of God.[5] All
four Gospels record Jesus as saying, “Blessed are the peace-makers;
they will be called sons of God.”
The word “son” cannot be
accepted literally because in the Bible, God apparently addresses many of his
chosen servants as “son” and “sons.” The Hebrews believed God is One, and had
neither wife nor children in any literal sense. Therefore, it is obvious
the expression “son of God” merely meant “Servant of God”; one who, because of
faithful service, was close and dear to God as a son is to his father.
Christians who came from a Greek or Roman background, later misused this
term. In their heritage, “son of God” signified an incarnation of a god
or someone born of a physical union between male and female gods. This
can be seen in Acts 14: 11-13, where we read that when Paul and Barnabas
preached in a city of Turkey, pagans claimed they were gods incarnate.
They called Barnabas the Roman god Zeus, and Paul the Roman god Hermes.
Furthermore, the New Testament
Greek word translated as “son” are “pias” and “paida” which mean “servant,” or
“son in the sense of servant.” These are translated to “son” in reference to
Jesus and “servant” in reference to all others in some translations of the
Bible. So, consistent with other verses, Jesus was merely saying that he
is God’s servant.
Additional
Problems with Trinity
To a Christian, God had to
take human form to understand temptation and human suffering, but the concept
is not based on any clear words of Jesus. In contrast, God does not need
to be tempted and suffer in order to be able to understand and forgive man’s
sins, for He is the all knowing Creator of man. This is expressed in
the verse:
Exodus 3:7 “And the Lord said:
‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people that are in Egypt, and I have
heard their cry because of their taskmasters; for I know their pains.’”
God forgave sin before Jesus’
appearance, and He continues to forgive without any assistance. When a
believer sins, he may come before God in sincere repentance to receive
forgiveness. Indeed, the offer to humble oneself before God and be saved
is made to all humankind.
Isaiah 45:21-22, “And there is
no God else beside Me; a just God and a Savior; there is none beside Me.
Look to Me, and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and
there is none else.”
Biblically, people can receive
forgiveness of sins through sincere repentance sought directly from God.
This is true at all times and in all places. There has never been a
need for the so-called intercessionary role Jesus plays in attaining atonement.
The facts speak for themselves. There is no truth to the Christian
belief that Jesus died for our sins and salvation is only through Jesus.
What about the salvation of people before Jesus? Jesus’ death brings
neither atonement from sin, nor is it in any way a fulfillment of biblical
prophecy.
Christians claim that in the
birth of Jesus, there occurred the miracle of the incarnation of God in the
form of a human being. To say that God became truly a human being invites
a number of questions. Let us ask the following about the man-God Jesus.
What happened to his foreskin after his circumcision (Luke 2:21)?
Did it ascend to heaven, or did it decompose as with any human piece of
flesh? During his lifetime what happened to his hair, nails, and blood
shed from wounds? Did the cells of his body die as in ordinary human
beings? If his body did not function in a truly human way, he could not
be truly human as well as truly God. Yet, if his body functioned exactly
in a human way, this would nullify any claim to divinity. It would be
impossible for any part of God, even if incarnate, to decompose in any way and
still be considered God. The everlasting, one God, in whole or in part,
does not die, disintegrate, or decompose:
Malachi 3:6 “ For I the Lord do
not change.”
Did Jesus’ flesh dwell in
safety after his death? Unless Jesus’ body never underwent “decay” during
his lifetime he could not be God, but if it did not undergo “decay” then he was
not truly human.
FOOTNOTES:
[5]“Ye are the children of the Lord your God” (Deuteronomy 14:1)
