Did Jesus Lie?

 There are derivative religious doctrines from Arius, i.e., Arianism, that assert that Jesus, the Only Begotten Son of God, God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God, is not God but merely 'a god' who was created by Elohim. The name Elohim is in plural form that signifies there is a greatness in Him and of Him that cannot be measured that is His; His ways and being are beyond our understanding (Isaiah 55:6-9; Isaiah 44:6-8 (which ends the discussion but I'll continue on)). In Judaism, it is a challenge to accept as Messiah the Jesus Christ/Messiah of the New Testament. In certain denominations within Christendom - most notably Jehovah's Witnesses (I will illuminate in another blog post how much of a misnomer that group's name is), who contend that Jesus is not God. They believe Jesus was created by a Creator God, and adjust for that in their "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures" in the Gospel of John, chapter 1, by altering the text there to read: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god" (vs. 1) and "No man has seen God at any time; the only-begotten god who is at the Father’s side is the one who has explained Him." (vs. 18)

Jesus Christ, in His incarnation and first advent, however, speaks of a different view of Himself. He does not identify himself as a god with His own agenda and purpose. Read chapter 5 of the Gospel of John where Jesus heals an invalided man who had suffered 38 years from paralysis. His condition was so severe and chronic that he was never able in all his attempts to enter the healing waters at Bethsaida because no one had empathy or sympathy to assist him. Jesus, when he encounters the man, fully aware of the man's circumstances, asks him, "Do you want to be made well?" The man, who had never seen or known of Jesus, thought he was a kind person who might be able to lift him and place him in the healing waters. Jesus rather tells the man, "Stand up, take your mat and walk." By His word, Jesus heals the lame man. Jesus immediately comes under fire from the religious authorities - the Pharisees in particular and those who supported them because He performed 'a work' of healing on the sabbath; for the Pharisees, following their numerous interpretations of the the sabbath law that they had created, as a matter of legality accused Jesus of being a sinner and lawbreaker subject to punishment. They elevated their laws and extreme regulations over showing mercy (Micah 6:3-8; Matthew 12:1-8). Jesus, in expositing the significance of what He had done as noted in John 5, claims that He is equal to God, to Yahweh. He tells those Jewish leaders that He has the authority of God - that he is not a rogue god or a mere servant, that He is in character and execution God. That His Father and He share power over life and death. That God sent the Son - the Only One begotten (who has the same substance and is the image of the Father (Colossians 1:15-20)), and describes Himself in the John passage as the One who comes from the Father, and represents the glory of the One Who sent Him. 

In other places in the Gospel Jesus speaks to his equality with God as the Son of the Father (Mark 2:1-12, where Jesus is accused of blasphemy because He indicates that He has the power of God within Himself; Mark 3:10-12; Mark 5; Mark 12:1-12; Mark 14:61-64; Luke 4; Luke 8; Luke 19:28-46, where He speaks of the temple as "My House"; John 3:12-36; John 6:38-40; Matthew 11:27; Matthew 16, where Jesus calls Himself the Rock on which the kingdom is built; Matthew 21:14-16, where Jesus notes that He is the subject of Psalm 8 to whom praise is given; There is not enough space to name and cite all of the places in the Gospels where Jesus makes reference to Himself on the same level as God.) (Isaiah also speaks of Him in chapter 9 as the Everlasting Father with authority and power.)

So, in claiming to be equal with God, did Jesus twist the truth? Was Jesus speaking falsely about Himself as being on the same level with God? Did Jesus Lie?

According to the doctrines promoted by Jehovah's Witnesses and other like groups, Yes, He did. 

Yet, the same scriptures - in which they say they believe - prove their position and doctrine to be false. They commit the same crime and sin that the Pharisees did - by their own doctrine they are accusing Jesus of blasphemy because He says God is His Father and that He and the Father are one. For that reason, the Jewish religious and legal authorities condemned Jesus to death - the Mosaic Law's consequence of blasphemy against God. Sadly, it was they themselves who were condemned by Jesus - the Author of the Law - as blasphemers and lawbreakers. (Matthew 23:1-38)

I am not making any of this up. It is plainly there in scripture - not just in the Gospels, but throughout the entire Bible. That Jesus is God, Son of the Father, with the character and characteristics of the Father. Jesus calls Himself the Only Truth - just as God the Father describes Himself through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the other prophets of the Old Testament. Jesus calls Himself the Rock and The Stone, as God calls Himself in the Old Testament. That He had the power over life and death, like that spoken of Yahweh God in the Old Testament. That the God of the Old Testament is faithful and true as is the Son of God in the New Testament. All the references are right there in your Bible if you would only read it with the Holy Spirit's help!

