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Carl
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 Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:05 am Post subject: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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THE DEITY OF CHRIST
By Professor Benjamin B. Warfield, D.D., L.L.D.
Princeton Theological Seminary, Princeton, New Jersey
A recent writer has remarked that our assured conviction of the deity of
Christ rests, not upon "proof-texts or passages, nor upon old arguments
drawn from these, but upon the general fact of the whole manifestation of
Jesus Christ, and of the whole impression left by Him upon the world." The
antithesis is too absolute, and possibly betrays an unwarranted distrust of
the evidence of Scripture. To make it just, we should read the statement
rather thus: Our conviction of the deity of Christ rests not alone on the
scriptural passages which assert it, but also on His entire impression on
the world; or perhaps thus: Our conviction rests not more on the scriptural
assertions than upon His entire manifestation. Both lines of evidence are
valid; and when twisted together form an unbreakable cord. The proof-texts
and passages do prove that Jesus was esteemed divine by those who companied
with Him; that He esteemed Himself divine; that He was recognized as divine
by those who were taught by the Spirit; that in fine, He was divine. But
over and above this Biblical evidence the impression Jesus has left upon the
world bears independent testimony to His deity, and it may well be that to
many minds this will seem the most conclusive of all its evidences. It
certainly is very cogent and impressive.
EXPERIENCE AS PROOF
The justification which the author we have just quoted gives of his
neglecting the scriptural evidence in favor of that borne by Jesus'
impression on the world is also open to criticism. "Jesus Christ," he tells
us, "is one of those essential truths which are too great to be proved, like
God, or freedom, or immortality." Such things rest, it seems, not on proofs
but on experience. We need not stop to point out that this experience is
itself a proof. We wish rather to point out that some confusion seems to
have been fallen into here between our ability to marshal the proof by which
we are convinced and our accessibility to its force. It is quite true that
"the most essential conclusions of the human mind are much wider and
stronger than the arguments by which they are supported;" that the proofs
"are always changing but the beliefs persist." But this is not because the
conclusions in question rest on no sound proofs; but because we have not had
the skill to adduce, in our argumentative presentations of them, the really
fundamental proofs on which they rest.
UNCONSCIOUS RATIONALITY
A man recognizes on sight the face of his friend, or his own handwriting.
Ask him how he knows this face to be that of his friend, or this handwriting
to be his own, and he is dumb, or, seeking to reply, babbles nonsense. Yet
his recognition rests on solid grounds, though he lacks analytical skill to
isolate and state these solid grounds. We believe in God and freedom and
immortality on good grounds, though we may not be able satisfactorily to
analyze these grounds. No true conviction exists without adequate rational
grounding in evidence. So, if we are solidly assured of the deity of Christ,
it will be on adequate grounds, appealing to the reason. But it may well be
on grounds not analyzed, perhaps not analyzable, by us, so as to exhibit
themselves in the forms of formal logic.
We do not need to wait to analyze the grounds of our convictions before they
operate to produce convictions, any more than we need to wait to analyze our
food before it nourishes us; and we can soundly believe on evidence much
mixed with error, just as we can thrive on food far from pure. The alchemy
of the mind, as of the digestive tract, knows how to separate out from the
mass what it requires for its support; and as we may live without any
knowledge of chemistry, so we may possess earnest convictions, solidly
founded in right reason, without the slightest knowledge of logic. The
Christian's conviction of the deity of his Lord does not depend for its
soundness on the Christian's ability convincingly to state the grounds of
his conviction. The evidence he offers for it may be wholly inadequate,
while the evidence on which it rests may be absolutely compelling.
TESTIMONY IN SOLUTION
The very abundance and persuasiveness of the evidence of the deity of Christ
greatly increases the difficulty of adequately stating it. This is true even
of the scriptural evidence, as precise and definite as much of it is. For it
is a true remark of Dr. Dale's that the particular texts in which it is
definitely asserted are far from the whole, or even the most impressive,
proofs which the Scriptures supply of our Lord's deity. He compares these
texts to the salt-crystals which appear on the sand of the sea-beach after
the tide has receded. "These are not," he remarks, "the strongest, though
they may be the most apparent, proofs that the sea is salt; the salt is
present in solution in every bucket of sea-water." The deity of Christ is in
solution in every page of the New Testament. Every word that is spoken of
Him, every word which He is reported to have spoken of Himself, is spoken on
the assumption that He is God. And that is the reason why the "criticism"
which addresses itself to eliminating the testimony of the New Testament to
the deity of our Lord has set itself a hopeless task. The New Testament
itself would have to be eliminated. Nor can we get behind this testimony.
