|
A
great controversy that has plagued the Christian church for 1700 years has developed
because of the way that Jesus speaks about the Father in the gospel of John. In that
gospel he clearly speaks as though the Father was someone other than himself - In John,
Jesus uses the word father 104 times, in Matthew 54 times, in Luke 36 times, in
Mark 18 times.
In John he clearly contrasts the terms father and son in such a way
that one would draw the conclusion that the father was someone other than himself.
- None of these phrases occur in any other gospel but John
-
John 5:19 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.
-
John 5:30 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.
-
John 8:54
Jesus answered, If I honour myself, my honour is
nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me
; of whom ye say, that he is your God:
-
John 10:18 No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I
have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I
received of my Father.
-
John 12:49 For I have not spoken of myself; but
the Father which
sent me
, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. 50 And
I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore,
even as
the Father said unto me, so I speak.
-
John 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall
give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
-
John 14:28 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.
-
John 16:16 A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a
little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17 Then said some of
his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye
shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because
I go to
the Father
?
-
John 20:17 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.
A great key to the understanding of the words of Jesus when he
speaks of the Father in the gospel of John is Jesus’ own explanation of the mode and
manner of his speech. He declares in John 16:25, 26 that he speaks of the Father in proverbs.
From the text it is possible to understand what this word proverbs actually means.
Jesus contrasts this word proverbs with the word plainly in vs 26.
John 16:25 These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the
time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs, but I shall show you plainly
of the Father. 26 At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that
I will pray the Father for you:
The phrase - At that day - "That day Ekeine that
he,
hemera, day, means that great Day of the Lord, the day of judgment. Also, the
expressions that day, the last day, the Day of the Lord, the day of judgment all refer to
the same thing." Zodiates, Lexical Aids to the New Testament.
We must reconcile Jesus’ divinity with God’s
Profound Oneness
-
God declares Himself to be a single deity when he uses the title
Lord
- Deut. 6:4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
-
Zech. 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day
shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
-
Mark 12:29 And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments
is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
- Eph. 4:5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism
-
-
God declares Himself to be a single deity when he uses the title
God
-
Mal. 2:10 Have we not all one father? hath not one God created
us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant
of our fathers?
-
-
Mark 12:32 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:
-
-
Rom. 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the
circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
-
-
1Cor. 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.
-
-
Eph. 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in you all.
-
-
1Tim. 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God
and men, the man Christ Jesus;
-
-
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest
well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
7742 times in the Old Testament God refers to Himself with
singular personal pronouns, I, me, mine. In addition to these he is referred to
with singular personal pronouns, he, his.
‡
Isa. 41:4 Who hath wrought
and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with
the last; I am he.
‡
Isa. 43:10 Ye are my
witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe
me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall
there be after me.
‡
Isa. 43:13 Yea, before the day was
I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who
shall let it?
‡
Isa. 48:12 Hearken unto me, O
Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
‡
Isa. 52:6 Therefore my people
shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth
speak: behold, it is I.
What about the plural pronouns in Gen 1:26, etc.? These
pronouns used during the creation of man could never negate all of the singular pronouns
that are used in every other place. The Hebrew scholars call them plurals of majesty,
plurals of deliberation.
Jesus used such plurals when speaking of himself. John 3:11
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen;
and ye receive not our witness.
Paul also used such plurals when speaking of himself. 1Cor.
2:6 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this
world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought:
1Cor. 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even
the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory:
1Cor. 2:13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with
spiritual.
What about the uniplural word, Elohim?
Elohim does not refer to a plurality of persons. It refers to a
plentitude of might. For this reason even Moses was called Elohim,
Exod. 4:16 And he
shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to thee instead
of a mouth, and thou shalt be to him instead of God.
Thirty five times the word Elohim is used in Genesis one. It is
invariably used with singular verbs, and/or pronouns when it refers to the God of Israel.
45 times the God of Israel is called the Holy One
‡
Jer. 51:5 For Israel hath not been
forsaken, nor Judah of his God, of the LORD of hosts; though their land was filled with
sin against the Holy One of Israel.
‡
Ezek. 39:7 So will I make my holy
name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name
any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
‡
Isa. 54:5 For thy Maker is thine
husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel;
The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
‡
Isa. 40:25 To whom then will ye
liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
‡
Isa. 41:14 Fear not, thou worm
Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer,
the
Holy One
of Israel.
‡
Isa. 41:16 Thou shalt fan them,
and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt
rejoice in the LORD, and shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
‡
Isa. 41:20 That they may see, and
know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and
the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
‡
Isa. 43:3 For I am the LORD thy
God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and
Seba for thee.
‡
Isa. 43:14 Thus saith the LORD,
your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and
have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
‡
Isa. 43:15 I am the LORD, your
Holy
One
, the creator of Israel, your King.
‡
Isa. 45:11 Thus saith the LORD,
the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons,
and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
Why did Jesus speak about the Father as though the Father was
other than himself?
There are no doubt many reasons for this. Following are some
compelling reasons for him to do so.
He had to abide by our rules, the rules which apply to human
beings in order to transfer justice from a just God to the sacrificial lamb, Jesus Christ,
a human being.
He had to be crucified. Not even the wicked men of this world
would have knowingly crucified a deity.
|
