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27th July 2012, 11:03 AM
| | Senior Veteran
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The concept of Jesus is a bit confusing to me. Is he God's son or God himself in human form? But if Jesus is god, how can he be God's son?
Was he a average joe who got possessed by God? What exactly was Jesus? |
27th July 2012, 11:14 AM
|  | Elisha
   
| | Join Date: 12th July 2012
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Reps: 2,498,945,931,065,547,776 (power: 2,498,945,931,065,557) | | | Jesus, while living, was God in the flesh. I used to ask this same question myself, and found these answers. Jesus was born of Mary and the Holy Spirit. He literally was conceived supernaturally. One important thing I noticed in my studies is how in the OT there were prophets who spoke directly to God. While Jesus was living in the NT, there were apostles who spoke to Jesus, but no other person in the NT spoke directly to God. He, in His fleshly form, became the means of our communication with our Lord, just as Christians pray today "In the name of Jesus."
One way to phrase it was Jesus, as a man, WAS a man, born filled with God, but that doesn't quite get it right, although the idea of that definitely helped me to understand who Jesus is.
I don't really know how to put it better than that, but I hope this helped! Blessings to you in your search for faith!
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"Truth cannot be spoken without love, for without love there IS no Truth, regardless of how accurate the words may be."
"Why all the fighting? Why though, seriously? We may disagree on minor things, but we believe one fundamental truth, that Jesus Christ is Lord! There is a way to correct that will lead to better understanding, and nastiness is NOT THAT WAY!" |
27th July 2012, 11:34 AM
|  | Newbie
  
| | Join Date: 28th January 2011 Location: Karlstad
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When it comes to Jesus as God - I wanna share with you this news. Before Jesus was born rabbis translated the hebrew bible to Arameic. This translation was called: Targum.
In Targum they often used an arameic word "Memra" who is the arameic word for "word" And in this Targum this Memra is used many times. I will take some exemples:
Genesis 1:27 - God created man.
Targum - The Word of the Lord created man.
Genesis 6:6-7 - And it repented the Lord that He made man on the earth.
Targum - And it repented the Lord through His word that He made man on the earth.
And the Word [Memra] of YHWH created man in his likeness, in the likeness of YHVHs, YHVH created, male and female created He them.
Targum. Jonathan Gen. 1:27
When John then wrote in his gospel 1:1-3, 14
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
I believe that it was in the same belief system as the scriptues in Targum.
Sorry for my english here - but I hope that you all will understand what I am saying.
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When we put our cares in God's hands , He puts His peace in our hearts. |
27th July 2012, 12:13 PM
|  | Newbie
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It is obvious from John chapter one that Jesus is God. The Bible also calls him the Son of God. There are three persons that are our God, 1 John 5:7. Jesus is the Son of the Father. Jesus was God from the beginning but came in the form of a baby to earth. He was conceived of the power of the Holy Spirit in a virgin (Mary).  |
27th July 2012, 12:15 PM
|  | elman
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| | Join Date: 19th December 2003 Location: Texas
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Reps: 53,822,349,527,765,392 (power: 53,822,349,527,802) | | Originally Posted by Foreshadow  The concept of Jesus is a bit confusing to me. Is he God's son or God himself in human form? But if Jesus is god, how can he be God's son?
Was he a average joe who got possessed by God? What exactly was Jesus?
Paul says we see Jesus as through a dark glass. Only later will we see Him clearly. None of us understands in detail who Jesus is. It is not about understanding Jesus. It is about doing what Jesus commanded, if we are to relate to our Creator and have hope of life after physical death. |
27th July 2012, 12:29 PM
| | Senior Veteran
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Reps: 41,469,009,485,704,712 (power: 41,469,009,485,711) | | Originally Posted by elman Paul says we see Jesus as through a dark glass. Only later will we see Him clearly. None of us understands in detail who Jesus is. It is not about understanding Jesus. It is about doing what Jesus commanded, if we are to relate to our Creator and have hope of life after physical death.
Why would I follow commands if I don't understand the orders or who I am being commanded by? Why blindly trust in something without a notion of who I am trusting? |
27th July 2012, 01:13 PM
| | elman
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| | Join Date: 19th December 2003 Location: Texas
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Reps: 53,822,349,527,765,392 (power: 53,822,349,527,802) | | Originally Posted by Foreshadow Why would I follow commands if I don't understand the orders or who I am being commanded by? Why blindly trust in something without a notion of who I am trusting?
God has written on your heart and you know when Jesus commands that you love others, that is a good thing to do. All human beings know that. The people standing ther hearing the parable of the Good Samaritan knew before they heard that parable that one should help someone in trouble and not just pass by and not help them. It is not about knowing all the details on Jesus. You know the command is correct. That is what it is about. And you do understand the command. Saying you do not is not an option. |
27th July 2012, 01:23 PM
| | Senior Veteran
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Reps: 41,469,009,485,704,712 (power: 41,469,009,485,711) | | | It obviously is a option, otherwise everyone would believe in God including myself. If there were no option, then Free Will would no longer be free will. If God is real, then he has given us the ablity not to believe in him. I do not love others because of Jesus, I love others who love me back. My morals are based not on God, but on common senses standards of right and wrong as dicatated by society and my own personal beliefs. |
27th July 2012, 01:50 PM
| | Veteran
 
