2 . And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only Begotten, Who was born of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created, consubstantial with the Father, and by Him all things were.
In the second member of the Creed, we speak of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and confess what we know about Him as the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, a Divine Being, before His birth on earth.
Lord Jesus Christ is Only Begotten Son of God, i.e. He is the only Son of God the Father, born from the being of the Father, like light from light. From the true God the Father is born the same true God the Son, and is born before all ages, that is, before all time - from eternity, so that with the Father eternally, there is always a Son (as well as the Holy Spirit), an identical being with the Father ( "consubstantial with the Father"). Jesus Christ himself said: “I and the Father are one” (). The words of Jesus Christ: “My Father is greater than I” () refer to His humanity.
If angels and saints are sometimes called sons of God, then this name says that they are sons of God only by grace, that is, by the mercy of God, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
By the way "born", in the Creed the word “not created” was added. This addition was made to refute the false teaching of Arius, who argued that the Son of God was not born, but created.
Words “They don’t care”- mean Them, Son of God, everything was created, i.e. everything that exists, the visible world and the invisible, was created by the Son and through the Son ( “and without Him nothing could have happened”() we read in the Easter Gospel).
The Son of God, during his incarnation - birth on earth, received the name Jesus Christ. This name indicates His human nature.
Name Jesus is a Greek translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua (Yehoshua) and means Savior. This name was indicated twice by God through an Angel before the Nativity of Christ, because the eternal Son of God descended to earth (was born, incarnated) for salvation people.
Name Christ- the word is Greek and means Anointed. (In Hebrew it also corresponded to the word “Messiah”). In the Old Testament, prophets, high priests and kings were called anointed, who, upon taking office, were anointed with oil and through this received the gifts of the Holy Spirit necessary for the worthy performance of their duties.
The Son of God is called the Anointed One (Christ) according to His human nature, because He had all the gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophetic knowledge, the holiness of the high priest and the power of the king.
NOTE: When the members of the Creed, from the 2nd to the 7th, are read separately, then to each of them must be added at the beginning: “I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God”...
Discourse on the eternal birth of the Son of God
We live in time, and everything temporary changes - “everything flows, everything changes.” When the world ends its temporary existence (at the second coming of the Savior), it will change and become eternal. Will "new sky"(firmament) and new land"(Isaiah: 65, 17; 66, 22;; Apoc. 21, 1).
Living in the conditions of time, it is difficult for us to imagine eternity. But still, to some extent, we can imagine it (science - philosophy).
So, eternity unchangeable, it is timeless. God, the Holy Trinity, is eternal and unchangeable Therefore, the Father was never without the Son and without the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Fathers and Teachers of the Church explain that the Father was always together with the Son, born of Him, for without the Son he could not be called Father. If God the Father ever existed without having a Son, and then became Father without first being Father, this would mean that God underwent a change, from being unborn became begotten, but such a thought is worse than any blasphemy, for God eternal And immutable. The Creed says so: "Who was born of the Father before all ages", this means; before the existence of our time, i.e. forever.
The Holy Fathers explain: “Just as the mind that gives birth to the word gives birth without illness, is not divided, is not exhausted and is not subject to anything that happens in bodies: so the divine birth is impassive, ineffable, incomprehensible and alien to division.”
“Like a word,” says the Archbishop. Innocent, “is the exact expression of thought, not separating from it and not merging with it, so the Word was with God, as a true and exact Image of His Being, inseparably and unmergedly always existing with Him. The Word of God was not a phenomenon or property - the power of God, but God Himself, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity."
Different believers perceive Jesus Christ differently. Muslims and Jews, who, like Christians, believe in the God of Israel, consider Jesus a prophet, that is, a man. Christians perceive Him exclusively as a celestial being. However, there is a dispute among Christians about His equality with God the Father and His origin - was He created or begotten?
First, let's look at the Old Testament texts of the Bible that speak of the deity of Jesus. Initially, in the Old Testament, in the prophecy about Christ (Christ is the translation of the word Messiah), it is said that He will not be a man, but a celestial being who has life from the beginning:
Is. 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; dominion on His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Micah 5:2 And you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, are you small among the thousands of Judah? from you will come to me one who is to be ruler in Israel and Whose origin is from the beginning, from the days of eternity.
From the above texts it is clearly clear that the Christ prophesied in Scripture is God. As for His name, I think you understand that the name in former times had a special meaning - it reflected the character of a person or the hopes placed by parents on its bearer. So, Jesus in translation means Savior. Naturally, Christ could rightfully bear other names previously attributed to Him: Counselor, Wonderful and Emmanuel, which means “God with us” (see Isa. 7:14, Matt. 1:23), etc.
It is no coincidence that Christ was called Jesus the Savior. It was He who “paid” by death on the cross for our sins and saved us for eternal life. Therefore, IT IS IN HIS NAME that we will be saved. Today it is not uncommon to come across not entirely correct interpretations of verses related to salvation and the name of the Lord. For example, Jehovah's Witnesses believe that it is necessary to know one of the names of the Lord - Jehovah - in order to be saved. We will not talk much about the names of God within the framework of this material; I will try to devote separate material to this issue in the future. But we’ll talk about the name associated with salvation. So, in the Old Testament there is the following text:
Joel. 2:28 And it shall come to pass after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; Your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions. 29 And also on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out My Spirit. … 31 The sun will turn into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. … 32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
If you carefully study the Bible, you will see that this particular passage is quoted in the New Testament in connection with Salvation, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the first Christians and a description of the signs of the approaching Second Coming of Christ:
Acts 2:17 And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams. 18 And on My servants and on My handmaids in those days I will pour out My Spirit... 19 And I will show wonders... 20 The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
That is, the call on the name of the Lord is presented here in DIRECT connection with the First and Second Coming of Jesus. And a little further, the Apostle Peter directly says by what name specifically we are to be saved:
Acts 4:12 There's no other name under heaven (talking about Jesus) given to men by whom we must be saved.
