Why Jesus Christ is God • Christians.Online

Greetings, whoever you are. Why is Jesus God? Why is Jesus Christ God if he is a man? Why is Jesus God if he is a prophet? These questions plague many people. Muslims think that Jesus is Jesus the prophet, but they don’t know what he taught, because they don’t read the Gospel, and very little is written about him in the Koran. Hare Krishnas think that Jesus is not God, but only an avatar of God. Some other faiths think that Jesus is the son of God but not God. To which I tell them that your son is the son of a man, not a man. And so, God prompted me to write a response. And we'll start over. In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Holy Gospel of John begins with these words. Who do you imagine when you hear the Name Jesus Christ? Can you imagine the baby in Mary's arms? Or do you represent the Crucified One? Or a Teacher in long robes with a beard, Who teaches people love and forgiveness from a boat? Whom? Maybe the son of a carpenter who makes a table...

We will come to an answer to your questions. But gradually. Next, I will turn to the Bible, and interesting facts from different cultures, as a Divine revelation that will help us understand the nature of Jesus Christ, try not to miss the point in order to benefit and do not re-read it again.

God created man. Gave him reason and wisdom, this amazing ability to comprehend the essence of things and determine cause and effect. Many people who do not think or reflect accuse both God and believers that God is cruel. And they argue that if only Christians go to heaven, then what will happen to those who lived in Indonesia, China, or India or any other place and have never heard of God and Christ?! Will they go to hell? and some Christians who don't know their faith deeply say yes. Everyone will go to hell. Only Christians will be saved. Is this true? The Bible says no.

John 5:24: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

The Bible says that those who believe in Christ do not come to judgment, and provided that they did not fall away from the faith and did deeds of goodness and peace, they will be saved. Those who did not believe in Christ will come to the Last Day Judgment and God will judge them for their sins. And the punishment for sin is death.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus

And so the nations live without God. They do not know either God the Father (Ellohim, Allah, Yahweh, Hosts) or Jesus Christ. What will happen to Them? Let's turn again to the Gospel of John.

There was the true Light, which enlightens every person coming into the world. Gospel of John chapter 1

The Bible says that the true Light makes no exceptions, and enlightens any person, regardless of what culture he was born into. What does this mean? Before sending a person into the world, God gives him a particle of light into his soul, which should guide him to the truth and teach him how to walk the path of life cleanly, without committing evil, in order to return to the Creator.

Also in the Bible in the Epistle to the Romans it is written about pagans, people who did not believe in the One God.

Those who, not having the law, sinned, are outside the law and will perish;
and those who have sinned under the law will be condemned by the law - 13 (for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be justified,
14 For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what is lawful, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves:
they show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as evidenced by their conscience and their thoughts, now accusing, now justifying one another)
Romans 2

This text continues to explain to us what the true Light does and how exactly it enlightens a person, without making any distinction between a Jew, a Muslim or a pagan, it enlightens the hearts of people so that they understand what the truth is, and moreover, they understand what the law of God is . And their Conscience is the voice of God, which says what is evil and what is good.

Another text from the Bible about how this works.

Proverbs of King Solomon Chapter 2

3 if you call on knowledge and appeal to understanding;
4 If you search for it like silver and search for it like treasure,
5Then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.
6 For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth - knowledge and understanding;

It says here that a person who appeals to reason will find knowledge about God and understand what can upset God, what should not be done in life. Simply by appealing to reason, guided by the desire to know the essence of existence, a person can reach the knowledge of God. Every seeker finds. Let's look at how people have found God throughout the centuries.

Jesus God - Logos.

Let's start with what's closer. Greece is the birthplace of many sciences, philosophers and sages who asked themselves questions about existence, and directed their thoughts to the great, trying to know the greatest and found God. The Bible says “In the beginning was the Word.” This word in Greek sounds like Logos. And in Greek culture it had a special meaning. Logos means both the word that we pronounce and the cosmic law in which the world exists harmoniously. Logos in the Greek worldview is a single comprehensive world component. The Stoics describe the Logos as the soul of the cosmos, consisting of subtle matter (etheric-fiery), possessing a set of form-creating potencies (the so-called “seed Logoi”). From them comes the “creation” of things in inert matter.

Reading the Gospel of John about the Word (Logos)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 It was with God in the beginning.
3 Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing came into being that came into being.

