This is the first of several planned articles in which I will respond to alleged "proofs" put forth by those teaching that Messiah is "God in the flesh." This initial article will refute the first "Implicit Christology" position taken in Murray J. Harris' book, Jesus as God, published by Baker Book House, 1992, ISBN 0-8010-4370-0. Subsequent articles will respond to other Implicit and Explicit alleged "proofs" from this source, after which I will respond to alleged proofs from various other sources.
Why was I motivated to take upon myself the enormous task of responding to ALL alleged proof passages? Well, many individuals recognize the common sense problems inherent within the following issues yet cannot seem to release their grip on the false mystery Babylon god of the Great Harlot because they unwisely accept the alleged proof passages as being legitimate. So, even though they accept the common sense approach presented on this site and recognize the SERIOUS questions generated by such common sense reasoning, they still cannot break free of the deceptions being promoted by Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene leaders. Among the SERIOUS issues they realize are:
So, my intent is to free from the bondage to Scriptural misunderstanding those that already recognize the outlandish and blasphemous nature of the "God in the flesh" Messiah teaching. I will do this by showing that the "proof" passages put forth by the pagan man-God Messiah advocates actually prove nothing. Once the lack of proof is seen, bondage to the mystery Babylon religion will be broken and they may finally be able to make a clean escape from Babylon.
In order to distinguish between my comments and those from the man-God Messiah advocates, I have shown their statements in maroon colored italics. My rebuttal will be shown without italics. Within my response will be shown the verses they consider their alleged "proof" passages. The initial quotes of their proof passages will be from the King James Version Bible. Since translation bias is often the ally of deception, the passages will be shown from other versions where necessary as part of my rebuttal.
Many Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene leaders very much dislike the use of legitimate, alternate renderings from the Greek or Hebrew texts because their "proofs" are often destroyed when more likely (or just as likely) renderings into English are considered. The worst example of such tragically misguided individuals are the notoriously deluded King James Version onlyists. King James Version onlyists actually believe the King James Bible is the LITERAL Word of God and/or that the original King James Version translators were perfectly infallible men guided by the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit as they translated from the Hebrew and Greek into English. KJV onlyists and others that hold similar views are beyond the hope of reason and common sense. They blindly put their ultimate faith in translators instead of the original texts used by the translators or the God that inspired those original texts. They implicitly elevate the translators to divine status.
Within my rebuttal I will also unleash one of the greatest enemies of Trinitarians and others that promote a "God in the flesh" Messiah. That enemy is SCRIPTURAL CONTEXT. Proponents of the man-God Messiah discourage focus on the context of Scripture since they realize context is often all that is needed to disprove many of their favorite "proofs". Of course, THE worst example of context shredding present in the Christian and Messianic world is the implicit casting aside of the ENTIRE context of the Tanakh (Older Testament) and the commonly promoted teaching that the Messianic writings (New Testament) are more authoritative today than the Tanakh. This common belief exists despite the fact Messiah Yeshua and ALL his original followers of the first century considered the Tanakh to be THE ultimate authority in all matters of faith and practice. I have proven elsewhere that the Tanakh is, indeed, the ONLY true "Holy Scripture" and THE ultimate authority. That proof can be found in the article that discusses what is TRUE Holy Scripture.
To date, NO ONE has been able to Scripturally refute that article, and I am certain that no one will since, frankly, Scriptural rebuttal is impossible. All attempts at rebuttal depend entirely upon the ASSUMPTION that the writers of the Messianic writings intended their writings to be equated to Holy Scripture, despite the fact they NEVER stated such. Such open exposure of one of Constantinian Christianity's more damnable deceptions enrages the Beastly Harlot (Traditional Christianity, counterfeit Messianism, and counterfeit Nazarenes) since she is powerless to refute it from ANY portion of Scripture - the Tanakh or the Messianic writings - despite her best efforts at Scriptural gymnastics.
