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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4,178
Master Elite Member
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Hi Sean, As far as I understand it (which is limited and human), Christ wished to withhold His TRUE divinity as the Messiah, until it was time for Him to reveal this in His public life. Even when transforming the water into wine at Cana, He made it quite clear it was not yet His time - "They have no more wine." Jesus replied, "Dear woman, why do you involve me? My time has not yet come." Jesus' mother said to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you" (John 2:3-5). I believe that as the Son of the living God, that He came not only as a living sacrifice, but also as an example of humility! He experienced our humanity, our grieves, our sufferings and even wept at the death of someone close to Him. Showing once again, His human side. He prayed, He fasted, He was even baptised. He showed His humanity in the Garden of Gethsemani and He showed it on the Cross. He has intimately experienced our fears and our sense of abandonment and the bitterness of the flesh. Matthew 27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" He allowed Himself even to be tempted by Satan and mocked by man. If anybody ever felt hated, scorned and treated with contempt/mockery? They ought then to consider Jesus': Psalm 22:6-8: But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads: "He trusts in the LORD; let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him."
He put Himself in the position of receiving humility and torture at the hands of those He could have cast down by His very power and had they known whom they were truly torturing and finally crucifying, they would no doubt have died instantly of horror! Nobody therefore can ever say "God doesn't really understand". He understood and understands us intimately both as Father and through His Son Jesus Christ.
I believe Sean by this statement:
"As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.’" Mark 10:17-18
that it's highly possible Jesus was setting a very clear example not just to this man, but to us all over being careful not to "assume" goodness about anybody. As only God Himself can be the final judge. Since this man did not know at that time, whom Jesus truly was (unless He had Himself been inspired by God to do so), then he could not confidently claim Him as being "good" or in fact ANY man. Unless He had been inspired by God and had this revealed to him.
John the baptist knew exactly who He was before the others, because he was inspired by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit revealed this to him:
John 1:26 "John answered them, "I baptise with water; but standing among you - unknown to you - is the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandal.
John 1:29 The next day, he saw Jesus coming towards him and said, 'Look there is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. It was of him that I said, "Behind me comes one who has passed ahead of me because he existed before me".
Matthew 3:14 - John tried to dissuade him, with the words, "it is I who need baptism from you, and yet you come to me! "But Jesus replied 'Leave it like this for the time being, it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that uprightness demands. Then John gave into him.
Remember He did not begin His public life until the last 3 years of His life. It was later that He revealed His divinity and authority over life, death, demons, disease and even the elements, but also in the transfiguration. Where He dazzled His disciples by revealing Himself as He truly was!
Matthew 17
Now after six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
This was revealed to only three disciples.... why? Did Jesus do this to only a certain few to keep the account of this private until the time was right?
Christ was the Son of the God, but also proclaimed later, when the time was right, that they were ONE IN THE SAME!
John 10:30 I and My Father are one.
John 14:6 Jesus said I am the Way; I am Truth and Life.
To this day, many heal and cast out spirits in HIS name. He is both son of God and God!
John 14:7,8 If you know me, you will know my Father too. From this moment you know him and have seen him.
Philip said, "lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied. Jesus said to him, Have I been with you all this time Philip, and you still do not know me?
'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father, so how can you say "Show us the Father"?
Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”1
“Immanuel” literally means: “God with us.” See also Matthew 1:23; Jesus was “God with us.”
God revealed Himself to us through His son Jesus Christ! The Father is in Him, and He is in the Father.
Isaiah 9:6: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Daniel 7:13-14: “There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven . . . He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Matthew 2:11: “On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him.”
Matthew 14:32-33: “And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God.’”
In the Jewish culture, only the ONE true God can be worshipped!
Had they been mistaken or had blasphemed, Christ would have corrected them.
John 8:58-59: "‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’ At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds.”
“I am” -- which was the same title used for Jehovah God in Exodus 3:14
Which is why they picked up the stones to kill him. For proclaiming Himself as God - the "I AM".
John 10:30-33: “‘I and the Father are one.’ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’ ‘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 8:19: “You know neither me, nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
John 20:27-29: “Then He said to Thomas, ‘Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.’ Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Then Jesus told him, ‘Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.’"
Revelation 21:3 God Himself shall be with them, and be their God.
1st Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
John 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love Me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of Myself, but He sent Me.
Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He (Christ), ye shall die in your sins.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill Him (Jesus) {For their perceived blasphemy of Jesus calling Himself God}, because He not only had broken the Sabbath {customs, as they understood them}, but said also that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
Colossians 1:14-15 In whom (Jesus) we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn {Inheritor} of every creature
Colossians 2:9-10 For in Him (Jesus) dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost (Spirit) hath made you overseers, to feed the Church of God, which He hath Purchased with His Own Blood.
John 1:14 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.
Jesus Himself forgave sins and allowed Himself to be worshiped as only the one and only true God can.
Mark 2:5-12 When Jesus saw their faith, He said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee. But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, He saith to the sick of the palsy, I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Jude 1:25 To the only wise God our Savior, be Glory an Majesty, Dominion, and Power, both now and ever. Amen.
Titus 1:1-4 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; But hath in due times manifested His word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.
John 18:36 Jesus answered, My Kingdom is not of this world: if My Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should be not delivered to the Jews: but now is My Kingdom not from hence.
Philippians 2:5-8 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made into the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death on the cross.
John 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am (I existed).
John 18:5-6 They answered Him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. And Judas also, which betrayed Him, stood with them. As soon then as He had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and fell to the ground.
Hebrews 1:2 in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the ages.
Hebrews 1:3 He is the reflection of God's glory and bears the impress of God's own being, sustaining all things by His powerful command; and now that He has purged sins away, He has taken His seat at the right hand of the devine Majesty on high. So He is now as far above the angels as the title which He has inherited is higher than their own name.
Hebrews 2:10 For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom (Jesus) are all things (created), in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (Spirit);
Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) LORD:
Three distinct persons within ONE God. Very hard for any of us limited human beings to fathom and perhaps this is one of those mysteries that we will not fully comprehend until after we pass from this earth into eternity. And are we supposed to fully comprehend the mysteries of God until it is revealed to us in a way that we will be able to truly understand and perhaps we ought to accept some things that go quite beyond our understanding.
Even in the beginning of creation, God refers to Himself as "Us".
Genesis 1:26 "Let Us make man in Our own image, in the likeness of ourselves".
I am unsure how this can possibly be denied or mistaken in face of so many testaments throughout the bible.
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