Our Sermon Section
By Chip - 14 Oct 2011
In Reference to: 9 October 1988 - WHO ARE THE LAITY OF THE CHURCH?
Dear Frank:
Glad to hear from you again. It is true that when two speak of God both are improved; I cherish our discussions.
I'm not sure where you get your information on Jewish dogma, but I think it somewhat erroneous. The Jews killed Jesus because they refused to accept him as their Messiah (Saviour).
They still don't recognize him as such, but merely as a prophet, similar to Moses. As far as I know, that position has never changed. They do not pray to Jesus (nor should we) but rather they pray to Elohim (God Almighty). Elohim designate the Supreme God of the Universe, Yeshua does not.
Christians in the first century were told to pray to God, through Jesus. That indicates two individuals and we are to ask for Holy Spirit, God's active force, (the Helper Jesus left us) to work in our behalf.
Please, take a moment and read these corroborating scriptures:
Psalms 65:2 "O Hearer of prayer, even to you people of all flesh will come." Notice David is singing to His heavenly Father Yahweh, not Jesus.
Psalms 66:18 in the older Jewish manuscripts use the term YHWH (the tetragrammatin) specifically identifying Yahweh as God. The word Adonai was later inserted here due to superstition as to wrongly using God's Holy Name. Adonai is translated LORD in most Bibles today because of that, and other, early scribal changes. This is where the confusion as to God's identity came into most religions. It is easy to confuse LORD with Lord, yet they have differing meanings and most Bible translators show this in the appendix or footnotes (unless like some translators, they don't want you to research it and learn the truth.)
Point two: See John 14:6,14 ""Jesus said to him: I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Notice that Jesus is clearly defining his role as mediator between God and Mankind, he is the third person carrying the prayers to God's ear, so to speak. He can't BE God or this scripture is foolish. Jesus clarified the correct way to pray in his Sermon on the Mount. Notice he included himself in the model prayer by saying:" You must pray this way: OUR Father in the heavens, let YOUR name be sanctified." He didn't presume to be God, the Hearer of prayer; rather he honored God by teaching us the correct view on his role as The Word. He carries God's message to humankind. If he were God, would he not have said, When you pray to me, let my name be sanctified...or words to that effect. We know from other passages he is subserviant to God.
See John 5:19,30 RSV "Truly I tell you trhe Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. Also John 10:36 RSV and John 7: 28,29 NIV and John 8:27-30, 42 NWT.
Clearly, after reading these precisely translated scriptures it is obvious Jesus never claimed to be GOD in anyway, other than reflecting his glory in all he said, did and served.
Good night my friend, it's late and I am old.