One view or 'belief' about Jesus among others.........
One view or 'belief' about Jesus among others.........
In case you ever were wondering if Jesus ever claimed to be God I found a really in depth website article that might help.
http://www.muslimhope.com/JesusIsGod.htm
Hi jzeilder and all,
I've reviewed such claims and find a Unitarian view or interpretation just as feasible, and perhaps easier to accept among some folk (this coming from a liberal spiritualist who sees Jesus in many different ways).
Jesus does not need to be 'God' within a 'Trinity', and the case for a true monotheistic Unitarian theology is amply made
here from a biblical perspective and is the view held within traditional-orthodox Judaism.
Jesus was a monotheistic unitarian in the traditional Jewish sense (per some of the gospel records),
he as a man devoted his life to serve
his 'God' and 'Father'. In tradition and scripture, the Jewish Messiah is not God, and if we stretch this further in a NT context Jesus being
God's Son, Jesus is still not 'God'.
A Son may be like his father, but is NOT his father. A Unitarian view of God and Jesus is the most logical for starters, even if one deifies Jesus in so many ways according to whatever Christology you prefer to ADD (cherry pick as you please). Many different views, beliefs, opinions exist about Jesus, running the gamut from purely divine to purely human, with many subcategories or 'fusions' inbetween. The case for the non-existence of Jesus or only as a myth also has a chair at the table. The fact is, Jesus does not exist but as an idea, concept or image in your own mind, beyond whatever else can really be proven beyond some subjective claim or inner experience connoting some kind of
relationship with him (again, all subjective within the realm of personal religious experience).
While I myself have a very eclectic and liberal theology and even Christology, I see this
need among some to
make Jesus into 'God Almighty' unnecessary, as Jesus can maintain his special and unique status as God's Son, Messiah or special Messenger without deifying him or making him equal with the Father. There is really no need for 'equality'. Jesus own testimony as being the
Son of God and
Son of Man is sufficient, regardless of our doctrines added to the equation. (note that Jesus is the always the
Son of God, as the writer of John's gospel so strives to proclaim, regardless of some using his gospel to make Jesus into 'God' thru a philosophical greek construct, gnostic twist or fancy of translation). Only the Universal Father, the one Jesus pointed to as the Supreme ONE ("the Lord our God is One LORD")to worship in spirit and truth,...is the
singular absolute DEITY who is the
source of all creation and all creator-gods or agencies that may take part in creation of worlds, etc. Jesus never encouraged, taught or enforced worship of himself, but ascribed all glory, honor and power to 'God' alone....the Infinite Spirit-Presence, the Invisible ONE, the Almighty Supreme.
Granted, there are schools along with the traditional orthodox Christian creeds that deify Jesus to varying degrees, but these vary per the school of thought, Christology and cosmology of any given teaching or faith-community, so Jesus spans the entire spectrum of both 'human' and 'divine' qualities and attributes, and holds various positions in the hierarchy of God, as a 'god', 'demi-god', 'angel', 'eon', etc. For our basic purpose and intent, the traditional Unitarian view does not divinitize Jesus, but accepts him as God's Messiah, his 'Son', his anointed representative. The Messiah being a MAN, anointed, inspired, empowered by 'God'. 'God' is still the power, presence and agency operating in, upon and thru the Messiah. So on this level, the Messiah or Son of God, represents and speaks for God,...being 'elohim'(a god) in the context of a divinely chosen vessel who embodies and proclaims his word. Beyond any meanings or values we assign, its all 'figurative' language, while only One Spirit-reality and presence exists as 'Real God', and that 'God' is ONE Only, Singular. Again, back to our basic monotheistic Unitarian premise, of only the Universal Father being the One and Only DEITY, from which all other deities, souls, spirits derive. There is one original Fountain, with many streams proceeding therefrom
God is Spirit.
Only by metaphysical gymnastics, presumed theology and faith can one assume the human Jesus is God (
however one defines that), while this human person declares his devotion, submission and worship to The Universal Father ALONE, as 'God'. Even in a Trinitarian formula, Jesus is never the same person as The Father, and as the Son always retains his subordinance to The Father, who holds primacy. A 'Son' even if assumed to be somehow 'God' or one among a company of divine personalities, is still a 'generation' or 'offspring' of a Father-God, no matter how 'divine' or 'human' you assume Jesus to be in his incarnation and ultimate ascension into heaven, in whatever form or constitution hes comprised of. The 'Son' still surrenders all things to his 'God' and 'Father', and identifies him as DEITY alone, who alone is to be worshipped in spirit and truth.
The Son reveals, represents and expresses the Father, but he is not the same personality. (Trinitarians agree, but still claim 3 personalities share 'one essence'). We may worship the divinity of the Son which derives from the Father, as the Son represents 'God' and is the manifestation of 'God' to us in this space-time dimension, but only 'God' (pure Spirit-energy-consciousness) is 'God'. Only the Infinite-Spirit-Source is 'God' proper, from which all things spring and have their being. Jesus reveals, manifests, expresses, represents 'God' to us (and in that sense is 'God' to us), but only the Spirit-Father is
absolute Deity, the source and upholder of all. On a hierarchal level, The Father always holds primacy, even though he may give creative power and perogatives to a host of Creator-Sons and angels in his vast cosmos.
~*~*~
Re-viewing John 8:58, the assumption Jesus claimed to be the "I AM" of Ex. 3:14
reference commentary
here.
Also see
here.
