Arguments against the deity of Christ

[VeritasSeeker]

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. In Mark 4:31 Jesus says “It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds” **However modern science has shown that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world.
   **
2. Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”
3. Mark 15:34 (Matthew 27:46) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” **Why would Jesus ask his God why he has forsaken him if he didn’t really forsake him. If Jesus was really omniscient then he wouldn’t have asked this because it implies ignorance.
   **
   4.John 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
   **Here Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, therefore he cannot be God.
   **
   5.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here Jesus clearly displays ignorance.

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

1. Matthew 21:18 "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” **All Though it is not explicitly stated, doesn’t this passage imply that Jesus was looking for food, approached the fig tree because he thought it bore fruit, found no food, and therefore cursed it? That seems like most straight forward interpretation of the passage. **

• Thanks in Advance!

 

[NotWorthy]

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. In Mark 4:31 Jesus says “It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds” However modern science has shown that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world.

This is sort of a nit-picky and un-realistic complaint.

Jesus: “The Kingdom of God is like the South American Tsi-Tsi seed planted in the ground. It is -”

Simon: “Uh, Master?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “What is it Simon? I was trying to make a point”

Simon: “What is a Tsi-Tsi seed?”

Jesus: “Well, its a seed that you guys have never seen nor will you ever see. But its a real small seed -”.

Simon: “Where does it grow?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “About 10,000 miles from here”.

Simon: “uh… what does the Tsi-Tsi seed have to do with your parable?”

Jesus: “Well, thanks to you, Simon, nothing!”.

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish agrarian audience and was using language that a Jewish agrarian audience would understand. If Jesus was speaking to a botany class in Athens, Greece, then your nit-picky friend would have a point.

 

[NotWorthy]

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. Mark 15:34 (Matthew 27:46) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Why would Jesus ask his God why he has forsaken him if he didn’t really forsake him. If Jesus was really omniscient then he wouldn’t have asked this because it implies ignorance.

Ask your friend to read Psalm 22. If he reads it, he’ll understand how ridiculous this point is.

 

[StrawberryJam]

I just want to address number two.

There is no logical reason to assume that Jesus was implying he was not God in your example. There is every possibility he was asking them to tell him who they thought he was. As he asked elsewhere that very question.

 

[StrawberryJam]

Number four:

This is a rather insulting argument. Of course the Father was not on the Cross, nor did he die, or have flesh.
Can’t we see what Jesus is saying here when he says greater than?
Let’s not forget the passage that states there is No Greater love than one who lays his life down for a friend (paraphrasing)

God the Father did not lay his life down. But, he suffered seeing his Son do so.

 

[Danno2281]

I just want to address number two.

There is no logical reason to assume that Jesus was implying he was not God in your example. There is every possibility he was asking them to tell him who they thought he was. As he asked elsewhere that very question.

John Paul II takes up this very question in Veritatis Splendor. Basically, He asks the young man, “Do you realize Who I Am?”

 

[JM3]

5.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here Jesus clearly displays ignorance.

The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament says of Matthew 24:36 - "Christ’s professed ignorance of this day and hour may be understood as hyperbole (overstatement), a teaching device used by jewish rabbis.

Also, there is a letter ‘a’ next to ‘Son’ - at the bottom of the page it says "a-other ancient authorities omit ‘nor the Son’.

 

[JM3]

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

This shows how a word can have two meanings and can be twisted to something that was not intended.

Matthew 4:7 - Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

So how is God tempted?

 

[JM3]

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Luke 2:40 - ‘And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.’ from the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament

Cross reference Luke 2:52 with 1 Sam 2:26.

 

[JM3]

4.John 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
Here Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, therefore he cannot be God.

How does it follow that Jesus is not God because the Father is greater than Him?

I would ask ‘Is your father a man?’
answer - ‘yes’.
Do you know everything that your father knows?
answer - ‘no’.
Then you cannot be a man.