Because the deity of Christ is the presupposition of every word of the New
Testament, it is impossible to select words out of the Blew Testament from
which to construct earlier documents in which the deity of Christ shall not
be assumed. The assured conviction of the deity of Christ is coeval with
Christianity itself. There never was a Christianity, neither in the times of
the Apostles nor since, of which this was not a prime tenet.
A SATURATED GOSPEL
Let us observe in an example or two how thoroughly saturated the Gospel
narrative is with the assumption of the deity of Christ, so that it crops
out in the most unexpected ways and places.
In three passages of Matthew, reporting words of Jesus, He is represented as
speaking familiarly and in the most natural manner in the world, of "His
angels" (Matt 13:41; 16:27; 24:31). In all three He designates Himself as
the "Son of man"; and in all three there are additional suggestions of His
majesty. "The Son of man shall send forth His angels, and they shall gather
out of His kingdom all things that cause stumbling and those that do
iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire" (Matt 13:41).
Who is this Son of man who has angels, by whose instrumentality the final
judgment is executed at His command? "The Son of man shall come in the glory
of His Father with His angels; and then shall He reward every man according
to his deeds" (Matt 16:27). Who is this Son of man surrounded by His angels,
in whose hands are the issues of life? The Son of man "shall send forth His
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Matt
24:31). Who is this Son of man at whose behest His angels winnow men? A
scrutiny of the passages will show that it is not a peculiar body of angels
which is meant by the Son of man's angels, but just the angels as a body,
who are His to serve Him as He commands. In a word, Jesus Christ is above
angels (Mark 13:32)-as is argued at explicit length at the beginning of the
Epistle to the Hebrews. "To which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on
my right hand. etc." (Heb 1:13).
HEAVEN COME TO EARTH
There are three parables recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Luke as spoken
by our Lord in His defense against the murmurs of the Pharisees at His
receiving sinners and eating with them. The essence of the defense which our
Lord offers for Himself is, that there is joy in heaven over repentant
sinners! Why "in heaven," "before the throne of God" (Rev 7:15; 14:5)? Is He
merely setting the judgment of heaven over against that of earth, or
pointing forward to His future vindication? By no means. He is representing
His action in receiving sinners, in seeking the lost, as His proper action,
because it is the normal conduct of heaven, manifested in Him. He is heaven
come to earth. His defense is thus simply the unveiling of what the real
nature of the transaction is. The lost when they come to Him are received
because this is heaven's way; and He cannot act otherwise than in heaven's
way. He tacitly assumes the good Shepherd's part as His own.
THE UNIQUE POSITION
All the great designations are not so much asserted as assumed by Him for
Himself. He does not call Himself a prophet, though He accepts this
designation from others: He places Himself above all the prophets, even
above John the greatest of the prophets, as Him to whom all the prophets
look forward. If He calls Himself Messiah, He fills that term, by doing so,
with a deeper significance, dwelling ever on the unique relation of Messiah
to God as His representative and His Son. Nor is He satisfied to represent
Himself merely as standing in a unique relation to God: He proclaims Himself
to be the recipient of the divine fullness, the sharer in all that God has
(Matt 11:2 . He speaks freely of Himself indeed as God's Other, the
manifestation of God on earth, whom to have seen was to have seen the Father
also, and who does the work of God on earth. He openly claims divine
prerogatives-the reading of the heart of man, the forgiveness of sins, the
exercise of all authority in heaven and earth. Indeed, all that God has and
is He asserts Himself to have and be; omnipotence, omniscience, perfection
belong as to the one so to the other. Not only does He perform all divine
acts; His self-consciousness coalesces with the divine consciousness. If His
followers lagged in recognizing His deity, this was not because He was not
God or did not sufficiently manifest His deity. It was because they were
foolish and slow of heart to believe what lay patently before their eyes.
