'There is no other god besides me'
Isa. 45:21 NRSV
“THERE IS NONE BESIDES ME” thus the one true God declares in no uncertain terms (Isa. 45:21 New King James Version). This should silence, once and for all, those who believe otherwise. So clear is His declaration that it really is unthinkable that anyone should fail to see and understand its significance.
The Jehovah’s Witnesses, for instance, espouse the belief in a Mighty God besides an Almighty One. The Roman Catholic Church and other mainline Protestant churches maintain that God has three divine persons, namely, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, each one of whom is allegedly God, hence their belief in the so-called Trinity. Mormonism, meanwhile, believes in a plurality of gods. Other groups agree though, that there indeed is only one God, but that one God, according to them, is the Lord Jesus Christ.
WHOM CHRIST TEACHES AS THE TRUE GOD
Well, it is not for just anyone to say who the true God is. But certainly, all those who believe in the Bible will agree that it is the best authority to consult. Written in it is what God Himself said about the Lord Jesus Christ, thus:
“This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
(Reference: Matt. 17:5 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Whom does our Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest of God’s messengers, point out or teach as the only true God? Is it Himself? In the Gospel according to John, Christ speaks, thus:
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
(Reference: John 17:3 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Christ’s statement is clear: “that they may know You [Christ did not say ‘that they may know Me’], the only true God.” So whom does Christ refer to when He said, “that they may know You, the only true God”? In verse 1 of the same chapter, we can read, thus:
“Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: ‘Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You’.”
(Reference: Jn. 17:1, NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Christ makes it clear that the Father is the only true God (and Christ even lifted His eyes to heaven when He said that), and that He (Christ) was sent by the Father.
Those who insist that our Lord Jesus Christ is God should therefore think again. People cannot just dismiss nor ignore this all-important truth without depriving themselves of eternal life!
WHOM THE APOSTLES MADE KNOWN
When Christ ascended to heaven, whom did the apostles make known as the only true God? Was it Christ? In the first epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, we can read, thus:
“For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
(Reference: I Cor. 8:5-6 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Apostle Paul taught the true Christians that there is only one God: the Father. Not the Son. Not Christ. This truth should give those who believe in a plurality of gods a second thought.
But, pointing out that Apostle Paul also mentioned in the verse “one Lord Jesus Christ,” many jumped to the conclusion that Christ is God. What they do not know, however, is that Christ’s lordship is not innate in Him; rather, He was made Lord by God (Acts 2:36). And having been made Lord by God does not make Christ God, for this will run counter to what Apostle Paul also wrote, thus:
“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus.“
(Reference: I Tim. 2:5 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Should one elevate Christ and make Him God, who would then take the place of Christ’s being the one Mediator between God and men? Just something to think about, that even sincere trinitarians wrestle with.
In addition, making the man Christ Jesus as God violates what God Himself said, thus:
“I am God, and not man, …”
(Reference: Hos. 11:9 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
And the Christ-is-God teaching is also an utter disregard of Christ’s pronouncement, thus:
“But now you seek to kill Me, a Man who has told you the truth which I heard from God.”
(Reference: John 8:40 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Christ is a man telling the truth which He heard from God, thus showing that Christ is categorically different from God from Whom He heard the truth.
WHOM THE APOSTLES MADE KNOWN
What if, despite the fact that Jesus is a man who was made Lord by God, others would still insist that He is God or that He is in equal footing with God? Well, should they do that, they would directly be opposing Christ who unhesitatingly declared:
“My Father is greater than I”
(Reference: John 14:28 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
Still not convinced, many would argue that Christ also said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30 NKJV). But, in what are Christ and His Father one? Are they one in nature or state of being? Definitely not! For God is a Spirit (John 4:24) and has no flesh and bones as Christ declared while showing His disciples His hands and feet (Luke 24:39). So, in what are Christ and His Father one? In caring for Christ’s sheep or the people who belong to Him, thus:
“… I have told you, but you do not believe; yet the works which I do in the name of my Father testify of me. But you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, just as I told you. My own sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me; And I give them eternal life; and they will never perish, and no man will snatch them from my hands. For my Father who gave them to me is greater than all; and no man can snatch anything from my Father’s hand. I and my Father are of one accord.”
(Reference: John 10:25-30 Lamsa Translation, Emphasis Mine)
In addition, Christ’s specific instruction to Mary Magdalene should give ‘Christ- is-God’ believers a food for their thoughts, thus:
“Jesus said to her, ‘Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, “I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God”.”
(Reference: John 20:17 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
THE ULTIMATE DIFFERENCE
The Gospel according to John testifies, thus:
“So when Jesus Had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”
“…when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs.”
(Reference: John 19:30, 33 NKJV, Emphasis Mine)
This clearly shows that Christ died (v. 33). In contrast, in I Timothy 1:17, Apostle Paul wrote about the true God, thus:
“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”
This is the belief of the members of the Church Of Christ, God’s people in these last days: the Father alone is God, an absolute truth. They fully subscribe and hold on to what God emphatically declared: “there is no other God besides Me … There is none besides Me.”
IN CONCLUSION
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The Truth about God and Jesus Christ
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.
Reach Out
