Firstly, i am unsure you are really a believer in Christ but i will try answer your query anyway.

the deity of Jesus is a core tenent of Christianity.

take that away, everything crumbles because His death on the cross would be insufficient for the forgiveness of sins according to God's law given to Moses.

Jesus did not come to do away with the law but to fulfill it.

scripture is clear that
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 3:23)

and unless one without sin is offered as a subsitute sacrifice , the payment for sin (which is death) is not satisfied. Read Romans 3 for a clearer picture.

Now the question on how Jesus declared himself to be the Son of God.

Apart from John 8 : 58 where Jesus said before "Abraham, I AM" there are several other instances that come to mind.

the healing of the paralytic man lowered through the roof
Mark 2:7 onwards

Jesus implied His divinity with the ability to forgive sins.

when Caiphas questioned Jesus

Mark 14:61-64
Matt 26:62 onwards

in these passages Jesus' answer was clear.

going back to John 8.

contrary to what you say, the chapter is actually about Jesus declaring His divinity.

consider His statements.

I am the Light of the world.

you are from below and I am from above

I tell the things that I have seen at My Father’s side

etc etc.

Pls read John chapter 1 to understand what Jesus meant by being Light of the world

and like UW stated.
there is no scriptural basis on your assertion that all prophets know each other

we can disagree on many things but the divinity of Christ is not one of them.

Can you quote these verses ?

When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there debating in their hearts [the implication of what He had said], “Why does this man talk that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins [remove guilt, nullify sin’s penalty, and assign righteousness] except God alone?” Immediately Jesus, being fully aware [of their hostility] and knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this, said to them, “Why are you debating and arguing about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your mat and walk’?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has the authority and power on earth to forgive sins” —He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your mat and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the mat and went out before them all, so that they all were astonished and they glorified and praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”
Mark 2:5‭-12 AMP

agreed.
but where in these verses imply that only the Father can forgive sins?

i ask this because to me it seems that, that is your contention, that the Father only forgive sins and not Jesus.

This post has been edited by tipuism: Mar 17 2020, 12:07 AM

i already posted the verses earlier.

on that there is no doubt.


So Jesus answered them by saying, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself [of His own accord], unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever things the Father does, the Son [in His turn] also does in the same way.
John 5:19 AMP
https://bible.com/bible/1588/jhn.5.19.AMP

What is your real point to all these questions?

that is true,
however, people will always read what they want to see in no matter what text it is.

so there must be another basis other than religous text for one to determine what is true and what is not.

for Christians, I know that our personal experience with Jesus makes that difference.

when I personally invited Jesus into my life, i encountered the supernatural in ways no logic can explain. like the following:

i) experienced the difference between light and darkness,
ii) saw miracles happen.
iii) hear almost audibly, answers to my questions
iv) prayed for people and prophesied over them then see the prophesy come true many years later
v) see my own prayers answered, in seemingly impossible ways and situations, even when i did not know i needed that particular prayer/desire met.

i have tested this Jesus that the bible talks about and i have found Him both real and true to what He says.

i began to understand a little why the early believers kept their faith even unto death. they were persecuted, hunted down, killed, thrown into arenas to be eaten by lions, made into living torches by the mad emperor Nero

yet the number of believers grew instead of dying out.

Jesus' message was radical.
Love your God and your neighbor as yourself.
bless those who curse you
forgive those who abuse and use you
walk the second mile

it defies human logic.

then the manner and the significance of His death by crucifixition cannot be understated.

forgiveness of sins! not by our own merit but the grace and mercy of God. All that is needed is total surrender in our part.

every other religion teaches us our merit in doing good works/prayer helps or determines our entry to paradise/nirvana or something equivalent.

only Christianity teachs us salvation is by grace through faith. any good works is a natural result of a changed nature.

This, to me is the difference and the basis on why Christ is the only way back to God the Father.

@aral3005

as an ordinary human being, I am not privy to divine authority levels nor am i able to understand even I am privy to it, so it is moot to me.

what i do know and personally experienced is sufficient for me to believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God as He claims to be, whatever that title may actually mean.

to try go further is an exercise in futility.

i would rather spend my time and energy serving my God as He leads me in everyday life. it gives me joy and fulfillment to see the blessing others receive when i do that.

The bible is mostly straight forward and easy to understand. Granted there are some very obscure passages.

From my personal experience, these passages usually become clear when I have a need to understand them

yes what you say is correct, but at the same time there is a balance and a limit on how we are to read and dig into the shades of meanings found in the bible.