Later, the Apostle Paul repeats this same thought:
Rome. 10:13 For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
And a few sentences above, Paul makes it clear that he is talking about Jesus:
Rome. 10:9 For if you confess with your mouth Jesus Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
I think that you understand that for Salvation it is not enough to know and call on the name “Jesus Christ”, but it is necessary to live as taught by the One who bears this name. Now let's move on, finding confirmation in the Bible that Jesus Christ is the Lord God.
To immediately eliminate some questions, we note that Jesus never spoke about His superiority over God the Father. On the contrary, Jesus always proclaimed that the Father is greater than He is the Son.
John 14:28 Ye have heard that I said unto you, I depart from you, and will come to you. If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I said: I am going to the Father; for My Father is greater than Me.
This is normal and natural, as in any righteous family where there is an adult son. A son (daughter), according to the 5th commandment of the Decalogue (Exodus 20), must honor his father, regardless of his age.
But just because Jesus is the Son does not make Him not God. Christ, as the Bible repeatedly says, is God for people. It was He who created the Earth:
Col. 1:16 For by 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, - everything was created by Him and for Him .
Jehovah's Witnesses, as an argument “belittling” Jesus before God the Father, cite the fact that Christ Himself called the Father God:
Jesus says to her: Do not touch Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; But go to my brothers and say to them: I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and to your God"(John 20:17).
However, this fact does not make Jesus not God. Simply, Jesus, being God, states the fact that His Father is God. Here we can give an analogy from the world. For example, the owners of the company are father and son. A righteous son who deeply respects his father, when talking with employees of his organization about his father, will respectfully call him “master.” Although de jure and de facto for the company's employees, both father and son are the owners of this enterprise.
There are at least two texts in the Bible that, in the Old and New Testaments, directly show us the relationship between two persons, both of whom are called God. And in both of these cases, one of the persons of the Godhead is Christ.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus asks the Pharisees to interpret the Psalm of David, which speaks of Christ. Here is this Psalm:
"Said Lord to the Lord to me: sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”(Ps. 109:1).
Jesus asked the Pharisees:
“What do you think about Christ? whose son is he? They say to Him: David. He says to them: what does David, by inspiration, call His Lord when he says: said Lord to the Lord to me: Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool? So, if David calls His Lord, how is He his son?” (Matt. 22:42-45).
Here it is clearly seen that Jesus refers this prophecy to Himself, saying that the Lord Himself, through the psalmist, calls Christ Lord.
Also Psalm 44 shows us the presence of two persons of the Godhead:
"Throne Yours, God, forever; the scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore you anointed You, God(Ps. 44:7,8).
We see here that God has been anointed by God. The concept of anointed in the Jewish tradition refers to the Messiah, that is, Christ. It is this passage of Old Testament Scripture that the Apostle Paul quotes in the New Testament, referring Him to God the Son - Jesus:
"A about the Son: throne Yours, God, in the century of the century; The scepter of Your kingdom is the scepter of righteousness. You loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, therefore you anointed You, God"Your God provides the oil of gladness more than your companions."(Heb. 1:8,9).
Therefore, the fact that Jesus calls the Father God cannot in any way serve as a reason not to recognize Jesus Himself as God. As we have seen (and will see further), there is ample evidence in the Bible that Jesus is God.
Jesus Himself also spoke about His Unity with the Father and the Divine Essence:
"And now glorify Me, O Father, with Thyself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was" (John 17:5).
"No one ascended to heaven as soon as descended from heaven Son of Man, who is in heaven" (John 3.13)
"Well, if you see the Son of Man ascending [to] where he was before?" (John 6:62)
"Let them all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You So may they also be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."(John 17:21).
"You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you speak correctly, for I'm exactly that" (John 13:13).
"He who has seen Me saw the Father" (John 14:9).
"All"What the Father has is Mine"(John 16:15).
“Then they said to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them: from the beginning the Existent just as I tell you"(John 8:25).
"Me and Father - one" (John 10:30).
"Truly, truly, I say to you: before Abraham was, I am" (John 8:58).
Think about how an adequate person, and even a celestial Angel, could make such statements?
It was to Jesus Christ that God the Father gave the right to judge people and resurrect:
John 5:21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives life, so also The son revives whoever he wants .
John 5:22 For the Father does not judge anyone, but the whole court gave it to my son.
John 6:40 This is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life; And I will resurrect on his last day.
Open 1:17 I am the First and the Last, 18 and living; and he was dead, and behold, he is alive forever and ever, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death.
The Word of God tells us that Jesus was not created, but was begotten before all creation:
Col. 1:15 born first of all creation; 17 He is first of all .
John 1:3 Everything came into being through Him, and without Him nothing began to be that began to be.
The Old Testament prophecies about John the Baptist and his mission are also interesting. All commentators of the New Testament tell us that the prophet John came to prepare the way for the Lord Jesus Christ. Three evangelists attribute the predictions of the prophets Micah and Isaiah to John and Jesus - see Mar. 1:2,3, and also Matt. 11:10, Luke. 1:76, Luke. 3:4, Luke. 7:27.
Mar. 1:2. Behold, I send My angel before You, who will prepare Your way before You. 3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.
Few people dispute this interpretation of the New Testament texts. However, let us now look at the Old Testament prophecies themselves, which are quoted repeatedly in the New Testament and refer to John and Jesus.
Small 3:1 Here, I send my angel and he will prepare the way before me
Look at how this prophecy sounds in the New Testament when addressed to Jesus in Mar. 1:2 "Here, I send my angel before Your face, who will prepare Your way is before You" . That is, we see that in Mal. 3:1 God Himself sends an Angel before Him, and in Mar. 1:2, God sends an angel before Jesus. Again, as discussed above, we see, as it were, two Gods. And at the same time, He is One in other quotes of this prophecy.
What follows is even more interesting. In the original Jewish text (the Masoretic text, which was carefully copied by Jewish scribes from the most ancient times and from which the Old Testament is translated into all other languages), the prophetic phrase about John and Jesus sounds like this:
Is. 40:3 The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert the paths of our God
Here the words “the way of the Lord” sound “the way of Jehovah,” where Jehovah is the Tetragrammaton - one of the main names of God - Jehovah (Yahweh). Thus, according to the most ancient prophecies quoted by the apostles in the New Testament, John prepared the way not just for Christ the Messiah, but for Jehovah God, whom Jesus was.
