Bible Basics (5th edition): A study manual revealing the joy and peace of true Christianity

Free copy of Bible Basics

 

Digression 13: Jesus the Son of God

But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Heb. 1:8). Here Christ Jesus is addressed as ‘God’.
“He who has seen Me has seen the Father .. do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me. Or else believe Me for the very works sake” John 14 9-11. The Father is in Jesus and Jesus in the Father.
When Yahshua (Jesus) hung on the cross He called out, quoting Psalm 22 ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’. Obviously the Son and the Father are two separate beings. When Yahshua was asked, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” Matthew 19 16-17; He replied “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is God.” We learn from this that there is a difference between God and His Son.
Puzzling? This where some knowledge of the original Hebrew or Greek is handy, which can usually be found in a concordance such as Strong’s.
Let us examine the position. In the first quotation we have brought forward, viz. Hebrews 1, where the writer is quoting Psalm 45 6. ‘Your throne, O God …’ when we go to the concordance we find that the original Hebrew word used is ‘Elohim’. Elohim can apply to many people, for example in Exodus 22 8-9 ‘Elohim’ is translated judges. Knowing this it helps us to understand John 10 33-35 ‘The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make yourself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”? “If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came … do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, “I am the Son of God”? Some versions of the Bible in the margin refer us back to the Psalm 82 6, but the Psalms are not ‘the law’ that Jesus is referring to. He is referring to such passages as Exodus 21 & 22 where Elohim is translated ‘Judges’.
In the second quotation “I am in the Father and the Father in Me” or in other words ‘One with the Father’ as it is says in John 17 20-23 “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me … that they all may be one, as You Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us … that (believers) may be one just as We are one”. In 1 John 5 verses 7-8 quoting the New King James a footnote informs us ‘that from ‘in heaven’, v.7 to ‘on earth’, v. 8 that only four or five very late manuscripts contain these words in Greek’. They are not to be found in the original texts. In the quotation of the words of Christ when He was on the cross, ‘My God, My God why have you forsaken Me?;’ The Father had not forsaken Him. Yahshua used the Hebrew ‘El’ one of the singular words of which Elohim is plural. El, Strong’s concordance 410 means ‘strength’. His strength had temporally been removed. To sum up. Belief in the Trinity was not official Church doctrine until the 4th century. The words ‘Trinity’ or ‘Triune God’ are not found in the original manuscripts. The Scriptures teach, not ‘One in Three’ or ‘Three in One’, but many thousands in One and One in many thousands of believers, from righteous Abel, 1 Genesis 4 to all those referred to in John 20 29, ‘Jesus said to (Thomas), “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”’
Michael Gates

Bible Basics: Contents

Part 1: "The things concerning the Kingdom of God" Study 1: God 1.1  The Existence Of God || 1.2  The Personality Of God || Belief In Practice 1: Knowing God || 1.3  God's Name And Character || Belief In Practice 2: Grace (John Parkes) || Belief In Practice 3: The All Seeing God || Belief In Practice 4: God Is Omnipotent || Belief In Practice 5: Responding To The One God || 1.4     The Angels || Belief In Practice 6: God As Creator || Digression 1: God Manifestation || Digression 2:  Why The Trinity Was Accepted || Study 1: Questions Study 2: The Spirit Of God 2.1  Definition || 2.2  Inspiration || 2.3  Gifts Of The Holy Spirit || 2.4  The Withdrawal Of The Gifts || 2.5  The Bible The Only Authority || Digression 3: Is The Holy Spirit A Person? || Digression 4: The Principle Of Personification || Belief In Practice 7: The Implications Of Inspiration || Study 2: Questions Study 3: The Promises Of God 3.1  Introduction || 3.2  The Promise In Eden || 3.3  The Promise To Noah || 3.4  The Promise To Abraham || 3.5  The Promise To David || Belief In Practice 8: Covenant Relationship With God || Study 3: Questions Study 4: God And Death 4.1  The Nature Of Man || 4.2  The Soul || 4.3  The Spirit || 4.4  Death Is Unconsciousness || 4.5  The Resurrection || 4.6  The Judgment || Belief In Practice 9: Judgment Now || 4.7  The Place Of Reward: Heaven Or Earth?|| 4.8  Responsibility To God || 4.9  Hell || Digression 5: Purgatory || Digression 6: Ghosts And Reincarnation || Digression 7: The 'Rapture' || Belief In Practice 10: The Motivational Power Of Understanding Death || Study 4: Questions Study 5: The Kingdom Of God 5.1  Defining The Kingdom || 5.2  The Kingdom Is Not Now Established || 5.3  The Kingdom Of God In The Past || 5.4  The Kingdom Of God In The Future || 5.5  The Millennium || Digression 8: The Kingdom Of God Now (Graham Bacon) || Belief In Practice 11: What The Kingdom Of God Means Today || Study 5: QuestionsStudy 6: God And Evil 6.1  God And Evil || 6.2  The Devil And Satan || 6.3  Demons || Digression 9: The Implications And Origin Of The Belief In A Personal Satan || Digression 10: Witchcraft || Digression 11: What Happened In Eden? || Digression 12: Lucifer || Belief In Practice 12: Battle For The Mind || Study 6: Questions

Part 2: "The things concerning...the name of Jesus Christ" (Acts 8:12) Study 7: The Origin Of Jesus. 7.1  Old Testament Prophecies Of Jesus || 7.2  The Virgin Birth || 7.3  Christ's Place In God's Plan || 7.4  "In the beginning was the word" || Digression 13: Jesus The Son Of God (Michael Gates) || Digression 14: Did Jesus Create The Earth? || Belief In Practice 13: Jesus Didn’t Pre-exist: And So What? || Study 7: Questions Study 8: The Nature Of Jesus 8.1  Introduction || 8.2  Differences Between God And Jesus || 8.3  The Nature Of Jesus || 8.4  The Humanity Of Jesus || 8.5  The Relationship Of God With Jesus || Belief In Practice 14: The Real Christ || Digression 15: How The Real Christ Was Lost || Digression 16: The Divine Side Of Jesus || Study 8: Questions Study 9: The Work Of Jesus 9.1  The Victory Of Jesus || 9.2  The Blood Of Jesus || 9.3  Jesus As Our Representative || 9.4  Jesus And The Law Of Moses || 9.5  The Sabbath || Digression 17 The Crucifix || Digression 18: Was Jesus Born On Dec. 25th? || Belief In Practice 15: The Meaning Of Christ’s Resurrection For Us || Belief In Practice 16: Christ Died For Me- So What Should I Do? || Belief In Practice 17: The Real Cross || Belief In Practice 18: The Inspiration Of The Cross || Study 9: Questions || Study 10: Baptism Into Jesus 10.1  The Vital Importance Of Baptism || 10.2  How Should We Be Baptized? || 10.3  The Meaning Of Baptism || 10.4  Baptism And Salvation || Digression 19: Re-baptism || Digression 20 The Thief On The Cross || Belief In Practice 19: The Certainty Of Salvation || Study 10: Questions Study 11: Life In Christ 11.1  Introduction || 11.2  Holiness || 11.2.1  The Use Of Force || 11.2.2  Politics || 11.2.3  Worldly Pleasures || 11.3  Practical Christian Life || 11.3.1  Bible Study || 11.3.2  Prayer || 11.3.3  Preaching || 11.3.4  Ecclesial Life || 11.3.5  The Breaking Of Bread || 11.4  Marriage || 11.5  Fellowship || Study 11: Questions ||