The Question On Christ's Nature
THE DOCTRINAL POSITION of the Iglesia Ni Cristo on the question of Christ’s true nature radically differs from the commonly accepted belief in His deity and dual nature. The Iglesia Ni Cristo believes that Christ is man, neither God nor God-man — as most people recognize
Him — but man.
But, lest we be accused of belittling Christ or, worse, having no God at all, we must clarify our position at once.
When we say that Christ is man, we are speaking only of our belief in His nature, and in no way does it reflect our belief in His attributes and qualities, nor does it in any way impair the high regard with which we hold the exalted positions the true God has placed Him in.
So, when we say that Christ is not God, we are not at the same time negating the scriptural fact that Christ is the Savior (Acts 5:31), the Mediator between God and men (I Tim. 2:5), the Lord (Acts 2:36), the Light (Jn. 8:12), the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 6:14), nor any of the exalted places He occupies in the whole creation of God. We do not reject Christ’s Lordship, His Messiahship, His Mediatorship, nor any of the qualities and attributes endowed by the true God upon Him, as our critics would have others believe.
When we say that Christ is not God, we are using the word “God” in the strictly biblical sense. Biblically, the word God properly refers to the Father, the Creator of all things (I Cor. 8:6), the Almighty (Gen. 17:1), invisible and immortal God (I Tim. 1:17), who is above all, and through all (Eph. 4:6), who is a Spirit (Jn. 4:24), and therefore has no flesh and bones.
So, when we say that Christ is not God, we mean that He is not the Father, He is not the Creator, He is not the almighty and immortal God. He is not spirit in nature, as He pointedly proved in Luke 24:39; He has flesh and bones.
With these clarified, we can now go on presenting the basis of our belief concerning the nature of Christ without worrying that we might be accused of denigrating Christ.
As in all other doctrines of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the basis of our belief that Christ is man is the Bible— and the Bible alone. We believe that the Bible is the word of God and it alone can teach us what God wants us to learn, especially on such fundamental doctrines as God, Christ, and salvation.
WHY CHRIST COULD NOT BE THE TRUE GOD
Let us consider why it is scripturally unsound to believe that Christ is God. Three of the reasons are:
01
THE FATHER IS THE TRUE GOD. Firstly, the Bible is quite clear in its teaching that the Father is the only true God. The fact that Jesus Christ is not the Father but the Son amply proves that He is not the true God and therefore His true nature is not, and can never be, that of the true God. Let us quote the pertinent texts that support this scriptural statement:
The prophet Malachi proclaims, “Do we not all have one father? Has not one God created us?…”
(Reference: Mal. 2:10, NASB, Emphasis Mine)
The prophet Isaiah testifies:
“For from of old they have not heard nor perceived by ear, Neither has the eye seen a God besides Thee, Who acts in behalf of the one who waits for Him.
“But now, O LORD, Thou art our Father, We are the clay, and Thou our potter; And all of us are the work of Thy hand.”
(Reference: Is. 64:4, 8 NASB, Emphasis Mine)
In these two texts alone, it is sufficiently clear that the one Father who created us all is the one true God, and besides Him there is no other God. Strengthen this argument, let us turn this time to the Apostles:
Apostle Paul states rather confidently:
“yet for us there is only one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and we exist for Him; …”
(Reference: I Cor. 8:6, NASB, Emphasis Mine)
Apostle Paul’s attribution of the words “only one God” to the “Father” is significant and should call the attention of those who attribute those same words to the Son. They should now realize the grave error they have committed in teaching that Christ is God. Such teaching is diametrically opposed to the apostolic teachings.
The statement of Jesus Christ Himself regarding this matter should put this case to rest. John 17:1,3, reads:
“After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, ‘Father…
And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God…”
(Reference: Jn. 17:1, 3 NLT, Emphasis Mine)
It would seem therefore that the only way by which the belief in the deity of Christ could be reconciled to the biblical teaching of the absolute oneness of God, the Father, is by teaching that Christ is the Father. Short of doing that, no amount of arguing could prove that Jesus is the one referred to by the prophets and by the Apostles as the one God. That, however, would be an untenable position, for it would run counter to more biblical texts than those that point to the Father as the true God and, therefore, create more problems than it intends to solve. In so many instances, the Bible has introduced Christ as the Son, never as the Father. The Father Himself made known to all that Christ is His “beloved Son” (Mt. 3:17). The Son has dutifully recognized God as His Father and has never claimed the honor for Himself.
Therefore, the biblical fact that the Father is the only true God and the equally biblical fact that Christ is the Son and not the Father proves that Christ is not the true God and that, therefore, His nature could not be that of the true God.
02
CHRIST NEVER SAID HE IS THE TRUE GOD. Never did Christ introduce Himself as the true God. Never can we find a single verse in the Bible where we can read Christ teaching in no uncertain terms that He is God.
Perhaps those who believe that He is God would explain this fact away as an act of modesty. That Christ is modest is not in question here. He is modest but not to the extent of choosing to fail in His mission just to demonstrate His modesty because that would be construed as a false sense of modesty.
One of the greatest missions of Christ here on earth is to make known to all who the true God is. It is His purpose to reconcile men to God, and He would not be able to do this unless He first makes known to men who the true God is. As Apostle John says:
“No one has ever seen God. God’s only Son, the one who is closest to the Father’s heart, has made him known.”
