Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Expose on why if you believe in the Father, you must also believe in the Son
“If you believe in the Father, then you must also believe in the Son”. I found a really interesting blog entry that I thought I’d post here for all of you to read, she calls it “The God-Man”. And I totally agree with what she says in this whole piece. It’s really interesting and it makes a heck of a lot of sense once you connect the dots (in this case Bible verses). Used with permission by Jeannette Torres-Apologist in training.
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I would like to discuss a particular passage of scripture called the “Kenosis” passage. Kenosis means “Emptying”. If you will turn with me in your Bibles to Philippians 2: 5-7.
“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (6) who being in the form of God . . . ”
I want you to focus on the word, “being”. This word in the original language means:
(Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words)
Being: The present participle of huparcho, - “to exist,” which always involves a pre-existent state, prior to the fact referred to, and a continuance of the state after the fact. Thus in Philippians 2:6, the phrase, “who being”, huparchon in the form of God,” implies his pre-existent deity, previous to his birth, and a continued deity afterwards.
Christ was already existing in very nature God (deity), and after the incarnation still continued to exist in very nature (deity) God.
Verse 6: “thought it not robbery to be equal with God (the Father).”
Lets focus on the word “robbery”.
(Vines Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words)
Robbery: harpagmos- akin to harpazo, “to seize, carry off by force,” is found in Phil. 2:6 “(counted it not) a prize, ” R.V. (marg., “a thing to be grasped”).
There are two possible meanings:
A. With the active sense ‘robbery’ or ‘usurpation’ we get the following meaning: who because he was subsisting in the essential form of God, did not regard it as any usurpation that He was on an equality of glory and majesty (or greatness) with God, but yet emptied himself of that co-equal glory. With this meaning, we find that Christ did not have to rob or grasp for something that already belonged to him.
B. The passive sense gives a different meaning to the passage: “Who though He was subsisting in the essential form of God yet did not regard His being on an equality of glory and majesty with God as a prize and a treasure to be held fast, but emptied Himself thereof.
No matter which meaning we chose to ascribe to Christ, neither one of them would imply that He emptied Himself of deity. To empty Himself of His deity was an impossibility. However to empty Himself of majesty (greatness) and co-equal glory is found elsewhere in the scriptures.
Lets focus on the word “glory”. In the incarnation there was a certain amount of glory that Jesus emptied himself of. That is why in John 17:5 it says, (Diaglott) “And now O’ Father, glorify thou me with thine own self, with the glory I had with thee before the world was.” What Jesus laid down in the incarnation, He picked up again in the Resurrection. That is why after the Resurrection in Matthew 28:18 it says, “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth.
Now let us focus on the word “Greatness”. According to the Watchtower (which “preaches” the official word of Jehova’s Witnesses to their followers), the Son is inferior to the Father because Jesus said in John 14:28 that the “Father is greater than I.” The word “Greater” comes from the greek word “meizon” which means “position” or “rank”. Jesus said, “The Father is greater than I (position).” He did not say my Father is better than I (nature).
Positionally, Jesus emptied Himself of His rank, or all rights to independently exercise His attributes of deity into the Father and the Holy Spirits jurisdiction. He then took upon Himself an additional nature (man) [Phil. 2:7]. He accomplished this by entering the world through the virgin birth [Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23].
The President by virtue of his office can say that he is greater than all of us. However, he cannot say that he is better than all of us, because the word “better” implies nature. By nature the president is equal to all of us because he is a mere man. By office his is greater than us all.
Positionally Jesus voluntarily emptied Himself and became subordinate to the Father and the Holy Spirit while at the same time retaining His deity. That is why the scripture says in:
John 5:30, Jesus speaks saying, “I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”
Acts 2:22 says, “Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you . . .”
John 20:17 Jesus says, “I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to My God, and your God.”
Subordinate in rank does not mean inferior in nature. Because of the price paid for our redemption on Calvary, we have been adopted into God’s family and are called “sons”. Partaking of a divine nature, Christ’s Father is our Father, and He partaking of the human nature, His God, is our God. That is why it says in John 14:6 (Jesus says), “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by Me.”
Jesus is 100% man, and 100% God. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” And because He is God that is why it says in John 5:23, “All men should honor the Son even (greek-equal, just the same as) they honor the Father. He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father.”
Do you believe in the Father? If so then I say to you good!! So must you equally believe in the Son.
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