Is Jesus God

Was Jesus Christ God In A Body?

By Dr. Penny Warren, B.A., M.A., D.D.

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Introduction

Throughout history Christians have debated numerous theological issues. Since the Eastern Orthodox Church officially broke with the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 A.D. and Martin Luther began the Protestant movement in the 1500s, hundreds of denominations have cropped up due to irreconcilable differences with the parent group. Among the formally identified Christian groups, disagreement abounds on topics such as, the Incarnation, the Trinity, the virgin birth of Jesus, His resurrection, the atonement, life after death, the millennium, the 3 days and 3 nights, etc. "There are about 1400 formal Christian organizations in the North America, ranging from extreme conservative to extreme liberal. They agree on little. A committee consisting of one member from each of: Episcopal, Jehovahs Witness, Methodist, Mormon, Presbyterian, Southern Baptist and Unity Church would probably fail to reach a consensus on almost any basic Christian belief or practice. In fact, some committee members would probably refuse to recognize some of the others as fellow Christians (Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, http://www.religioustolerance.org/christ.htm)."

The incarnation of God in the flesh and the Trinity are questions that have troubled many Christians over the years. However, some of them, such as the Jehovah Witnesses, Oneness Pentecostal Churches, United Pentecostal Church, Unitarians, Mormons, and even more radical groups as the House of Yahweh, have declared, NO, Jesus was not God, but His Son and Divine Messenger. They believe, as do also the Islamics and Jews who we will not discuss in this article, that there is only one God (Deut. 6:4).

The Christian dissenters point to the Messiahs own words as proof of their convictions. They also rightly claim that the Trinity concept of God (see "How Did The Trinity Concept Develop? p. 13 in the May/June 1994 issue of the "PLIM REPORT"), being one in essence and three equal, separate, almighty persons is not Biblical, but pagan and therefore blasphemy. [This article will address their assertion of trinitys pagan origin being blasphemous later.] For their disavowal of two of the most sacred Christian tenets, the Incarnation and the Trinity, other loyal Christians have labeled them a cult and ousted them from their ranks.

Why do Christians disagree?

The disagreement over whether Jesus Christ was God in a body or not (Col. 2:9) stems from confusion over a literal interpretation of the scriptures, ignorance of the Messiahs mission, and the Christian interpretation of the Godhead.

Websters New World Dictionary states the Trinity is "the union of three divine persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) in one Godhead (p. 1430)." The Catholic Catechism by John A. Hardon. S.J., agrees with this defintion and adds " & Starting from the biblical revelation that the Son proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son, & there are in God three persons who are really distinct from one another (p. 65)."

This concept is very confusing and Christians agree that the Trinity is a mystery not meant for the lay people to understand. Many argue that if God is the father, God is the Son and God is the Holy Spirit, how can there be one God, but three persons. Even theologians have a difficult time explaining it and some admit they do not understand this tenant, but accept it by faith because it is written in the scriptures. The most popular verses used to prove the Trinitarian concept (I John 5:7; 1 Tim. 3:16, and even Matt. 28:19) that we will not discuss in this article have also been a source of debate.

What is the intent of this article?

This article will explore the arguments of those Christians who believe Jesus was not God. Since a very thorough essay called "How Did The Trinity Concept Develop?" has already been written on the Trinity in the May/June 1994 issue of the "PLIM REPORT," this writing will only briefly mention a few key points of Christian Incarnationists and Trinitarians who believe that Jesus was God.

We will then present a third premise that involves understanding the unity of the spirit manifest in a three-fold manner (see illustration on p. 27), the symbolical meaning of the scriptures, and the Messiahs mission to fulfill the Law and Prophets. The latter argument will prove by the tabernacle pattern, science, and psychology that the creator Yahweh is a universal principle that has revealed Himself in three manifestations to men throughout the ages.

The problem lies in mans interpretation of the scriptures and the godhead and his claim to the exclusiveness of Gods visitations. Before we examine why some Christian sects believe that Jesus was the son of God, but not God, we should understand the full definition of the word son.

What does the word "son" mean?

Besides being a male offspring, another definition of son states: "one thought of as having been formed by some influence, such as the sons of the revolution Websters New World Dictionary (Third College Edition)." In this sense a son represents someone whose mind has been influenced by an idea. The person influenced would be formed and acting in a sonship degree.

According to Vines Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words the Greek word for son is "huios ^5207^ ... It is often used metaphorically of prominent moral characteristics (see below). It is used in the NT of & (f) those who act in a certain way, whether evil, <Matt. 23:31>, or good, <Gal. 3:7>; (g) those who manifest a certain character, whether evil, <Acts 13:10; Eph. 2:2>, or good, <Luke 6:35; Acts 4:36; Rom. 8:14>; .... (Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)."

