Tag Archives: jesus

Did Jesus claim to be Deity?

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Response to one who denies Jesus’ Deity,

Your spiritual misunderstanding is mind boggling considering that your rejection of Jesus as God, Deity, proclaims your status as unredeemed, remaining in your sin (John 8:24).

I don’t suggest that understanding the necessity for Messiah’s deity is an element of salvation but I will profess that once one is redeemed by faith in Jesus and has received the indwelling Holy Spirit as Guarantor and the Seal of New Covenant promise (Ephesians 1:13-14), they will KNOW and they will openly confess that Jesus is God/Elohim who is Creator, Warrior, Messiah and Judge; this, because the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13-15) testifies of Jesus’ Deity and the necessity for same.

“Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am “He,” you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 (NASB)

In John 8:24, the word “he” is added by translators. While English Bibles (like the NIV or KJV) use “I am he,” the original Greek simply says “I am” (egō eimi). This directly mirrors the divine name used in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14), with Jesus claiming equality with God.

Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” John 8:58 (NASB)

Again: the original Greek says “I am” (egō eimi). This directly mirrors the divine name used in the Old Testament (Exodus 3:14), with Jesus claiming equality with God.

The Jewish audience and their religious leadership clearly understood Jesus’ proclamation of Deity and sought to murder Jesus by stoning; ultimately, charging Jesus with “blasphemy” and handing Him over to Pilate, Herod, for execution.

Your initial error is failing to understand the context upon which Hebrews 1, John 1, Colossians 1, are based; that is, Jesus in His hypostatic union as fully man and fully Elohim. Jesus has enjoyed coequal glory and omnipotence and omnipresence with the Father and the Spirit from Eternity past; this, before the World was created (John 17:5). When the Father speaks of the Son as the “firstborn” and “begotten” and having been “appointed” and “sit at my right hand”…the Father is speaking of the unique position of the eternal God-Man, Jesus our Messiah, unique to all of Eternity and Jesus will continue in this unique positioning as the “firstfruits” of those resurrected from the dead with a glorified body…the same type of body the saints in Jesus will receive at the resurrection of the righteous.

The Father is speaking in terms of a resurrected Messiah who had previously set aside many of His deific attributes in order to take on flesh, subject Himself to the constraints of Time and physics and rely solely upon the Holy Spirit for power and miracles and conquering Satan at Golgotha (Luke 4:1; 1 John 3:8). It is this same Jesus that the Father is glorifying for OUR benefit demonstrating the power of obedience and honor and dignity displayed by the Son who will reign King forevermore. King in the Millennial Kingdom and the Eternal Kingdom, the New Jerusalem.

You assume that the Father’s delineation of authority somehow suggests Jesus is a lesser being than the Father but this is not true or accurate. Jesus has never been a lesser Deity than the Father as Jesus is the same yesterday, today, forever (Hebrews 13:8).
I’m not sure what cult or sect you’ve involved yourself in, perhaps the cult of the Jehovah’s Witness, but you are far from the Kingdom. You might have a nice little religion but you and yours don’t know Jesus.

What is “Substitutionary Atonement?”

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What is “Substitutionary Atonement” provided by Jesus our Messiah?

Substitutionary Atonement is first pictured for human kind in Genesis 3:21 subsequent Adam’s compromise with evil, disobedience, at the behest of his wife, Eve.

Elohim, Himself, shed innocent blood and clothed Adam and his wife, Eve, the representatives of human kind, in an imputed, gifted, robe of righteousness in order to cover their sin and shame while Elohim simultaneously rejected Adam’s vain attempt at self-righteousness, works, to cover his own shame via the application of fig leaves. This is the first picture of the Gospel of Grace in Scripture.

