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Home ARGUMENT LIST Theology – Beliefs about everything How can Jesus be God and the Son of God at the same time?

How can Jesus be God and the Son of God at the same time?

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It says: John 1:1  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

That seems to violate logic. Something can't be one thing and then another thing at the same time. In other words, two entities that act differently can't be both one at the same time. 

Also, it says Matt 10:32  So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 

and: Matt 10:33  but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven. 

See? Here it shows Jesus being an intermediate person between the Father and man. Yet, saying He is God makes it sound like He is being an intermediate between Himself and man. 

So how can that be? 



>> There is a logical contradiction. 

The authors are being too loose with their words.  And/or the scriptures aren't reliable. 

< While the words might be loose, there is still some truth to having two entities being one.

Look at the following arguments. 


< STRONG If Jesus is not God, then explain...   

  1. Why Thomas calls Jesus God in John 20:28?  (Note, Thomas addresses Jesus specifically.)
  2. Why does God call Jesus God in Heb. 1:8?
  3. Why does John the apostle state that Jesus was the Word which was God that became flesh (John 1:1,14)?
  4. Why is the phrase "Call upon the name of the LORD"  (Hebrew, YHWH, i.e., Psalm 116:4) used only of God on the OT, and translated into the Greek in the LXX as "Call upon the name of the LORD (greek, KURIOS)," applied to Jesus in the NT (1 Cor. 1:2) if Jesus is not God in flesh?
  5. Why does the apostle John say that Jesus was , "...calling God His own Father, making Himself equal to God," (John 5:18)?
  6. What did Jesus say that caused the Pharisees to claim that Jesus was making Himself out to be God (John 8:58)?
  7. How was it possible for Jesus to know all things (John 21:17)?
  8. How can Jesus know all men (John 16:30)?
  9. How can Jesus be everywhere (Matt. 28:20)?
  10. How can Jesus, the Christ, dwell in you (Col. 1:27)?
  11. How can Jesus be the exact representation of the Nature of God (Heb. 1:3)?
  12. How can Jesus be eternal (Micah 5:1-2)?
  13. How can Jesus be the one who gives eternal life (John 10:27-28)?
  14. How can He be our only Lord and Master (Jude 4)?
  15. How can Jesus be called the Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6) if there is only one God in existence (Isaiah 44:6-8; 45:5)?
  16. How can Jesus be called the Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6) and "God" also be called the Mighty God in Isaiah 10:21?
  17. How was Jesus able to raise Himself from the dead (John 2:19-21)?
  18. How can Jesus create all things (Col. 1:16-17), yet it is God who created all things by Himself (Isaiah 44:24)?
  19. How can Jesus search the hearts and minds of the people (Rev. 2:23)?
  20. Why was Jesus worshiped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9; John 9:35-38; Heb. 1:6) when He says to worship God only (Matt. 4:10)? (same Greek word for worship is used in each place.)
  21. In the OT God was seen (Exodus 6:2-3; 24:9-11; Num. 12:6-9; Acts 7:2), yet no man can see God (Exodus 33:20; John 1:18). It was not the Father that was seen in the OT (John 6:46). Who, then were they seeing? See John 8:58.
  22. Then why did Jesus claim the divine name, "I AM", for Himself in John 8:58? see Exodus 3:14.
  23. Then why did Jesus say you must honor him even as you honor the Father (John 5:23)?
  24. Then why is it that both the Father and the Son give life (John 5:21)?
  25. Then why did Jesus bear witness of Himself (John 8:18; 14:6)?

-http://carm.org/christianity/christian-doctrine/if-jesus-were-not-god-then-explain


 

< STRONG They are distinct persons, yet one God, just like the Past and Future are distinct times, but still Time.

God is a trinity of persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  The Father is not the same person as the Son; the Son is not the same person as the Holy Spirit; and the Holy Spirit is not the same person as Father.  They are not three gods and not three beings.  They are three distinct persons; yet, they are all the one God.  Each has a will, can speak, can love, etc., and these are demonstrations of personhood.  They are in absolute perfect harmony consisting of one substance.  They are coeternal, coequal, and copowerful.  If any one of the three were removed, there would be no God...There is, though, an apparent separation of some functions among the members of the Godhead.  For example, the Father chooses who will be saved (Eph. 1:4); the Son redeems them (Eph. 1:7); and the Holy Spirit seals them, (Eph. 1:13).

Each of the persons [in the trinity] is called God, each creates, each was involved in Jesus' resurrection, each indwells, etc.  Therefore, God is one, but the one God is in three simultaneous persons...An analogy would be time.  Time is past, present, and future.  But, there are not three times, only one.

Click here for a chart on The Trinity:

-http://carm.org/trinity 


 

< STRONG Just as a husband and a wife are two different entities, yet, they are said to be one in marriage in society and in the Bible. (Biblical)

Gen 2:24  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 

So the language is loose here. Such expression is also used a lot regarding secular views of marriage. Clearly, there's a form of "oneness" between husband and wife. This is called composite unity where more than two or more are considered one.


 

< STRONG Jesus has repeatedly taken on the role of His father. (Biblical)

He forgives sins like His father, He is perfect and holy like His father, He says that you can't see the Father except through Him, etc.

Example: John 16:23  "In that day you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you."




< OK Genetically, the parents and the children share similar genes.  "Like father, like son"

While this does not state that the genes are the same, and that the parents and the children are one entity, this does state however that a piece of the parents is IN the children, and a piece of the children is IN the parents.

Also, similar looks, blood, and behavior are found in both entities. This shares with the statement of Jesus "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me."


 

 

Last Updated on Friday, 23 September 2011 02:08  

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