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ONE GOD {The FATHER} OF WHOM ARE ALL THINGS I believe in ONE God, the Father of whom are all things. In I Corinthians 8:6 we read,
"But to US (speaking of us as Christians) there is but ONE God, the Father, of whom are all things,..."
So we as Christians for the most part believe that there is but ONE God and only ONE God. In other words there are those in the world that believe in many different gods, such as the god of water, the god of fire, the god of wind, and so forth, BUT to US who are Christians there is but ONE God, which is the Father of whom are all things.
However, we as Christians do not all believe the SAME way about our God. Some believe that God is loving and merciful, while other believe that God is full of vengence and wrath. So why is this that we all do not believe the SAME way? We all use the SAME source, the Holy word of God, the Bible. so why to we all arrive at DIFFERENT conclusions?
Well it is the purpose of this study to bring us all into the UNITY OF FAITH whereby we as believers in Christ adhere to the SAME beliefs, and we all speak the SAME thing. I PURPOSELY withheld the last part of the above mention verse of scripture because I wanted to lay the foundation that we as brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus all believe that the Bible is God's Holy word and that it is the SOURCE or FOUNDATION of our very belief. So if the TRUTH matters, then what we find in the WHOLE word of God should be received and whole heartedly accepted as what we BELIEVE, even if it goes against what we have been taught all our life.
You see, many false teachers have come and gone throughout the age of the church and some are present to this day and there are even more to yet come. If this were not true, then we would ALL believe the SAME things. But because of the many traditons, commandments of men and doctrines of devils that we have been taught through the years, we have all come to believe differently the very same word of God, the Bible.
So in this study it is my intent to give to us, the reader a SOUND foundation of God's word ALONE on which to base your faith. But in order for you to RECEIVE this TRUTH, you must read the WHOLE MATTER and truly CONSIDER what I am saying to you in the study of God's word to arrive at the TRUTH, the WHOLE TRUTH, and NOTHING but the TRUTH, because the only thing that truly matters is what GOD says to us in his word. Now let us begin by reading the WHOLE word of God and NOT just a few isolated verses of scripture.
1 Corinthians 8:6
“But to US there is but ONE God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him: and ONE Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.”
In other words “the Father” is GOD and since there is only ONE God, then where does this put Jesus? Well this verse along with many other verses teach us that Jesus Christ is Lord. And to us there is also only ONE Lord, Jesus Christ, the SON of God, and the Son of man.
Ephesians 4:4-6 says it this way,
“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; ONE LORD, one faith, one baptism, ONE GOD and FATHER of all, who is ABOVE ALL, and through all, and in you all.”
In this verse we again read that there is only ONE LORD, which we already know to be Jesus, and again we see that there is only ONE GOD, which again is clearly shone to be the FATHER of all. In addition in this verse we see that God the Father is ABOVE ALL, which also includes his Son Jesus.
If at any time is this study or any other study you do not think that I am not telling you the TRUTH of God's word, then do not blindly accept what I tell you. I implore you to SEARCH the word of God daily as the men in Berea to PROVE to yourself what you are being taught here or by others is in fact the WHOLE word of God.
You cannot base your faith upon only a few isolated scriptures, particulaly when they DO NOT AGREE with the WHOLE word of God. Jesus himself saw his Father as the only true God, and the ONLY one to be worshiped as the Almighty God of whom all things are, so why do we not all believe as our Lord has taught us to believe?
Jesus tells us this in Matthew 4:10,
“…for it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”
Jesus saw the Father as his God and the ONLY one to worship and serve. Jesus would not be tempted to worship another.
I Corinthians 8:4 says,
“…for there is NONE OTHER God but ONE”.
God the FATHER is God alone and there is NONE OTHER God but the FATHER.