(Reference: Jn. 1:18 GWT, Emphasis Mine)
This is one of the reasons why the Son of God has come: to give us understanding to know Him who is true, namely, the true God and eternal life (I Jn. 5:20). He suffered so much for that undertaking. He was despised and rejected. He was nailed on the cross to die like the worst criminal.
If Christ were the true God, and if it were His purpose to make known the true God once and for all, is it not rather strange that He never proclaimed that He is that one true God? If He did say anything like that, it should have been recorded in the Bible considering the tremendous significance of such pronouncement.
Instead, the Bible records the many instances when Christ pointed to the Father as His God and the God that should be known by all. Right up to His last breath, He never once referred to Himself as God. The very last words that He uttered in His last dying moments persistently points to the Father, His Father, as the only true God. He said:
“MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”
(Reference: Mk. 15:34, NASB, Emphasis Mine)
His death would have been doubly tragic if, after having gone through so much pain and after having risked so much, He failed to do what He was supposed to do, but that is, if He were the true God. But He is not. Neither was His death in vain; the true Christians have profited from His teachings. They have arrived at the knowledge of the truth that the Father is the only true God.
Instead of introducing Himself as the true God, Christ did just the opposite. What did He say His true nature is? In John 8:40, He said
“But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God.”
(Reference: Jn. 8:40 NASB, Emphasis Mine)
Not only did Christ say that He is man, He also distinguished Himself from God. He said He was telling the truth which He heard from God. Now, why would He say that if He were that God? Christ said that for the simple reason that He is not God. The teachings of the Apostles confirm this. Apostle Peter says:
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.”
(Reference: I Tim 2:5 NJKV, Emphasis Mine)
Therefore, here is another strong reason why it is scripturally unsound to say that Christ is God. Christ never once said He is the true God; what He said He is, is quite clear: He said He is man. And His Apostles corroborate this.
03
GOD IS NOT MAN; MAN IS NOT GOD. Let us quote the pertinent biblical texts that prove God is not man and man is not God. Hosea 11:9, states:
“I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, The Holy One in your midst.”
(Reference: Hosea 11:9 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
And, Ezekiel 28:2, states:
“Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas’ Yet you are a man and not God.”
(Reference: Ezek. 28:2 NASB 1995, Emphasis Mine)
These verses prove that the Bible does not support the concept of a “being” that is both God and man simultaneously. God declared He is God and not man. God also declared that man is man and not God.
The fact that Christ is man is sufficient proof that He is not the true God. So one of the things the people who believe that Christ is God must do to prove that Christ is indeed the true God is to disprove first that Christ is man. Unless they do that, they would be doing violence to the doctrine of the Bible, namely, that man is not God. But how could anybody disprove that Christ is not man using the Bible when it is from that very same Bible where we learn that Christ is man?
We have given you here three of the many reasons why it is scripturally unsound to say that Christ is the true God.
We hope that this will help you in reappraising your belief on the true nature of Christ so that you can eventually reconcile it with the teachings of the Bible.
IN CONCLUSION
1
WE KINDLY EXTEND our visitors an invitation to explore the pristine, unadulterated teachings of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) as they were taught by Christ and His apostles in the first-century Church Of Christ. Learn the truth about the One and ONLY True God — The Father, and “…the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Cor. 11:3), His Son. These teachings presented here are the path that leads to eternal life for all on that appointed day of Judgment:
Who The True God Is
SUPPORTERS OF THE BELIEF in the divinity of Christ, also known as the Christ-is-God or the God-man doctrine, assert that God exists as a trinity consisting of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Although they are three in nature and considered distinct beings, proponents maintain that they form a single God. The concept of the Trinity lacks explicit biblical endorsement; thus, proponents often argue that it represents a profound mystery beyond human comprehension and should be accepted by faith alone.
Fundamental Beliefs of The "Iglesia Ni Cristo" (Church Of Christ)
WITH THE AIM of aiding others in achieving a more comprehensive understanding of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, a series of readings has been developed. These readings encompass a range of significant topics, from the nature and work of Christ to apostasy. We encourage all those who are curious or in search of truth to engage with these articles. They are designed to encapsulate the comprehensive doctrines and beliefs of the Iglesia Ni Cristo…
Reach Out
If you wish to acquire a deeper understanding of our Church Doctrines and have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. We would be delighted to direct you to one of our local resident ministers in your vicinity. Kindly include any queries you may have so that we may forward your inquiry in advance. Thank you.
Please note, we only read and respond to messages that do not contain hate speech or insults...
“Do not let unwholesome [foul, profane, worthless, vulgar] words ever come out of your mouth, but only such speech as is good for building up others, according to the need and the occasion, so that it will be a blessing to those who hear [you speak].”
(Eph. 4:29, Amplified Bible)
“Love endures with patience and serenity, love is kind and thoughtful, and is not jealous or envious; love does not brag and is not proud or arrogant. It is not rude; it is not self-seeking, it is not provoked [nor overly sensitive and easily angered]; it does not take into account a wrong endured.”
(1 Corinthians 13:4-5, Amplified Bible)