Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the ..." />
Was Jesus created? – No. not according many Bible scholars, preachers, creeds, and Christian denominations, who say Jesus has existed from eternity. Notice:
“The Son uncreated . . . the Son eternal”—Athanasian Creed
“Within the one Being that is God, there exists three eternally . . . coeternal persons”—The Forgotten Trinity, by James White, p 23
Since this is the case, why is there even any question about whether or not Jesus was created? — The reason why is because of what the Bible has to say.read more
“For God loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”—John 3:16 NKJV
On November 8, 2018, an article was posted on Patheos entitled, “Why John 3:16 Isn’t About The Crucifixion“:
“In preparation for an upcoming online debate about PSA [Penal Substitutionary Atonement] Theory, I started wondering whether or not Jesus, or any of the Gospel authors, specifically communicated the Gospel as being about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins, or to appease the wrath of God, etc.
In the process of exploring this question, I started with John 3:16 because, growing up, I had always equated it with the crucifixion. However, I realized that this entire conversation has nothing to do with the crucifixion, nor does it even mention the death of Jesus at all.
Here’s what the verse actually says:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life.”
Now, I think most of the time we have been told to read the word “gave” in this sentence to mean that “God laid Jesus down on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world and sacrificed Him for us.”
But, quite obviously, it does not say any such thing.
What it says is that God loved the world. He loved the world so much that he gave us Jesus and that if anyone would trust in him, and his teachings, he would live and not die.
I’ve also started to realize that whenever Jesus talks about “eternal life” or “will not perish”, he is not talking about the afterlife, or about what happens to us after we die.
In a very practical way, John 3:16 is a verse about how those who follow the path of Jesus will escape the coming destruction of Jerusalem and live beyond that event.
Here’s the deal: Jesus showed up as the promised Messiah at a time when the Jewish people were seeking a violent, revolutionary hero who would lead the uprising against their Roman oppressors. Instead, Jesus tells them to repent of this desire for violent revolution and warns them that if they live by the sword they will all die by the sword. He teaches them to love their enemies, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, and seek to overcome evil with good.
The promise, then, that Jesus makes is that they will have life that extends beyond the end of the age [that is, the end of the Jewish age], if they follow His teachings. If they refuse, then they will be slaughtered along with the destruction of the Temple, the end of the daily sacrifice, and the death of the Jewish Priesthood. [Which, by the way, is exactly what happened to those who rejected the message and path of Jesus].
So, the promise of John 3:16 is that those who trust in Jesus [that’s what the word “believe” really means], and put his teachings into practice, will not reap the fruit of rebellion [which is death], but survive the end of the age which Jesus promises will come within a single generation.
Forty years later, that prediction came to pass.
And, just as Jesus promised, those who followed the Way of Christ, escaped the “wrath of God” – which was simply the reaping of a harvest of rebellion against Rome – and the Christians who were in Jerusalem fled to the city of Pella months before the Roman army surrounded the city and began to lay siege to it.
In this way, the promise of John 3:16 was fulfilled: Those who put their trust in the Way of Christ – which was to love their enemies, bless those who cursed them, and do good to those who hated them – escaped the horror of AD 70. They did not perish but inherited life beyond the end of the age [or “eternal life” that extended beyond the present age].
Jesus never communicated the Gospel as saying a prayer so you could go to heaven when you die, or as a human sacrifice that would appease the wrath of God. What Jesus said the Gospel was is simply this: “Change your way of thinking! The Kingdom of God is here, right now! You can live under the rule and reign of God today. No need to wait until you’re dead. The Good News is for your life now, not for after you die.”
Here are just a few examples from Scripture:
“I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.” (Luke 4:43)
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15)
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” (Matt 9:35)
“Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom..” (Matt 4:23)
Jesus taught this Gospel, and so did the Disciples, and the Apostles, including Paul and Peter and Philip, etc.
Why are we teaching any other Gospel than this one?
That’s a great question. (And another blog post).”
Now let’s see what the Bible really says about John 3:16 and the Gospel:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)
The writer of the Patheos article erroneously claims that John 3:16 isn’t about Jesus’ sacrificial death and his followers getting eternal life. He takes John 3:16 in isolation from its context. Not only taking the verse out of context, he also twists its meaning into something foreign to the writer’s intent, by claiming that doing what Jesus taught would enable them to live beyond Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 CE, without any promise of eternal life. And, yet, eternal life is exactly what Jesus promised to those who are faithful, not just for those people who were living in the Jerusalem area back then, but for all people living at all times through history.
“No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” (John 3:13-15 NIV)read more
Some modern-day Christians have been taught to believe in the doctrine known as “eternal security” (commonly known as “once saved, always saved”). But is this belief scriptural? Let’s allow the scriptures to speak for themselves.