Thayers Dictionary defines son as "&c) used of those whom God esteems as sons, whom He loves, protects and benefits above others, 1) in the Old Testament, used of the Jews, 2) in the New Testament, used of Christians, 3) those whose character God, as a loving father, shapes by chastisements (Heb. 12:5-8), d) those who revere God as their father, the pious worshipers of God, those who in character and life resemble God, those who are governed by the Spirit of God, repose the same calm and joyful trust in God which children do in their parents (Rom. 8:14, Gal. 3:26) ... A term used preeminently of Jesus Christ, as enjoying the supreme love of God, united to Him in affectionate intimacy, privy to his saving councils, obedient to the Fathers will in all His acts."

Did God call Jesus His son?

When a cloud appeared at the Messiahs baptism and identified Him as His son, this event was symbolical. "And Yahshua (Jesus), when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of Elohim (God) descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (Matt 3:16-17, 17:5; Mark 9:7; Psa. 2:7; Isa. 42:1)." In accordance to the tabernacle pattern on p. 27, the cloud represents the Pure Spirit State of Yahweh the father in an abstract state without shape and form. The Messiah represents the father in form, the intermediate state of Spirit or the Word, who has taken on flesh. The cloud and the Messiah are the selfsame Spirit manifest in different states and conditions. The unity of the Spirit is easy to understand, explain, and can be found in nature.

If we take the natural things to understand Spirit, as the Messiah and Apostles instructed, this point becomes clear (John 3:12; Rom. 1:19-20). The father (abstract, cloud) identifies the Messiah as His son (Spirit manifest in the flesh) in the same way that ice (solid, concrete) is the offspring of steam (abstract), a chicken (solid, concrete) develops from an egg (abstract, see cover page), or actions proceed after thoughts are conceived in the mind. We will thoroughly explain the latter two examples more fully in the next sections of this article.

The cloud is not superior to His son, the lesser one, as some may think. The cloud IS the son manifest concretely; or the fleshly manifestation of Spirit is acting in the sonship degree for our benefit. According to Einstein matter is not solid, but light or energy (an abstract state) bound. (See "9. Matter created from light," Scientific Discoveries of 1997, p. 38) Also the Bell Theorem shows that every particle of matter is connected by some non-physical substance revealing a unity principle in physics. (See "Has Science Found God in Non-Local Reality," p. 16 in the September/October 1996 "PLIM REPORT")

Are there other examples of the Unity of the Spirit?

The unity of the spirit has been explained in other issues, but this article will provide a few more brief explanations below. (For a quick review see three Philosophical Measuring Rod sections, p. 16 of the Complimentary Issue, January/February 1993, and the May/June 1993 issues of the "PLIM REPORT.") The father was symbolized as a cloud that overshadowed Mt. Sinai and thundered the Ten Commandment Law to Israel (Exo. 19th Chapter). Israel heard a voice, but saw no form (John 5:37; Duet. 4:12). From that cloud Elohim appeared in the form of a man that Moses saw in a vision (Exo. 24:9-10; see also Dan. 10:5) and later talked to in the fleshly body of Joshua (Exo. 33:11). Spirit revealing itself in three manifestations repeats itself throughout the Bible.

A cloud led Israel from Egypt (Exo. 13:21-22), and sat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place (Lev. 16:2). On the Day of Atonement, Elohim appeared as a man in the midst of a cloud to forgive the sins of Israel as His disciples saw at His Ascension (Acts 1:9-11). At the end of the Post-Diluvian Age the Messiah appeared in a physical form as His Son, the express image of the father, to take all of mans sins upon Himself and redeem man from sin (Col. 2:9).

John explains the unity of the spirit in the 1st Chapter. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with Yahweh (the father, God), and the Word was Yahweh (the father, God). The same was in the beginning with Yahweh (the father, God). & And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth (John 1:1-2, 14)." Some read the verse "the only begotten of the Father" to mean the Word was literally born to the father as a natural baby is born to its parents. In reality, John is describing the shape and form of the Word or the creation of the angelic form appearing from within the Pure Spirit State and then being manifest in the flesh (see chart above).

The easiest way to understand John 1-2, 14 verses is to understand matter existing in three states: gas, liquid, and solid, but yet one substance (see chart above). H2O can exist as steam, water, or ice, but remains the same substance in all three states. When we understand that Yahshua, the concrete state of Spirit, is equivalent to an action, we see that no action can be performed unless someone has conceived the thought in his mind. Likewise, a baby (the concrete manifestation) cannot be born unless a fertilized ovum (the abstract state appearing as 23 pair of spaghetti-like chromosomes) was conceived and formed as a fetus in the womb (the intermediate state).