A page from the Masoretic text of the prophet Isaiah 39 - 40 with an underlined phrase in Isaiah. 40:3 "the way of Jehovah"
Now let's look at a few more New Testament texts where Jesus is indirectly and directly called God:
Onion. 2:11 For today a Savior has been born to you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord .
John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and The Word was God. 14 I The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we have seen His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. (The Word is Jesus, that is, Jesus God).
John 1:18 No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He revealed(EXISTING IN THE BOWL OF THE FATHER literally means “eternally existing within God,” which directly speaks of Jesus Christ’s membership in the Godhead).
Col 2:9 dwells in Him all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Philip. 2:6 He, being the image of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God; 7 But he made himself of no reputation, taking on the form of a servant, becoming in the likeness of men and becoming in appearance like a man.
Rom 9:5 Christ according to the flesh, God above all blessed forever, amen.
Heb. 1: 1 God ... 2 in these last days spoke to us in son, which he put heir to everything (it is mentioned more than once that everything that belongs to the Father also belongs to His Son - Jesus), through whom (via Jesus) and created eyelids.(that is, through Jesus the universe was created) 3 This being the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis and upholding all things by the word of His power (Jesus holds everything by His Word, which tells us about the creation of the earth by His Word), having purified our sins with Himself, sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty on high, 4 being so superior to angels how much more glorious than them the name he inherited. 5 For to which of the angels did [God] say: Are you My Son, today have I begotten You? (God calls Jesus Son, like none of the Angels) And again: I will be His Father, and He will be My Son? 6 Also, when he brings the Firstborn into the universe, he says: And let them worship Him All Angels of God..
1 Tim 3:16 And unquestioningly - the great mystery of piety: God appeared in the flesh, justified Himself in the Spirit, showed Himself to the Angels, preached to the nations, accepted by faith in the world, ascended in glory.
By the way, in this text in some translations there is not the word “God”, but “Which” or “He”. It is related to the Greek original. But even in this case, this phrase proves that Jesus is not an ordinary person, but a Celestial. After all, is it possible to call great secret the fact that man came in human flesh? See Paul's similar statement about Jesus:
Rom.8:3 Because the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless, God sent His Son (Jesus) in the likeness of sinful flesh [as a sacrifice] for sin and condemned sin in the flesh.
Here we are talking about the Son of God Jesus Christ, who was sent by the Father God in human flesh to redeem humanity from sin.
As we see, not one or two biblical texts tell us that Jesus Christ is the Lord God. If one verse spoke about this, then one could look for translation distortion or look deeply into the context. But the Lord has left enough evidence in His Word to leave Bible students in no doubt - Jesus Christ is Lord God.
Valery Tatarkin
| Is the Holy Spirit God? >> |
In order for us to figure out who really is God and who is not and to distinguish the True God from false gods, we must first give a precise definition of the word “God”.
For example, asking someone the question, “What is a table?” we can get many answers. And if we don’t know what the word “table” means, then we won’t be able to accurately determine what is a table and what is not. Sometimes we can call a stool on a construction site or a blanket spread on the ground a table, and although they can in some ways replace a table for us, in fact they are not a table.
But what makes a table a table? - you ask. Answer: - its function, that is, its role or its original purpose.
« Table"is a piece of furniture that has a horizontal raised surface intended for placing objects on it or for performing work (eating, playing, drawing, learning, and other activities).
Thus, we see that a table is a piece of furniture that initially has or carries this function. Everything else that did not have this function initially or carries it only temporarily, although it is called a table, is not actually a table.
Also, not all those who are mentioned in the Bible with the word “God” are the True God; many on its pages appear before us as false gods.
« God“is an object of worship to which we give the power to control us. But the true God has this power legally and rightfully, because He is our Creator and our life depends on Him.
God is not a position one chooses. The real God is an entity that is recognized.
- In the Bible, the word “God” refers to the object of worship, because only God belongs to worship.
John describes his attempt to worship an angel and what came of it. He writes: “I fell at his feet to worship him; but he said to me: see that you do not do this; I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who have the testimony of Jesus; Worship God"(Rev. 19:10).
God Himself warns us against such actions, saying: “ I am the Lord your God Who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; may you have no other gods before My face. You shall not make for yourself an idol or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth below, or that is in the water under the earth; do not worship them or serve them“For I the Lord your God am a jealous God” (Ex. 20:2-5). And again: “Keep firmly in your souls that you did not see any image on the day that the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the midst of the fire, lest you become corrupt and make for yourselves graven images, images of any idol representing a man or a woman, an image of some livestock that is on the earth, an image of some winged bird that flies under the heavens, an image of some [reptile] crawling on the earth, an image of some fish that is in the waters below the earth; And so that you, looking at the sky and seeing the sun, the moon and the stars [and] all the heavenly host, he was not deceived and did not bow to them and did not serve them for the Lord your God has distributed them to all the nations under all the heavens” (Deut. 4:15-19).
But “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen” (Rom. 1:25). Based on this, we see that the one whom you worship, whose power you recognize over yourself, the one you make your god, whom you worship, is the god for you: (the god of this age, the god of the womb, idols, graven images, etc. .).
And therefore the scripture says: “If our gospel is hid, it is hid for those who are perishing, for those who do not believe, for whom god of this age blinded their minds, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of the invisible God, should shine upon them” (2 Cor. 4:3,4).
By appropriating this power for yourself, you yourself are trying to become a god for yourself or not only for yourself. Before he became Satan, Lucifer said in his heart: “I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God and sit on the mountain in the assembly of gods, on the edge of the north; I will ascend to the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Almighty"(Isa.14:13,14).
While enticing our first parents to take upon themselves the power and responsibility of making a decision to reject the authority of God, Satan also drew their attention to this issue, saying: “In the day that you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good.” and evil” (Gen. 3:5).
So, our god is the one who has the power to lead us. But the True God is the One who has this power initially, and not through theft, conquest, endowment or appropriation of it.
- In the Jewish understanding, God is always the Creator of heaven and earth. If not the Creator, then not God.
“For all the gods of the nations are nothing, but idols, but the Lord made the heavens” (1 Chronicles 16:26), (Ps. 96:5).
