by Ibn Anwar, BHsc (Hons), MCollT
Although the pillar of the Anglican Church (the Church of England), the former Archbishop of Canterbury Michael Ramsey was a firm believer in the orthodox faith of mainstream Christianity-- that Jesus was fully God and fully man, the second person of the Triune Godhead --he nevertheless candidly admits that the authors of the New Testament were not too enthusiastic in identifying Jesus as God:
"The reluctance of the apostolic writers to say precisely that Jesus is God is understandable against a deeply monotheistic background..." [1]
If Jesus had revealed that he was indeed God incarnate to those authors or to the sources that those authors depended on to write their gospels and epistles, being believers and followers of Jesus, why would they have been reticent to state the case plainly? If Trinitarianism was the correct definition of monotheism that should have replaced a monotheistic concept (e.g., unitary monotheism) that had been inaccurate or wrong, then there was nothing for them to fear. But Ramsey's admission above informs us that the monotheistic background in which those authors wrote simply did not tolerate a departure from a very particular and strict form of monotheism held by the Jews of the time that was clearly not Trinitarianism, which Jesus evidently did not seek to reform, change or alter in any way. As a matter of fact, Ramsey unabashedly recognises that "Jesus did not claim deity for himself. He proclaimed the sovereignty of God, a sovereignty realized in and through his own mission; and he gave himself to death." [2]
Even more emphatic than Ramsey in recognising that historical fact are the words of the late Reverend Dr. Walter Weaver, who was Emeritus Professor of Religion at Florida Southern College and former Chair of the Humanities Division and Department of Religion and Philosophy, and Pendergrass Professor of Religion:
"Jesus remained to the end a Jew... Jesus is the most Jewish of Jews; he is exaggerated Judaism. He urged abolition of property, blessings on the poor, contrasted the rich man and Lazarus... As to his idea of God, Jesus did not claim to be God or the Son of God. He spoke of God as his Father, Abba (also used in the Talmud). He emphasized excessively God as his Father because he thought of himself as messiah. He gave the impression of one man closer to God than any other," [3]
Professor and department chair of Philosophy at Madras Christian College, India, Dr. Merigala Gabriel writes:
"An examination of the religious attitudes of the Jews during Jesus' time renders it probable that Jesus never claimed to be divine. The Jews regarded the messiah as an instrument of God but not as God himself." [4]
Writing about Jesus as he is portrayed in the fourth gospel, Dr. Yung Suk Kim, who is Associate Professor of New Testament and Early Christianity at the Samuel DeWitt Proctor School of Theology, Virginia Union University in Richmond, writes:
"First, Jesus never says he is God. His self-understanding is the Son of god, and he refutes Jews' claim that he is equal with God: "So how can you say that the one whom the Father has made holy and sent into the world insults God because he said, 'I am God's Son'?" (John 10:36). Here Jesus quotes Psalm 82:6 and argues that the Son of God is not a God, and that even some people are called gods not because they are gods but because they are leaders of the people (John 10:34). It is an irony that Jews accuse Jesus of blasphemy, because in Jewish tradition the Son of God is not divine or equal with God. The "Son of God" refers to Israel (Exod 4:22; Hos 11:1; Jer 31:20), to the Israelites (Hos 2:1; Isa 1:2; Jer 3:19), or to the leaders of the people such as kings, princes, and judges (Isa 9:5; Ps 2:7; 89:27; 110:3). In fact, Jesus says that the Father is greater than he (John 14:28). Similarly,, he says: "Servants are not greater than their master" (John 13:16). Even when he talks about the unity of him and the Father: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30), it does not mean that Jesus and God are equal and the same. Actually, "one" is a neuter noun (hen), which connotes the relationship of unity rather than that of equality. If the masculine form (heis) was used, it could mean the equality between God and Jesus. But throughout the Gospel Jesus always says that he is working for God the Father who sent him." [5]
