“He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God'” (Matthew 16:15-16, NKJV). We notice that Peter did not say that Jesus was “God the Son” or “You are the second person of the trinity” or “You are the Father” or “You are a form or manifestation of God .” Instead, Peter gave a simple declaration of, as Jesus confirmed, what the Father revealed to him. Yet when the resurrected Jesus appeared to Thomas in John 20:26-29, after Thomas confessed of Jesus “My Lord and my God,” Jesus did not correct him and say “don’t call me God, that’s idolatry” or “I’m not really God, I’m just a Man.” Yet Jesus himself before ascending in John 20:17 stated that he went to “My God and your God” and from the throne in Revelation 3:12 states “My God” four times. Does God have a God? How should we understand the relationship between Jesus and Yahweh? If someone understands it differently than us, should we break fellowship and declare them a non-Christian or lost? Is a “Trinitarian”, “Oneness”, “Unitarian”, or some other view an essential foundational doctrine for salvation and obedience to the faith?
Sadly, far too many people answer ‘yes’ to the last two questions of the above paragraph, and stress it far more than obeying God and following Jesus, which is faithfully keeping His commands. I would argue that our testimony should be to agree with the confession of both Thomas and Peter, and that we should answer ‘no’ to the last two questions of the above paragraph. If one understands this differently than us, it does not justify us in accusing them of condemned or accursed or a heretic. I personally do not subscribe to “Trinitarian”, “Oneness”, or “Unitarian” views, but this does not mean I should cast off those who do as non-Christian.
Jesus, Thomas, and Peter likely spoke Aramaic or Hebrew rather than Greek, but as the New Testament is written in Greek, let’s briefly examine the definition of the terms “God”, “Lord”, and “LORD” in both Greek and Hebrew. Strong’s G2316 defines “theos” or “God” as “Of uncertain affinity; a deity, especially (with G3588) the supreme Divinity; figuratively a magistrate; by Hebraism very: – X exceeding, God, god [-ly, -ward].” So we can already see options for multiple viewpoints. Some view Jesus being called “God” as either “a deity”, “the supreme Divinity”, “figuratively a magistrate” (magistrate by the way, is Strong’s G758 “archon: a first [in rank or power]: – chief [ruler], magistrate, prince, ruler”). Is it more important that you define Jesus as one of these titles, or that you love, follow, and obey him as one of these titles according to your understanding?
Strong’s G2962 defines “kurios” or “Lord” as “supreme in authority, (as noun) controller; by implication Mr. (as a respectful title): – God, Lord, master, Sir.” There should be no dispute if all authority has been given to Jesus on heaven and earth (Matt 28:18), he qualifies as “supreme in authority.” Is he “supreme in authority” of your own life? This title is found all over the new testament applying to Jesus, but when it quotes certain old testament scriptures like ‘You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve’ from Deuteronomy 6:13 as Jesus quoted in Matthew 4:10, we see the word in our bibles as all capital letters ‘LORD.’ This represents what is known as the Tetragrammaton, or God’s name in the Old Testament, where the Hebrew letters YHWH appear, meaning “the self-existent or eternal” according to Strong’s H3050; the Greek language lacks a word for YHWH. When Jesus (in Luke 20:42) and Peter (in Acts 2:34) quoted Psalm 110:1“The LORD said to my Lord…” we can see in the Greek that both words are “kurios” for “LORD” and “Lord”, but in the Hebrew for Psalm 110:1 it reads “YHWH”…said to my “adon.” “Adon” in Strong’s H113 is defined “From an unused root (meaning to rule); sovereign, controller (human or divine): – lord, master, owner.” Looks a bit familiar right? Does Jesus “rule” your life, and is he “sovereign” in it? Is he your “master”, “owner”, or “controller (human or divine)”? These verses are clearly Yahweh speaking to Yeshua, but are we condemned if we consider him human, divine, or a mixture of the two? Or is it more important you follow and obey him?
When Hebrews 1:8-9 speaks of God saying to the Son “Your throne, O God…” and “therefore God, Your God, has anointed you…” it uses “theos” in Greek, but quotes Psalm 45:6-7 where the old testament word in Hebrew “elohiym” is used, which is defined by Strong’s H430 as “Plural of H433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative: – angels, X exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X mighty.” Since it mentions H433 or “eloahh,” the singular form, that is worth mentioning too “(The second form is rare); probably prolonged (emphatically) from H410; a deity or the deity: – God, god.” Again, we see that these words for God could apply to “the supreme God,” “(very) great”, “mighty,” etc. Must we condemn someone for picking one definition over the other?