| | Join Date: 8th September 2011
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Reps: 212,834,534,318,375,936 (power: 0) | | Originally Posted by Foreshadow The concept of Jesus is a bit confusing to me. Is he God's son or God himself in human form? But if Jesus is god, how can he be God's son?
Was he a average joe who got possessed by God? What exactly was Jesus?
Jesus is God. He is not God's literal son. He is, however, referred to as the Son of God in order to call attention to both His divinity and His submission to the Father, depending on the context.
In order to be God's literal son, Jesus would have to be the product of a physical liason between God and Mary. This is Mormonism, not Christianity.
Jesus is both 100% God and 100% man. Not a mixture of the two or one at one time and the other at another. I do not love others because of Jesus, I love others who love me back.
Ultimately, you love others because you were created in the image of God for the purpose of exhibiting His communicable attributes and glorifying Him. You love because He loves.
To love only because someone loves you back is not love. My morals are based not on God, but on common senses standards of right and wrong as dicatated by society and my own personal beliefs.
So then, your morality is subjective? What should happen if society determines something is "moral" that goes against your beliefs? For instance, there was a time when lyncing black men was considered not only moral, but a responsibility to the community. Do you believe that's right? If society goes against my beliefs, I won't change my beliefs to meet the status quo.
But you just said that it's society that dictates your sense of right and wrong. I don't believe that lynching black men is right.
Why not? However I would be lying if I said that my beliefs are entirely my own. If I was born in Europe I might have different beliefs than if I was born in the United States.
How so?
You don't believe you have any inate understanding of right and wrong? That's it's all about conditioning?
Last edited by Publius; 27th July 2012 at 02:00 PM.
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27th July 2012, 01:55 PM
|  | Seeking to feed the spirit and starve the flesh
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Reps: 133,428,855,356,021,568 (power: 133,428,855,356,033) | | Originally Posted by Foreshadow It obviously is a option, otherwise everyone would believe in God including myself. If there were no option, then Free Will would no longer be free will. If God is real, then he has given us the ablity not to believe in him. I do not love others because of Jesus, I love others who love me back. My morals are based not on God, but on common senses standards of right and wrong as dicatated by society and my own personal beliefs.
You miss the point elman was trying to make, foreshadow. When you hear those teachings, there is no question about whether they are good or not. We still have the free will to either act on that or to ignore that and do what we want.
The love you have is called in Greek " phileo", which is that kind of give and take love. The love of God is " agapeo", which is the unconditional self sacrificing love that Jesus exemplified. You are right that your morals are not based upon God but upon your society and common sense... yet there is a conscience in you that I'll bet often pricks you to do more than what you are willing to do, that gives you a little pang of guilt when you respond to those who do not love you with the same... it is this conscience that is from God.
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Mat 11:25 At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
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