Worship The One True God: Jesus’ Relationship to the Father

Let us begin with what Jesus said concerning God and his relationship to God. In light of the Old Testament, we should look at Jesus’ divine qualities. Divine qualities are given to humans and angels in the Old Testament, and they are even called gods. But they are not actually God. So, what we need to look at is, did Jesus receive his divine qualities from God or were those divine qualities part of his inherent nature?

The Bible states that Jesus received life from God:

John 5:26

ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ·

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

There are two key features of this statement. The first is that the Son is given life.

The second key feature is that the life is described as “life in himself.” What does this mean? Let’s look at the context.

John 5:21-29.

ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζῳοποιεῖ.

21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ υἱῷ,

22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:

ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν υἱὸν καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν πατέρα. ὁ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν υἱὸν οὐ τιμᾷ τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντα αὐτόν.

23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὁ τὸν λόγον μου ἀκούων καὶ πιστεύων τῷ πέμψαντί με ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον, καὶ εἰς κρίσιν οὐκ ἔρχεται, ἀλλὰ μεταβέβηκεν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου εἰς τὴν ζωήν.

24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.

ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ νεκροὶ ἀκούσουσονται τῆς φωνῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες ζήσονται.

25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἔχει ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ·

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;

καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ κρίσιν ποιεῖν, ὅτι Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστί.

27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.

μὴ θαυμάζετε τοῦτο· ὅτι ἔρχεται ὥρα ἐν ᾗ πάντες οἱ ἐν τοῖς μνημείοις ἀκούσονται τῆς φωνῆς αὐτοῦ,

28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,

καὶ ἐκπορεύσονται οἱ τὰ ἀγαθὰ ποιήσαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν ζωῆς, οἱ δὲ τὰ φαῦλα πράξαντες εἰς ἀνάστασιν κρίσεως.

29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Here we see that the life Jesus is described as having life in himself is the ability to restore life to the dead. Notice that this life is given to Jesus by God. It is not something that Jesus has initially. It is a divine quality given to Jesus by God.

Now, the New Testament does connect Jesus with Creation.

Take a look at

Colossians 1:15-17

ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,

15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα, τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι, εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα δι᾿ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται·

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

καὶ αὐτός ἐστι πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκε,

17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

Take note that to be the image of something is to reflect the qualities of that thing, not to actually be that thing. Remember, Adam and Eve were made in the image of God.

Now, what does Paul mean when he uses the phrase “all things”? First, notice that it precedes this by calling Jesus the “firstborn of every creature”. Second, let’s look at Paul’s explanation of a very similar phrase in

1 Corinthians 15:24-28.

εἶτα τὸ τέλος, ὅταν παραδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί, ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν.

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρις οὗ ἂν θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος·

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

πάντα γὰρ ὑπέταξεν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ ὅτι πάντα ὑποτέτακται, δῆλον ὅτι ἐκτὸς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

ὅταν δὲ ὑποταγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, τότε καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ υἱὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, ἵνα ᾖ ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν.

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

This gives us some insight into Paul’s method of reasoning. Paul says that all things are put under Jesus’s feet. Then Paul explains that statement by stating that this does not include the one who put all things under Jesus’s feet.

It is common practice to say that if all things were created by Jesus, then the phrase “firstborn of every creature” cannot actually mean that Jesus was created. But, if we apply Paul’s method of reasoning to this statement, we conclude that it should be interpreted as saying that all things, except Jesus, were create by Jesus. This means that Jesus really can be the “firstborn of every creature” in the sense that he was created.

But, what does Paul mean when he says that all things were created by Jesus? Is he actually saying that it was Jesus’s power that created all things? Let’s look at

1 Corinthians 8:4-6,

Περὶ τῆς βρώσεως οὖν τῶν εἰδωλοθύτων, οἴδαμεν ὅτι οὐδὲν εἴδωλον ἐν κόσμῳ, καὶ ὅτι οὐδεὶς Θεὸς ἕτερος εἰ μὴ εἷς.

καὶ γὰρ εἴπερ εἰσὶ λεγόμενοι θεοὶ εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ εἴτε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὥσπερ εἰσὶ θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κύριοι πολλοί,

ἀλλ᾿ ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς εἰς αὐτόν, καὶ εἷς Κύριος ᾿Ιησοῦς Χριστός, δι᾿ οὗ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἡμεῖς δι᾿ αὐτοῦ.

"As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

This passage explicitly states that there is one God, the Father. It refers to Jesus as Lord (a word often used as a sign of respect, not necessarily worship). It also says that all things are of the Father and by Jesus. This seems to indicate that all the power and life come from the one God, the Father. Jesus acts as a servant who is given authority and power, by which the will of God is carried out.

This is clarified in Ephesians 3:9,

καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι διὰ ᾿Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ,

"And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ."

Interestingly, many of the Greek manuscripts do not support the “by Jesus Christ” phrase.

This is also explicitly stated in Hebrews 1:1-2,

Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις,

ἐπ᾿ ἐσχάτου τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ, ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, δι᾿ οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν·

“God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

We see here that it was God’s power that actually created all things. Jesus was the servant through whom God acted. God gave Jesus the authority and power to carry out God’s will. But the power and authority come from God.

Jesus confirmed this relationship in

Matthew 28:18,

καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων· ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς.

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”

In John 5:19-22,

᾿Απεκρίνατο οὖν ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐ δύναται ὁ υἱὸς ποιεῖν ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ οὐδὲν, ἐὰν μή τι βλέπῃ τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα· ἃ γὰρ ἂν ἐκεῖνος ποιῇ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ.