And not only heaven, earth and the whole world, but also ourselves.
- You cannot divide God.
According to the image. How some divide Him, saying that: in a bush that was burning and not consumed, in a pillar of fire and of cloud, in the radiance of glory above the mercy seat - God appeared. But in the Archangel Michael or in the man Jesus Christ, this is no longer God. We don’t divide a person by saying that: in swimming trunks or pajamas, he is a person, but in a suit or mask, he is no longer a person.
By name or title. Hosts, Adonai, Jehovah are God, but Jehovah, Jesus, the Holy Spirit is no longer God. It’s as if Ivan, Peter, Nikolai are people, but the names Masha, Petya, Vasya have nothing to do with a person.
By status, action or role. The Righteous Judge, the Almighty Father is God, but the Son of God, the Intercessor, the Comforter is no longer God. We don’t want to be divided in such a way that: a president, a preacher is a person, but a carpenter, a plumber, a parishioner is no longer a person.
So what makes God God? One name, one image or something else? If God can have many names, can take on any image, then what makes him God is His function, His role in our world. God's function is to rule the universe. And worship is the recognition of this power for Him.
Can the function of God depend on the form He takes or the name by which He is called? To understand this, let's go back to the previous example:
Does a table have to be red, green, blue, yellow or transparent to be a table? Can it be iron, plastic, glass or necessarily wood? Can a table be round, square, triangular, oval, or must it be rectangular? Will it be a table if it has only one leg or two or three, six, eight or does it have to have four legs? Does color, shape, material or supports affect whether this furniture can be a table? No. But tables can differ not only in shape, color, support or material, but also in purpose. A billiard table, for example, is different from a tennis table, kitchen table, desk table, etc. Color, shape, supports, purposes do not affect the function of the table, and until its function as a table changes, the table will remain a table.
The same applies to God, because we worship God not as an image, but as the Creator, as the One to Whom alone belongs worship and all power in the universe.
- In the world He created, God takes upon Himself the function or role of governing the universe.
God took upon Himself the leadership and control of all that He created.
Theoretically, God could have created our world and left it to observe what would come of it, could not have revealed himself to us, and we would not have known anything about Him. He would not then be our God and would remain only our Creator.
How many names does God have? And why does He need so many of them, since He is alone? Wouldn't one name be enough for Him? Or was one image not enough for Him?
In order to reveal to us the different spheres of His management, God not only used different names for this, but also revealed Himself to us in three different manifestations of His personalities.
- To show His transcendental existence and inaccessible, central sphere of control, and at the same time caring power, God reveals himself to us as Father. Whenever the supreme power of God, Who cannot be seen, understood, or explained, is described, a person called the Father is implied.
- To reveal the material - visible sphere of control, to open Yourself to Your creation, to clearly show Your character, Your feelings and relationships. To live with us, to lead us, instructing, setting an example of how to live, worship and serve the Creator. To save us by becoming our Substitute in eternal death, He revealed Himself to us as the Son of God and the Son of Man - the visible manifestation of God. Whenever God communicates with creation using a visible image, that person is Jesus.
- To open the inner - spiritual invisible sphere of control, not as a distant God, but as the One who is next to each of us and works inside each of us: caring, showing His presence, producing a new birth, influencing, rebuking, instructing, reminding, supporting, He revealed Himself to us as the Holy Spirit. Every time we realize the influence of God on our mind, feelings and will, we call this person the Holy Spirit.
And although all this is the same God, He appears and acts in our world as three separate personalities.
Without the concept of One God revealed in three separate persons, trying to explain who God is would be even more confusing. Try to combine all three personalities of God into one and give an explanation of the actions of God in our world and the very understanding of who God is: who can be considered God and who cannot.
- If something does not fit into our understanding, this does not mean that it does not exist, it only means that we still do not understand something.
Some things to use, such as TV, phone, airplane, etc. it is not necessary to understand how they are constructed or how they operate. It is enough to know that they exist and just use them.
Some explanations may seem too confusing and incomprehensible, like higher mathematics for a first-grader. Incomprehensible functions explained by incomprehensible terms and theories. But this does not mean that now they need to be rejected, declaring that this cannot happen, since it does not fit in our heads? No. We just need to take it on faith, then when we become smarter, we will understand.
For many, the question is to explain the nature of God: How can three different persons be the same God? Or how can Jesus be 100% God and 100% man? How can 200% fit into 100%?
So, the True God is the One who governs and directs the universe and to Whom belongs all power, service and worship on the basis of the fact that He is the Creator, the Redeemer and the loving, caring Master. Worshiping God is recognizing His power over oneself and serving Him.
Jesus is God. Worship the Creator of heaven and earth.
- Who is the Son of God - God or not God?
Today many people ask this question. And those who do not want to recognize Jesus Christ as God say that the Son of God is simply a man with a Divine nature.
But the Bible does not give us such an understanding as a demigod - half god and half man, just as it does not give us an understanding of half worship. You either worship or you don't. Understanding demigods, people of divine nature, such as Hercules, Hercules, etc. exists only in pagan culture, in myths and legends invented by man, but not in the Word of God.
Jesus is not a demigod because He is not 50 percent of God nor 90 percent, but 100 percent." for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily"(Col.2:9).
Jesus admitted that He is God by saying about Himself that He is the Son of God. He says: " Me and the Father are one. Here again the Jews took up stones to stone Him. Jesus answered them: I have shown you many good works from My Father; For which of them do you want to stone Me? The Jews answered Him: We do not want to stone You for a good deed, but for blasphemy and for You, being a man, make yourself God. Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, I said, You are gods?” If He called those to whom the word of God came gods, and the Scripture cannot be broken, then you say to him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world: you are blaspheming, because I said: I am the Son of God? (John 10:30-36).
By actually calling Himself the Son of God, Jesus is declaring that He is God. And the Jews understood Him correctly when they were going to stone Him, not for good deeds, but because, in their words, He, “being a man, makes Himself God.”
- Only God can forgive sins, because sin is rebellion against God.
“Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralytic: child! your sins are forgiven you. Some of the scribes sat there and thought in their hearts: that He blasphemes? who can forgive sins except God alone? Jesus, immediately knowing in His spirit that they were thinking this way in themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking this way in your hearts?” What's easier? Should I say to the paralytic: your sins are forgiven? or should I say: get up, take your bed and walk? But just so you know that The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins“He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, get up, take up your bed and go to your house” (Mark 2:5-11).
- Legal worship belongs to Jesus:
By declaring that Jesus is not God, but only the Son of God, people are trying to deprive Him of the worship that rightfully belongs to Him, because the Bible says: “ Worship the Lord your God and serve Him alone"(Matt. 4:10). God speaks about this in His Law: “I am the Lord your God; let you have no other gods before Me. ... do not worship them or serve them” (Ex. 20:2-5). That is, if Christ is not God, then it is impossible to worship and serve Him, and if we serve and worship Him, then we become violators of God’s commandments, and in fact, lawless people, rejecting the Law of God. But we know that the wicked will not inherit the Kingdom of God. So how then do they relate to those who serve and worship Christ? Is it not God Himself who calls us to do this?
Introducing the Firstborn into the universe, God says: “And let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6)
Whenever God calls men or idols gods, it is accompanied by a negative description, as if they had stolen this position from Him. But Jesus “being in the image of God, I didn’t consider it theft to be equal to God; but he made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a servant, and becoming in the likeness of men, and looking like a man; He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to the point of death, even death on the cross. Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth"(Phil.2:6-10).
As we just read, Jesus did not consider it stealing to be equal with God. The Apostle Thomas, being a Jew from birth raised in the fact that one cannot worship anyone other than God, recognizes Jesus as God, saying: “ My Lord and my God!"(John 20:28). And we see that Christ does not stop him, as the angel stopped John, but accepts worship of Himself as God. Thus, Jesus leaves us with only two options for perceiving Him. We either agree with the apostle, and with Jesus Himself, that He is God. Either we recognize Christ as an impostor and a blasphemer - a selfish sinner, and we have no right to even perceive Him as a prophet. In this case, He died for His sin, and we were left without hope of salvation.
In addition to the words of Thomas acknowledging Christ as God, John writes: “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, Son of God and believing, they had life in His name” (John 20:31). In other words, he says: this is who the Son of God is.
In his letters John says: “ He who has the Son (of God) has life; He who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you, By believing in the Son of God, you have eternal life… . We also know that the Son of God came and gave us light and understanding, let us know the true God and that we may be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life"(1 John 5:12-20).
In fact, we see that from the first chapter through the entire gospel, all the epistles and even the book of revelation, John shows us Jesus as the True God Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, the One to whom belongs honor, glory, majesty and worship, the Alpha and Omega, Who was, is and is to come.
The Apostle Paul, echoing John, also emphasizes this by asserting that God Himself calls Jesus Christ God, saying “of the Son: Thy throne, God, in the century of the century; The scepter of Your kingdom is the scepter of righteousness. You loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore you anointed You, God Thy God is the oil of gladness above Thy partners. I: at the beginning You, O Lord, founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands."(Heb. 1:8-10), and calls on all the Angels to worship Him saying: " and may all the Angels of God worship Him"(Heb. 1:6).
"theirs are their fathers, and from them Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all blessed forever, Amen" (Rom. 9:5).
- The Sanctuary service shows that only God can bear the sin of the world.
“And they will build a sanctuary for Me, and I will dwell in the midst of them” (Ex. 25:8).
"AND I will dedicate the tabernacle of meeting and the altar; I will also sanctify Aaron and his sons, that they may serve as priests to Me; and I will dwell among the children of Israel and I will be their God, and they will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:44-46).
“And thou shalt make an altar for the offering of incense, of shittim wood shalt thou make it:... And shalt thou set it before the veil that is before the ark of the testimony, opposite the mercy seat that is on [the ark] of the testimony, where I will reveal myself to thee” (Ex. 30:1,6 ).
"If the whole congregation of Israel will sin by mistake and the matter will be hidden from the eyes of the congregation, and will do something against the commandments of the Lord, which should not have been done, and will be guilty, then when the sin they have committed is known, let them from the whole congregation present a bull from the herd as a sin offering and bring it before the tabernacle of meeting; and the elders of the congregation shall lay their hands on the head of the bull before the Lord, and slaughter the bull before the Lord.. And the priest shall bring the bull anointed with the blood into the tabernacle of meeting, and the priest shall dip his finger in the blood and sprinkle it seven times before the Lord. before the veil[sanctuaries]; And he will put the blood on the horns of the altar, which is before the Lord in the tabernacle of meeting , and the rest of the blood will be poured out at the foot of the altar of burnt offerings, which is at the door of the tabernacle of meeting; and he shall take all the fat out of it and burn it on the altar; and he will do to the bullock what is done to the bullock for sin; so shall the priest do to him, and so shall the priest cleanse them, and they will be forgiven"(Lev.4:13-20).
The ministry of cleansing God's people from sin, represented in types, showed that only God could bear the sin of the people.
By serving in the sanctuary, God wanted to teach people that sin does not disappear without a trace and does not disappear anywhere. Someone needs to take the punishment he deserves. Therefore, symbolically, with the laying on of hands, sin was transferred to the sacrificial animal, which died in the sinner’s place, and then, with the blood of the sacrificial animal, it was brought into the sanctuary where it was sprinkled on the altar of incense who is before the Lord in the tabernacle of meeting, before the veil, which is before the ark of the testimony, against the mercy seat, which is on the [ark] of the testimony. Thus, through the blood of an animal, sin was transferred from man to God, who dwelt in the sanctuary and appeared there to His people. By this symbolic service, God showed that only He can bear the sin of the world and forgive us. But since God is not guilty, once a year the cleansing of the sanctuary took place, and the sin of the people, which God took upon Himself, was now placed on the scapegoat, symbolically representing Satan - the true culprit of sin.
In fact, John the Baptist declares that Jesus is the God who lived in the Sanctuary and who takes away the sin of the world when he says: “ behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" And he also confirms his words with the following statements: “This is the one about whom I said: a man comes after me, who stood in front of me, because He was before me"(John 1:29,30). “He is the one who comes after me, but who stands in front of me. I am not worthy to untie the thong of His sandals” (John 1:27). “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God” (John 1:34).