THE GREAT PROOF
The Scriptures give us evidence enough, then, that Christ is God. But the
Scriptures are far from giving us all the evidence we have. There is, for
example, the revolution which Christ has wrought in the world, if, indeed,
it were asked what the most convincing proof of the deity of Christ is,
perhaps the best answer would be, just Christianity. The new life He has
brought into the world; the new creation which He has produced by His life
and work in the world; here are at least His most palpable credentials.
Take it objectively. Read such a book as Harnack's "The Expansion of
Christianity," or such an one as Von Dobschfitz's "Christian Life in the
Primitive Church"-neither of which allows the deity of Christ-and then ask,
Could these things have been wrought by power less than divine? And then
remember that these things were not only wrought in that pagan world two
thousand years ago, but have been wrought over again every generation since;
for Christianity has re-conquered the world to itself each generation. Think
of how the Christian proclamation spread, eating its way over the world like
fire in the grass of a prairie. Think how, as it spread, it transformed
lives. The thing, whether in its objective or in its subjective aspect, were
incredible, had it not actually occurred. "Should a voyager," says Charles
Darwin, "chance to be on the point of shipwreck on some unknown coast, he
will most devoutly pray that the lesson of the missionary may have reached
thus far. The lesson of the missionary is the enchanter's wand." Could this
transforming influence, undiminished after two millenniums, have proceeded
from a mere man? It is historically impossible that the great movement which
we call Christianity, which remains unspent after all these years, could
have originated in a merely human impulse; or could represent today the
working of a merely human force.
THE PROOF WITHIN
Or take it subjectively. Every Christian has within himself the proof of the
transforming power of Christ, and can repeat the blind man's syllogism: Why
herein is the marvel that ye know not whence He is, and yet He opened my
eyes. "Spirits are not touched to fine issues who are not finely touched."
"Shall we trust," demands an eloquent reasoner, "the touch of our fingers,
the sight of our eyes, the hearing of our ears, and not trust our deepest
consciousness of our higher nature-the answer of conscience, the flower of
spiritual gladness, the glow of spiritual love? To deny that spiritual
experience is as real as physical experience is to slander the noblest
faculties of our nature. It is to say that one half of our nature tells the
truth, and the other half utters lies. The proposition that facts in the
spiritual region are less real than facts in the physical realm contradicts
all philosophy." The transformed hearts of Christians, registering
themselves "in gentle tempers, in noble motives, in lives visibly lived
under the empire of great aspirations"-these are the ever-present proofs of
the divinity of the Person from whom their inspiration is drawn.
The supreme proof to every Christian of the deity of his Lord is then his
own inner experience of the transforming power of his Lord upon the heart
and life. Not more surely does he who feels the present warmth of the sun
know that the sun exists, than he who has experienced the re-creative power
of the Lord know Him to be his Lord and his God. Here is, perhaps we may say
the proper, certainly we must say the most convincing, proof to every
Christian of the deity of Christ; a proof which he cannot escape, and to
which, whether he is capable of analyzing it or drawing it out in logical
statement or not, he cannot fail to yield his sincere and unassailable
conviction. Whatever else he may or may not be assured of, he knows that his
Redeemer lives. Because He lives, we shall live also-that was the Lord's own
assurance. Because we live, He lives also-that is the ineradicable
conviction of every Christian heart.
----
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/ |
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Stormin Mormon
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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Top Ten Signs that You're a Christian:
10- You vigorously deny the existence of thousands of gods claimed by
other religions, but feel outraged when someone denies the existence
of your god.
9- You feel insulted and 'dehumanized' when scientists say that people
evolved from lesser life forms, but you have no problem with the
Biblical claim that we were created from dirt.
8- You laugh at polytheists, but you have no problem believing in a
Trinity god.
7- Your face turns purple when you hear of the 'atrocities' attributed
to Allah, but you don't even flinch when hearing about how God/Jehovah
slaughtered all the babies of Egypt in 'Exodus' and ordered the
elimination of entire ethnic groups in 'Joshua' -- including women,
children, and animals!