Interesting and typical is the fact that the promoters of a "God in the flesh" Messiah can find very few passages in the Tanakh (Older Testament) to support their position. EVERY passage they attempt to submit is actually a HINT or CLUE that the merchants of deception twist to fit their already biased beliefs and present as "fact." This overt distortion of Scripture further supports my claim that the man-God Messiah of Constantinian tradition is NOT supported from the Holy Scriptures. I explain in my responses the misuse of the few passages referenced from the true "Holy Scriptures" in the rare instances they are encountered. I also discuss Satan's success in removing the TRUE Holy Scripture from the minds and hearts of most Constantinian Christians, Messianics, and Nazarenes in the article previously referenced.
So now let us proceed to the discussion.
Part I: An Outline of the New Testament Testimony to the Deity of Christ
A. Implicit Christology
1. Divine functions performed by Jesus:
a. In relation to the universe:
- Creator (John 1:3; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:2)
- Sustainer (1 Cor. 8:6; Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:3)
- Author of life (John 1:4; Acts 3:15)
- Ruler (Matt. 28:18; Rom. 14:9; Rev. 1:6)
The verses referenced by the man-God promoter are:
First I will address the use of Colossians 1:16 by referencing a previously completed study of Colossians 1:15-19. In that study I responded to the typical use of Colossians 1:15-19 by those that wish to promote the teachings of the Great Harlot. The article can be accessed by picking the hot link in the previous sentence. I will not paste that entire article into this discussion. Instead, I will direct you to study it FIRST before continuing. Please pay special attention to the possible renderings of the tiny little Greek words, dia, en, and eis. After studying that article please return to this reading.
Ok. I will include a particularly important segment of that article below since it is so often the cause of misunderstanding. The portion that will be included discusses the common biased translation of the Greek words dia, en, and eis. THE POINTS MADE REGARDING THIS VERSE ARE APPLICABLE THROUGHOUT THIS DISCUSSION; THEREFORE, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU GRASP THE IMPORTANCE OF HOW IMPROPER RENDERINGS OF EVEN THE SIMPLEST, MOST INNOCUOUS LITTLE WORDS CAN DRASTICALLY ALTER A VERSE'S MEANING AND LEAD TO TRAGIC ERROR.
One of those Greek words (dia) is included in the following passage from Mark. Can you guess where it lies? I'll help you out a bit by underlining the English translation.
There is an alternate rendering note for this verse in the NASB that specifies how "for" can also be rendered as "for the sake of". This leads me to the portion of the previous Colossians article that specifically discusses Colossians 1:16. I will include that portion here due to the IMMENSE importance of the issues surrounding the incorrect renderings of tiny little Greek words by biased scholars that were motivated by personal agendas. The agenda motivating them was the promotion of their mystery Babylon deception of Messiah as "God in the flesh".
Note the underlined words shown below in Col. 1:16.
It is worth noting that both the New King James Version and the New Revised Standard Version render the final phrase as "... were created through Him and for Him."
The many possible renderings for the underlined words are now shown.
The first use of "by": Strong's No. 1722 - From the Greek word, en. Meanings - in, at, on, by, about, after, against, almost, altogether, among, as, before, between, by all means, for sake of, because of, through, when, where, etc.
The second use of "by": Strong's No. 1223 - From the Greek word, dia. Meanings - through, with, for, the ground or reason by which something is or is not done, by reason of, on account of, for the sake of, for this cause, on account of, because, because of for this reason, on this account, by occasion of, by, by the means of, for (cause), etc. NOTE: THIS OFTEN REFERS TO THE REASON FOR SOMETHING!
"for": Strong's No. 1519 - From the Greek word, eis. Meanings - into, to, unto, for, in, on, toward, against, etc.
IT IS CRUCIAL TO UNDERSTAND THE VARIOUS POSSIBLE RENDERINGS OF THESE 3 SIMPLE LITTLE WORDS (en, dia, eis)! THE DARK VEIL OF DECEPTION CAST BY THE GREAT HARLOT THROUGH IMPROPER BIASED RENDERINGS OF THESE WORDS IS ONE OF SATAN'S GREATEST TACTICAL ACHIEVEMENTS. THERE ARE LOTS OF PASSAGES IN THE MESSIANIC WRITINGS (NEW TESTAMENT) WHERE BIASED AND INCORRECT TRANSLATIONS OF THESE WORDS (AS WELL AS OTHERS) HAS LEAD MANY TO WRONGLY ACCEPT THE MYSTERY BABYLON man-God MESSIAH BEING PROMOTED BY CONSTANTINIAN CHRISTIAN, MESSIANIC, AND NAZARENE LEADERS!
