While I'm awaiting the opposing side to respond, I'll make some points prior to responding to whatever the opposing points are coming up.
Jesus is God, I believe the opposing side agrees. Now the scripture teach that God is a spirit so when we say Jesus is God, does that mean Jesus the Christ is a spirit?
Not if we're talking about Jesus the Son of God.
Romans 8:9-11
"You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you."
The spirit of God/Spirit of Christ interchangeable here. The scripture doesn't teach two divine spirits or more than one of in the Godhead. Christ in you/Spirit of God in you.
The spirit of God was in Christ , that was the spirit of Christ while Christ also is that spirit. This was what I was saying about the two natures. Scripture says he took not on the nature of angels which are spirit.
The spirit particularly God, is everlasting as the scripture teaches. So we know the spirit can't come to an end on the cross. With one spirit, it's a contradiction to say it's not the Father. The spirit of the Father was in Christ.
Putting aside not talking about the spirit, but the Son of the Father, the man , how was the man God? Being just like there only being one spirit, there's only one God, so it's a contradiction to say it's not Father God.
Another passage with mentioning Jesus Christ in you.
2 Corinthians 13:5
"Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!"
Referencing the spirit again yes. But the body which was also referred to as the body of Jesus when Joseph begged for the body.
So we have much reference to God, Christ, Jesus Christ, the spirit and there's no leaving out the Father. All One, right. Just as John 10 says.
So Jesus is God. But the body was flesh and blood that God took on.
In Hebrews 2, let's get the breakdown of the two natures.
"9 But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone."
So Jesus was made. I can think of a couple of scriptural passages that line up with this. It's talking about the nature of flesh coming in .
"10 In bringing many sons and daughters to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through what he suffered. 11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.[g] 12 He says,
“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”[h]
13 And again,
“I will put my trust in him.”[i]
And again he says,
“Here am I, and the children God has given me.”[j]"
This is Jesus the Son of God, the flesh, the one who said he that does the will of his Father is his brother. His Father is holy and spirit, so we have the holy Spirit so those that line up with his will including the begotten son are holy.
This is the flesh , the body that is holy, but God is holy. As we read next about the flesh.
"14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death."
Meaning no longer being a slave to sin but righteousness even in flesh which Jesus lead the way to in flesh. The scripture teaches this and many believe this is impossible, even so called Christians. But that flesh being God manifest, gave an example how the flesh can be holy.
"16 For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. 17 For this reason he had to be made like them,[k] fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. 18 Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted."
The promise made to the seed of Abraham or seed of David, coming to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, being the example in flesh, being holy, overcoming temptation, being the sacrifice paying for sin, overcoming death which is the new covenant for others that'll be able to do all these via death of a testator interceding in an everlasting priesthood.
But the take away in terms of the topic, Jesus wasn't just holy inwardly but outwardly giving the two natures and the one that could die , seek corruption, that has not returned to corruption. That holiness died, it ended on the cross, the holiness of God which the Father at the cross was .
"You have said that Jesus said if you see Him you see the Father.
He isnt saying He is the Father. He’s saying He’s God. "
I love these conversations. Did I say this or did I say what the scripture said?
You say he's saying he's God and God is the Father for there is one God THE FATHER the scripture says. That wasn't even my point with that verse but since you walked into it, I bid you welcome.
"Jesus is God manifested in the flesh, I don’t deny that. What I am denying is that Jesus is an incarnation of God the Father. Jesus Himself is God, the Son. Not the same as God the Father."
Not only are you denying scripture but you're contradicting yourself. Jesus said the Father is in him(flesh). So yes he was the Father in flesh. There aren't two Gods so every time we talk God we talking the Father .
I tell you, you would be a prime candidate for the topic still open far as I know "are there three persons in the Godhead?"
"He actually appears to be referring to Himself to be “Son” when asked when the end times are coming, because He said the Son doesn’t know, and He didn’t give an answer so the “Son” can be assumed to be Jesus. (Mark 13:32)"
Jesus who? Is it Jesus who is God or Jesus , son of Mary?
"So because of your answer to all my questions, you believe Jesus is God incarnate, that is, God the Father taking human form, instead of Jesus being both God the Son and human at the same time. That’s why He seemed to know God the Father is His true Father in the temple in Luke, and yet still had to grow in stature and wisdom. If God the Father was merely inhabiting a body, then why did He have to grow in wisdom? "
That body grew. The scripture says "He must increase but I must decrease". Doesn't change the fact of the spirit of God the Father in that body. We know there's no two Gods and two spirits so to say this is God but not the Father, where did the Father go and who is this other God?