Is the doctrine of eternal security supported by the Bible?
“I mention it that you may be saved” (John 5:34 NIV). Notice Jesus says, “you may be saved”, not ‘you are saved, case closed, period’, as some would have us believe”. Salvation is not guaranteed to everyone, or anyone. See Matthew 7:21-23.
Many modern Christians believe in the doctrine known as “eternal security” (commonly known as “once saved, always saved”). But is this belief scriptural? Let’s allow the scriptures to speak for themselves.
“I mention it that you may be saved.” (John 5:34 NIV). Salvation is not guaranteed to everyone, or anyone. See Mt 7:21-23.
“For in this hope you were saved.” (Romans 8:24 NIV). In one sense, salvationis past tense.
In our series about what is stated concerning God, Jesus, and the holy Spirit, is there any evidence of the Trinity doctrine in the various books of the New Testament? This article examines whether the Trinity is in Romans.
“Romans is theologically the most important of all the epistles written by Paul, and it contains his most comprehensive and logical presentation of the gospel . . . this foundational New Testament book”—Nelson’s Complete Book of Bible Maps and Charts, page 380
Since Romans is said to “this foundational New Testament book,” we would expect to at least find some evidence of the Trinity doctrine, if it is true, in this important book of Romans.
Notice the relationship between the two – God and Jesus. How about the holy Spirit, how does it play a role?
Romans 1:1– “This letter is from Paul, a slave of Jesus Christ, chosen by God to be an apostle and sent out to preach his Good News” (NLT). ” . . . and set apart for the gospel of God” (NAB). The gospel, the good news, belongs to God, the superior one, not to Jesus. This eliminates the equality aspect of the Trinity doctrine. Also, there is no mention of the holy Spirit or the Trinity in this verse. Why? Because, the holy Spirit, although it is real, is not a person.
Romans 1:2 – “God promised this Good News long ago through his prophets in the holy scriptures” (NLT). “God”, not Jesus, not the holy Spirit, nor the Trinity, is the one who is in control, or Almighty, and he promised the gospel..
Romans 1:3 – “the gospel about his Son” (NAB), “regarding his Son” (NIV). The gospel is about God’s Son, Jesus Christ. We see from the book of Romans that the focus is on God, who deals with humankind through his Son. In no way does Romans give any indication that the Son of God is God, or part of a Trinity, as Trinitarians like to claim.
Romans 1:4– “Established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through the resurrection of the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (NAB). Jesus was “appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord” (NIV). If Jesus has been Almighty God from eternity, as Trinitarians claim, why would he need to be ‘appointed, or established, as the Son of God by his resurrection’? Since he was “appointed,” that means that God, who did the appointing, is the superior. Therefore, there is no equality, as the Trinity doctrine claims. Here, as in the rest of the Bible, Jesus is presented as “the Son of God,” not “God the Son” – entirely separate and distinct from the God the Father. Since “God has resurrected this Jesus” (Acts 2:32 HCSB), and Jesus “was dead” (Revelation 1:18), it means that Jesus has not been eternal, as the Trinity doctrine claims.
Romans 1:7 – “from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV). It is admitted by Trinitarians that, “two divine persons are in view here . . . the Lord Jesus Christ . . . is shown to be another person besides the Father” (The Forgotten Trinity, p 157). As Jesus plainly said, he and his Father are “two witnesses” (John 8:17,18). But, why isn’t the letter also from the holy Spirit, the supposed third person of the Trinity, if the Trinity doctrine is true? Why is the holy Spirit AWOL from this scene?- Because the holy Spirit is not a person. “God” is shown in this verse to be the “Father,” and not “the Lord Jesus Christ,” who is an entirely separate individual.
Romans 1:8– “I give thanks to my God through Jesus Christ” (NAB) – Notice that he thanks God, not Jesus, or the Trinity. But he does so “through Jesus.” This is the proper way to pray, not to Jesus or the Trinity, but through Jesus (John 14:6; Matthew 6:9). “My God” is clearly shown not to be Jesus Christ.
Romans 1:9 – “God, whom I serve in preaching the gospel of his Son” (NIV) – Paul says he is serving God, not Jesus, or the Trinity, in the preaching of God’s Son. “God” is clearly shown to be someone other than “his Son.”
Romans 2:16 – “God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ” (NIV) – “God” is presented as someone other than Jesus, and is the ultimate “judge of all” (Hebrews 12:23), doing so “through Jesus Christ.” “God” is obviously superior to Jesus Christ (John 14:28), which fact negates the “eternal” clause of the Trinity doctrine.