It should be obvious from the many possible renderings of the 3 words shown that Colossians 1:16 is very enticing to Trinitarians. By using "selective" translation, they can force many verses, including this one, to say whatever they wish it to say. This is precisely what they did with their rendering of "by" in the King James Version. However, it could also be rendered:
Colossians 1:16 - For the sake of 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 because of/on account of Him and for/unto Him.
It isn't necessary for me to debate the "authorized" translations made by those indoctrinated with Trinitarian bias. The fact remains that this verse does NOT prove Yeshua to be the Creator except when biased translation forces such a meaning. This verse is inconclusive since we cannot possibly know the intention of the original writer. Those that say otherwise are misrepresenting truth. I do not force my interpretation, and I hope the man-God promoters are honest enough to not force theirs. You have the many renderings provided and can check for yourself if you wish. I pray you will not allow bias to prejudice your study.
What Paul is commenting on is how the One Creator YHVH created all things with the future Messiah and Messianic Kingdom in mind. ALL things were created with consideration to the final glorious outcome of the cosmic conflict between good and evil. "For the sake of" Messiah, YHVH created "all things ... that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers." "On account of" Messiah, YHVH created all things looking "unto" Yeshua's mission of obedience and reconciliation from which God's true desire to place mankind in a Paradise, where His eternal Torah (instructions) would be the Kingdom Constitution, would finally be realized. Please refer to the article on preexistence for further insight.
Now to the next so-called "proof" passage:
Guess what? Yes, you guessed it. The same manipulative biased rendering of dia as "by" is once again found here. This alone proves John 1:3 does NOT prove Messiah to be the creator. I will not waste time repeating what was just covered in my rebuttal of the Colossian 1:16 "proof". You are now seeing why I earlier emphasized the crucial need to understand the potential for questionable renderings of dia, en, and eis. You will see this same biased rendering of Greek words by the Great Harlot's army of "translators" occurring over and over.
Also, John 1:3, in fact the entire first chapter of John, is largely misunderstood because of the intentional discarding by Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene leaders of the traditional Hebraic view of preexistence. Study the articles on preexistence before continuing. There is also a separate article available on the website if you wish to study it. After studying the preexistence article advance to the one which discusses another common mistranslation problem of John 1:1-3.
The term rendered "without", as in "without him", can also be rendered "independent from him". Indeed, the True Creator did not create anything "without" or "independent from" the ultimate goal of Messiah as the ruler over the Creation. This understanding is more clearly grasped once the TRUE concept of preexistence of Messiah as being in the logos (MIND or DIVINE PLAN) of HaShem (God) is grasped. Thus, HaShem created all things with Messiah in mind. Nothing was made that was made without the goal of Messiah as the crowning achievement of the Divine Plan in mind.
This verse could just as easily be rendered as:
Now to the next so-called "proof" passage:
Okay, here we go again! Yep! Once again the word rendered as "by" is questionable. This time the Greek word is en and can be rendered as:
Strong's No. 1722 - From the Greek word, en. Meanings - in, at, on, by, about, after, against, almost, altogether, among, as, before, between, by all means, for sake of, because of, through, when, where, etc.