Makes as much sense as their logic.

 

[Spirithound]

1. Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”

This is the passage where Jesus tells the young man to sell all his possessions and follow Him. If the young man had truly known who Jesus is, then he would have obeyed.

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

“Tempted” in the sense of the devil attempting to tempt Jesus. Satan does present the propositions, and so the temptation is ontologically present, although Jesus would never have taken it.

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Firstly, Jesus is fully Man, as well as fully God, and so He could have logically lacked wisdom. In taking human form, Jesus set aside His omniscience.

1. Matthew 21:18 "Early in the morning… **All Though it is not explicitly stated, doesn’t this passage imply that Jesus was looking for food, approached the fig tree because he thought it bore fruit, found no food, and therefore cursed it? That seems like most straight forward interpretation of the passage. **

F. F. Bruce in the book Hard Sayings in the Bible
“The incident occurred during the first days of April. Towards the end of March the leaves begin to appear, and in about a week the foliage coating is complete. Coincident with [this], and sometimes even before, there appears quite a crop of small knobs, not the real figs, but a kind of early forerunner. They grow to the size of green almonds, in which condition they are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. When they come to their own indefinite maturity they drop off.” Their appearance is a harbinger of the fully formed appearance of the true fig some six weeks later. So, as Mark says, the time for figs had not yet come. But if the leaves appear without any knobs, that is a sign that there will be no figs. Since Jesus found “nothing but leaves” he knew that “it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree” and said as much."

So, this episode is not to be taken as an example of ignorance, but rather a teachable moment.

 

[GEddie]

This is sort of a nit-picky and un-realistic complaint.

Jesus: “The Kingdom of God is like the South American Tsi-Tsi seed planted in the ground. It is -”

Simon: “Uh, Master?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “What is it Simon? I was trying to make a point”

Simon: “What is a Tsi-Tsi seed?”

Jesus: “Well, its a seed that you guys have never seen nor will you ever see. But its a real small seed -”.

Simon: “Where does it grow?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “About 10,000 miles from here”.

Simon: “uh… what does the Tsi-Tsi seed have to do with your parable?”

Jesus: “Well, thanks to you, Simon, nothing!”.

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish agrarian audience and was using language that a Jewish agrarian audience would understand. If Jesus was speaking to a botany class in Athens, Greece, then your nit-picky friend would have a point.

LOL. Bravo. You nailed it. (And even if HE had been in Athens, HE’d still have to wearyingly explain about this unobtainable seed growing in an inaccessible area.)

ICXC NIKA!

 

[colmcille1]

This is sort of a nit-picky and un-realistic complaint.

Jesus: “The Kingdom of God is like the South American Tsi-Tsi seed planted in the ground. It is -”

Simon: “Uh, Master?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “What is it Simon? I was trying to make a point”

Simon: “What is a Tsi-Tsi seed?”

Jesus: “Well, its a seed that you guys have never seen nor will you ever see. But its a real small seed -”.

Simon: “Where does it grow?”

Jesus: (Sigh) “About 10,000 miles from here”.

Simon: “uh… what does the Tsi-Tsi seed have to do with your parable?”

Jesus: “Well, thanks to you, Simon, nothing!”.

Jesus was speaking to a Jewish agrarian audience and was using language that a Jewish agrarian audience would understand. If Jesus was speaking to a botany class in Athens, Greece, then your nit-picky friend would have a point.

Very funny, sir!
I think you may have unwittingly stumbled upon the beginnings of a new thread namely:
can we look at Biblical teaching in a humourous way? Just a thought!
God Bless,
Colmcille1.

 

[rcjones]

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

It is intellectually dishonest to use attributes of his Humanity to contradict his claim to be God. He emptied himself to be found in the form of a man. He chose not to use omniscience and omnipotence, and omnipresence.

He chose not to use these so that he would not have an advantage over us in resisting temptation.

