Questions, questions…
Will the real Jesus of Nazareth please stand up.
Has the relationship between the Jesus of modern theology, which portrays him
as God Almighty and the Jesus of the Bible ever puzzled you?
Any serious Bible reader can't help but be struck by the contradictory
relationship between the two.
Many mental gymnastics have been performed in attempt to
reconcile the plain teaching of scripture with the most common doctrinal models
today.
I can't help thinking it was simpler for the Apostles.
Many terms have been formulated in an attempt to understand
who Jesus really is.
On the one hand, there are those that see him as the
'incarnation' of 'God the Son', the second in a Godhead of three 'co-equal',
'co-eternal' and 'co-substantial' persons. This concept is called the 'Trinity'
or 'Tri-unity'.
On the other hand there are those who believe he is the
'incarnation' of God the Father himself. That Jesus and God are the same
person, making him the 'God-Man'- a 'dual natured' being consisting of a fusion
of 'divinity and humanity'.
Such beliefs are proclaimed to be fundamental tenets of
Christianity, yet none of the terms above are to be found anywhere in the
Bible.
Houston, we have a
problem!
If we 'stay in the Bible' what we
find is the following:
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God
the Father |
The
Son of God |
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Cannot be tempted |
Was tempted in all
points |
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Cannot die 1 Timothy 6:16 |
Died 1 Corinthians 15:3
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Is not a Son of Man Numbers 23:19 |
Is a Son of Man Matthew 16:13 |
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Is all knowing 1 John 3:20 |
Has limited
knowledge Mark 13:32 |
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Is invisible 1 Timothy 6:16 |
Can be seen John 6:19 |
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Has authority to
promote Psalms 75:6 7
But God is the judge: |
Does not have it Matthew 20:23 …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. |
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Is sovereign Psalms 135:6 that did he in heaven, and in earth,
in the seas, and all deep places. |
Is under authority John 5:30 |
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Does not sleep or
grow weary Psalms 121:4 |
Slept Mark 4:38 |
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None Greater Psalms 77:13 |
Lesser in greatness John 14:28 |
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Is a spirit John 4:24 |
Is flesh and blood Luke 24:39 |
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Is all-powerful Job 42:2 |
Needs empowerment John 5:19 John 5:30 |
Moreover, in contrast to most
theological models, the doctrine of Christ is set forth with eloquent
simplicity:
John 17:3
And
this is life eternal,
that they might know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Nowhere does the Bible tell us that
we must believe Jesus is God in order to be saved or even doctrinally orthodox.
In fact, if we see the above as scriptural credentials for
being God Almighty then Jesus- by his own statements -disqualified himself on
every count.
The Jesus of the Bible was as authentic a human being as you
and I. He had his own mind and will, he had feelings and was tempted. He
underwent the full range of human experience and frailty.
In spite of this he never sinned, but led an exceptionally
virtuous life. Because of this he walked in the power of God's Spirit without
measure.
What sets him apart is the fact that he had been chosen by
God for a unique mission. Through his suffering, death and resurrection he was
to be the saviour of the world and crowned the supreme ruler of heaven and
earth.
It is time that the church returned
to the Biblical Jesus- even if that means letting go of some dearly held
traditions and tenets.
If they stand in contradiction to
God's word they 'gots to go'
Lest we should fall under the
condemnation of God's word:
Mark 7:7
Howbeit in vain do they worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
8 For laying aside the
commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men,
…
9
And he said unto them,
Full well ye reject the commandment of God,
that ye may keep your own tradition.
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1. Introduction |
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10. Seen! |
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17. Jesus- a Godsend |
18. 1 Creator |
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20. The firstborn |
21. The name of God |
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