Gospel of John chapter 1

In the Gospel of John, the Word is also the Creator of the World, through him the creation of things occurs. It is also a law that is written in the hearts of people. Ancient philosophers believed that the basis of the Universe is the Logos - the word, rationality, harmony. The Eternal Logos, which is the True Wisdom or Principle that existed before the creation of the world, and in the process of creating all things, represents the main force. Logos is all-pervasive, its activity is manifested through special natural, moral and spiritual laws.

The Greek philosophers describe the same thing that the Bible describes. The ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus writes: “Everything that exists is nourished by a single divine law, for the latter dominates as much as it pleases, prevails over everything and conquers everything. This law that rules the world is the Logos.” Let's go to another part of the world. China.

Part 1: “Bringing Good News of the Kingdom of God”

Why Jesus is God - Chinese Philosophy

Around the same time, in the 6th century BC. The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote: “Tao is the deepest gate of birth. The deepest gate of birth is the root of heaven and earth. Tao exists forever, like an endless thread, and its action is inexhaustible.”

Lao Tzu, when he writes that the comprehension of Tao is like the state of a baby. The baby does not have logic, but has the original wisdom, which is Tao. We read above that there was a true Light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world. Gospel of John chapter 1.

Lao Tzu, having managed to tear his thoughts away from the earthly, raised them to the heavenly and realized what was already in him and wrote about it. Tao denotes in Chinese philosophy the eternal action or principle of creation, from which the origin of uniqueness and duality, and at the same time the beginning of the world and creation. The same as what we read in the Bible. The concept of Tao, revealed to the Chinese, is similar to the concept of Logos, revealed to the Greeks. This is a universal law, the beginning of the world, harmony, and it refers to the root cause of the universe, and the mysterious and unknowable pattern underlying it, and the integrity of life. (the great limit of Chinese 太極), one gives rise to two - Yin and Yang (Chinese 陰陽), which, when in motion, become three and give birth to the entire manifested world (Chinese 萬物 / 万物, wànwù). That is, Tao is the source of life. At the same time, it is the energy that shapes the entire process of creation and creation. This is the creative spirit that creates.

and without Him nothing began to be that began to be. Gospel of John Chapter 1 Do you catch the similarities? Read the first chapter of the Gospel of John. When they translated the Gospel for the Chinese, they translated it like this;
In the beginning there was Tao and Tao was with God and Tao was God.
It was in the beginning with God.
3 Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
And Tao became flesh and dwelt with us, full of grace and truth; Gospel of John chapter 1

Why did God become incarnate from the Virgin Mary

God became incarnate for our salvation. Thus, the reconciliation of man and God took place, the renewal of our nature, spoiled by the fall of Adam and Eve. V. Lossky notes that the incarnation was accomplished because man severed his connection with God through the Fall. This means that to restore this connection, human participation was necessary.

“So the death of Christ removes the barrier erected by sin between man and God, and His resurrection snatches its sting from death” (V.N. Lossky, G.V. Florovsky, “Dogmatic Theology”).

Also V. Lossky points to the humility of God, who is embodied from his own creation:

“God, at the decisive moment of the Annunciation, asks Mary for the firstfruits of His humanity, His own human nature.”

Thanks to Christ, the Incomprehensible and Almighty God became close and accessible to man. Now through Baptism we become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Pet 1:4). If Christ was the Only Begotten Son of God, then we have now become His adopted children.

Saint Gregory the Theologian says that

“God, having become man, suffers like man and becomes poor to the point of perceiving the flesh, so that we through His poverty may become rich” (“Creations”).

If Jesus were only a holy man, He would not be able to redeem mankind from death. This is only possible for God incarnate.

Why Jesus is God - Indian Philosophy

The understanding of this world law, Logos, Tao, Word, was revealed not only to the Greeks, Jews and Chinese, but also to the Indians. Everywhere there were wise people who wanted to know the essence of existence. and in their reflections they reached the truth and touched it.

Due to causes , the world exists, due to causes, all things exist and all beings depend on causes and are limited by them. They are stable like a rotating cart wheel - with the core of its axle.

Buddhism. Sutta Nipata 654

There is a people in India called Sikhs. And there they came to understand the reason for things. Divine Law of Sikhism. The Divine Law manifests itself through everything, but cannot be expressed by itself. Everything is created by the Divine Law; the great is exalted by the Law. The Divine Law distinguishes between nobility and dishonor, By the Law all things are brought to bliss or misfortune,

In ancient Indian Vedic philosophy, Rita (the word itself is related to our word, speech, rhetoric, which reflects the understanding of the WORD as in the Bible) is the most important universal cosmic law, thanks to which the “ordering of the disorderly” occurs, the rotation of the Universe and the existence of all things, including Space, man, morality . Rita is the truth in the broadest sense of the word, even the gods and their deeds, the movement of the Sun, the weather on Earth and cosmic laws are nothing more than manifestations of Rita, invisible to mere mortal people (“The law is hidden by the law”). People know the laws of Rita, which speak of chastity and moral behavior. Friends, with these stories I would like to convey to you the feeling of world law, cosmic principle and order, which is huge, great and amazing. So that you think about how it happens that in different corners of the planet, people reach the same understanding.