Paul wrote to Timothy

Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.
I Timothy 6:1‭-‬5 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1ti.6.1-5.NKJV


so unless there is a need for me , i usually put those questions in a mental "when I meet God face to face i am going to ask Him what this means" notebook.

in general, following Micah's advice is sufficient for us to live a life of faith.

He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6:8 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mic.6.8.NKJV

Thanks.

Now I have a question for you.

Would you consider christians who follow the biblical teachings, even when they don't fully understand them, as people who have blind faith?

lets look at what the bible say.


Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:29‭-‬31 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/mrk.12.29-31.NKJV

then Jesus declares Himself equal with God

For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” Therefore the Jews sought all the more to kill Him, because He not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was His Father, making Himself equal with God.
John 5:16‭-‬18 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.5.16-18.NKJV

then Jesus said He will leave and send someone else in His place

“These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
John 14:25‭-‬26 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.14.25-26.NKJV

this is the same Holy Spirit who decended upon Jesus when He was baptised by John the Baptist

And John bore witness, saying, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
John 1:32‭-‬33 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/jhn.1.32-33.NKJV

so what is it? God is one or three now?

on top of that in Revelation it says.

“And to the angel of the church in Sardis write, ‘These things says He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead.
Revelation 3:1 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/rev.3.1.NKJV

so is the Christian God, one, three or seven?

the answer is blowing in the wind my friend.

but lets take another look at what the bible have to say.

firstly, God always refered to Himself in the prural

Gen 1: 1, 26 says

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
........
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Genesis 1:1‭, ‬26 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/gen.1.1-26.NKJV

what did the apostle Paul say?

Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God; for you know what commandments we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor, not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God; that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified. For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit.
I Thessalonians 4:1‭-‬8 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/1th.4.1-8.NKJV

yet in another letter Paul states

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
Ephesians 4:1‭-‬6 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/eph.4.1-6.NKJV

is Paul confused?

or is it that our minds cannot wrap around the reality that God is not bound by natural laws or limited to human understanding, being able to be One yet Three ?

the clue is actually found in Isaiah 11

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord . His delight is in the fear of the Lord , And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide by the hearing of His ears;
Isaiah 11:1‭-‬3 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/isa.11.1-3.NKJV

these verses are attributed to Jesus, whose coming was foretold by Isaiah, having the seven fold Spirit of God (Rev 3:1) resting upon Him (John 1:33)
In simple terms the Spirit of God manifested in seven ways (for the lack of a better word)



although i will be first to admit that this is not concrete proof that God is One yet Three, to my mind, God had to simplify His manifestation to a level we humans can at least identify with. i.e. in the form of a man Jesus Christ.

if you think this is confusing, wait till you try to grasp how Jesus can be fully man and fully God at the same time, to fulfill the requirement for a redeeming sacrifice for all the sins of man.


i fall back to my earlier post, that i do not need to comprehend how Three can be One because God will be God and we need the element of faith when it comes to trusting Him.

the bible plainly states

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/heb.11.6.NKJV

so who am i to insist i have to understand first then trust?

but having said that, i must also stress that i believe also because the bible is the word of God.

As a whole, it is a coherent, consistent and pretty amazing book with more than 40 writers spanning more than a thousand years apart. And most of the writers did not know each other but had one Spirit inspiring them to say and record words that will later be compiled into what we have today, the modern bible.

when I choose to follow it's teachings, i find that i benefit and at the same time benefit those around me, consistently bring good and love and peace etc, demonstrating that the God that i believe in is a good God, because you will know a tree by the kind of fruit it bears.

coming back to your post
is it one person or two persons?

its supposed to be three yet one.
God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit

how?
thats one of the questions i have in my mental note book.

the problem here is that we are trying to find a humanly understandable answer to the question how can God be one yet three. which frankly is quite impossible.

this is where faith kicks in.

if we can't accept that, then it is just too bad for us.

this is why i keep pointing out that the experience part of our relationship with Christ plays an important part.

as we put our trust in God, He in turns reveals His reality to us.

don't ask me why, but faith is an important ingredient.

it is ok to engage him in a proper discussion

Has anyone seen this yet?

https://www.facebook.com/222501581736097/vi...11127300117068/

it is April 1st today. so I don't know what to make of it

it seems the video has been showing for hours

seem like its a prank

https://www.facebook.com/Test-1-222501581736097/