Isnt Jesus Gods Son?

Jehovah Witnesses, as do most other Christians, interpret the scriptures literally. They believe that to think Jesus is God is a deviation of the scriptures. They believe that the Messiah very clearly stated that He and His father were separate and not equal in John 17:3. "And this is life eternal, they they might know thee, the only tree Elohim (God), and Yahshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) whom thou hast sent."

When they read the Messiahs words saying that He cannot do anything without His father (John 10:14), they think that God the father is more powerful than His Son who is submissive and depends entirely on His father. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 6:38)." In fact, they refer to the next verse to prove the sons very life comes from the father. "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; (John 5:26)." They think that one of higher authority is sending another of lower dominion on a mission to preach to His people.

Did the Messiah speak in code?

Really, the above verses show how the Messiah spoke in a secret code that was way above the heads of Israel (Isa. 55:8-9). Isaiah prophesized that the Messiahs words would be hard to understand. "For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people (Isa. 28:11)." Matthew confirmed Isaiahs statements. "All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world (Matt. 13:34-35)."

The true interpretation of the Messiah saying the Father sent Him is seen when one understands the relationship between an action and a thought in the mind. When the Messiah speaks of doing His fathers will, he is fulfilling the principle of an action that cannot be manifest without an abstract thought being conceived in the mind. Your hand cannot hit someone (an action concretely manifest) without that thought (intermediate state) being formed in the mind (abstract state), as a chicken (concrete) cannot be hatched without an egg (abstract).

Can we decipher some more of Jesus words?

When the mother comes to the Messiah and asks that both her sons sit on His right and left side in heaven, He defers this decision to His father. "& but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father (Matt. 20:23)." Those who do not believe that Jesus is God interpret this to mean that the father has power that the son does not have. However, if we return to the example of the action and the thought, the action never dictates to the mind, but vice versa. Of course, the father would decide, or the idea conceived in the mind would decree, who sits in heaven. The action (the concrete state symbolized as the Messiah) simply carries out the dictates of the idea formed in the mind (the abstract state of the father).

In another instance, the Messiah prays to His father that He relieve him from His mission of being the sacrificial lamb for Israel. "Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done (Luke 22:42)." The Messiah, as the action, has no will of His own, but the idea conceived in the mind (the abstract states) dictates his behavior (the concrete manifestation). This brings us to the Messiahs mission.

What was the Messiahs mission?

We must understand that the mission of the Messiah was to fulfill the Law and Prophets (Matt. 5:17-18). Many prior "PLIM REPORT" articles have been written on this subject. (Also see "Do You Know What the New Testament Is?" and the pink pamphlet "The Clergy Has Ignorantly Called Yahshua the Messiah A Liar In Saying That He Instituted Rather Than Fulfilled Carnal Ordinances,")

The Messiah said: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39)." This verse confirms that everything the Messiah performed during His Ministry was in fulfillment of something written in the so-called Old Testament. His fathers will (written in the Law and Prophets) already controlled His actions or His autobiography was written before He was born (Psa. 40:7; Heb. 10:7).

Was the Messiahs crucifixion preordained?

For example, the Messiahs crucifixion was prophesied in the Law and Prophets. The lamb slain in Egypt prefigured the Messiahs death (Exo. 12th Chapter; John 1:29). Israel put the blood of the lamb on the top of the door and its two side posts from a basin to reflect the four points of blood on the cross (Exo. 12:22). David even prophesied the words the Messiah would say and the manner that he would die. The Messiah did say, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My El (God), my El (God), why hast thou forsaken me (Matt. 27:46)?" He spoke these words in fulfillment of Psalms 22nd Chapter that describes the Messiah being pierced with nails in His hands and feet (22:16) and Israel mocking him.

Those who do not believe that Jesus is God point to the Messiahs crucifixion as proof that the Messiah was definitely not God. Why, they ask, would the Messiah be crying out to God if He were God? Their interpretation ignores the Messiahs mission. Paul wrote: "But when the fulness of the time was come, Elohim (God) sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4:4-5)." Again, the verse, "God sent forth his Son" does not mean a superior sending a lesser out, but God, the divine mind, always sends the Son, an idea, that manifests in some action.

Did the Messiah say He was fulfilling the scriptures?

In another instance, Israel admired the Messiah for teaching in the Jewish temple (see p. 17-18, "How did the Messiah fulfill Jubilee?" in Jubilee and Debt in the USA Economy). He read from a passage in Isaiah. "The Spirit of Yahweh (the Lord) is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of Yahweh (the Lord). & And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears (Luke 4:18-21)." The Messiah (the actor or solid state) told them that He was fulfilling the scriptures (the book that was written of Him, Psa. 40:7) or completing and performing the will of the father (the divine mind or abstract state).