ὁ γὰρ πατὴρ φιλεῖ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ πάντα δείκνυσιν αὐτῷ ἃ αὐτὸς ποιεῖ, καὶ μείζονα τούτων δείξει αὐτῷ ἔργα, ἵνα ὑμεῖς θαυμάζητε.

ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζῳοποιεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζῳοποιεῖ.

οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ υἱῷ,

"Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son."

And in John 5:30,

Οὐ δύναμαι ἐγὼ ποιεῖν ἀπ᾿ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐδέν. καθὼς ἀκούω κρίνω, καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἡ ἐμὴ δικαία ἐστίν· ὅτι οὐ ζητῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με πατρός.

"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."

And in John 6:38,

ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με.

“For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”

In addition, Peter referred to this type of relationship.

Acts 2:36,

ἀσφαλῶς οὖν γινωσκέτω πᾶς οἶκος ᾿Ισραὴλ ὅτι καὶ Κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός ἐποίησε, τοῦτον τὸν ᾿Ιησοῦν ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε.

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Not only did Jesus say that the Father was greater than him, he also said that the Father was his God. Look first in

John 14:28,

ἡκούσατε ὅτι ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν, ὑπάγω καὶ ἔρχομαι πρὸς ὑμᾶς. εἰ ἡγαπᾶτέ με, ἐχάρητε ἄν ὅτι εἶπον, πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ μου μείζων μού ἐστι·

“Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.”

And he referred to the Father as his God in

John 20:17,

λέγει αὐτῇ ᾿Ιησοῦς· μή μου ἅπτου· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναβέβηκα πρὸς τὸν πατέρα· πορεύου δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀδελφούς μου καὶ εἰπὲ αὐτοῖς· ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ Θεόν μου καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν.

“Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”

God made Jesus Lord and Christ. These were not qualities that he originally possessed.

Acts 2:36,

"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ."

Here, Peter explicitly states that God made Jesus Lord, just as God made Moses a god. After this, we begin to see the apostles, mostly Paul, refer to Jesus as Lord.

The question is, did this mean that God imbued Jesus with the authority of Lord, or was Jesus really Lord all the time?

Fortunately, we have a couple of checks that we can use. The first is the fact that Peter said that God made Jesus Lord and Christ. If we examine the history of Jesus as Christ, then we can get some information on the history of Jesus as Lord.

Was Jesus always Christ, or did God make Jesus Christ? According to the 70 weeks of years prophecy in Daniel chapter 9, the Messiah would come around AD 27. Either Jesus was born in this year, or he became the Messiah in this year. The exact year of his birth is debatable, but all of the scholars put it approximately 30 years before AD 27. AD 27 was the year that Jesus was baptized and the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove. Since the word Messiah means “anointed” and the Messiah came the year that Jesus was baptized, we can safely say that God made Jesus the Messiah at his baptism, when he was anointed with the Holy Spirit. Jesus did not actually become the Messiah until this point. Since Jesus did not become the Messiah until God made him the Messiah, and Peter said that God made Jesus “both Lord and Christ”, this does provide strong evidence that Jesus did not become Lord until God made him Lord. This would make it a functional position, rather than ontological.

Clearly, Jesus did not become the Messiah until God made him the Messiah at the baptism. However, this doesn’t completely rule out the possibility that we should interpret God making Jesus Lord in a different light. If God did indeed make Jesus Lord, like He made Moses a god (a functional position, rather than ontological), then we should see the apostles speaking of the Lord Jesus separate from God. If Jesus was always Lord, then Jesus and God would be one and the same.

Did Paul actually see Jesus’s position of Lord as separate from being God, just as Moses’s position as god to Pharaoh was separate from being God?

1 Corinthians 8:6,

" But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him."

Here Paul explicitly states that there is one God, the Father, the source of all things. The Lord Jesus Christ is God’s servant, through whom God accomplishes His will.

Since Jesus was made Christ at a certain time and the apostles still referred to the Lord Jesus separately from God, it would seem that the most straightforward way to understand Peter’s statement that “God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ” is the way with the most direct Scriptural support, namely, in a similar manner to God’s statement to Moses that “I have made thee a god.”

Now, Jesus is called the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Is this a title of divinity?

Daniel 2:37,

אנתה מלכא מלך מלכיא די אלה שׁמיא מלכותא חסנא ותקפא ויקרא יהב־לך

"Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory."

Here, the Iraqi leader, Nebuchadnezzar, is called king of kings because God gave him a kingdom, just as God gives Jesus the kingdom.

Daniel 7:13-14,

חזה הוית בחזוי ליליא וארו עם־ענני שׁמיא כבר אנשׁ אתה הוה ועד־עתיק יומיא מטה וקדמוהי הקרבוהי

ולה יהיב שׁלטן ויקר ומלכו וכל עממיא אמיא ולשׁניא לה יפלחון שׁלטנה שׁלטן עלם די־לא יעדה ומלכותה די־לא תתחבל

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed."

Jesus judges because God gave him the authority. Jesus did not possess it on his own.

John 5:22,

οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ τὴν κρίσιν πᾶσαν δέδωκε τῷ υἱῷ,

“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:”

And Jesus will give all of the authority back to God.

1 Corinthians 15:24-28

24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.

δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρις οὗ ἂν θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ.

25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet.

ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος·

26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.

27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him.

28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all.

Jesus denied having the same goodness as God in

Mark 10:17-18,

Καὶ ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ εἰς ὁδὸν προσδραμὼν εἷς καὶ γονυπετήσας αὐτὸν ἐπηρώτα αὐτόν· διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ, τί ποιήσω ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;

ὁ δὲ ᾿Ιησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός.

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God."

Let’s return to Jesus’s conversation with the scribe. Mark 12:29-34, "And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord…. And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he…. And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God."

Worship The One True God

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Jesus’ Relationship to the Father

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