Part 2: “Preaching the Good News of the Name of Jesus Christ” (Acts 8:12)

God Jesus (Logos, Tao, Supreme Intelligence, Word of God) becomes man

But what is the connection with Jesus Christ, you ask, the article is about Jesus Christ. And why He is God. Let us turn again to the Gospel of John and pay attention to one text.

9. There was the true Light, which enlightens every person who comes into the world .
10 He was in the world , and the world came into being through Him , and the world knew Him not.
11 He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. 12 And to those who received Him, to those who believed on His name, He gave power to become children of God, 13 who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father.
15 John testifies of Him and, exclaiming, says: This was He of whom I said that He who came after me stood before me, because He was before me.
16 And out of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace,
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ .
18 No one has ever seen God; The Only Begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has revealed.

Gospel of John Chapter 1 – Bible

This text reveals a secret. That universal, cosmic law, which exists before the creation of the world, through which the world was created, becomes flesh, acquires a body. Word, Logos, Tao and many other concepts of various cultures, denoting this root cause of existence and at the same time the law thanks to which everything moves and exists. ( Everything began to be through him )

4 In whom we have redemption through His blood and the forgiveness of sins,
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the first begotten of all creation;
for by Him all things were created, that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible : whether thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers - all things were created by Him and for Him ; Colossians 1 - Bible

From these texts we can understand that Jesus began to exist long before the creation of the visible world, and was the One who created it. Some people believe that Jesus began to exist by being born of Mary, but this is not true. Jesus is more than a baby in Mary's arms and more than a suffering man. Jesus is the embodiment of the reason for the existence of the universe.

Jesus is God, God because He was before the creation of the world. He Created it. Jesus is begotten, not created. (Col 1-16) Now when we hear that Jesus is the Word, we do not think about the word coming from our mouth. We understand that this is World Harmony, the reason for creation, the universal law of love, which became man to show the path to the Father, the path to eternal life. If Confucius, Lao Tzu or Buddha met Christ, they would bow to him, because they would understand that here he is the Creator of the world in the flesh. But the most dangerous lie is one in which there is a lot of truth, or the truth is incomplete .

Colossians 1:15-23 “For it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness , and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, making peace through Him through the blood of His cross” You are complete in Him Colossians 2 10

Jesus Christ revealed the complete truth for man and we see this in his teaching, in the Bible in his law, which describes everything that thinkers of other civilizations and cultures reached in an attempt to know Him. But it happens that a person does not want to accept what God gives him and wants to achieve everything with his imperfect mind, which leads to sad consequences.

The Holy Trinity

Are God and Jesus Christ the same thing or not? According to Orthodox doctrine, God is one, but He has three Persons. These are the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ) and the Holy Spirit. They cannot be considered separate Deities. These are independent Personalities, but They have the same nature and together are the triune God. Thus, Jesus Christ is God, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The doctrine of the trinity of God is reflected in the concept of the Most Holy Trinity.

Lord Jesus Christ (Byzantine mosaic)

God the Father is the Source of the timeless existence of God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is also the Source of the will and action of the entire Trinity. This will is accomplished through God the Son, who is born out of time from God the Father. The Son acts through God, the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from Him outside of time. Despite the unity of command of the three Divine Hypostases, They are not subordinate to each other. They are in the unity and equality of mutual love. They have a common will, power and strength.

“Do not humiliate the Divine, do not prefer One by humiliating the Other. One is nature immeasurable, uncreated, flightless, good, free and equal. There is one God in three Illuminations, who rules the world” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations).

The doctrine of the triune God is a fundamental dogma of the Church. It was first formulated in 325 at the First Council of Nicaea in the Creed. The dogma was finally consolidated in 381 at the First Council of Constantinople. The doctrine of a single, but trinitarian God distinguishes Christianity from other monotheistic religions (Judaism and Islam). The Christian concept of a triune God is called Trinitarian monotheism.