Even though Yung Suk Kim believes that Jesus identifies himself as the "Son of God"-- insofar John's gospel is concerned-- he nevertheless interprets that to mean one that is subservient to God, i.e., God's servant, and above all else, he essentially agrees with Ramsey, Weaver and Gabriel that Jesus did not claim to be god.
Christian teacher and author Tyron Inbody in his well-received introduction to Christian theology writes:
"Although he did not claim to be God in the sense that subsequent texts and creeds did, he claimed his mission was rooted in God's own power and authority. "You have heard it said... but I say to you." His mission was an "instantiation" of God's reign." [6]
The brevity of the problem that this agreed-upon fact of history poses for the Trinitarian believer should not be underestimated. If Jesus did not verbally claim the pedestal of divinity for himself, how can anyone at a later date put forward the claim on his behalf? Would that not be an anachronistic imposition on the person of Jesus, which would be tantamount to blasphemy? If Jesus, as Trinitarians claim, was in fact the God of the Old Testament (YHWH), then, it would behoove students of the Bible to recall that that Being most certainly made His claim to divinity vividly whenever He revealed Himself to someone.
To Abraham:
"When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless" (Genesis 17:1)
To Jacob:
"God also said to him, "I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. (Genesis 35:11)
"He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there." (Genesis 46:3)
To Moses:
"Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”" (Exodus 3:6)
To declare His own divinity whenever He revealed Himself to someone seems to be a signature characteristic of the Old Testament God and if that is so then Malachi 3:6 says that "I am the LORD, and I do not change." If God's characteristics are unflinchingly consistent throughout time and beyond as Malachi 3:6 seems to say, then Jesus' silence regarding his alleged divinity is quite telling.
To make the point clearer, let us consider the following syllogism.
Major Premise: Old Testament God always identified Himself as God
Minor Premise: Jesus never identified himself as God
Conclusion: The Old Testament God is NOT Jesus.
Notes:
[1] Ramsey, M. (1980). Jesus and the Living Past. Oxford, England: Oxford University Press. p. 45
[2] Ibid. p. 39
[3] Weaver, W. P. (1999). The Historical Jesus in the Twentieth Century: 1900 - 1950. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Trinity Press International. p. 246
[4] Gabriel, M. (2010). Subjectivity and Religious Truth in the Philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard. Macon, Georgia: Mercer University Press. p. 87
[5] Yung Suk Kim (2014). Truth, Testimony, and Transformation: A New Reading of the "I am" Sayings of Jesus in the Fourth Gospel. Eugene, Oregon: Cascade Books. p. 3
[6] Inbody, T. (2005). The Faith of the Christian Church: An Introduction to Theology. Grand Rapids, Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 195
Ibnu Juferi Al-Amriki Zalghi Khan Mustafa Ahmed Fatimah Jahan Wan Naim Wan Mansor Nini Yanti Mohammad Ridzuwan Abdul Rahim Engku Fauzi Ijaz Ahmad Khundkar Mohammad Arefin Kamal Mikayl Yahya Wharfe Dale Syed Shaheeruddin Ahmed David Jones Mustahsin Mir Yahya Snow