Genesis 3:15 prophesies that One would come from the seed of the woman, not the seed of the man which carries and passes the Adamic sin-nature (Romans 5:12), and this anointed One would enter into conflict with Satan and defeat Satan. Genesis 3:21, as noted above, was to be the “battle strategy” by which the Anointed One, born of the seed of the woman, would defeat the works of Satan; that is, shedding innocent blood and thereby providing blood atonement for the covering of sin for all who would believe that Messiah had accomplished this divine imperative.

The Mosaic Law of blood sacrifices (Leviticus 17:11) modeled this prophecy where a spotless lamb would be slain for the sins of Israel’s children in recognition of the “Passover” where the blood of a lamb was painted on the door posts and lintel signaling to the “death angel” to “pass over” that home and spare the first born child which essentially freed the Hebrew slaves in Egypt.

These prophecies all came to fruition 4000-years subsequent Genesis 3:21 outside the Gates of Jerusalem in a place called “Golgotha” or “the place of the skull.” It was here that Jesus, “the spotless Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the World” (John 1:29) offered Himself as a substitutionary “blood atonement” for the sin of mankind (Matthew 26:27-28).

The focus of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that anyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah who died, who shed His innocent blood, for the atonement of their sin, the forgiveness of their sin, the one so believing receives eternal life (John 3:16)

We know that “nothing impure is permitted to enter the Kingdom of God” (Revelation 21:27) and we are commanded to be perfect as the Father in Heaven is perfect (Matthew 5:48). We also know that no one can be perfected by vain attempts to keep the Laws or traditions or days or diets of the Old Covenant because one violation of the Law makes the transgressor guilty of violating all Law (James 2:10); therefore, how does one born of Adam’s sin-nature (Romans 5:12) find “perfection” and acceptance by God/Elohim the Father?

Answer: Substitutionary Atonement

The Holy Spirit explains how one attains perfection in the Father’s eyes in Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth (2 Corinthians 5:21). When one believes that Jesus is Messiah who died for them, the Father imputes, gifts, the righteousness and perfection of Jesus over their life, eternally, and the Father agrees by New Covenant promise (Hebrews 8:12) to remember their sins no more; in other words, the Father promises to not see the sins of those who have trusted in Jesus as Messiah, the Spotless Lamb without sin, but the Father only sees the Son’s perfection over them and the Father declares them “not guilty” and welcomes them into the Family of Elohim while Sealing and Guaranteeing this divine promise through the gifting of the indwelling Holy Spirit, forever (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Christians, believers in Jesus as Messiah, are gifted the righteousness of Jesus over their life by Covenant promise thereby making the believer positionally “perfect” in the Father’s eyes, not by works, or efforts, strivings, of the Christian but as a Gift of Grace through Faith in the divine, spotless Lamb of God, Jesus Christ our Messiah (1 Peter 1:18-19).

Innocent substitute. Replaced fig leave of human righteousness.

James v. Paul: Works v. Faith, alone?

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James v. Paul: Works v. Faith, alone?

James teaches that saving faith, once established by faith in Jesus as Messiah, will demonstrate its legitimacy through the production of divine fruit that is produced via obedience to the indwelling Holy Spirit gifted to all who believe that Jesus is Messiah (Ephesians 1:13-14; John 15:8; Galatians 5:16-23). New Covenant Relationship with the Father through faith in Jesus as Messiah is established first, works or the production of divine fruit that follows divine relationship verifies the legitimacy of one’s faith.

Paul via the Spirit’s inspiration, teaches that salvation, righteousness, or a right standing with the Father, are NOT acquired through works or human effort but by faith alone (Romans 4:4-5). Paul is NOT suggesting that obedience or works that follow salvation are irrelevant but that relationship through faith must be established first then the works done through the Spirit will follow.

No one is saved from the 2nd death in Hell by works or self righteous efforts to please the Father (Galatians 2:16); only the imputed, gifted, righteousness of Jesus over your life by faith in Him as your Messiah will allow you to enter into New Covenant forgiveness with the Father (2 Corinthians 5:21; John 14:6; Hebrews 8:12).