Romans 3:22 – “The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (NAB) – God’s righteousness flows through Jesus Christ to believing humans. This shows that God the Father is supreme over his Son, Jesus Christ (John 14:28).
Romans 3:24-26– “They are justified by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation through . . . through the forbearance of God–to prove his righteousness in the present time, that he might be righteous and justify the one who has faith in Jesus” (NAB) – These verses indicate that the channel to and from God is Jesus, but God is not Jesus. God presented Christ, who died, as a sacrifice of atonement. This shows that God, not Jesus, is the one who is in complete control. God uses Jesus mightily, but Jesus is obviously not equal to God. “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood” (Romans 3:25 NIV). “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement” means that “Christ died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), whereas “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 3:30 – “God is one”. The Greek word for “one” is “heis”, which is the numeral one. “God is only one” (Galatians 3:20 NASB). “Yahweh our God is one Yahweh” (Deuteronomy 6:4 LSB). This truth eliminates any possibility that God can be more than one person, such as the 3-in-1, God in three persons, Trinity!
Romans 5:1 – “We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” – A Christian’s peace comes from God, the supreme being, through Jesus Christ (1 John 4:8; John 14:6).
Romans 5:5 – “The love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us” (NAB). ” . . . through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (NRSV). God operates through the holy Spirit. These translations accurately render the Greek text. Even though many translations use the pronoun “who,” or “whom” here in referencing the holy Spirit, it is clear from the Greek that “that,” or “which,” is the thought intended. This verse makes it clear that the holy Spirit is not a person.
Romans 5:8,10 – “God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us . . . We were reconciled to God through the death of his Son” (NAB) – Jesus, not God, died for us. “The death of his Son” means that “Christ” actually “died for our sins” (1 Corinthians 15:3), so he cannot be God because, “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 5:9 – “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” (NIV). This verse once again shows that God operates through Jesus, which gives evidence that God, not Jesus, is the superior one.
Romans 5:11 – “We boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NAB) – We always have to go through Jesus to get to God, in fact we can only know God through Jesus Christ (John 14:6).
Romans 5:15 – “Even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift to many through this other man, Jesus Christ” (NLT) – The supreme being, God, channels his blessings through Jesus Christ. Jesus is called a “man,” which proves he can’t be God, because “God is not a man” (Numbers 23:19).
Romans 5:17 – “Even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness . . . through this one man, =&0=& – God’s gifts and provisions flow through Jesus, which shows that God is superior over Jesus. Jesus is again called a man, proving he’s not God.
Romans 6:4,9– “Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father . . . Christ was raised from the dead, he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him” (NLT) – In these verses, it is shown that the God who resurrected Jesus is “the Father” (Acts 2:32), brought him back to life, which proves that Jesus can’t be God because he “died” (1 Corinthians 15:3), and “God . . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12). This means that God is superior over Jesus (John 14:28).
Romans 6:10: 8:3– “The life he lives, he lives to God” (NIV). “God has done this by sending his own Son” (NAB) – Jesus is said to be ‘living to God,’ that is, not literally, but, in godly submission, which, once again, indicates that God the Father is superior over Jesus. The lesser submits to the greater. The sender is greater than the one sent, as Jesus said: “No slave is greater than his master, no messenger is greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:16 NAB).
Romans 6:11,23– “Consider yourselves . . . alive to God through Christ Jesus . . . The free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord” (NLT) – God the Father deals with humans, not directly, but “through” his Christ, his Son Jesus (John 14:6). “Christ Jesus” is the “one mediator between God and the human race” (1 Timothy 2:5 NAB). God has always dealt with his people through covenants, and he deals with Christians through the New Covenant, which is mediated by Christ (Hebrews 9:14,15). This is why all of God’s dealings with humans are “through Christ Jesus”, rather than directly. All of which means that Jesus is not God.
Romans 7:4 –=&1=&Christ was resurrected from the dead by God (Acts 2:32), so he can’t be God, because “Yahweh . . . God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB).
Romans 7:25; 8:32 – “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (LSB). “He who did not spare his own son, but gave him up for us all” (NIV). God operates and sends his blessings through Jesus, and he gave Jesus for the salvation of all, therefore, God is “greater than” Jesus (John 14:28).
Romans 8:11– “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you” (NRSV). The fact that God resurrected Jesus Christ from the “dead” (Revelation 1:18) is twice stated in this verse. Since “God . . . never dies” (Habakkuk 1:12 NJB), Jesus Christ cannot be Almighty God. The holy Spirit is referred to as “the spirit of him who raised Christ from the dead,” and “his Spirit that dwells in you,” so it is God’s spirit, and not a person. Without the holy Spirit being a person, the Trinity doctrine collapses.
Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the ..." />