In I Timothy we read 2:5 “For there is ONE God, and ONE mediator between God and men, the MAN Christ Jesus;” Again we see that there is but ONE God, which as the Bible says is the FATHER. In this verse we also see that there is only ONE mediator BETWEEN God and men, and this mediator is the MAN Christ Jesus. You see, in order for Jesus, who is the Son of God and who was with the Father from the beginning and therefore knew the Father, to be a mediator between God and men, he needed to be made like man. In other words, Jesus, while he was in the earth took upon himself the nature of a human being like as we are, so he could be touched and know what we feel, and by doing this he was able to become our MEDIATOR between his God and FATHER and us his brethren and fellow servants, all of mankind. The word “mediator” carries the meaning of making peace between God and mankind. You see sin separated man from God and Jesus was chosen by his Father as the means to reconcile mankind back to him self. The word of God says GOODWILL toward men for unto to US is a child born. God could have destroyed mankind and created something else, another species, but he chose to create in us a new heart. So he sent his Son Jesus to be a ransom for us and be the mediator between God and mankind. All the way through the word of God there is found a clear distinction between Almighty God, the ONE true and only wise God and his Son Jesus. The word of God also shows us that there is UNITY between the Father and the Son, but NOT in the sense that they are ONE and the SAME being. The Father loves his Son and has highly exalted him, but Jesus even though he possesses the same NATURE as Almighty God, he does not think of himself as being EQUAL with God his Father is something to be sought after or attained. Read Philippians 2:6 below from several translations.
“He always had the very NATURE of God, BUT he (Jesus) did not think that
by force he should try to become EQUAL with God.”
“Who being in very NATURE God, did not consider EQUALITY with God.”
“Who though he was in the FORM of God, did not count EQUALITY with
God a thing to be grasped.”
So then why do so many Christians fight one another on the teaching of the diety of Jesus?Why all the controversy, when the TRUTH can easily be known. If you would like a deeper understanding on what the WHOLE word of God has to say on this highy controversial subject of God's word, then please read the study entitled "THE DIETY OF JESUS AND THE TRINITY''.
The word of God tells us that Jesus was the only BEGOTTEN Son of God. The word “begotten” means to be brought forth, or born.
In the natural if a son is “begotten” of a father, that is a human being, then the NATURE of that son would be flesh and blood, because the nature of his father as a human being is flesh and blood. The son is not one and the same being as his father, nor indeed ever can be one and the same being. They are of the same NATURE, that is to say, they are both human in nature. However, they are two distinct and different beings.
Likewise the NATURE of the only begotten Son of the Father would bear his Father’s NATURE, that is both are of divine nature, but Jesus is NOT one and the same as his Father. The Father and the Son are two distinct and different beings. The Bible clearly teaches that for US, speaking of Christians, there is but ONE GOD, even the FATHER. The Bible says that God is Spirit. In other words the NATURE of God is SPIRIT, whereas or in the same way the NATURE of a human being is FLESH and BLOOD.
The Bible teaches that the Father is ABOVE ALL, which also includes his Son, and NOT that Jesus is God or even EQUAL with God. The apostles that walk with Jesus and personally sat under his teaching first hand taught that Jesus was the SON of God and never once said that Jesus is God, but rather clearly maintained a distinct difference between the Father and the Son. Throughout the early church history we saw the same clear distiction between Almighty God, the Father and his Son, our Lord, Jesus the Christ.
The Bible tells us that God the Father commits the trust of his kingdom into the hands of his Son for 1000 years. After the 1000 year reign of Jesus over the Kingdom of God, which if you will remember, God the Father committed into his hands to begin with, then Jesus will deliver up his Father’s kingdom back into the hands of his Father. Read I Corinthians 15:23-28 for the whole context, but for now I will quote verses 24 and 28.
“Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, EVEN THE FATHER; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power…And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son ALSO HIMSELF be subject unto him (God the Father) that put all things under him, that GOD (God the Father, the only and ONE true God) may be all and all.
The word of God plainly teaches that Jesus is the SON of God and that Jesus is SUBJECT to God. Jesus never once ever claimed to be God, nor does Jesus ever claim equality with his God and Father. Even when Jesus is entrusted to rule and reign over the kingdom of his Father for a 1000 years, Jesus is still subject under his Father. Look at verse 27 of 1 Corinthians chapter 15.
“For he (God the Father) has put all things under his (Jesus') feet. BUT when he says all things are put under him, it is manifest (made known) that he (God the Father) is excepted, which did put all things under him.”
The word manifest means to make known, to shown, to make clearly understood. So in other words, be it clearly made known, that when he said ALL things, that this includes everything EXCEPT the Father, who is in the first place was the one who put all things under his Son Jesus.