You see where you get stuck. 1 John 5 and 7 gets you. These three are one , not separate. You don't get one without the other. One doesn't become absent and is present later. A God that changes not.
"Verse 6 of Philippians 2 doesn’t make sense unless if you read the verse before: "
If you don't have the mystery of godliness, it won't make sense. Great is the mystery of godliness the scripture says
"So this Jesus, who is supposed to only be God’s human form, took on human form.
And since Jesus is the person talked about in this passage, it isn’t saying God in the form of God took on human form. Jesus, the human form, emptied Himself, as though He forgot He was God by humbling Himself to such a great extent. That’s why the verse says Jesus “ignored” his equality with God. It’s not saying He isn’t equal to Him as God. God is equal to Himself, obviously the roles He puts Himself wont be equal in authoritative power, but theyre of the same value. "
The point is Jesus is God. Jesus said his father was in him so his being consisted of the father in flesh. He said "I am in the Father and the Father is in me".
"So did they really get the message that Jesus who equaled HImself with God when He was really a man? "
Yes they got the message that this is a mere man claim to be God in John 10. This is why they killed him. They rejected he was the son of God like he said. Then the centurion said truly this was the son of God.
Thus tying back to John 10 when it was said truly this wassss the son of God. There's no more son of God. That was the end of the son. I think I'll make a separate topic on that alone. Is there a son of God in heaven now? Should be an interesting perspective to look at on that topic.
"That verse is referring to someone on a spiritual journey. If they dont have a fruitful spirit, which can also mean the holy spirit, then that person may as well be dead spiritually. The verse wasnt about a literal body. Here are the verses before it:"
I'm going to ask you, when the spirit is taken away from the body, is it dead?
If you say no, you're going to make John 19:30 a lie.
"You have also dismissed my argument for the Trinity completely.
If the trinity exists, that would be why Jesus isn’t God the Father, but God the Son. You’re gonna need to prove it’s false so that there wouldn’t such thing as even a God the Son in the first place. "
Hey accept that other debate challenge and we can talk about the so called trinity all you want. My response to this is as the scripture say there is one God, one God the Father. Not sometimes, not here and there. Very plain.
Scripture say in the book of Malachi, have we not all one Father, have not one God created us?
There's a pattern here or consistency for one God , who is he according to scripture? The Father.
If this one God is not the Father, where did the Father go and if we have another spirit that is not the Father, we have more than one spirit where the scripture says in Ephesians I believe, one spirit.
This so called trinity thing won't be easy with me if you do accept that challenge.
"The question is, do you believe if someone’s works died, that person died? "
I don't know what you mean by "works died ". Do you mean while that person is still living or dead as well ? Do you mean if the person dies, the works done in that person came to an end as well?
Sure. The body without the spirit is dead. Scripture mentions about being dead in sin. But having the spirit of Christ, you're made alive and live in those works or fruits of the spirit.
"So you dont believe God is of equal worth to Himself?
If there is only one spirit and the only form of God is God the Father, how then could one form not be equal to the same form?
God the Father isn’t equal to God the Father? Why did you even contradict me saying God is equal to Himself when you believe in a God the Father but not the Trinity?
Also, the verse isnt saying God isnt equal to God. Its saying this equality, which EXISTED, wasnt considered. He didnt THINK about it, that doesnt mean it’s there."
I really don't understand what you're saying here with the equal of himself and worth. Scripture teach you take what is simple and invent complicated schemes.
Just to leave it simple, there is never God that is not the Father. If so , you tell me where he went? If he's still there , well now, we're still talking about Father God. You can switch the titles around but we still have one Father, one God.
The Father begotten his son you can call God, but it's still the Father because when is God not the Father?
When he said in Hebrews unto the son he said thy thrown O God, still Father God. Why? there is one God the Father. In other words, inseparable at all times .
I know, mystery, mystery, great is the mystery.
"Didn’t you say earlier Jesus is but a mere man presenting Himself as God?"
No I'm hardly saying anything but what the scripture says. I told you what John 10 says about what the Jewish religious leaders reaction was, what they said to Jesus saying he was a mere man.