Besides the confusion over the Messiahs words, the origin of the Trinity concept does not endear it in the hearts of those who do not believe that Jesus was God.

Did the Trinity concept come from pagans?

Many cultures before the formation of Israel believed in a three in one god. (see "How Did The Trinity Concept Develop? p. 13 in the May/June 1994 issue of the "PLIM REPORT.") Madame H.P. Blavatsky, founder of the Theosophical Society, in her book Isis Unveiled wrote: "The trinity in unity is an idea all ancient nations held in common (Vol. 1; p. 160)." The Hindus worshipped Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva (the creator, preserver, and destroyer). The Babylonians and the Egyptians worshipped the father, mother, and son as: Nimrod (father), Semiramis (mother), and Tammuz (son); and Osiris (father), Isis (mother), and Horus (son), respectively. Even Platos philosophies of Greece paved the way for it.

In the fourth century the Nicean Council set the stage for the introduction of the Trinity concept to Christianity by declaring the son was of the same substance as the father. The Council of Constantinople in 381 A.D. established the Holy Spirit as equal to the Father and Son ("How Did The Trinity Docrine Develop? http://www.watchtower.org/library/ti/doctrine_develop.htm). Because worship to a three-in-one god is so well documented, some Christians adopt the attitude of historian Will Durant who said: "Christians did not destroy paganism, but adopted it."

Why are the ideas that God reveals to pagans rejected?

Many Christians reject any concepts found in non-Christian cultures and harbor an Old Testament prejudice against pagans as Jews did toward Gentiles (Deut. 7:1-8). These non-Trinitarian Christians feel that if pagans worship a three-in-one god, the practice must be blasphemous. They do not understand that pagans as well as Christians have misunderstood the unity of the Spirit.

When the Spanish led by Cortez came to America and saw the Aztec Indians worshipping the cross and eating bread sacramentally as the body of their Mexican god Huitzilopochtli or Vitzilipuztli, they were amazed since Europe had no prior contact with these people. (See "How Did the Crucifixion and the Cross Originate?" p. 11, in the Did U Know&? section of the May/June 1996 issue; The Golden Bough, by James Frazer, p. 566; and "The Spiritual Significance of The Feast of Unleavened Bread," p. 4, in the On the Law section of the September/October 1995 issue.) Some Spaniards claimed that the devil was mocking them through the Indians because of so many coincidences in their worship. [We are not promoting worshipping the cross or the eating the Holy Eucharist, but stating that all peoples historically have had similar means of honoring their gods in their attempt to understand and communicate with Spirit.]

Christians judge these cultures and ignore the Apostle Peters admonishment that Yahweh is no respecter of persons (Deut. 10:17; 2 Chron. 19:7; Acts 10:34; Rom. 11:2; Col. 3:11).

Does Spirit limit its communication to one race of men?

Christians and others tend to think they have an exclusive monopoly in their relationship with God. Simply put, they believe that Elohim does not speak to any other humans on earth, but them. Of course, this totally disannuls the phrase in Rom. 1:19-20 that says no one has an excuse for not knowing God.

The Messiah had to correct John when he expressed an exclusionary view toward a man who was not of the disciples, yet was casting out demons and prophesying in the Messiahs name (Lk. 9:49; Mark 9:38-40). "And Yahshua (Jesus) said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us (Luke 9:50)."

Conclusion

The primary reason that some Christians question whether Yahweh has appeared in the flesh is because they misunderstand the unity of the Spirit. If men understood what Spirit is and how it operates, they would see that Yahweh has always visited men to confirm the word was made flesh, thoughts in the mind dictate behavior, a baby is another state and condition of a fertilized ovum, and ice is the solid state of steam (see illustration on p. 27).

The Bible picks up one manifestation of the Word made flesh in the body of the Messiah and Joshua to Israel, but clearly this cannot be the only occurence. The creator has visited the Peruvians as a man they called Viracocha and to the Hopi Indians as the Cochina (Fingerprints of the Gods, He came in the Time of Chaos, p. 46-52). Remember, Yahweh has also appeared to Balaam, a Gentile seer, in a trance (Num. 22nd and 24th Chapters), to Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon in a dream Dan. 2nd and 7th Chapters) and to Cornelius of the Italian band as he was praying (Acts 10th Chapter).

It is by the tabernacle pattern that we can get a clear understanding of Spirit. No one can differentiate between actions and ideas as the Messiah is an extension of God. This mystery is truly only understood by revelation.

Bibliography

Blavatsky, Madame H.P., Isis Unveiled

Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance, http://www.religioustolerance.org/christ.htm

"How Did The Trinity Docrine Develop?" http://www.watchtower.org/library/ti/doctrine_develop.htm

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