Everything that Jesus is, was GIVEN to him of his God and Father. Look at Luke 4:18, which says,
“The Spirit of the Lord (God the Father) is upon me. Because he (God the Father) has ANOINTED me to preach the gospel to the poor, he (God the Father) has SENT me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.
I want to draw your attention to the fact that Jesus did all that he did under the ANOINTING of the Holy Spirit of God, the SAME Holy Spirit that is available to every believer. Jesus says in John 14:10
“Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me (by the Holy Spirit) he (the Holy Spirit of God) does the works.
Again this is the SAME Holy Spirit that is made available to ALL BELIEVERS to empower us to do the SAME works as Jesus did. For you see, Jesus did not do these mighty works, because he was God, or even as the Son of God. But rather, Jesus did the works of his God and his Father as a mere man, just as you and I, ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit of God. Look at verse 12 in this same context of John chapter 14.
“Verily, verily (truly, truly) I say unto you. He that BELIEVES on me, the works that I do shall he do ALSO; and greater works than these shall he do, because I go to the Father.”
Jesus said in John 5:19
“Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of HIMSELF, but what he sees the FATHER do, for what things soever he (the Father) does, these things also does the Son likewise.”
Many teach that Jesus is God. They use the scriptures to try and show that Jesus is God, but obviously they do not use the WHOLE word of God. Many "say" and teach that the TRUTH matters, but are not willing to hear the whole truth as brought forth in the word of God, because it goes against what they have been taught. And when the doctrine of the deity of Jesus is contested in any way they present the argument of why can't we agree to disagree.
Well I truly believe the truth matters and that the Bible teaches that we are to be in agreement and speak the same thing, and not just simply agree to disagree. God wants us to be in unity in all areas of our beliefs. I teach that Jesus is the SON of God and the Son of MAN, because this is what the whole word of God teaches.
If Christians will lay aside their preconceived ideas and embrace this truth of God's word, then it will empower them as believers to know that they can do the same works that Jesus did and even greater works. It is my desire for every believer to know that he or she can live their lives totally free from sin just like Jesus did. But under the false teaching that Jesus is God has lead the church to believe that ONLY Jesus can live a life without sin.
The Bible plainly teaches that Jesus is our example that we are to follow. 1 Peter 2:21,22 says,
“For even hereunto were you CALLED: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an EXAMPLE; that you should follow his steps: Who did NO SIN, neither was guile found in his mouth:”
How did Jesus suffer? We all know Jesus suffered the cross, but few realize that Jesus suffered being tempted. Look at Hebrews 2:18 which says,
“ For in that he HIMSELF has suffered (how?) BEING TEMPTED, he is able to succour (aid or help) them that are tempted.”
Hebrews 4:15 says,
“For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”
Here is another important truth to consider. If Jesus truly was God in the flesh, as some teach, then he truly could NOT have been tempted in all points as we are, because the Bible clearly teaches that God CANNOT be tempted with evil. Look at James 1:13
“Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God CANNOT be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man”
No, Jesus is not God, but rather the Son of God who became the Son of man just as the Bible clearly teaches. Again I must stress the fact that by this false teaching that Jesus is God in the flesh many Christians have been blinded to truth that they have been set free from the bondage of sin. They are taught that Jesus is the only one who ever lived a life without sin. And while this statement is true in the sense that Jesus lived his ENTIRE life without sin, it leaves the Christians who are taught that Jesus is God in the flesh powerless, because they conclude that Jesus was able to live without sin and do the miracles that he did by reason of being God or the Son of God. They go on to teach things like you see we are only human and we are subject to sin. And it is our human nature that causes us to sin. While there is some truth to these statements they contradict the WHOLE truth of the word of God, which teaches us that sin has NO MORE DOMINION over us. Look at Romans 6:14
“For sin shall not have dominion over you; for you are not under the law, but under grace.”
So then why do we still sin? One reason is because we have been taught incorrectly the word of God. Again by reason of this false teaching that Jesus is God in the flesh, Christians simply do not believe that they can live their lives free from sin. You see, the only way to live free from sin is by FAITH. You first have to believe you can follow in the example that Jesus left for us to follow who did NO SIN. And if we are taught that Jesus is God in the flesh then we will consequently believe that he was able to live without sin because he was God in the flesh.