Jezus Christ was and is sti God. The same Bible you are quoting to explain why He is not God contains His quotes saying He is God.
I and the father are one, if you have seen me, you have seen the father.

You need to study the person of Jesus Christ, why He came and The Reason He came.

His coming was prophesied, and when He arrived, the devil started work immediately to stop him before He fulfil his purpose.
Jesus being aware of the devils plan (including plans of turning the people against him when He reveals his identity as God), he tactically played them. He had to teach them about the father and incre their understanding so as for them to believe when he says he is gGod and not condemn him to death.

At a point, when Jesus started his healings, demons wanted to reveal his identity and Jesus comanded them to keep quiet, as it was not yet time for him to do so.

when Jesus has done all he came to do and it was time, He finally said He was God Almighty and that was what led to His crucifixion.
Jesus said, I pre-existed Abraham. He said " Abraham, 'I am' ". That statement "I am" signifies God almighty, who is the creator of the world, who is the God of Abraham.

And the jews said, for good works, we stone you not, but for being a man and making yourself God, we stone you.
Jesus made it clear about his identity, only understand that he revea his identity in stages so he could have enough time on earth to make disciples.

You need to study the Life of Jesus and not just bring out scriptures to say who he is, or is not.

emis8:
Jezus Christ was and is sti God. The same Bible you are quoting to explain why He is not God contains His quotes saying He is God.
I and the father are one, if you have seen me, you have seen the father.

You need to study the person of Jesus Christ, why He came and The Reason He came.

His coming was prophesied, and when He arrived, the devil started work immediately to stop him before He fulfil his purpose.
Jesus being aware of the devils plan (including plans of turning the people against him when He reveals his identity as God), he tactically played them. He had to teach them about the father and incre their understanding so as for them to believe when he says he is gGod and not condemn him to death.

At a point, when Jesus started his healings, demons wanted to reveal his identity and Jesus comanded them to keep quiet, as it was not yet time for him to do so.

when Jesus has done all he came to do and it was time, He finally said He was God Almighty and that was what led to His crucifixion.
Jesus said, I pre-existed Abraham. He said " Abraham, 'I am' ". That statement "I am" signifies God almighty, who is the creator of the world, who is the God of Abraham.

And the jews said, for good works, we stone you not, but for being a man and making yourself God, we stone you.
Jesus made it clear about his identity, only understand that he revea his identity in stages so he could have enough time on earth to make disciples.

You need to study the Life of Jesus and not just bring out scriptures to say who he is, or is not.

Don't mind the Mudslime I.d.i.o.t. He wants to reduce our Lord to the level of MADhaMAD.

TruthHurts1:


Don't mind the Mudslime I.d.i.o.t. He wants to reduce our Lord to the level of MADhaMAD.

Seun

Jesus is a messanger of Allah. He is not your god. I also don't understand whether you see him as god or the son of God. Any civilised Christian to help me out?

SHALOM!

Not only did YAHSHUA never ever claim to be God while on the Earth, he explicitly forbade his Disciples to talk about him.

. MATTHEW 16:13-20.

13. When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi,
he asked his Disciples, saying,
"Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am?"
14. And they said,
"Some say that thou art John the Baptist:
some, Elias; and others, Jeremias,
or one of the Prophets."
15. He saith unto them,
"But whom say ye that I am?"
16. And Simon Peter answered and said,
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of The Living God."
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him,
"Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona:
for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee,
but my Father Which is in Heaven.
18. "And I say also unto thee,

'THAT THOU ART PETER,
AND UPON THIS ROCK
I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH;
AND THE GATES OF HELL
SHALL NOT PREVAIL AGAINST IT.'

19. "And I will give unto thee The Keys of The Kingdom of Heaven:
and whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven:
and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven."
20. Then charged he his Disciples that they should tell no man
that he was Jesus the Christ.

THE OYINBOS HAVE TOLD US that we MUST believe that YAHSHUA was born of a VIRGIN, that we MUST believe that he was the HaMASHIACH, that we MUST believe that he was GOD.

Whereas, Yahshua never preached any of those things publicly.

Had his Disciples ever repeated such, they would all have been summarily executed in Jerusalem.

. MARK 8:27-30.

27. And Jesus went out, and his Disciples,
into the towns of Caesarea Philippi:
and by the way he asked his Disciples,
saying unto them,
“Whom do men say that I am?”
28. And they answered,
“John the Baptist; but some say,
Elias; and others, One of the Prophets.”
29. And he saith unto them,
"But whom say ye that I am?"
And Peter answereth and saith unto him,
"Thou art the Christ."
30. And he charged them
that they should tell no man of him.

THE FIRST SIGN OF THE FALSE CHRISTIAN, THEREFORE, IS THAT THEY HAVE TO INFLATE YAHSHUA'S ATTRIBUTES!