From the Holy Scriptures we know that John the Baptist was born earlier than Jesus, but why then does he say that Christ was before, perhaps because he recognized Him as God?
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth; and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father” (John 1:1,14). “No one has ever seen God; The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed” (John 1:18).
The word translated into our language as “only begotten” does not sound in Greek as “Monogenesis” and is more accurately translated: as one of a kind where Mono is one, genesis is a gene, that is, of the same gene. And from criminology we know that if the DNA or gene matches, then the samples belong to the same person. Moreover, in the original (in Greek) in this sentence instead of the word “Son” there is the word “God”, and it sounds like this: “No one has ever seen God; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, told.”
- The fact that Christ was born does not mean that He did not exist before that moment.
“Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58). No created being can say that. Only He who has immortality and the ability to independently take on any image, as well as change it at His own request, as many times as desired, can say this. Only God has such power and ability. This explains the desire of the Jews to stone Christ for these words.
- Only God can take on any form he wishes.
If creation could take on any form, then this would already be spiritualism or reincarnation and would confirm the doctrine of the immortality of the soul. But only God is immortal.
- The Jews did not know any other God except the One who revealed himself to them at Sinai, proclaiming His Law from the midst of the fire, the One who communicated with Moses in a bush that was burning and not consumed, who led them in a pillar of fire and cloud, etc.
The Prophet writes:
« From eternity Jesus Christ and the Father are one " (ZhV1:92)
“The youth Jesus did not study at the synagogue school. Mother was His first teacher. He learned the truth from her lips and from the Scriptures of the prophets. Sitting on His mother's lap. He was now learning that He himself once spoke to Israel through Moses " (ZhV7:8) (book. Desire of Ages, 7th chapter, 8th paragraph)
« The burning bush in which Christ appeared to Moses revealed the presence of God. The symbol that clearly depicted the Deity was an ordinary bush, unremarkable in anything. God was in him. Infinitely merciful. God hid His glory in a humble form so that Moses could watch and not perish. So, in the pillar of cloud by day, and in the pillar of fire by night. God communicated with Israel, revealing His will to people and showing them His grace. The glory of the Lord was diminished. His greatness is hidden so that weak, limited man can bear it. Likewise, Christ was to come “in our humble body” (Phil. 3:21) and “become in the likeness of man.” In the eyes of the world, He was not endowed with that greatness that would attract people to Him. And yet He is God in the flesh, the light of heaven and earth. His glory was obscured. His greatness and power are hidden so that He can be closer to people burdened with sorrows and temptations.” (ZHV1:104)
“It was Christ who said to Moses from the bush on Mount Horeb: “I am He who is... So say to the children of Israel: He who is has sent Me to you” (Ex. 3:14). This was the promise of Israel's salvation. Therefore, when He appeared "in human form." He called Himself the Existing One (I am). The Child of Bethlehem, the meek and humble Savior, is God “manifested in the flesh”(1 Tim. 3:16). He tells us: “I am the good shepherd”; "I am living bread"; "I am the way, the truth and the life"; “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (John 10:11; 6:51; 14:6; Matt. 28:18). I am the guarantee of the fulfillment of all promises. "I am. Do not be afraid." “God with us” is the guarantee of our deliverance from sin, the assurance that we have the power to obey the laws of Heaven.” (ZhV1:108)
“The priest held in his arms the One who was greater than Moses. And when he wrote the name of the Child in the book, his hand wrote the name of the One who was the foundation of the entire Jewish religious system. ... in the Child of Bethlehem was hidden the glory before which the angels bowed. The foolish child was the promised Seed to which the first altar at the gates of Eden pointed. It was the Reconciler who revealed Himself to Moses as being. It was He who led Israel through the desert in pillars of fire and cloud.” (ZV5:12,13)
“11 And when the Jews departed from God, they greatly distorted the doctrine of sacrificial service. This ministry was established by Christ Himself" (ZV2:11)
“The priests who served in the temple lost understanding of the essence of their service. They no longer saw in the symbols what they meant. While serving, they acted like actors in a play. The ritual institutions prescribed by God have become a means of blinding the mind and hardening the heart. Such service to God became useless, and God could do nothing for man. This whole system had to be abolished." (ZV3:17)
“The Savior did not come to undo what the patriarchs and prophets said, because He Himself spoke through their mouths. All the truths of God's Word came from Him." (ZhV29:30)
“Therefore the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” These words are full of instruction and consolation. Because the Sabbath was made for man, it is the Lord's day. It belongs to Christ because “all things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made” (John 1:3). He created everything. He also created the Sabbath. He singled it out in memory of the days of creation. The Sabbath points to Christ as the Creator who sanctified it. She testifies: He who created everything in heaven and on earth. He who maintains everything is the Head of the church and through His power we are reconciled to God. For, speaking of Israel, He said: “I also gave them My Sabbaths, that they might be a sign between Me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord who sanctifies them” (Ezek. 20:12). Therefore, the Sabbath is a symbol of the power of Christ to sanctify us. The Sabbath is given to all whom Christ sanctifies. As a sign of His sanctifying power, the Sabbath is given to all who through Christ become part of God's Israel." (ZhV29:32)
“Jesus looks around the crowd, and everyone feels His searching gaze on them. It seems that He, full of dignity, soars above everyone, and Divine light illuminates His face. So he starts talking, and His clear, sonorous voice is the same voice that pronounced the commandments of the law on Mount Sinai, now violated by the priests and rulers, now echoes here in the temple: “Take this from here, and do not make My Father’s house a house of trade.” (ZhV16:15)
The Jews knew only one God, the One who created our world, set apart and sanctified the Sabbath, revealed Himself to Moses as He is, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, led Israel through the desert in pillars of fire and cloud, established ritual service for them and personally spoke on the mountain Sinai is the commandment of the law, which says: “I am the Lord your God. May you have no other gods before My Lyceum,” and this God, it turns out, was Jesus Christ. " Jesus, the gentle, compassionate Savior, was God who "came in the flesh"(1 Timothy 3:16)” (PkX1:13).