6- You laugh at Hindu beliefs that deify humans, and Greek claims
about gods sleeping with women, but you have no problem believing that
the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary, who then gave birth to a man-god who
got killed, came back to life and then ascended into the sky.
5- You are willing to spend your life looking for little loop-holes in
the scientifically established age of the Earth (4.55 billion years),
but you find nothing wrong with believing dates recorded by
pre-historic tribesmen sitting in their tents and guessing that the
Earth is a couple of generations old.
4- You believe that the entire population of this planet with the
exception of those who share your beliefs -- though excluding those in
all rival sects -- will spend Eternity in an infinite Hell of
Suffering. And yet you consider your religion the most 'tolerant' and
'loving'.
3- While modern science, history, geology, biology, and physics have
failed to convince you otherwise, some idiot rolling around on the
floor speaking in 'tongues' may be all the evidence you need.
2- You define 0.01% as a "high success rate" when it comes to answered
prayers. You consider that to be evidence that prayer works. And you
think that the remaining 99.99% FAILURE was simply the will of God.
1- You actually know a lot less than many Atheists and Agnostics do
about the Bible, Christianity, and church history -- but still call
yourself a Christian. |
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Stormin Mormon
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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http://jmm.aaa.net.au/articles/9664.htm
Was Jesus a Christian?
John Mark Ministries Priscillas Friends WWW
Author: Rowland Croucher
Most Popular Articles
Theology Was Jesus a Christian?
Christians come in about 13 varieties. These varieties (or mindsets)
can
be found in all religions. You mustn't judge any religion simply on
its
caricatures. My theses:
Each mind-set makes *part* of Christianity the *whole* of it.
There's nothing wrong with the parts. But like a car, if you've only
got
parts lying around you're not going anywhere.
Jesus rejected all these mindsets (but not the essential concerns of
each
of them). For convenience I'll use terms from early Christianity, and
for
the sake of brevity I'll oversimplify each mindset:
Sadducees are rationalists. If your *reason* can't comprehend
something
(miracles, resurrection, angels) you don't have to believe it. Their
God
is very reasonable; their theology is 'liberal'; they inhabit mainline
church seminaries.
Zealots are passionate about *justice*. Justice is all about fairness,
the
relationship of the strong to the weak, the right use of power. Their
God
sanctions terrorism; their theology is 'liberationist'; today they're
priests and others who advocate the violent overthrow of oppressive
Latin
American regimes.
Herodians love *power*. They climb to the top of religious
institutions.
Their God bestows favours on the 'haves' who are 'born to rule'. They
do
not realize that love of power is inimical to a devout spirituality.
Scribes, elders, teachers-of-the-law regard *tradition* as master,
rather
than servant. Their religious way of life is ruled by precedent, what
has
been. 'Come weal, come woe, their status is the quo'. If it's new,
it's
suspect. Their God is unchanging, not merely in faithfulness, but
operationally.
Essenes are liturgists. 'If only we get our *worship* right, the
Messiah
will come.' Their God is 'wholly other'. Their liturgies are exact,
their
worship-forms utterly predictable.
Mystics major on *experience*. They are right-brain, rejecting
rationalism, cerebralism, dogmatism. For them prayer (perhaps divorced
from labour) is the essence of the spiritual life. They sometimes form
monastic orders.
Gnostics are syncretists. They believe there's truth in every
*religion*.
They invite us to make up our own identikit picture of God. They're at
home somewhere in the New Age Movement; they develop conspiracy
theories
from the Dead Sea Scrolls; they love the Gospel of Thomas.
Sophists or sages place a high premium on *knowledge* or *wisdom*
(they're
not the same). They develop beautiful theories about redaction
criticism,
whether the four gospels are 'reliable' when they describe what Jesus
said
and did. They write learned papers, which like those of their
predecessors, will be seen in future academic circles to be largely
nonsense.
Sign-seekers love *miracles*. With Herod (in Jesus Christ Superstar)
they'd love Jesus to 'walk across their swimming-pool.' Their God
wants
everyone to be healthy, wealthy (but not necessarily wise: academia is
suspect). Anything can be cured, instantly, given enough faith.
