I talked to a Jehovah's Witness who came to the door last week. He said he used to be pentecostal and when I asked what made him switch he said it was because he didn't understand/agree with the doctrine of the Trinity. Apparently, JW's don't believe Jesus is God- but that God the Father is Senior and Jesus is, well, Jesus Junior. Oh, and the Spirit is not personable, but more of an energy force. They also say in their literature that Jesus did not claim to be God.
So anyway, the question is, did he claim to be God? And secondly, does claiming to be the Son of God mean the same as claiming to be God?
I've been looking at this for the last 2 weeks and was super excited to talk about it in small group last night with the high school girls as it went along with the Gospel Journey video series we're doing. If you can get your hands on a copy, it's a great resource.
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I'm glad you updated this. I was just thinking yesterday that one of us should get back on here and write something. So thanks!
He definitely did claim to be the Son of God, as well as God. "If you had known me, you would have known the Father who sent me." "I am." "I and the Father are one." These are verses I know off the top of my head. I just checked Biblegateway and the last one is John 10:30. You can't really get any clearer than that.
Emily,
I've brought that verse up to Mormons before. They would say that "I and the Father are one" is a statement that they are united in purpose. I think they are thinking it's like how a husband and wife are one, yet two distinct and different persons.
I was reading 1 John this morning and 4:2-3 says "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God; this is the spirit of antichrist".
Now, there is no dispute that there was a man named Jesus Christ who lived in the 1st century. Christians and non-Christians alike agree to this. So why would these verses put it this way?
I think it's because it is understood by John that Jesus is God. That's why only a spirit claiming that He is come in the flesh is from God. Other spirits that say that God did not come in the flesh, i.e. as Jesus, are denying the truth.
Also note 1 John 5:7 "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."
I like what CS Lewis said in "Mere Christianity" about the difference between begotten and created. Birds beget birds. Birds create nests. People beget people. People create cars. God begets God. God creates people and birds and lots of other stuff. So for Jesus to be called God's only begotten son, definately means Jesus is God too.
Lon just did a sermon on this People Jesus Met: Peter's confession. June 14th.
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