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) notes:

“The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is a Mystery, which in its entirety will never be comprehended by the created human mind. God is known not by the mind, but by the heart, by a life pleasing to God, by the fulfillment of God’s commandments. If a person approaches God in this way, then God Himself reveals Himself in the heart of man.”

Why Jesus Christ is God, the son of God, and not a prophet.

Some religions revere Jesus as a prophet. For example, Muslims. Although the Koran also contains words speaking about the divinity of Jesus Christ. I’m not saying that the Koran is a divine book and should be revered as divine, because there is a lot in it that contradicts the law of love, and God is love, as the Bible says. But there is something interesting about Christ in this book. Probably because Mohamed was not a stupid person and thought the same way about the truth, and reached some things, but not others. For example, he says that John the Baptist proclaims Isa-al-Masih “ The Word from Allah ”: “There Zakariya called to his Lord and said: “Lord! Give me good offspring. For You are the one who hears the appeal.” And the angels exclaimed to him as he stood praying in the mihrab: “Allah rejoices you with the news of Yahya [John the Baptist], confirming the truth of the word from Allah, lord, temperate and prophet of the righteous!” (Sura 3:33-34) Let us remember the Gospel of John: in the beginning was the word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.

Next, we will look at the following sura from the Koran: “...After all, the Messiah, Isa, son of Mary, is only the messenger of Allah and His word ,

which He threw to Maryam, and
His spirit ...” (Sura 4:169).
About this verse by A.A. Abdul-Hagg (A.A. Abdul-Hagg) notes the following: “In the light of this verse, considering the meaning of “His Word,” it should be clear to any intelligent person that the “Word of God” must be of the same nature as God. Muslims, not having an understanding of the word in the sense that was revealed to wise people of different civilizations, do not realize what the word means. The Koran says that Allah created the world through the Word. That Jesus is the Word. How did it happen that in the Koran, on the one hand, the Divine origin of Christ is recognized. It's called the Word of God. And we see how in the Koran Allah uses the Word to create the world.

Surah Explained 41 (11)

Then He turned to the sky, which was smoke, and said to it and to the earth: “Come willingly or unwillingly.” They said: “We will come of our own free will.”

Or more text

Ghafir (Forgiving), verse 68 of 85 He is the One who gives life and kills. When He makes a decision, then He should say: “Be!” - how it comes true.

Allah speaks and something happens. What he says? He speaks the Word. How did Allah create the world? Through the Word, saying “Be!” Did Allah create the word? No, because he creates everything with the Word. Otherwise, how would he create the word, If he creates with the word? You can't create something with something you don't have. Therefore, the Word must not have been created, but formed in a different way. The Bible says that the Word was begotten by God before the creation of the world. That the word dwelt inside God the Father and then was somehow isolated, separated, born. Former Muslim, teacher of the Koran on the Word of God.

But a Muslim has a different way of thinking; it is difficult for him to understand what Tao, Logos, Rita, the Divine Law of the Sikhs or the Word that governs everything is. And to understand the incarnation you need to think a lot about the body, spirit and soul. And any programmer will understand the incarnation of Jesus more easily, even if he does not believe in him, than a Muslim, because the programmer understands that the body is like a computer, which can have an operating system - a soul, which can be controlled by a human spirit, or the Spirit of God - Jesus Christ. Who was God in his spirit, but became man in his body. But a Muslim does not understand that God is not matter. God is a spiritual being. But why then is there a mention of the Word, the Spirit of God in the Koran?! Why not write it in such a way that people reading it would not have the opportunity to come to an understanding of the Divinity of Jesus Christ?!

Who gave revelation to the prophets of the Bible? God Himself.

Who gave revelations to Muhammad? Angel.

When the fallen angels met Jesus Christ they screamed

Matthew 8:29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus, Son of God?” You came here ahead of time to torment us.

and one more story that happened with the disciples of Christ. With the Apostle Paul.

It happened that when we were going to the prayer house, we met a servant girl possessed by a spirit of divination, who through divination brought great income to her masters.

17 As she followed Paul and us, she cried out, saying, “ These men are the servants of the Most High God, who show us the way of salvation.”

18 She did this for many days. Paul, indignant, turned and said to the spirit: in the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her . And the spirit left at that same hour.

Acts of the Apostles Chapter 16

From these biblical texts it is clear that evil spirits, when confronted with God, speak the truth about him. And he cannot tell a lie about Christ. The angel who inspired Muhammad had to tell the truth about Christ Jesus in the Koran, so that those who are destined for salvation could find the truth, even if they were born in a Muslim environment.

Prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ

Jesus Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

The Lord's Prayer (“Our Father”)

Our Father, who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name, Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, as it is in heaven and on earth. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, just as we forgive our debtors; and do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

Prayer to Our Lord Jesus Christ

Master Lord Jesus Christ, my God, who was indescribable for the sake of Your love for mankind, to the end of the ages, the Ever-Virgin Mary took flesh. I glorify Your saving providence for me, Your servant, Master; I will sing praises to You, for His sake the Holy Spirit has come into the world; I worship Your Most Pure Mother according to the flesh, who served such a terrible secret; I praise Your angelic face, as the singers and servants of Your Majesty; I honor John the Baptist, who baptized You.
God! I also honor the prophets who proclaimed You; I glorify Your Holy Apostles; I triumph and glorify your martyrs and priests; I bow to Your venerable ones and cherish all the righteous! Such and such a many and ineffable face of the Divine in prayer to the right Thy, the all-generous God, Thy servant, and for this sake I ask a petition for my sins, grant me all of Thy for the sake of the Saints, more abundantly than Thy Holy bounties, for Thou art blessed forever. Amen.

Prayer to Jesus Christ

Master Christ God, Who healed my passions with Your Passion and healed my ulcers with Your ulcers, grant to me, who have sinned much against You, tears of tenderness, dissolve my body from the smell of Your life-giving Body, and delight my soul with Your Honest Blood from sorrow, with which I was given a drink by the enemy. . Raise my mind to You, which has been drawn down below, and lift me from the abyss of destruction, as I am not the imam of repentance, not the imam of tenderness, not the imam of comforting tears, leading children to their inheritance.
My mind has been darkened by worldly passions, I cannot look to You in illness, I cannot warm myself with tears, even love for You, but, Master Lord Jesus Christ, Treasure of the Good, grant me complete repentance, and a heart laboring to seek Yours, grant me grace Yours, and renew in me the eyes of Your image. Forsaken Thee, do not forsake me, go out to seek me, lead me to Thy pasture, and number me among the sheep of Thy chosen flock, educate me with them from the grain of Thy Divine mysteries, through the prayers of Thy Most Pure Mother and all Thy saints, amen.
Read also: In the picture: Saint Reverend Sergius, Abbot of Radonezh, Wonderworker.

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What did Jesus mean by “Oneness with God”?

Those who listened to Jesus noticed his moral perfection, and seeing the miracles he performed, they wondered if he was the long-promised Messiah. Finally, his opponents, surrounding him in the temple, asked: “How long will you keep us in the dark? If you are the Messiah, then say so.” Jesus answered, “The proof of what I do is that I do it in the name of the Father.” He compared his disciples to sheep: “I give them eternal life, and they will never perish.” He then revealed to them that “the Father is the greatest of all,” and that his works were done “according to the will of the Father.” Jesus' gentleness must have been disarming. But then Jesus shocked them, saying, (John 10:25-30)

“The Father and I are one.”

Some believe that Jesus was merely declaring his agreement with God. But if Jesus meant that he was only in agreement with Bohr, then why did the Jews respond by picking up stones to kill him? Their understanding of Jesus' statement of unity with his Father became clear in the following conversation. Then Jesus asked them: “According to the will of the Father, I have done many things to help people. Which of these good deeds are you going to kill me for?” They answered: “Not for good deeds; but for blasphemy, because you, a mere mortal, dared to make yourself God.” (John 10:33).

How could Jesus forgive sins?

In the Jewish religion, only God can forgive sins. Forgiveness is always personal; Only one who has been offended or insulted can forgive, especially if the offended Person is God. But on several occasions Jesus acted as if he were God, forgiving sinners. Such a stunning statement about the forgiveness of sins had never been made by any prophet in the past. It infuriated the Jewish high priests, who witnessed Jesus' forgiveness of the sins of the paralyzed man. Mark describes this incident. “Why is he blaspheming so much! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” (Mark 2:7)! This is one of the points; no man has the right or authority to speak for God when it comes to the forgiveness of sins. Lewis imagines how amazed all those who heard Jesus were:

“Then the real shock comes,” Lewis wrote: “that among these Jews suddenly there appears a man who talks to everyone around him as if he were God. He claims to forgive sins. He says that He has always existed. He says that he will come to judge people when the world ends. Here we need to clarify the following. Among pantheists, for example, Indians, anyone could say that he is part of God, or one with God... But this man, being a Jew, could not mean such a God. In their language, God meant a Being outside this world who created this world and was infinitely different from everything else. And when you understand this concept, it will become clear to you that what this man was saying was the most shocking statement of all time.”[10]