Materialists measure everything, not just *money*. The bigger, faster,
more brilliant, the better. Bigger churches are better than smaller
churches; brilliant preachers than ordinary ones. Success, fame,
ambition,
optimism, 'imaging' are their watch-words. They attend Amway
conventions.
Do-gooders are given to paternalism. They do works of *mercy* for
their
own benefit, not just for the sake of the one done good to/against.
Thoreau said of them, 'If you see someone coming towards you with the
object of doing you good, run for your life.' These 'people-helpers'
don't
realize they're in it to solve their own problems: pure altruism is
very
very rare.
Antinomians despise holiness - at least for themselves in private. As
the
term implies, they're 'against law' and misuse *grace*. 'God loves to
forgive, it's his business' - so they give God every opportunity to do
just that.
Finally, pharisees are preoccupied with two things - *law* and
*doctrine*.
So they become legalists and dogmatists. They talk a lot about 'truth'
and
'error'. Their God is unambiguous, reducible to creeds and doctrinal
statements. Their 'gospel': repentance precedes acceptance (with Jesus
it
was the other way around). The acid test: their non-concern for social
justice and mercy amd true faith (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42, cf. Micah
6:. They're fundamentalists, and proud of it.
All the entities *emphasized* are O.K. as part of a religious system,
but
are deadly if divorced from any/all of the others. Jesus did not align
himself with any of the above groups: go and do likewise!
Shalom! Rowland Croucher
[Director, John Mark Ministries] - counseling seminaring, preaching,
writing, for Christian pastors/leaders/& spouses
[Telephone: 613 9729 2517]
[Email: ]
http://jmm.aaa.net.au/index.html
top of page
© John Mark Ministries. Articles may be reproduced in any medium, without
applying for permission
(provided they are unedited, and retain the original author/copyright
information - and perhaps a reference to this website  ! |
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Stormin Mormon
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:34 pm Post subject: Re: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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THE ARTICLES
OF FAITH.
In the spring of 1842, the Prophet Joseph Smith sent a letter to John
Wentworth, who was editor of a newspaper called the Chicago Democrat. This
letter contained an account of many of the events of early Church history.
The document also contained thirteen statements outlining Latter-day Saint
beliefs. These have come to be known as the Articles of Faith, which are
given below.
The Articles of Faith are official doctrine of the Church and have been
canonized as a part of latter-day scripture. They are clear statements of
belief that help members understand the basic beliefs of the Church and
explain these beliefs to others. They are not, however, a complete summary
of Church doctrine. Through living prophets, the Church is guided by
continuous revelation and inspiration.
1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and
in the Holy Ghost.
2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for
Adam's transgression.
3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be
saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.
4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are:
first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by
immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift
of the Holy Ghost.
5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the
laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and
administer in the ordinances thereof.
6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church,
namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.
7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions,
healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.
8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated
correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.
9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we
believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining
to the Kingdom of God.
10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of
the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the
American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and,
that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.
11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the
dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let
them worship how, where, or what they may.
12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and
magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.
13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in
doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of
Paul--We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many
things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything
virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these
things.
Joseph Smith. |
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Stormin Mormon
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:35 pm Post subject: Re: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God
Elder John M. Madsen
Of the Seventy
John M. Madsen, “Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God,” Ensign, May 1993,
26
My beloved brothers and sisters, I am filled with an overwhelming sense of
joy
and gratitude for the transcendent events which took place in the Kirtland
Temple 157 years ago today. And I wish to pay humble tribute to my parents,
who
raised me “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” (Enos 1:1.)
I love the words of the Lord given to all who are called and appointed to go
forth and preach the gospel in these latter days: “O ye my servants … , be
of
good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by
you;
and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the
living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to come.” (D&C 68:5-6.)
All who know and understand the glorious work of redemption wrought by the
Lord
Jesus Christ and all who know of his majesty and power and promises
understand
why they are to be of good cheer. They who have come to know him do not
fear!
They look unto him in “every thought.” They “doubt not,” and they “fear
not.”
