Comments on: God is Jesus http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=god-is-jesus Kingdom People - Living on Earth as Citizens of Heaven Mon, 21 May 2012 02:07:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: RD http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-11739 RD Thu, 08 Mar 2012 12:39:10 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-11739 Gregg, I agree with a portion of your comments. The OT prophets never indicate that the coming messiah would be, in essence, God. He would be a human being raised up BY God from within Israel to be God's righteous servant. However, later NT writings clearly relate Jesus as being in the same essence as God. Most notably in John's Gospel. I do think, though, that there really wasn't concensus among the early Christians as to the nature of Jesus. I left the following comment over on Joe Carter's post about the Muslim God, and I think it is worth repeating here: The book of Acts gives us the best look at how the original apostles preached Jesus. In Acts, the idea of Jesus being, in essence, God does not seem to be represented in the apostle's theology as they spread the message. They seem (to me) to see him more in light of the prophesied Jewish messiah (a human being who would be raised up from within Israel to usher in the Kingdom of God). For example: “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know." Acts 2:22 "Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." Acts 2:36 "The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus." Acts 3:13 "You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached-- how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Acts 10: 37-38 There are many many other verses that identify Jesus in this way. Take only Acts 10:37-38: If Jesus is understood to be the Son of God (in essence God) why would God need to anoint Jesus with the Holy Spirit? Jesus and the Holy Spirit would be part of the same essence of the Trinity, right? And, these verses clearly declare that Jesus "went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil" not because Jesus was God, but because God was WITH Jesus (doing these acts through him). It is a very Jewish understanding of who the messiah would be. Gregg,

I agree with a portion of your comments. The OT prophets never indicate that the coming messiah would be, in essence, God. He would be a human being raised up BY God from within Israel to be God’s righteous servant. However, later NT writings clearly relate Jesus as being in the same essence as God. Most notably in John’s Gospel.

I do think, though, that there really wasn’t concensus among the early Christians as to the nature of Jesus. I left the following comment over on Joe Carter’s post about the Muslim God, and I think it is worth repeating here:

The book of Acts gives us the best look at how the original apostles preached Jesus. In Acts, the idea of Jesus being, in essence, God does not seem to be represented in the apostle’s theology as they spread the message. They seem (to me) to see him more in light of the prophesied Jewish messiah (a human being who would be raised up from within Israel to usher in the Kingdom of God).

For example:

“Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know.” Acts 2:22

“Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” Acts 2:36

“The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus.” Acts 3:13

“You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached– how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.” Acts 10: 37-38

There are many many other verses that identify Jesus in this way. Take only Acts 10:37-38: If Jesus is understood to be the Son of God (in essence God) why would God need to anoint Jesus with the Holy Spirit? Jesus and the Holy Spirit would be part of the same essence of the Trinity, right? And, these verses clearly declare that Jesus “went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil” not because Jesus was God, but because God was WITH Jesus (doing these acts through him). It is a very Jewish understanding of who the messiah would be.

]]> By: Gregg in CA http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-537 Gregg in CA Mon, 27 Sep 2010 17:34:38 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-537 God is Jesus? This is not the message of the New Testament and not what the Old Testament predicted. Jesus is the Messiah and "the Son of God"....never ever presented as "God the Son". Check your Bible. The biggest and all mistakes is to say that the Bible presents a Trinity God, it never does. It presents athe One God of Israel, Yahweh by name, as send to us His Son, the human Jesus, who mediates a New Covenant fulling and replacing the Mosaic Covenant. The "multi-person" Trinitarian God is not biblical and the misconception that has be errantly forced into the biblical message, with disastrous results. the one body and splintered into 30,000 demoninations, Is this God's purposes being fullfilled? Rethink your statements please! God is Jesus?
This is not the message of the New Testament and not what the Old Testament predicted. Jesus is the Messiah and “the Son of God”….never ever presented as “God the Son”. Check your Bible. The biggest and all mistakes is to say that the Bible presents a Trinity God, it never does. It presents athe One God of Israel, Yahweh by name, as send to us His Son, the human Jesus, who mediates a New Covenant fulling and replacing the Mosaic Covenant. The “multi-person” Trinitarian God is not biblical and the misconception that has be errantly forced into the biblical message, with disastrous results. the one body and splintered into 30,000 demoninations, Is this God’s purposes being fullfilled? Rethink your statements please!

]]> By: Colleen Bondeson http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-536 Colleen Bondeson Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:14:46 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-536 Thankyou for the article. Well said. I teach Primary scripture classes in Australia. The children often are surprised when I tell them that God is Jesus. Thankyou for the article. Well said. I teach Primary scripture classes in Australia. The children often are surprised when I tell them that God is Jesus.

]]> By: God is Jesus « Jesus Shaped Spirituality http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-535 God is Jesus « Jesus Shaped Spirituality Tue, 27 May 2008 01:23:56 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-535 [...] May 26, 2008 by Michael UPDATE: Trevin Wax showed enormous foresight on this topic over a year ago. His predictive powers are legend.... [...] [...] May 26, 2008 by Michael UPDATE: Trevin Wax showed enormous foresight on this topic over a year ago. His predictive powers are legend…. [...]

]]> By: Missional Living » God is Jesus? http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-534 Missional Living » God is Jesus? Tue, 06 Mar 2007 17:09:20 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-534 [...] There's a great article that we need to chew on over at Kingdom People. [...] [...] There's a great article that we need to chew on over at Kingdom People. [...]

]]> By: Benjamin Bush Jr http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/trevinwax/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-533 Benjamin Bush Jr Sat, 03 Mar 2007 15:16:41 +0000 http://trevinwax.wordpress.com/2007/03/01/god-is-jesus/#comment-533 God is Jesus. Great article! Great point! God is Jesus.

Great article! Great point!

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