"He isn’t God so what equality with God is there to consider, or not consider? "
Philippians 2 , Amen.
"The only way to explain this verse is that there is another distinct person of God (form wouldn’t be the correct word, sorry if I used it previously) that could also be equal to God, cuz that’s still God. "
Yes because the mystery is hard to get, it's easier to just strawman the "trinity" doctrine. Then you run into more error with the questions I pose exposing more inconsistency.
See the scriptures teach about operations and diversities of gifts. Not persons. That is a man made concocted doctrine from the Catholics I believe. Something else not scripturally based.
"But you would also be saying He’s a liar because He said no one saw God the Father. If seeing Jesus is seeing God, He lied. Because there were people that saw Him. "
NO. The scripture says he is the truth. The scripture say let God be true and every man a liar. Scripture say rightly dividing the word of truth. So where it says no man have seen God at any time, that would have to be true too.
You have to rightly divide these passages to be able to get consistency out of them. Without doing that, you'll wind up in error saying there's a contradiction.
There are a few instances I can think where people saw the manifestation of God before seeing him when they saw the son.
I know there was one with Jacob. You have the burning bush . You have what Abraham saw. Several instances of seeing God. In manifestation per se. So anybody saying no one has seen God or nothing manifested of God, that person is going to have trouble all throughout scripture.
"God isn’t everywhere. That sounds like a pagan belief I remember reading about somewhere. Or was that wicca?"
Scripture teaches he fills heaven and heaven. So anybody saying God can only be in one place is going against scripture .
"God can SEE everywhere, not BE everywhere.
God filling Heaven and Earth appears to be based on this verse, which says:
Can a man hide himself in secret places so that I cannot see him?” declares the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? Declares the Lord. "
You're turning the scripture into a lie. The Lord God asks does he not fill heaven and earth.
You're saying he can't be everywhere. If he can't be everywhere in heaven and earth, how can he fill it?
You're making the scriptures contradict over and over. Scripture say let God be true and every man a liar.
"The first question clarifies the second. He can see everywhere, without having to be everywhere. "
This is your personal interpretation. Scripture speaks of no private interpretation. You accept the first part of the verse rejecting the second.
You reject what Jesus said. Jesus even said the Father is in heaven and the Father is in him. Jesus was on earth so that's heaven and earth and you come behind Jesus saying "no, God can't be everywhere"(in heaven and earth).
I'd advise you to take heed to this as the scripture say ye do well that ye take heed .
"There are REMINDERS of Him everywhere however, that’s not the same thing as God the Father actually being everywhere.
I suppose if you’re feeling sentimental you can say that. "
You leave this subject alone. You've gone deep in error in it . Let alone other things on this topic.
"You have made the claim the Father rose the Father, basically you are saying He rose Himself. Youre def gonna need to explain that one. What consitutes as dead, exactly?"
When Jesus was hanging there dead in the cross. They didn't break his legs because he was dead already. That is dead .
Now the Father was in the body to raise it up so the Father rose up. Scripture say in 1 Thessalonians 1 and 10 I believe of him whom raised his son from the dead .
There we go with that "dead" again.
"And if Jesus is merely a human form that God takes on, why the need to resurrect a human form? There isnt a human soul to resurrect and give the body back to, it was God in that body. Why raise it up again?"
I believe in the book of Corinthians again it was asked how are the dead raised up. If Christ be not risen , how are the dead raised?
That's why the scripture refer to him as the firstborn. To be firstborn which also has him to be the rock, chief cornerstone of the church so everyone else can be born again born but this time into the church.
"Jesus isnt supposed to lie.
The reason for why Jesus did say seeing Him is seeing the Father is because He’s trying to say He’s God the Son."
Well he was God and there is one God the Father. Don't forget. He said before Abraham, I am. Scripture say before the mountains were.......thou art God .
"He’s trying to tell people in a complex way (which is typical of Him) that He and the Father are one, but since He has referred to Himself as “Son” (see the verse about the end times), therefore He’s trying to say they’re two (well, three, if you include holy spirit), but one. If He was the Father, and yet said only God the Father knows when the end times are, He wouldve just answered that question."
You're saying a lot of things here and have not given any scripture to back it up. So unless you be found a liar, book of Proverbs 30 teaches not to add unto his words.
"Since you dont believe in a God the Son but that God the Father was in Jesus, you’ll have to clear up the contradiction without the Trinity, since it appears you dont believe its true.