Jesus provides an example,

Jesus emphasized the divine relevance of “relationship” with the Father through faith in the Son, FIRST, in Matthew 7:21-23. The works of those condemned in Jesus’ teaching were not evil but the honorable works were rejected and the workers condemned because the workers had not first established “New Covenant” relationship with the Father by faith in the Son. The works done were done through human effort, the flesh, and were therefore rejected as a filthy garment (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus likewise responded “Depart from me you workers of iniquity, I never knew you.” Our works are meaningless lest we are members of the Father’s family first through faith in the Son, Jesus our Messiah!

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

If the Sinai Commandments are binding moral laws, why wait hundreds of years to give them to Moses?

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The Sinai Commandments were but a mere fraction of Elohim’s moral law, a Spiritual Law that was infused within Adam on Day 6 of creation as Adam was created in the spiritual image of our divine Law Giver, Jesus Christ (Genesis 1:26-28; John 1; Hebrews 1; Colossians 1). The Sinai Commandments were given specifically to Israel’s children and those who sought refuge in that Theocracy. The Commandments were codified in stone by Elohim for Israel in preparation for their journey through pagan lands inundated with pagan tribes, demonically rooted pagan tribes who would make every attempt to turn Israel’s children away from Elohim’s prophetic plan concerning the Nation of Israel and the prophesied Messiah, Messiah Jesus who would ultimately emanate from the Trible of Judah.

There were other written codes and texts prior to the Mosaic Law such as the “Code of Hammurabi” that provided laws and structure for adjudicative order in a society of Adam’s descendants.

All moral and ethical law that has been codified by human kind from Adam forward finds their origin in the divine Spiritual Law that is written upon the heart of every human being at conception (Romans 2:14-15). The Spiritual Law is essential as a bulwark against societal implosion in unrestrained narcissism and it is the divine gift of the human conscience, wisdom, discernment, that arbitrates the Spiritual Law within the heart of human kind.

The Spiritual Law written upon the human heart by Elohim within the human species created in His own spiritual image is also eternally essential as an arbiter of free will and arbiter of divine judgment as “where there is no law there is no sin” (Romans 4:15; 5:13); in other words, there exists no culpability in the absence of law, nor does culpability exist among a transgressor where insufficient cognitive ability to understand the repercussions of violating a law or edict exists, insufficient cognitive acuity due immaturity or retardation, mental illness.

The Spiritual Law is eternal and essential for Elohim’s righteousness to be defined and judgment to be adjudicated fairly and responsibly in that Day (Revelation 20:11-15). It is the divine Spiritual Law that judged unto death and extinction save eight the Adamic and Noahic generations via The Flood. It is also notable that the eternal Spiritual Law judged Satan of covetousness and initiated Satan’s extrication from the Kingdom thereby initiating the Genesis creation narrative, the Gospel, Golgotha; in fact, it is Satan’s defiance of the Spiritual Law that initiated Messiah’s introduction into the temporary, created, Realm of Time as Messiah’s primary objective was “to destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8b); that is, destroy the works of Satan as a demonic evil seeking to deceive all of humanity through the enticement to violate the Spiritual Law of Elohim.

Salvation – Righteousness with our Creator. How?

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Salvation, a “right standing” with our Creator is attained by:
1) Works, keeping laws, rules?
2) Works, keeping laws, rules + faith?
3) Faith alone?

What is the Biblical Truth?

Works, keeping laws, obeying rules, play no role in salvation.

Christian works, the production of divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23), manifest SUBSEQUENT salvation and are the resultant of the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit working through the “new creation” (the new person) in Jesus (John 15:8; Galatians 5:16-23; 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Works or striving to keep laws for righteousness, a right standing with the Father, are theologically equivalent to the odor of a bloody menstrual cloth in the nose of the Father (Isaiah 64:6); the “work of God” that opens the door to salvation is “to believe in the One the Father has sent into the World” to provide blood atonement for your sin (John 6:29); that is, believe with a sincere heart that Jesus is our Messiah who died to pay your sin-debt owed the Father, a debt you cannot pay yourself through striving after obedience to laws, rules, customs, days, traditions (John 14:6). Salvation being a divine gift of “grace” (unmerited favor you cannot earn) through faith (trusting-believing that Jesus is Messiah).