So, logically, those who claim that Jesus is not God should rather doubt that the Father is God, but here they are again confused: how can the Son be more important than the Father? Isn't Someone from Below another God then? Another one? According to their understanding, if the Father is God and the Son is also God, and there cannot be two or three Gods, then One of Them is superfluous. They cannot wrap their heads around the fact that all three personalities are one and the same God. As Jesus Himself states: “ Me and the Father are one "(John 10:30), that is, not We are together, but I and the Father are one and the same.
And for those who like more detail, I liked this work: “ Jesus God. Argumentation and evidence »
“And the seventh angel sounded, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying: The kingdom of the world has become [the kingdom] of our Lord and of His Christ, and will reign forever and ever. And the twenty-four elders, sitting before God on their thrones, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: We thank Thee, O Lord God Almighty, who art and was and who is to come, because thou hast received thy great power and has reigned” (Rev. 11: 15-17).
« I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, Almighty . I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and in the kingdom and in the patience of Jesus Christ, was on the island called Patmos for the word of God and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the spirit on Sunday, and I heard behind me a loud voice, like a trumpet, saying: I am Alpha and Omega, First and Last; write what you see in a book and send it to the churches that are in Asia: to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamum, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. I turned to see whose voice was speaking to me; and turning, I saw seven golden lampstands and, in the midst of the seven lampstands, like the Son of Man, clothed in a robe and girded across the chest with a golden belt: His head and hair are white, like a white wave, like snow; and His eyes are like a flame of fire; and His feet were like chalcolivan, like those burning in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. He held in His right hand seven stars, and from His mouth came a sword sharp on both sides; and His face is like the sun shining in its power. And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if dead. And He laid His right hand on me and said to me: Fear not; I am the First and the Last, and the living; and he was dead, and behold, he is alive forever and ever, Amen; and I have the keys of hell and death"(Rev.1:8-18).
“And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying: Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them; they will be His people, and God Himself with them will be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death; There will be no more crying, no crying, no pain, for the former things have passed away. And He who sat on the throne said, Behold, I am making all things new. And he says to me: write; for these words are true and true. And he said to me: it is done! I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end; To the thirsty I will give freely from the fountain of living water. He who overcomes will inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son” (Rev. 21:3-7).
- Let us summarize and answer the question: “Is Jesus God?”
When we know who the Holy Scripture calls God, the answer is as simple as two and two. If Jesus is worshiped, then He is God, if Jesus is not worshiped, then He is not God. But the Bible says that He is worshiped not only by people, but also by angels, and this testifies to us that He is God.
Now let us determine whether the Son of God is the True God or a false one. And again Scripture says: if He is our Creator, then He is the true God, if He is not, then He is false. And as we see from the Bible, Jesus is our Creator, which means He is the true God. John the theologian writes about Him: “The Son of God came and gave us light and understanding, so that we might know the true God and may we be in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).
So we have seen that Jesus is the God who is worshiped and to whom worship is rightfully due on legal grounds, since He is the Creator, which means He is the true God. In this regard, we are left with only two options for how to perceive Him: Either as the same God, but appearing in the flesh, or as another God. But since there cannot be two Gods, everyone who verbally declares that Christ is not God, under the guise of fighting polytheism, in fact, by worshiping Him, actually creates polytheism themselves: making both the Son and the Father separate gods. For we have determined that the Holy Scripture calls the one who is worshiped god, and that worship belongs only to God.
“One of the biggest differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat only has nine lives.”
Mark Twain, Dupe Wilson's Calendar
Son of God, son of David or son of man? Jesus is called “the son of David” fourteen times in the New Testament, starting with the very first verse (Matthew 1:1). Luke records forty-one generations between Jesus and David, and Matthias records twenty-eight. Jesus, a distant descendant, can be called, purely metaphorically, “the son of David.” But how then should we understand the title “son of God”?
The “trilemma” is a common assumption among Christian missionaries, declaring that “Jesus was either a madman, a liar, or the son of God, as he claimed.” For the sake of argument, let's agree that Jesus was neither crazy nor a liar. Let's also agree that he was exactly who he claimed to be. But who exactly was he? Jesus called himself “son of man” frequently, consistently, perhaps even emphatically, but where did he call himself “son of God?”
Let's pause. First, what does “son of God” mean? No legitimate Christian sect suggests that God took a wife and had a child, much less that God begat a child through a human mother outside marriage. Moreover, the suggestion that God physically mated with an element of His creation, which smacks of the blasphemy of ancient Greek mythology, is as yet beyond the bounds of religious tolerance.
Without a rational explanation available within the beliefs of Christian doctrine, the only means to understand this issue is to create yet another doctrinal mystery. It is then that a Muslim remembers this question stated in the Koran:
“He is the First Creator of heaven and earth. How can He have a son if He does not have a wife? He created every thing and knows everything that exists?” (Quran 6:101)
...while others shout: “But God can do anything!” However, the Islamic worldview is such that the Almighty does not do anything inconsistent with His Holiness. According to Islamic doctrine, the character of God is an integral part of His essence and is consistent with His majesty.
So what does “son of God” mean? And if Jesus Christ has such exclusive rights, why does the Bible say: “...for I am the Father of Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn” (Jeremiah 31:9) and “...Israel is my son, my firstborn” ( Exodus 4:22)? Taking from the context of Romans 8:14, read as “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God,” many scholars conclude that “Son of God” is a pure metaphor and, as with the word christos, does not imply exclusivity. In the end, Oxford Dictionary of Judaism confirms that in the Hebrew idiom “Son of God” is clearly metaphorical, referring to the fact that “son of God” is a term sometimes found in Jewish literature, biblical and post-biblical, but nowhere is physical descent from the Deity implied.” Bible Dictionary Hastinga comments:
In Semitic languages, "sonship" is a concept, somewhat loosely used, to denote morality rather than physical or metaphysical relationships. Thus the “sons of the devil” ( Jg 19:22, etc.) – evil men, not the descendants of the devil; and in the New Testament the “children of the wedding” are the wedding guests. So a “son of God” is a person, or even people, who reflect the character of God. There is little evidence that this name was used in Jewish circles of the Messiah, and filial relations implying more than a moral relationship would be contrary to Jewish monotheism.