Remember the word of God says that we are for unto here CALLED to follow this example of living our life free from sin that Jesus set for us. So in order to follow his example of living free from sin then we must believe that Jesus was a MAN just like you and I and that he had no special advantage over us by be God in the flesh.
Jesus says in Matthew 5:17
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to FULFIL.”
This word fulfill means to accomplish. Jesus came to accomplish the law to show to us that it could be done. Jesus, the Son of God, was made flesh and became the Son of MAN. Jesus accomplished all he did as the Son of Man ANOINTED with the Holy Spirit of God, the SAME Holy Spirit that is made available to every believer. The very fact that Jesus was the Son of MAN is the REASON WHY he had authority over the enemy, Satan. Look at John 6:27 which says,
“ And has given him authority to execute judgment also (how or why?) BECAUSE HE IS THE SON OF MAN.”
I made the statement earlier that God the Father gave to his Son Jesus all that he is. We have looked at a few things already, but there are many more to examine. We just read in the verse above that God the Father GAVE to his Son Jesus authority (why?), because he became the Son of man. Now let's look at yet another very important truth found in John 6:26 which says,
“For as the Father has life in himself; so has he GIVEN to the Son to have life in himself.
To me just common sense and reasoning make it blatantly clear that, if Jesus was truly God, then he would already have life in himself and would not need to be given life in himself by his Father and his God.
Jesus says in John 14:28
“...my Father is GREATER than I.”
Jesus says in Matthew 19:17
“...Why call you me good? There is none good but ONE, that is, God:...”
Jesus called his Father his God both while he was on the earth and after he ascended into heaven. Take a close look at yet even another truth in John 20:17 that again clearly teaches us that Jesus cannot possibly be God, as in the Almighty God, the Father of us all as some have taught us, and we have come to believe, because we did not go to the word of God to see if the things we were taught were if fact the TRUTH, the WHOLE word of God.
“Jesus says unto her, Touch me not: for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and to your Father; and to MY GOD, and to your God.”
Now look at Revelation 3:12
“Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of MY GOD, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of MY GOD, and the name of the city of MY GOD, which is the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from MY GOD: and I will write upon him my new name.”
Jesus makes it blatantly clear that our God, the Father, is also his God. To us there is but ONE God, even the Father. And God the Father is the God of Jesus also just as the Father is our God.
Throughout the New Testament the writers made very clear distinctions between God the Father and his Son Jesus.
James 1:1
“ James a servant of God AND of the Lord Jesus.”
1 Corinthians 1:3
“ Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, AND from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Galatians 1:1
“Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ AND God the Father who raised him from the dead;) ”
Ephesians 1:2
“Grace be to you and peace from God our Father AND from the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Colossians 1:3
“...Grace be unto and peace from God our Father AND the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 1:1
“Paul and Silvanus and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father AND in the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Timothy 1:1
“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, AND Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace, from God our Father AND Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 John 1:3
“...our fellowship is with the Father, AND with his Son Jesus Christ.”
2 John 1:3
“Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, AND from the Lord Jesus Christ , the SON of the Father, in truth and love.
Jesus himself never claimed to be God or for that matter even equal with God, but rather spoke of himself as being the Son of Man and the Son of God. The Apostles chosen by Jesus never refered to Jesus as God or equal with God. The early church was very careful to make very clear distinction between God the Father and his SON Jesus. So why do some insist on taking some isolated scriptures out of their context and try and force them to say that Jesus is God? Please read "THE DIETY OF JESUS AND THE TRINITY" and "JESUS THE SON OF MAN" for a deeper understanding is this controversial subject in God's word. Also please read "JESUS THE CHRIST", and "JESUS OUR FELLOWSERVANT". In these studies I will address the verses of scripture which are used by those that teach that Jesus is God in the flesh. My desire for you is that you be not DECEIVED and that you come to the knowledge of the TRUTH, so that you will not be overcome by the enemy. Thanks for reading and may God open your eyes to the truth of his WHOLE word and bless you richly as you seek the knowledge of HIS truth alone and not the traditions and commandments of men.
Yours Always and Forever in Christ Jesus, Mark |