The King James Version, as is often the case, presents the most biased rendering. Most other versions render it as "through"; however, it could also be rendered as follows:
The implicit meaning of the Son being "APPOINTED HEIR OF ALL THINGS" makes the rendering just presented FAR more logical. HaShem created all things for the sake of those whom He (HaShem) loved and wished to give the gift of eternal life. A primary component of that love was the sending of the chosen one, the Messiah, whom He (HaShem) appointed heir of all things - ruler over His creation - and for the sake of whom he also made the worlds. However, the one HaShem appointed heir of all things (Messiah Yeshua) is NOT the one that created all things. Why would the creator of all things appoint himself ruler of all things? The TRUE God I worship as the Creator is not afflicted with the multiple personality disorder (schizophrenia) that the Creator of Trinitarians and others that worship a "God in the flesh" Messiah seems to have. The schizophrenic characteristics of the Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene false god constantly surfaces within their arguments.
The verses referenced by the man-God promoter are:
The first alleged proof passage comes from 1 Corinthians. I'll respond by bringing into the discussion the age-old enemy of those promoting the mystery Babylon man-God Messiah. That enemy is Scriptural context. The context in which we find this alleged proof passages is as follows.
How can anyone misread these verses? THESE VERSES ARE A DIRECT, UNAMBIGUOUS REBUKE OF THE FALSE CONCEPT OF THE TRINITY!
Note:Amazingly, this very "proof" verse of Messiah's deity actually refutes the notion of a "God in the flesh" Messiah!
Note also we again encounter translator bias! Friend, this same deceitful manipulation of Scripture is COMMON within many Bible versions. You will note that the verse quoted from the King James Version states "...one Lord Yeshua Messiah, by whom are all things, and we by him." However, the verses I quoted immediately above are from the NEW KJV and state "...one Lord Yeshua Messiah, through whom are all things, and through whom we live." Of course, I also removed the anti-semitic and pagan false name "Jesus" from the text I quoted.
As before, the Greek word dia has been rendered by the extremely biased and predominantly Calvinistic King James translators as "by" and as "through" in the NEW King James Version. I direct you to the discussion of this Greek word (dia) in the verses from Colossians that we previously covered. When the other legitimate alternate renderings are consulted this passage is easily proven to NOT support the pagan man-God of Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene groups. However, I DO support the teaching that we are sustained (have the hope of eternal life) by the substitutionary death of Messiah in place of our own deserved eternal death. But, that in no way makes Messiah God. The very idea that God can die is blasphemous to the extreme, and the fact so few followers of the Constantinian religion recognize this profane blasphemy is indicative of how horribly diminished the concept of God is in the minds of most Christian, counterfeit Messianic, and counterfeit Nazarene groups. The zeal with which the majority promotes that God can die is grotesque!
Now to the next so-called "proof" passage:
This verse is fully covered in the article previously referenced which discusses Colossians 1:15-20 and will not be repeated here. As stated in that article, an alternate rendering of that passage is:
"And He is superior to all things, and because of him all things are firmly established."
Now to the next so-called "proof" passage:
This verse, when read, clearly distinguishes between Messiah and God and doesn't provide any proof whatsoever that Messiah is "God in the flesh". Additionally, when the context of Hebrews 1 is read it is VERY clear that Messiah is most certainly NOT God. I leave it to your own common sense to reason it out. It is obvious.
Some will argue the phrase "express image of his person" somehow proves Messiah is God. However, note the following comments regarding a similar verse taken from 2 Corinthians 4:4.
I discussed the "image" issue when commenting on 1 Corinthians 11:7.
Man - in general - is the "image and glory of God"; HOWEVER, no one will argue that any man IS God! Likewise, when you come across verses that discuss Yeshua as the "image" or "likeness" of God (Philippians 2:6, Colossians 1:15), those verses do NOT mean that Yeshua IS God.
In fact, being the "likeness" or "image" of something shows the "image" is NOT the actual object, by virtue of the implicit distinction! The Messiah's being the "image" of HaShem (even a "perfect" image) is PROOF in itself that Yeshua is NOT HaShem! It is impossible for the "likeness" of ANYTHING to BE the very thing it is like, since an implicit comparison is being made between 2 separate, distinct objects! This is yet one more example of the schizophrenic characteristics of the false god of those promoting a "God in the flesh" Messiah.
Finally, other versions render Hebrews 1:3 as follows.