(D&C 6:36.) They know that he, the Lord Jesus Christ, is with them and that
he
will stand by them! (See D&C 6:32; D&C 29:4-7; D&C 32:3; D&C 84:87-88.)
“Be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will
stand
by you.”
Following this comforting and sacred promise is a serious and equally sacred
charge, even a commandment which cannot be ignored: “And ye shall bear
record of
me, even Jesus Christ, that I am the Son of the living God, that I was, that
I
am, and that I am to come.” (D&C 68:6.)
Why this sacred charge, this commandment of the Lord to his servants? The
Lord
answers: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true
God,
and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3.)
“For strait is the gate, and narrow the way that leadeth unto the exaltation
and
continuation of the lives, and few there be that find it, because ye receive
me
not in the world neither do ye know me.” (D&C 132:22.)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but
by
me.” (John 14:6.)
No doctrine is more fundamental to an understanding of the plan of salvation
than the doctrine which reveals the true identity and role of Jesus Christ.
But how are all the nations of the earth to come to an understanding of the
true
identity of the Lord Jesus Christ? Consider these prophecies:
• “The time shall come when the knowledge of a Savior shall spread
throughout
every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.” (Mosiah 3:20.)
• “These last records [clearly referring to the Book of Mormon and other
latter-day scriptures],… shall make known to all kindreds, tongues, and
people,
that the Lamb of God is the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Savior of the
world; and that all men must come unto him, or they cannot be saved.” (1 Ne.
13:40.)
• “And righteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send
forth
out of the earth, to bear testimony of mine Only Begotten; his resurrection
from
the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and
truth
will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out mine elect
from
the four quarters of the earth.” (Moses 7:62.)
President Benson has plainly declared that “the Book of Mormon is the
instrument
that God designed to ‘sweep the earth as with a flood, to gather out [His]
elect.’ ” (Ensign, Nov. 1988, p. 4.) We have no more sacred privilege, and
no
more urgent and sacred responsibility, than to bear testimony that Jesus is
the
Christ, the Son of the living God! And we have no more effective
“instrument”
with which to accomplish this sacred task than the record which God has
prepared
for that very purpose, even the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus
Christ! In its pages, as in the other standard works of the Church, the true
identity of the Lord Jesus Christ stands forever revealed—past, present, and
future!
Concert halls are filled at Christmastime by people in many lands throughout
the
world who, with reverence and rejoicing, stand and sing the triumphant and
immortal words of Isaiah, set to the music of Handel’s Messiah:
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government
shall
be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (JST, Isa. 9:6.)
But who is this “child”? Who is this “son”? And “whose son is he”? (Matt.
22:42.) Who is this “mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of
Peace,”
spoken of by Isaiah? The Book of Mormon “verifies and clarifies” who he is!
(Ezra Taft Benson, A Witness and a Warning, Salt Lake City, Deseret Book
Co.,
1988, p. 13.)
He is Jesus Christ, born into this world, as the “Only Begotten Son” (Jacob
4:5,
11; 2 Ne. 25:12; Alma 5:48; Alma 9:26; Alma 12:33-34; Alma 13:5) of God “the
Eternal Father,” and the Son of Mary, “after the manner of the flesh.” (1
Ne.
11:18-24; 2 Ne. 2:4, 8; 2 Ne. 31:7; 2 Ne. 32:6; Mosiah 3:8.)
He is Jesus Christ, the long-awaited “Messiah,” “the Savior” and “Redeemer
of
the world” (1 Ne. 1:19; 1 Ne. 10:4-17; 1 Ne. 15:13-14; 2 Ne. 2:6-10), of
whom
all “the prophets testified” (3 Ne. 11:10; Mosiah 3:13; Hel. 8:13-23), who
came
into the world so “that salvation might come unto the children of men even
through faith on his name.” (Mosiah 3:9; 2 Ne. 31:2-21; Alma 32:21-43.)
He is Jesus Christ, the “Lamb of God,” who was “judged of the world, …
lifted up
upon the cross” (1 Ne. 11:32-33) and “crucified” (1 Ne. 19:9-10, 13-15; 2
Ne.