So guess what. The baby Jesus didn’t know anything about mustard seeds. What he said as an adult human is consistent with his adult human knowledge. And was appropriate for his audience.

Furthermore it says, “corn of mustard seed”, so when you find the right mustard tree which has a seed having corns, looking like a raspberry, then one of the corns may very well be the smallest. Let God be true and every man a liar.

Your ‘friend’ is a lazy atheist since he is just parroting a list he got off the internet and which has been answered many times. So just tell him what happens when the blind follow the blind and suggest he start thinking for himself.

 

[Big_Dummy]

Jesus was fully God and fully Man, the gospels tells us that Jesus grew in knowledge. Being fully man he would use the language of appearance. It appears that the sun goes around the earth, when in fact the earth goes around the sun.

As for the mustard seed, in the limited knowledge of his listeners the mustard seed is the smallest seed that they knew of. He was using their knowledge to make a point about faith, not teaching them science for the sake of teaching them science.

In Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus was simply reflecting the words of the speaker back to him showing the speaker the implications of him calling Jesus good.

"Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? — If you read Psalms 22, you will find that God the Father did NOT in fact forsake Jesus. As Dodd points out by quoting one part of a chapter, Jewish people would think about the full text and would have known this.

Psalm 22:24 (New International Version)

  For he has not despised or disdained 
   the suffering of the afflicted one; 
   he has not hidden his face from him 
   but has listened to his cry for help.

Father being greater in authority to Jesus as a man, just like the President is greater than me.

.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) – Acts 1 makes it plain that the timing of the second coming belongs to the authority of the Father. A display of ignorance proves that Jesus was fully man.
As God Jesus can choose not to know something, like when he forgives out sin he does not even keep a carbon copy of our sin ledger.

Concerning Jesus temptation, there is a good study which demonstrates that Jesus was tested from outside, not self tempted to sin. answers.org/theology/is_god_tempted.html

Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”

Jesus being fully man would grow. Phil 2, tells us that he put some of his atributes on hold so to speak.

Matthew 21:18 Jesus could have very well have known that the fig tree was barren and was making a point. The text does not indicate what knowledge Jesus had about that fig tree – any claim is just assumption.

In short, many of those texts simply testifilies to what we believe that Jesus was fully human. And, you can point out the texts that says he was fully God like John 1:1, Phil 2, etc.,

 

[PJM]

=VeritasSeeker;6953614]Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. In Mark 4:31 Jesus says “It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds” **However modern science has shown that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world.
   **
2. Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”

1. Mark 15:34 (Matthew 27:46) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” **Why would Jesus ask his God why he has forsaken him if he didn’t really forsake him. If Jesus was really omniscient then he wouldn’t have asked this because it implies ignorance.
   **
   4.John 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
   **Here Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, therefore he cannot be God.
   **
   5.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here Jesus clearly displays ignorance.

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

1. Matthew 21:18 "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” **All Though it is not explicitly stated, doesn’t this passage imply that Jesus was looking for food, approached the fig tree because he thought it bore fruit, found no food, and therefore cursed it? That seems like most straight forward interpretation of the passage. **

• Thanks in Advance!

FACT: The Bible is TRUE BUT not always factual. The Bible Teaches Faith and Morals, not science, and not history.

The first example of the seed: In the Time of Jesus the mustard seed was the smallest KNOWN TO THEM FOR WHOM THE MESSAGE WAS GIVEN!

FACT:

Luke.1 Verses 26 to 35

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” [GOD HAS MADE YOU PERFECT]
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High;and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end."And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, …the Son of God.

Frankly the foolisness of these verses taken without understanding do not warrant a responce:blush:

 

[awatkins69]

Hey my friend.

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. In Mark 4:31 Jesus says “It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds” **However modern science has shown that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world.
   **

The fact is that there isn’t much more to it than others posted. The mustard seed is the smallest of seeds in their world. It’s not unreasonable to assume from the context that when Jesus said this, his meaning was that it is the smallest seed for the average agrarian Jew.

1. Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”

I think we talked about it before. He may have meant by His words “Are you calling me good because I’m God?” He didn’t explicitly deny that He is good. In fact, He is accepting this description of “good”, and using this to show that He is God.

1. Mark 15:34 (Matthew 27:46) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” **Why would Jesus ask his God why he has forsaken him if he didn’t really forsake him. If Jesus was really omniscient then he wouldn’t have asked this because it implies ignorance.
   **

Remember, this is invoking Psalm 22. If we go to Matthew 27:46, we see that verses 35, 39, and 43 also match up in Psalm 22. And what does the righteous but persecuted man say in Psalm 22 in the end? From verse 22 onwards he expresses his joy and praise for God and the hope he has in the Lord. No despair here.

4.John 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
**Here Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, therefore he cannot be God.
**

We do believe the Father is greater in the Trinity, not in essence, but in terms of succession. The Son is begotten by the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

5.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here Jesus clearly displays ignorance.

We need not take this as literal. For instance, in Genesis, after Abraham is about to sacrifice Isaac, God says “Now I know you fear me.” Should we infer from this passage that God really didn’t know that Abraham feared Him? No. Jesus is using a hyperbole. His point is to make sure the Apostles “take heed, watch and pray”. He uses hyperbole like this in places like Matthew 23:9 and Luke 14:26. Besides, there are many passages which clearly state that they have the same things, like Matthew 11:27and John 10:15 and 17:25.

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

He was simply tempted by the devil to see whether He was truly God. It doesn’t mention anything of Him even being close to giving in. Just because you try to allure someone into something doesn’t mean it will actually allure them. Likewise, Christ never even thought of giving in.

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

The Incarnation means that Jesus makes human nature completely His own. This includes progress and growth. Jesus wasn’t just a superman. He was completely man and completely God. If he did not grow, he would not be fully man. Since He is at once both God and man he increases humanly in the grace and wisdom which are fully His in His divine nature.

1. Matthew 21:18 "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” **All Though it is not explicitly stated, doesn’t this passage imply that Jesus was looking for food, approached the fig tree because he thought it bore fruit, found no food, and therefore cursed it? That seems like most straight forward interpretation of the passage. **

I think that’s not the interpretation of the text. First of all, Jesus wanted to continue doing miracles to show the Apostles His divinity. Secondly, and most important, Jesus did this because it was extremely symbolic. It’s a total symbol of Israel. After going around looking for fruit on a fig tree He finds none, just like He had been preaching to Israel looking for it to bear fruit, but finding none. Just like the fig tree, He will have it wither away, and it will not bear fruit ever again. Now the Church is the New Israel which bears fruit.

• Thanks in Advance!

I hope that all helps.

 

[NHInsider]

Just to point out that the questions/challenges presented in the opening to this thread are nothing new. In simple, historical fact, it took several centuries for the early church to sort out the evidences and, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, develop the definitions of Jesus’ unique nature that we now take for granted. All the earliest heresies had to do with this question. All the heretics cited Scripture to support their points, just as they do today. Only by the Authority of the Church, divinely promised by Jesus to the Apostles, can we say with confidence that Jesus is True God and True Man, begotten not made, One in Being with the Father.

 

[Psalm_51]

Jesus is God.

