2001-4-22 11:32:00
We have clearly illustrated point by point the fact that all mankind have an opportunity to qualify to manifest God just as much as Jesus did. This does not mean that we are as great as Jesus is, or that our mission in life is equal to his, but that we have an equal opportunity with him to share the powers of God, and perhaps to even manifest "greater things" than he did as he promised. We do not have any intention of subtracting from the glory that was demonstrated in the life of the Christ for the real truth only glorifies.
Just because Moses, Abraham, and the judges in Israel were called gods -- that does not mean they were equal to Jesus in their works and in bringing salvation to man. Jesus indeed did a work and service for man that has no equal in history.
Columbus showed the way to the New World, but after him millions crossed the ocean just as well as he did. Edison made the first light bulb, but after this millions of others were made. Nevertheless, the glory of being the pioneer and discoverer went only to Columbus and Edison. Jesus was the greatest pioneer in the fact that he was the first to completely overcome death. To him went the honor of making the greatest discovery in history. On the other hand, all of mankind will sooner or later overcome death through the power of the Father in the same way as did the Christ. Because Jesus was the first to show us the possibilities of man he has obtained a place of spiritual distinction without equal. He has paved the way for men and women to be joint heirs with him even "heirs of God." (Rom 8:17)
Jesus was the first to fully enter the kingdom of God and show forth the powers of God. We will soon join him. The human kingdom is occupied by humans, the animal kingdom by animals, but the Kingdom of God is occupied by those who manifest God and are one with him.
We have covered the ten major points that establish Christ as God in the minds of humanity and have shown that man is equal with Jesus in the claim of Godhood in each of these areas. Some will bring up a number of minor points. We will now cover several of these.
Question:
Jesus had the power to forgive sins. Isn't that something Jesus had as God that man will never have?
Answer:
Not at all. The Bible tells us that men besides Jesus can have the power to forgive sins just as he did: "Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: AS MY FATHER HATH SENT ME, EVEN SO SEND I YOU. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained." (John 20:21-23)
Notice the wording of this scripture. In the same way that Jesus was sent by his Father the apostles were also sent to forgive sins through the power of the Holy Ghost. The disciples had this power of God just as Jesus did.
Question:
Didn't Jesus die for the sins of the world and become our redeemer? Doesn't that make him a God far and above anything that we can ever be?
Answer:
Jesus said: "The Son can do NOTHING of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19)
If we read this literally it can only mean that the works that Jesus did were a copy of the things he had seen the Father do in some remote past. An entity who occupied the office of the Father to Jesus must have given himself for the sins of another world in another place and time.
Jesus tells us that we will follow him just as he has done with the Father: "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Rev 3:21)
The orthodox Christian thinks that we will overcome (or achieve salvation) merely by letting Jesus in our hearts (whatever that is). This is not the way Jesus overcame and thus it will not be the way we will overcome. Jesus "learned obedience by the things which he suffered" and we must do the same and manifest the works of God just as he did.
We have pointed out that many men have been called saviors, but each savior has had a different mission. Jesus' mission was to redeem us from the guilt we always incur when we try and obey numerous black and white laws to perfection. He saved us from the guilt of sin by putting emphasis on baptism for "the remission of sins"; thus releasing us from guilt. He did this by being baptized himself "to fulfill all righteousness" and then commanding his disciples to baptize believers in all nations.
The teaching that Jesus suffered for our sins has been greatly distorted. Many Christians seem to like to entertain the idea that Jesus endured the pain of every sin that every Christian has repented of all lumped together in one big pain at the cross.
This is nonsense and also impossible.
The pain that comes from sin is guilt. To feel guilty one has to believe he has gone contrary to the will of God. Jesus was always in harmony with the will of God so how could he feel any guilt, or pain in this connection?
Therefore, Jesus could not have suffered for our sins in the way the fundamentalist believes, or he would have had to have felt guilty. Furthermore, who in their right mind would want to heap on the head of a good man like Jesus the combined pain of millions, perhaps billions, of persons? I would just as soon suffer for my own mistakes as to let an innocent man pay for them. It is cruel to think otherwise. Those who nailed the Christ to the cross probably liked the thought of him suffering in place of others, but anyone with any sensitivity would abhor it.
How then did Jesus suffer for our sins? The answer is quite simple. In order to institute the ordinance of baptism and the church he had to teach his gospel of peace to those who resisted him and eventually killed him. His death and suffering was the price he had to pay in order to get his teachings of the forgiveness of sins established on the earth. In this way he suffered for our sins, but he did not feel the pain of our individual sins and guilt for he knew no guilt.
Other saviors will arise in the future that will deliver us from other things besides the guilt of sin. Jesus was called "a saviour" (Luke 2:11) by the angel instead of "the savior" because he was one of numerous world saviors that are foreordained to come to the earth. We do not overlook the fact that his mission was the greatest of any in history and that he is the Master of all true disciples. Nevertheless, he wants us to be like him and to manifest God as much or more than he did.
Because the mission of Jesus was different from you or I does not mean that he is to be God any more than you or I can be. Each person, or member of the kingdom of God has a different mission and will manifest the Spirit of God within him in different ways and in different degrees.
Question:
Wasn't Jesus called the "Only Begotten of God?" Doesn't that make him a God or Son of God in a way that we can never be?
Answer:
At first glance it would seem that way for "only begotten" comes from the Greek MONOGENES and literally means "only born" or "only begotten." We tend to easily forget that the scriptures call Christ not one man, but a body, with not one member, but many (1 Cor 12:11-14). Thus we also become the only begotten Son of God when we partake of the One Spirit and join the body of Christ.
On the other hand, in the days of Jesus the Greek MONOGENES was not always used literally just as many modern English words are not. The word "square" is an example. It ordinarily means a shape, but can also be interpreted as an honest transaction or a weird person.
Among the Greeks in the New Testament days an only begotten son (or MONOGENES) was one that occupied a special place in the father's heart, or a son with unique characteristics and talents. Thus, a father may have twelve sons and may call a son who is neither his only son nor his firstborn his only begotten. By this Greek usage then Joseph who was sold into Egypt could have been Jacob's "only begotten", even though he was only one of twelve sons.
We have already shown that there are numerous sons of God so there is no way that Jesus could have been the only begotten Son of God, unless his physical conception was unique to himself alone and we do not have enough information from the scriptures to make a judgment.
We thus conclude this section having proven step by step that man qualifies with Jesus to be an "heir of God." Let what has been written stand as a challenge to the faith of all men. Not to destroy, but to fulfill and build and lead the way toward the kingdom of the God which is within.
-- End Of Part Seventeen --
Copyright 2001 by J.J. Dewey, All Rights Reserved