6:9; 2 Ne. 10:3-5; 2 Ne. 25:12-13; Mosiah 3:9; Mosiah 15:7-9) “to atone for
the
sins of the world” (Alma 34:8; Alma 22:14; Alma 33:22-23;Mosiah 3:11-18.)
He is Jesus Christ, who, before condescending to “come down from heaven” to
dwell “among the children of men” (Mosiah 3:5), was none other than the
“Great
Jehovah” (Moro. 10:34; D&C 110:3-4; Abr. 1:16; Abr. 2:6-, “the God of
Abraham,and … Isaac, and … of Jacob” (1 Ne. 19:7-15; Mosiah 7:19-20; Hel.
8:13-23), “the Holy One of Israel” (2 Ne. 6:9), who gave “the law” unto
Moses on
the mount! (3 Ne. 15:5.)
He is Jesus Christ, “the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all
things
from the beginning” (Mosiah 3:8; 2 Ne. 9:6; Alma 11:39; 3 Ne. 9:15; D&C
38:1-3;
D&C 76:24), whose “infinite atonement” (2 Ne. 2:6-10; 2 Ne. 9:5-10; Alma
34:8-16; Alma 36:17-1 brings the “resurrection of the dead” (2 Ne.
9:10-13,
21-22; Jacob 4:11-12; Alma 11:42-45; Alma 40:23; Hel. 14:15-19).
He is Jesus Christ, “the Eternal Judge of both [the] quick and [the] dead.”
(Moro. 10:34; 2 Ne. 2:9-10; 2 Ne. 9:13-17, 41; Mosiah 3:10, 18; 3 Ne.
27:13-15;
3 Ne. 28:31; Morm. 3:20-22.)
He is Jesus Christ, “the Lord Omnipotent who reigneth, who was, and is from
all
eternity to all eternity.” (Mosiah 3:5.)
“O ye my servants … , be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am
with
you, and will stand by you; and ye shall bear record of me, even Jesus
Christ,
that I am the Son of the Living God, that I was, that I am, and that I am to
come.” (D&C 68:5-6.)
I know and bear witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
that he was and is the Great Jehovah, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.
I
know that he atoned for the sins of the world and that he was resurrected
with a
glorious body of flesh and bone. I bear witness that he lives, and that he
soon
will come again to rule and reign as “King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.”
(Rev.
19:16.) May we truly “flood the earth with the Book of Mormon” (Ensign, Nov.
1988, p. 5), that all who will may come unto him and be saved, I pray in the
sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Gospel topics: Jesus Christ, Atonement, Book of Mormon |
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Stormin Mormon
Guest
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 10:36 pm Post subject: Re: A GREAT DEDATE JESUS IS GOD? |
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Scholars have long debated the exact ethnicity and nationality of Jesus.
Recently, at a theological meeting in Rome, scholars had a heated debate
on
this subject. One by one, they offered their evidence....
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS MEXICAN:
1. His first name was Jesus.
2. He was bilingual.
3. He was always being harassed by the authorities.
But then there were equally good arguments that.......
JESUS WAS BLACK
1. He called everybody "brother".
2. He liked Gospel.
3. He couldn't get a fair trial.
But then there were equally good arguments that.......
JESUS WAS JEWISH
1. He went into His Father's business.
2. He lived at home until he was 33.
3. He was sure his Mother was a virgin, and his Mother was sure
he was God.
But then there were equally good arguments that.......
JESUS WAS ITALIAN
1. He talked with his hands.
2. He had wine with every meal.
3. He used olive oil.
But then there were equally good arguments that.......
JESUS WAS A CALIFORNIAN
1. He never cut his hair.
2. He walked around barefoot.
3. He started a new religion.
But then there were equally good arguments that.......
JESUS WAS IRISH
1. He never got married.
2. He was always telling stories.
3. He loved green pastures.
But perhaps the most compelling evidence ...
THREE PROOFS THAT JESUS WAS A WOMAN .....
1. He had to feed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no
food.
2. He kept trying to get the message across to a bunch of men
who JUST DIDN'T GET IT.
3. Even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was
more work for him to do. |
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