. MATTHEW 24:3-5.

3. And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives,
the Disciples came unto him privately, saying,
"Tell us, when shall these things be?
and what shall be The Sign of thy Coming,
and of The End of the World?"
4. And Jesus answered and said unto them,
"Take heed that no man deceive you.
5. "For many shall come in my Name,
saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many."

EVERYONE WHO TEACHES THAT "JESUS IS THE CHRIST" IS A FALSE CHRISTIAN.

Whether he was The Christ or not is irrelevant.

EVERYONE WHO TEACHES THAT "JESUS WAS GOD" IS A FALSE CHRISTIAN.

Whether he was God or not is irrelevant.

. MATTHEW 11:25-30.

25. "At that time Jesus answered and said,
"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and Earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes.
26. "Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in Thy Sight.
27. "All things are delivered unto me of my Father:
and no man knoweth the Son, but The Father;
neither knoweth any man The Father, save the Son,
and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him."
28. "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden,
and I will give you rest.
29. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;
for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

ALL REVELATION ON WHAT YAHSHUA IS MUST COME DIRECTLY FROM GOD: THE FATHER.

ALL REVELATION ON WHAT YAHWEH GOD IS MUST COME TO US THROUGH YAHSHUA.

. JOHN 14:1-7.

"LET not your heart be troubled:
ye believe in God,
believe also in me.
2. "In my Father's House are many Mansions:
if it were not so, I would have told you.
I go to prepare a place for you.
3. "And if I go and prepare a place for you,
I will come again, and receive you unto myself;
that where I am, there ye may be also.
4. "And whither I go ye know,
and The Way ye know."
5. Thomas saith unto him,
"Lord, we know not whither thou goest;
and how can we know The Way?"
6. Jesus saith unto him,
"I am The Way, The Truth, and The Life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
7. "If ye had known me,
ye should have Known my Father also:
and from henceforth ye Know Him,
and have seen Him."

YAHSHUA NEVER SAID THAT HE WAS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN.

Many illiterates believe that he did.

But he DID say that he was the ONLY Way to THE FATHER.

No other Religion ever reached GOD: The Father.

. ACTS 10:34-38.

34. Then Peter opened his mouth, and said,
"Of a Truth I perceive that God is no Respecter of Persons:
35. "But in every nation he that feareth Him,
and worketh Righteousness, is accepted with Him.
36. "The Word which God sent
unto the Children of Israel,
preaching Peace by Jesus Christ:
[he is Lord of all:]
37. "That Word, I say, ye know,
which was published throughout all Judaea,
and began from Galilee,
after the baptism which John preached;
38. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Ghost and with Power:
who went about doing Good, and Healing
all that were oppressed of The Devil;
for God was with him."

. LUKE 7:19-23.

19. And John calling unto him two
of his Disciples sent them to Jesus, saying,
"Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?
20. When the men were come unto him, they said,
"John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying,
'Art thou he that should come?
or look we for Another?' "
21. And in that same hour he cured many
of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits;
and unto many that were blind he gave sight.
22. Then Jesus answering said unto them,
"Go your way, and tell John what things
ye have seen and heard;
how that the blind see, the lame walk,
the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
to the poor The Gospel is preached.
23. "And blessed is he,
whosoever shall not be offended in me.”

THE WORKS THAT YAHSHUA DID PROVED THAT GOD SENT HIM.

Those of different Religions who boast of also being sent by God, or knowing God, are unable to duplicate those feats.

. JOHN 14:12-15.

12. "Verily, verily, I say unto you,

'HE THAT BELIEVETH ON ME,
THE WORKS THAT I DO SHALL HE DO ALSO;
AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE SHALL HE DO;
BECAUSE I GO UNTO MY FATHER.'

13. "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name,
that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14. "If ye shall ask any thing in my Name,
I will do it.
15. "If ye love me, keep my Commandments."