Quick! After reading all of these definitions, you MUST chose which you believe, or you will burn in hell for eternity! Not really. But that is what others want you to believe. Depending on which you pick according to your knowledge and understanding, many will give you the “evil eye” or consider you lost, or not consider you a “brother”, “sister”, or “Christian.” Some will even hate you for it, treating you differently, even spitefully or belittling you when they find out, no longer walking in love. God forbid you or I should ever do this to anyone! But if it happens to you, remember the ‘new’ commandment Jesus gave in John 13:35, that if you love one another, “all will know you are My disciples.”
Am I saying it’s not worth studying to gain understanding and grow from all this? By no means. I’m not against believing your understanding to be the correct one; I certainly believe my understanding to be correct, otherwise, I wouldn’t believe it, and it wouldn’t be my understanding. When Paul stated to “test all things” (2 Thess 5:21), it applies to this topic too! But rather than focusing so much on how someone else specifically defines Jesus and God, I suggest focusing far more on how Jesus and God define that someone else. By their life, words, actions, and revealed thoughts. By whether or not they walk as He walked (1 Jn 2:6) as a child of God who practices righteousness as He is righteous and does not sin (1 Jn 3:7-9). By whether or not they have been crucified with Christ and he lives in them, as Paul said “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20).
So what is my understanding of the question in the title? Are you on the edge of your seat ready to condemn me? After what I just said, I would hope not, but here goes: I believe Jesus, to be our Messiah, the Son of David and Abraham (Matt 1:1), the Son of Man (Matt 9:6), Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8), the Christ, the Son of the Living God (Matt 16:16), the Chief Cornerstone (Matt 21:42), our Teacher (Matt 23:8), Savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11), the Word made flesh, the only begotten of the Father (John 1:14), the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29), a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me (John 1:30), the Temple (John 2:21), the Bread of God who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:33), the Light of the world (John 9:5),the Door of the Sheep (John 10:7), the Good Shepherd (John 10:11), him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world (John 10:36), the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25), the True Vine (John 15:1), King (John 18:37), the Holy One and the Just (Acts 3:14), Prophet like Moses (Acts 3:22), God’s Servant (Acts 3:26), the Head of every man, whose own Head is God (1 Cor 11:3), the Fullness of the Godhead [theotes: divinity/deity] bodily (Col 2:9), the Express Image of God (Heb 1:3), the Perfect Captain of our Salvation (Heb 2:10), the Apostle and High Priest of our confession (Heb 3:1), the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:2), the Mediator of the new covenant (Heb 12:24), our Lord and Savior (2 Pet 1:11), our Righteous Advocate with the Father (1 Jn 2:1), the Christ who has come in the flesh (1 Jn 4:2), the Propitiation for our sins (1 Jn 4:10), the Faithful Witness, Firstborn from the dead, Ruler over the kings of the earth, Who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and made us kings and priests to His God and Father (Rev 1:5-6).
I do not believe Jesus/Yeshua to be Yahweh, the One True God, but His Son. I make the same distinction Jesus himself made in John 14:1 and John 17:3. The same distinction the apostles made in Acts 2:22-36, and Paul made in 2 Corinthians 5:18-19 and 1 Timothy 2:5. Read James 1:13. His temptations were real! He could have sinned, but didn’t out of love for His God and Father, and for us! He really died for us! Not only His body, but His soul too, poured out unto death (Isaiah 53:12)! I do not believe him to be his Father, or any angel of God, or “just a man”, or “just” a “mere” anything. I avoid at all costs terms like “God the Son”, “Fully God Fully Man”, “Triune God”, “God in 3 persons”, “God in human form”, “God in the flesh”, “The Father in a body”, “The Angel of the Lord”, “Michael the Archangel”, “substance”, “essence”, or any other non-scriptural term that clearly does not apply to him or define him. Does this bother or offend you? Should it?
“But Matt, how can you worship him if he is not the One True God? Isn’t that Idolatry?” No. If the One True God said to hear him (Luke 9:35), and “Let all the angels of God worship him” (Heb 1:6), and Jesus said all should “honor the Son just as they honor the Father” (John 5:23), who am I to not do so? Was it idolatry for Israel to bow before the LORD and the king (1 Chr 29:20)? Was it idolatry to pray toward Jerusalem or the temple (2 Chr 6:38)? Indeed, a greater than Solomon, one greater than the temple is here (Matt 12:6, 42)!!! At his name, I gladly bow and confess he, Jesus Christ, is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:10-11)!
I don’t presume to have perfect knowledge on the topic, and would love to discuss it with you if we can do so in love. Just please realize that I didn’t come to my understanding lightly or overnight, and that I have studied hundreds of scriptures with brothers and sisters in the Lord on this topic for years, many of these brothers and sisters are “Trinitarian”, “Oneness”, “Unitarian” or some other view. Let us not twist the scriptures. Let brotherly love continue. Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ (Eph 6:23). “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called Sons of God.” -Matthew 5:9
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