Works, fruit, SUBSEQUENT salvation are a sign of legitimate saving faith (James 2:17-26) but those works/fruit are NOT causative (Ephesians 2:8-9; Galatians 2:16). Works, in the pursuit of righteousness-salvation, do not honor the Father lest they’re performed through you by the indwelling Holy Spirit which can only manifest subsequent salvation as the Spirit is the Guarantor and Seal of New Covenant relationship given to all who believe Jesus is Messiah (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. 5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness,

Why did Jesus say He does not know the day/hour of His return but only the Father?

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Theological question: “Since Jesus is God why didn’t he know the time of His coming as put [stated] in Matthew 24:36.”

Consider this,

The Day of the Second Advent is fluid, wholly dependent upon free will choices made by human men and women in authority and those to whom the Gospel is given; that is, there is a certain specified, ordained, number of redeemed in Jesus that must be attained before the 2nd-Advent. The Father, as the Administrator of the Trinity, decides when that number of redeemed has been fulfilled.

Know that the Holy Spirit has told us there was one-third of the angelic creation that followed Lucifer/Satan in the Great Rebellion, that Rebellion being causation for the Creation Narrative. As physics will testify, our World, our atmosphere, hates a vacuum; that is, remove a certain volume of fluid from a particular entity and all of nature seeks to fill that void; no difference concerning the “void” left in the Spiritual Realm by those who allied with Satan’s covetousness resulting in their banishment from the Kingdom; that void will be replaced, restored, in number, a specific number, and the 2nd-Advent, the initiation of the Millennial Kingdom, will NOT manifest until said number has been attained; that is, until such “Time” a corresponding number of human kind responds to the Gospel and is prepared to enter the Kingdom for service, the end will not manifest and the Father will determine when that specific number has been attained; by divine authority, that number remains the sole property of the Father while the Son and the Spirit respect the Father’s discernment as the Administrator of all things concerning Time and Eternity and the New Jerusalem, order, holiness, peace.

1) Father – Administrator
2) Jesus – Son, Creator, Warrior, Messiah, Judge
3) Holy Spirit – Logistics

Satan’s rebellion and its horrific aftermath, having been played-out within the Realm of Time for the previous 6000-years, will be completely righted, corrected, healed, made whole, holiness – order restored, by the Father’s divine plan we know as “The Gospel” which was ordained as Elohim’s battle strategy “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-9); in fact, the primary reason Jesus entered the temporary Realm of Time was “to destroy the works of the Devil” (1 John 3:8).

Destroying Satan’s works includes restoring all that Satan has destroyed and stolen, that one-third of the rebellious angelic creation will be restored by redeemed human kind, though redeemed humanity will not be angelic in origin, those restored through the Gospel will be dedicated resurrected servants of Jesus our Messiah in the New Jerusalem thereby closely duplicating the responsibilities of the angelic creation that chose via free will to leave their assigned responsibilities in the Kingdom; again, that specific number of redeemed subject to free will choices made within the Realm of Time belongs to the Father, the divine Administrator of Heaven, Earth, the eternal Kingdom. The Son and the Spirit honor and respect the Father’s eschatological will.

How do I establish a relationship with God?

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How do I establish a relationship with God?

You build and nurture a “good relationship” with Elohim first by trusting in Jesus as your Messiah and receiving the indwelling Holy Spirit who is the divine conduit between mankind and the Father through Jesus (John 3; Ephesians 1:13-14; John 14:16).