In any case, candidates for “sons of God” begin with Adam, according to Luke 3:38: “...Adam (son) of God.”
To those who refute by quoting Matthew 3:17 (“And behold, a voice from heaven saying: This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased”) let us say that that the Bible describes many people, including Israel and Adam, as “sons of God.” Both II Samuel 7:13-14 and I Chronicles say: “He (Solomon) will build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son.”
Entire nations are referred to as sons or children of God. Examples include:
Genesis 6:2, “Then sons of God saw the daughters of men..."
Genesis 6:4, “At that time there were giants on the earth, especially from the time sons of God began to come in to the daughters of men..."
Deuteronomy 14:1, “You sons Lord your God.”
Job 1:6, “And there was a day when they came sons of God stand before the LORD..."
Job 2:1, “There was a day when they came sons of God to appear before the LORD..."
Job 38:7, “When the morning stars rejoiced together, when all sons of God shouted for joy?
Philippians 2:15, “That you may be blameless and pure, children of God blameless among an obstinate and corrupt people..."
1 Last John 3:1-2, “See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God... Beloved! We are now children of God..."
In Matthew 5:9 Jesus says: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.” And further, at 5:45, he instructs his followers to achieve noble character traits: “Be sons of your Father who is in heaven.” Not exclusively his Father, but their Father... Hastings, James. Dictionary of The Bible. p. 143.
Book 6. Lesson 44
I. Rev. Amphilochius, whose memory is now, lived in the 4th century and was a contemporary and friend of Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian. Initially, he served as a lawyer in the Cappadocian city of Deokesarea. In 373 he left the world and retired into the desert. But he did not remain in solitude for long; a year later, the Iconian Christians wanted to have him as bishop. Amphilochius at first refused, feeling unworthy of the priesthood; but since his friends insisted on election and especially Basil the Great advised him to accept the bishopric, Amphilochius yielded to the general desire. Amphilochius' work for the benefit of the Church was truly tireless. In 381, he attended the Second Ecumenical Council to affirm the true faith against Macedonius, who wickedly taught about the Holy Spirit; in 383, he traveled to Constantinople and asked Emperor Theodosius to prohibit the Arians (who rejected the divine dignity of the Son of God) from public meetings. The emperor found this measure too strict and refused to fulfill the saint’s request. Then Amphilochius acted very boldly. Arriving at the palace, he greeted Theodosius properly, and casually patted his son Arkady on the cheek, saying: Hello, child. Theodosius was very dissatisfied and ordered Amphilochius to greet Arcadius as a royal son, but Amphilochius replied that the honor shown to himself was enough. The angry emperor ordered Amphilochius to leave the palace immediately. You see, sir,” said the saint, “how it offends you that I did not show due honor to your son; Believe that God will not tolerate those who humiliate His Only Begotten Son. Theodosius understood the lesson, asked for an apology from Amphilochius and then issued the decree that he desired.
II. Yes, brethren, Rev. Amphilochius firmly confessed the dogma that our Savior Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. This is what our word will be about.
a) Jesus Christ is the Son of God. When the archangel preached the prenatural conception to the Virgin Mary, then he announced to Her that the Son Jesus born of Her would be called the Son of the Most High or the Son of God. “This will be great,” he said, “and he will be called the Son of the Most High (). The Heavenly Father testified twice with His divine voice, first on the Jordan, then on Tabor: This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased (). Jesus Christ Himself clearly speaks about Himself in the Gospel that He is the Son of God, and God is His Father. Thus, He declares Himself the Son of God to the man born blind (), in long conversations with the Jews and at the trial in the house of the high priest (), and everywhere he calls God His Father. The holy apostles also confessed Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Peter says to Christ: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (), Nathanael: You are the Son of God (), and all the disciples together: truly you are the Son of God (). This is how the entire Orthodox Christian Church has taught and believed about Christ since the time of the apostles, and now the entire Orthodox Christian Church invariably believes, confessing Him to be the true Son of God.
b) Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son of God. The Holy Evangelist John the Theologian says: God so loved the world, as He gave His only begotten Son (); The Word became flesh and dwelt in us, and we saw His glory, the glory of the Only Begotten from the Father (). And the Apostle Paul writes: when the end of summer had come, God sent His only begotten Son, born of a woman (). And although all who believe in God and the Lord Jesus Christ receive the right to be called the sons of God, as the Evangelist John says: the little ones received Him, and gave them the domain of being children of God to be believers in His name (); love, now I am a child of God (); however, they become such not by nature, but by grace. You are all sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus (), says the apostle. Paul. By nature, the one true and Only Begotten Son of God the Father is Jesus Christ.
c) Jesus Christ is the Son of God, born before all ages from the Father. God the Father Himself speaks to His Son in the psalmist: from the womb before the star I gave birth to Thee (). Also St. The Church confesses about the Son of God Jesus Christ when it sings: before the ages, to the Word of God born from the Father, incarnate of the Virgin Mary, come let us worship. The Son of God did not come as a creature from the Creator, but as God from God, and was not born in time, but without flight, like light from light, shone from the Father. Therefore, Jesus Christ, according to His Divinity, is the beginningless Son of the Father, the Eternal One from the Eternal, God from God. St. says this about the eternity of the Son of God Jesus Christ. Evangelist John the Theologian: in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word (); and Jesus Christ Himself shows His eternal existence with God the Father, when in a prayerful conversation to His Father He says: and now You, Father, glorify Me with You with the glory that I had with You before the world was not ().
d) Jesus Christ is the Son of God, consubstantial with the Father. Having been born without flight from God the Father, the Son of God Jesus Christ has one being with God the Father, and, according to the unity of the divine being, He and God the Father are one indivisible God. Jesus Christ Himself testified to the unity of His being with God the Father. “I and the Father,” he says, “are one (). So, Jesus Christ is the true Son of God, the Only Begotten, born before the age of the Father and consubstantial with God the Father.
III. Brethren! Believe that our Savior Jesus Christ is the true Son of God. Confess His Divinity, incomprehensible wisdom, endless power and strength. Send Him, together with God the Father, glory, honor and worship. Know the true God, the heavenly Father, and abide in His true Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and the eternal life. (). Amen.
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