I will not argue that Yeshua, the PERFECT servant of HaShem that kept the Torah without spot or blemish, is truly THE "representation" of HaShem's nature since the nature of HaShem is Torah, which Yeshua perfectly obeyed! For this reason, there is no separation between God and Messiah. Sin separates us from God, and since there was no sin found in Yeshua there was no separation. It is for this reason Yeshua could claim that he and God are one. I further discuss the misunderstanding of the "oneness" principal in my article that discusses how YHVH is the God OF Yeshua.
The verses referenced by the man-God promoter are:
Let's assume the rendering shown from John 1:4 is correct. I will later show this not to be the case; however, even if it is correct it still provides NO evidence that Messiah is God.
John 1:4 suggests (assuming the "him" is Messiah, which it isn't) that life is in Messiah. I do not disagree with that even though when more properly rendered according to its original rendering centuries ago this verse does not present such a concept. Elsewhere we are clearly told that life is in Messiah. However, does that make the Messiah God? The following passage also taken from John's gospel answers this question.
Here we see VERY CLEARLY that Messiah RECEIVED life in himself FROM the Father! Thus, common sense demands the one giving and the one receiving are NOT the same and do NOT possess the same authority! IF Yeshua were God he would not have to give himself something he - as God - would have already possessed! Hello? Please, use common sense.
So, even if John 1:4 is rendered properly in the KJV it still DOES NOT AT ALL SUPPORT the notion that Messiah is God. The more probable rendering is discussed in the article which talks of the historic translation of John 1:3,4. However, even if you reject the facts presented in the article John 1:4 still does NOT provide ANY proof that Messiah is God.
First, I DO feel Messiah is the "Author" of life. Strong's Exhaustive Concordance presents the meaning of the Greek word archegos, which is rendered above as "Prince", as:
"one that takes the lead in any thing and thus affords an example, a predecessor in a matter, pioneer."
Messiah does indeed take the lead by providing us an example of how eternal life is attained. His example was TORAH OBSERVANCE - obedience to his God and ours! This is the same Torah most Christians teach and believe is abolished or unnecessary! Where we fall short during our SINCERE and DEVOTED attempts at obedience, Messiah's substitutionary death will replace the death deserved by us. However, if we - as do most Christians - willfully reject the covenant (agreement) of God that requires us to agree to follow his teachings (Torah), then Messiah's death will not substitute for ours.
Oddly, here we have a verse put forth to support the notion that Messiah is God, which actually refutes that notion! Allow me to quote the context.
Note the following:
The verses referenced by the man-God promoter are:
I have no argument with the teaching that Messiah has been given authority and power and is the ruler chosen by his God and ours to reign as King on earth. However, neither that concept nor these passages provide proof that Yeshua the Messiah is God.
First, Matthew 28:18 REFUTES the notion that Yeshua is God by very clearly stating power was GIVEN to Messiah. Common sense dictates the one giving the power and the one to whom the it is given are not the same! Hello? Please, use common sense.
The passage from the letter to the Messianic community in Rome (Romans 14:9) states:
"... Messiah both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living."
Well, HaShem is ALREADY the God of the dead and the living as well as everything else; therefore, since Yeshua was made Lord (Master, NOT God) of the dead and the living, he obviously is not God! Why would God make himself Lord over that which he is already Lord over? Hello? Please, use common sense. Also, of course, we see again the horrible blasphemy of Constantinian believers as they proclaim that God can die!
Most Bible versions present a slightly different rendering of Revelation 1:6. The more typical rendering is represented by what is found in the Updated New American Standard Version.
However, even the King James Version implies the same thing; thus, ALL versions I referenced indicate quite directly that God is the God OF Messiah. Note how HaShem is said to be "his God." OBVIOUSLY, since HaShem (YHVH, God) is the God OF Yeshua, Yeshua cannot possibly be that God! I again appeal to common sense. Are those that promote Messiah is God wishing us to believe God is the God of God? ?? Are they wishing us to believe that a man worshipped a God that happened to be himself? ?? Once again the schizophrenic characteristic of the false God promoted by Constantinian Christian, Messianic, and Nazarene leaders is clearly shown.