Once a divine relationship with the Father is established through faith in Jesus (John 6:29; 14:16), you walk daily in obedience to the Holy Spirit’s leadership via daily Christian sanctification (Galatians 5:16) or “setting apart” yourself from the World’s desires to those desires of the Father for your life; that is, as a Christian, the objective is to produce divine fruit (Galatians 5:16-23) that glorifies the Father and demonstrates to the World that you are a faithful disciple of Jesus (John 15:8); this is the foundation of a healthy, eternal, relationship with Elohim (Genesis 1:1).

Prayer, thankfulness, intimacy, learning of Elohim’s divine will through a study of His written word, trusting, alone time, with Elohim is KEY to a divine relationship.

Why does Satan have access to Elohim according to the Book of Job?

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Why does Satan have access to Elohim in the Kingdom; this, according to the Book of Job?

The entire creation narrative is rooted in Satan’s rebellion that manifest before Time began; in fact, the Gospel of Jesus our Messiah as the battle strategy to defeat Satan finds its origin in the Spiritual Realm “before Time began” (2 Timothy 1:8-9) and that war between Elohim and Satan was formally declared in Genesis 3:15 as a struggle between a Messiah who would enter Time via the seed of the woman (not man) and do battle with Satan as the Messiah would crush Satan’s head while Satan would bruise Messiah’s heal; this divine-spiritual war was concluded at Golgotha with Jesus victorious over the works of Satan e.g. death-Hell-the grave; in fact, the primary reason Jesus entered the Realm of Time/physics was “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8b) via the Gospel which was first pictured for us in Genesis 3:21; this, demonstrating that Elohim, Himself, would shed innocent blood to clothe human kind in a gifted, imputed, robe of righteousness (animal skins) while Elohim simultaneously demonstrated that He would reject self-righteousness or works for righteousness as payment for sin; this, as Elohim rejected Adam’s futile attempt to cover his own sin and nakedness by the works of his hands via the application of fig leaves.

The Holy Spirit makes the effort to demonstrate for us the wartime relationship that exists between Elohim and Satan through the Book of Job in the Old Testament. Currently, Elohim and Satan are battling for the spirit of mankind and Elohim is employing the works of Satan as a sifter of righteousness and an exposer of the unrighteous. Satan is currently performing Elohim’s will as a sifter of wheat and tares. This war between Elohim and Satan will ultimately demonstrate to the two-thirds of the faithful angelic creation the necessity for obedience and honor concerning their relationship with Elohim and that same war between Elohim and Satan will ultimately be seen as a divine bulwark against rebellion in the New Jerusalem concerning redeemed mankind as mankind will have the historical knowledge of 6000-years of pure horror resulting from disobedience and compromise with evil and the Evil One; this being of necessity as free will exists throughout eternity in the New Jerusalem. The current war between Elohim and Satan that permeates this World and our soul will ultimately be a divine deterrence concerning future rebellion in the New Jerusalem where free will exists by necessity. Obedience to Elohim is eternally superior to sacrifice.

For this reason, Satan, a tool of Elohim concerning eternal righteousness in the Kingdom, has access to Elohim just as the leadership of warring factions in this World have access to one another concerning wartime negotiations; ultimately, Elohim will use Satan’s captivity during the Millennial Kingdom to prove once and for all time that Satan is the author of all suffering and death and horror; this, underscored by Satan’s release at the culmination of the Millennial Kingdom where rebellion via war is once again initiated by Satan; through this stark example of cause and effect, the two-thirds of the angelic hosts who have been observing Elohim’s battle with Satan over the previous 6000-years of human history will concur with Elohim that their former leader, Lucifer-Satan, a rebellious cherub angel, does indeed deserve punishment in Hell, eternally, (Revelation 20:10) and Elohim will be glorified by the angelic and redeemed humanity for His patience, wisdom, as Elohim will have successfully defeated Satan not by the sword but through Elohim’s own selfless love demonstrated through Messiah at Golgotha.