From the book of John:
“In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and** THE WORD WAS GOD.**
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
And the WORD WAS MADE FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG US, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth.”(emphasis mine)​

Jesus Himself claimed to be God when He said: “I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)
“I AM” is a personal name of God mentioned in the Old Testament:
"Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
God said to Moses, "I am who I am . [a] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ "
(Exodus 3:13-14)​

Even those who wished to stone Jesus knew that Jesus claimed to be God, that’s why they wanted to stone him in the first place, for blasphemy:

31Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, 32but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”
33"We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” (Emphasis mine)
(John 10:31-33)​

And once again Jesus reveals that He was with God the Father at the beginning of Creation:

John 17:5 “And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”​

Many so called Christians (cults) believe that Jesus was not God. For example the Jehovah Witnesses. And Muslims do not believe Jesus is God. “According to the Qur’an, all the prophets going back to Abraham preached a simple monotheism called Islam (submission). Jesus, called “Isa” in the Qur’an, is only a prophet and not God. He too preached Islam and even prophesied the coming of Mohammed as the final prophet. The Qur’an teaches that Jesus was not crucified and will not be resurrected until the Day of Resurrection at the end of time. Of course, if Jesus taught Islam and never claimed to be God, Jesus’ message must have become corrupted at the very beginning. Consequently the Muslim takes a similar view to that of the Mormon in regard to the Bible. He reveres the Bible as a divine revelation, albeit a corrupted one.” ~Terry Frazier

 

[SonCatcher]

Hey, i was wondering what are the answers to these arguments against the deity of Christ. These arguments seek to show that Christ is not God because he demonstrated ungodly attributes like ignorance and such.

1. In Mark 4:31 Jesus says “It is like a mustard seed planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds” **However modern science has shown that the mustard seed is not the smallest seed in the world.
   **

I recently listened to a talk on Matthew that explained this. According to Jewish law, the mustard seed is the smallest thing that is. If something was smaller than a mustard seed, it legally didn’t exist. If it was larger, it did.

For illustration, the priest giving the talk applied the principle to accidental contact with blood. If the spot was smaller than a mustard seed, it wasn’t blood for purpose of ritual purity. If it was the size of a mustard seed or larger, it was blood and the person who has the spot had to be ritually cleansed before resuming community life.

1. Mark 10:18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good–except God alone.”

Jesus, in his humanity, deferred to the Father.

1. Mark 15:34 (Matthew 27:46) And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?”—which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Why would Jesus ask his God why he has forsaken him if he didn’t really forsake him. If Jesus was really omniscient then he wouldn’t have asked this because it implies ignorance.

He was reciting Psalm 22

4.John 14:28 “You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
Here Jesus clearly states that the Father is greater than him, therefore he cannot be God.

From the NAB footnotes:

The Father is greater than I: because he sent, gave, etc., and Jesus is “a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God” (John 8:40).

The Son is obedient and submits to the Father. That is all.

5.Mark 13:32 (Matthew 24:36) “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Here Jesus clearly displays ignorance.

Jesus, in his humanity, set aside his divine right for a time.

6.Matthew 4:1-11 The gospels say that Jesus was tempted. But how can God be tempted? While It is true that Jesus did not give in to the temptation it is nonetheless impossible for God to be tempted because he does not have the potential of actualizing the temptation into sin.

Jesus is also a man. Any man can be tempted. Even though tempted, Jesus never sinned.

7.Luke 2:52 Luke 2:40 “And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” How can God evolve in wisdom? Doesn’t that imply that he lacked wisdom beforehand, thus rendering Jesus imperfect. Also how can he grow in favor with God if he already has the full favor of the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Again, Jesus is also a man. His human intellect had to be formed just like any of ours.

1. Matthew 21:18 "Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” **All Though it is not explicitly stated, doesn’t this passage imply that Jesus was looking for food, approached the fig tree because he thought it bore fruit, found no food, and therefore cursed it? That seems like most straight forward interpretation of the passage. **

I fail to see the problem here with Jesus’ divinity.

Anyway, the same priest who explained about the mustard seed also explained about the incident with the fig tree. According to him, whenever the fig tree has leaves, it also has fruit. It may be immature buds but it must be there. When Jesus examined the tree, it apparently had leaves but no fruit. No buds. Nothing. The tree wasn’t cursed so much for lacking fruit as for having leaves.

It’s a warning to us. If we call ourselves Catholic, we must show it by our lives.

• Thanks in Advance!

You’re welcome