Otherwise, Jesus is lying. And if Jesus is God the Father or God the Father is in Him,
God the Father lied."
Accept that other debate challenge comrade.
"If you cannot clear up the contradiction, then how could Jesus be God the Father? Or how could God the Father be in Jesus?"
Have I not given scripture to explain all this?
Can you refer back to what I've said or do I have to repeat these things over and over?
Have you been so long in this debate and not know these things?
"If what you say is true:
God the Father either lied, or Jesus was a mere man who lied that He was God.
But if Jesus lied, then He isnt God, and so God the Father wouldnt have died, only a human did.
And if God the Father lied, you’ll have to explain that one.
That contradicts Him being consistent and not breaking promises and covenants.
That contradicts Him being a good God, unless if you believe He’s a bad one.
You got some explaining, bring it on."
That trinity doctrine got you tossed to and fro as the scripture talks about.
"You said: Yes the manifestation died because when that flesh died there was no more manifestation.
So JESUS, the FLESH, died. And so because of that God wasnt Him in anymore.
Thats why I said either way, it’s Jesus the human that died, not God."
"it’s Jesus the human(the manifestation of God)that died, not God(not the Spirit)."
Pay attention to the distinction there. I've been rightly dividing in this specific way from the beginning.
"Your debate topic is God the Father, the actual deity, dying on the cross, not His stay in Jesus ending when Jesus died. Unless if you think God is somehow a spirit that needs a human to latch on and dies if that human is gone. If thats the case the Father wouldnt raise Himself as you claimed, because there is no body."
Again, your interpretation. Scripture say of all thy getting get understanding. You're suppose to get an understanding of what I mean instead of overriding it with your subjective interpretation.
Just like with Jesus, right. He spoke many things you have to get understanding of. The scripture is against ultimately hate. But Jesus said if you do not hate, you cannot follow him basically. You have to get understanding of what is being said.
"Even if God wasnt manifested in Jesus anymore, its God and His demonstrating Himself that was stopped, not the deity. "
Scripture said basically, come let us reason together. We should be at the reasoning already that I never said deity or the spirit came to an end.
"So Jesus didnt have the spirit of God then?
If Jesus is God who died on the cross, as you have affirmed with your “amen”, then why doesnt He have the spirit of God?"
I don't know why you're saying "If Jesus is God". You already agree the scripture teaches that he was or is. This should be "being that Jesus is God".
The body without the spirit is dead. That spirit had to forsake that body. Then he said it was finished, bowed his head and that was the end of the son of God. End of the Father being manifested.
"And by the emphasis on manifestation, I guess you think Jesus is demonstrating God, but doesnt have the spirit of God?
Then how is He God the Father?"
Jesus said the Father in him , He does the works. So he was God manifested in the flesh .
"I dont believe in Jesus being God the Father because I believe in a Trinity that states God as triune, God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
And Jesus is God taking role of Son, not Father."
The scripture say these three are one. So you can't leave out the Father when you talking about God. This is where the trinitarians mess up in their theology .
Much of what you had to say following this last statement of yours was just heavy criticism. I don't need to respond to that. Go ahead, get it all out.
"so make it clear, do you mean to argue in this debate that Jesus is God? "
No. That's too vague. I mean to argue and have successfully done so, the Father died on the cross.
"I would rather we argue on whether or not the trinity is valid, not on whether or not Jesus is God, because we both agree on that. The difference is whether or not Jesus was God the Father or God the Son. "
Well go ahead and concede on this topic and we can discuss the trinity in another session.
"You need to disprove it, not argue that Jesus is God.
My main argument was about that as well, on top of giving context to the verses you misused. I seem to only be arguing agaisnt your argument and you arguing against me arguing.
Why dont you argue against my main point? This would be very one sided if you dont.
I have mentioned again and again that Jesus is God but the Son, which explains all those verses as well as being my main point of contention."
All I had to prove was that the Father was manifested in flesh. I've done that.
Let me pull one of your responses that pretty much agreed :
“Was the works of the Father God made manifest in the flesh?”
You answered:
"Yes"
Thereby the works of the Father came to an end on the cross. It's just as plain as that. Without complicating, you see .
I look forward to this debate. I'm not sure how Mall will defend his position, but I certainly look forward to Strawbbycake's counterarguments.
Alrighty, Im more careful this time, Im actually against this statement.