Why Jesus as the only acceptable atonement for sin?

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Why Jesus as the atoning sacrifice for the sin of humanity?

Jesus is the ONLY One who can pay for the sin of humanity as Jesus is the ONLY One who meets the divine criteria for acceptable sacrifice for sin, sinlessness…void spot or blemish or wrinkle. This “sinless blood atonement” was first pictured for us in Genesis 3:21 as Elohim, Himself, shed innocent blood to cover the sin of Adam and Eve while Elohim rejected Adam’s attempt to cover his own sin by the works of his hands, fig leaves. Jesus is the spotless, sinless, Lamb of Elohim who was slain “before the foundation of the World” (Revelation 13:8). The war between Jesus and Satan was openly declared by the Holy Spirit in Genesis 3:15 as our Messiah would enter Time through the seed of a virgin woman absent the seed of man which passes the Adamic sin-nature (Romans 5:12).

Jesus entered Time “to destroy the works of Satan” (1 John 3:8b) and this plan was ordained before Genesis 1:1. The entirety of Biblical eschatology is predicated upon Elohim’s response to Satan’s great rebellion in the Kingdom; in fact, the Genesis creation narrative is a response to Satan’s rebellion as our Heavens and Earth are a temporary repository for the Great Kingdom War as Elohim restores holiness and peace to His own Heavenly Kingdom.

Our entire existence, causation for same, is predicated upon WAR!

Elohim’s selfless love observed at Golgotha is the divine response to Satan’s rebellion and Elohim’s plan for victory over evil. Elohim has displayed His divine LOVE for His created beings by giving Himself on the alter through suffering and death…this unfathomable sacrifice by Elohim will be THE eternal defining memory of our Creator’s faithfulness that will endure throughout Eternity as we dwell with Him in the New Jerusalem…worthy is the Lamb.

~1 Peter 1: 19 ~ Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. ~ Revelation 13:8~ Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

Do Christians Sin?

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Do Christians Sin?

Redemption, salvation, born-again, does NOT negate the influence of the old Adamic sin-nature integral with the flesh (Romans 5:12). The rebirth in Jesus performed by the indwelling Holy Spirit concerning those who trust in Jesus as Messiah (John 3:3-5; 2 Corinthians 5:17) simply transforms the spirit of man into one that “desires” obedience, seeks to please the Father through the production of divine fruit (John 15:8; Galatians 5:16-23) but a spiritual inner war ensues between the old flesh and the new spirit and there are times where the old flesh is successful in compromising the new spirit via word, thought, deed, but the Spirit convicts the redeemed conscience and provides the new man the solace of 1 John 1:9 in order that intimacy and fellowship with the Father can be restored, intimacy stymied by disobedience; though eternal relationship is secure via the Spirit as Guarantor (Ephesians 1:13-14) the new spirit wars against the flesh during daily sanctification and this war, battles won, battles lost, will continue until the fleshly tent, that is the body of man, is taken down through death and the spirit is set free from the incessant tug/temptation of disobedience. It is in Jesus by faith that the redeemed ultimately succeed and are victorious (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Though the redeemed in Jesus are declared “not guilty” by the Father as a result of New Covenant promise (Hebrews 8:12), the redeemed will, unfortunately, fall short of perfection BUT the Father agrees by New Covenant promise to not see the failings of the redeemed in Jesus but the Father chooses to only see the absolute perfection of His dear Son over the life of those who have trusted in Jesus’ atonement at Golgotha; this, due the glorious imputation/gifting of Jesus’ righteousness over the life of the one who “believes” that Jesus is Messiah (2 Corinthians 5:21).

To clarify, a Christian does sin but the one redeemed by the Holy Spirit does not revel or glorify in their sin through continued, willful, disobedience but the Christian is quick to repent, apologize, strive for perfection, moving forward in assurance that they are the Father’s prize possession due Jesus’ faithfulness, Jesus’ obedience, eternally.