So, if you are still 'limping' with the doctrine of Arianism, and if your mind is veiled, it will be impossible for you to understand the truth of the scripture that God and the Son are one. (1 John 4:1-3;  2 Corinthians 4:3-6; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16) But. if you are now questioning whether the Arianisctic doctrine is true in light of what you have read in the Bible, then thank God and ask Him for full clarity for you to believe in the Christ of the Bible, the Son of God, so that you will not be one of those who say, "Lord, Lord - did we not prophesy in your Name?" only to hear Jesus reply, "Get away from me - I never knew you!" (Matthew 7:21-27) God's mercy be with you.

 

God The Holy Spirit

 As we saw in full graphic live shots from December 11, 2021 of the devastation caused by exceedingly fierce tornadoes that ripped through multiple states, wind is a very powerful force. At its strongest, it can cause wood to pierce steel and similar fabrications, lift tons and flip them like a plastic penny. It can collapse structures weighing in the tons. It can literally plow a path through a town and make it look  like it was never there. (see stories on NPR's website, and on CBS News website.)  

Wind is a force. Depending on the circumstances, it can be 'gentle' - i.e., the effect of the force is gentle. Depending on the circumstance, it can be 'driving' - i.e., the force of it pushes away or obliterates anything in its path. It has no personality - it does not know happiness nor fear. It does not cry. It cannot discern between right and wrong. It does not discriminate between good people and not so good people, or good organizations and harmful organizations. It is welcomed on a hot summer day, and loathed during storm seasons - and it never is sentient of either circumstance. It does not speak words nor carry on a conversation. It cannot love or hate. It cannot see, it cannot hear, it does not walk. It does not have an 'instinct'. It cannot smile, nor frown. It cannot mourn, it cannot groan - even though poets and even the author of the Bible will ascribe certain emotions to wind as it describes the effect it has on people and other things. However, it does not possess those emotions itself. It is a force.

There are some religious groups and religious people who believe that the Holy Spirit of God is only a force. An inanimate force that affects or effects things, like the power and impact of wind. Jehovah's Witnesses (JW) is one such organization. Subscribing to ancient arianistic beliefs, the organization teaches that the Holy Spirit of God was a force He created and which is 'active' in the world. Like the wind, such a force cannot be sentient, He cannot feel grief - although the Bible says that God the Holy Spirit can be grieved. The 'force' in their definition is a mere instrument of God: "Just as a craftsman uses his hands and fingers to do his work, God has used his spirit to produce results" that include the universe, the Bible, and 'the fine qualities' God wants for His people. According to JW, the Holy Spirit is not a person as they clearly state in their doctrinal statements. They say He cannot bear witness, yet that goes against scripture at Romans 8:16, John 15:26.  They say that the Holy Spirit does not speak - again, that goes against Jesus' own words at John 16.  They say that the Holy Spirit is an inanimate force - however, scripture tells us He is alive--Romans 5:5, Romans 7:6, Romans 8:10 (this is not an exhaustive list). They say He cannot feel and that He is not self-aware, yet the Bible reveals a different story: Romans 8:14, Romans 8:23, Romans 8:26, Romans 8:27, Romans 9:1, Romans 14:17, Romans 15:16, Romans 15:30. They do not believe He has character and sentience, but the Bible teaches differently: 1 Corinthians 2:10, 1 Corinthians 2:11, 1 Corinthians 2:13, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 1 Corinthians 12:3, Acts 1:2, Acts 1:16, Acts 5:3, Acts 5:9, Galatians 4:6, Galatians 5:16, Galatians 5:22, Galatians 5:25.

When a person has the Holy Spirit of God dwelling in him or her, discernment of God's words in scripture is possible; God gives us His Holy Spirit to teach us and transform us into the image and character of Christ. He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world because He is God, the Holy Spirit. A person of the Godhead who testifies about Jesus to the world, convicting the world of the sin from Adam which rejects Jesus as revealed in scripture. As the link to 1 John relates, the spirit that speaks against the Godship of Jesus Christ is an 'anti', i.e., against Christ, an antichrist. It speaks to deceive and veil the truth and reflects the devil and satan, whose mission is to steal the faith, kill the spirit, and destroy the ability of persons to recognize the truth and, rather, speaks lies and deceptions. (compare John 10:1-10, 2 Corinthians 4:2-4, Acts 20:28-30, 2 Peter 2:1, 1 Timothy 4:1-5).  

The personhood of God the Holy Spirit is sometimes not spoken about in churches with the clarity of scripture and, like other of God's revelations to humankind, the knowledge of God's full character and person remain unknown to those who flock to a church, who sit in pews week after week or tune in via Zoom or YouTube to attend church regularly. Like the Titanic's sad journey in an icy sea, they only see the surface of the knowledge of God - the tip of the iceberg, without awareness of the greater depth and substance of who God is. That, too, makes for a sad journey. Jesus invites us to know the truth that sets us free from the grip of antichrist teachings, the truth and understanding, the protection from the antichrist which Jesus fervently prayed for His followers during the last night of His earthly life. Come and drink the water from the Life which He freely gives and never thirst again for deceptive teachings.