Did Jesus have a beginning??

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What sort of thing do you mean? :confused:
“the word was a god” vs. “the word was God”
“this means my body” vs, “this is my body”
“of the great God and of the Savior of us, Christ Jesus” vs. “of our great God and Saviour Christ Jesus”
“By means of him all *other *things were created in the heavens and upon the earth”
:sad_yes:

For the handful who follow sacrilegious translations that contain those statements, it is difficult to show the scriptural basis of the divinity of Christ, even more difficult to explain that their translation is erroneous.
 
I’m having a discussion with a protestant friend who doesnt believe that christ is God. It seems i have probably hit a rock, I pointed to the fact that christ was begotten (not made) to disprove his claim that christ is a creature, he came back to tell me that the term begotten disproves my arguement. He said that to begat mean the begotten has a starting point or a beginning whether from eternity or not from the begotter, this he claims shows that christ isnt God for God has no begining, nor starting point. Please how is this point explained, i guess the church father did but i donot have a ref to the exact work and chapter. Explanations and links are welcome.
Thanks in advance.
…well, he got you there–if Scriptures only spoke of Christ as Mary’s and Joseph’s son!

…if your only point of reference to Christ is that He was the Begotten Son of God then your theology and Faith is quite weak (I’m reflecting); however, Scriptures reveal way more about Christ’s Origin: He is the Only Begotten Son of God (to differentiate Him from Israel, the son of God) but the Eternal cannot begin at Christ’s Incarnation (Jn 1:1-18):

He is the Word, that existed with God, and that was God from the Beginning (Jn 1:1)
He is the Eternal (Heb 1:10-12; 1 Jn 5:20)
He is the Holy One (1 Jn 2:20)

…and it is God Himself Who calls Him God:
but to the Son he says: Your throne, God, is for ever and ever; and: the sceptre of his kingdom is a sceptre of justice; (Hebrews 1:8)
…of course, your friend may be protestant but he is not Christian as anyone who bares His Name must submit to His Lorship, Kingship, and Authority… as that ole movie coined: “There can Be Only One!”

Maran atha!

Angel
 
:sad_yes:

For the handful who follow sacrilegious translations that contain those statements, it is difficult to show the scriptural basis of the divinity of Christ, even more difficult to explain that their translation is erroneous.
…in spite of their translation being off in such vast difference from all other translations (both Catholic and non-Catholic)!

…the feeling of “belonging” and “acceptance” outrides reason itself!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
:sad_yes:

For the handful who follow sacrilegious translations that contain those statements, it is difficult to show the scriptural basis of the divinity of Christ, even more difficult to explain that their translation is erroneous.
:doh2:

I admit that I had not even been thinking of the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ New World version as a Bible!

I have seen “the word was a god”, in the Jehovah’s Witnesses’ version of Jn 1:1, but had not seen those versions of Mt 26:26, “this means my body”, Col 1:16, “all other things”, or Tit 2:13, “of the great God and of the Saviour”. The problem there is not even “translation”, because you cannot translate the Greek text and get those versions in English: their Jn 1:1, Col 1:16, and Tit 2:13 all insert words simply not present in the Greek, and Mt 26:26 idiosyncratically changes one verb into another.

Still, you are right: unless they learn Greek, they can persist in believing what their church teaches them.
 
John’s gospel chapter 1 verses 15-5, 10-12.
You might like to read the whole chapter which tells you that He was always with God and He always was God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
He was in the beginning with God.
All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be
through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race;
the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
He came to what was his own, but his own people 7 did not accept him.
But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,

vatican.va/archive/ENG0839/__PX9.HTM
this is a beautiful passage one can use to explain that Jesus is God, but it doesnt touch d question of whether or not the begotten had a starting point in eternity
 
point to the church fathers and how they said that christ is eternally begotten.
my friend is bible only,
another thing to do ask him to show scholarly arguments that his definition of begotten is correct.
he doesnt even try to really define d word begotten he prefers to answer any question about d origin of christ with the passage “the lord created me as d first of his works” and titles like “firstborn of creation”. For him begotten means came to exist which seem to equal created in his dictionary.
you could also make the connection between christ and the logos in Genesis. How Jesus is the word the word is God, meaning he is eternal.
he has a funny explanation for this, he says calling christ d logos doesnt make him in a literal sense d father’s word, according to him he is logos because he is a messager of yahweh bringing a message. So he believes ‘logos’ is just a title, he say christ is d logos yet “yahweh” still has his word and reason inside him and christ is d power of God yet “yahweh” still has his power.
He also thinks d name yahweh belongs to d father alone.
but keep in mind that the Church has already dealt with these issues and they have handled them in their church documents the fathers have dealt with this. If he is bringing into question the definition that Catholics use, go to Catholic sources and disprove his definition.
he will ridicle anything with the letters “ca”, im sure no animal around him will be safe if d animal is painted “catholic”. He prefers to define terms himself. Besides i would love a link dat shows definition of those terms.
for the fathers see Irenaeus of lyon he talks about the logos.
this may not be the only one.
thanks i will
 
He must not be Christian then, the Trinity is fundamental agreement we all have.
he is a witness, he considers himself a christian but he believes christ is just an arch angel “yahweh” sent to die for d world.
 
You might point out that “Christ” is not Jesus’ surname. He was Jesus THE Christ (the promised, prophecied, looked for Messiah). As such, I guess, he was conceived by God in the virgin womb of the obedient Mary. But before that he WAS, IS and EVER SHALL BE WORLD WITHOUT END (or beginning) indivisibly the Triune God.
my friend will scream heresy!
A Bishop Arius questioned this very point (when did Jesus become the SON of God - at His Birth, Baptism ("this my Son, The Beloved), the Transfiguration (“ditto”) or His Death (as some sort of reward). The council convened at Nicea to answer this heresy and they agreed that Jesus was “of the same nature, Being, Substance” as God and therefore ALWAYS was the “Son” of God. Trouble was they made up a word in Greek, “homoouseous” which was perfectly acceptable to the Greeks but baffled non-Greek speakers.
for my friend nicea was a concil convened by a pagan emperor who forced paganism into christianity, and d bishops agreed to please d emperor and those wu held on to their faith were forced to vacate their sees. For my friend arius is d champion of true doctrine
At Nicea, too, there was no mention of Holy Spirit in 324 AD; one Basil of Nicodemia began to preach the Holy Spirit a little later and the Triune Godhead was clarified and added to the Nicene Creed around AD335.
for my friend d above is proof against d trinity.
The Trinity is a very difficult concept to get one’s gums around: I had problems after my Baptism in the Spirit wondering who to direct my prayers to (I had ignored the Holy Spirit until then). Returning from Communion one day I was suddenly struck with the sudden, sure conviction that it didn’t matter who I prayed to: the Son WAS the Father, the Father WAS the Holy Spirit who WAS the Son. Don’t ask me to explain: this is one dogma I will sing to. But if you have a niggling doubt or can’t quite understand, pray, wait and above all, listen. God answers the prayers of His children.
i agree it isnt among d easy stuff, but anyone wu gets it right will get many others.
 
My friend usually put scripture against scripture and take what he likes
First of all, denying Christ’s divinity is not a Protestant teaching! :dts: Make sure your friend isn’t a Mormon of Jehovah’s Witness. Both these cults teach that Jesus is separate from God.
Ophelia23 does a good job pointing out the triune nature of God in Genesis and John’s assertion that Jesus is God, showing consistency from OT into the NT. I would add :
Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
he would treat d above as of no importance he believes christ is simply using d verb to be and he isnt refering to d divine name.
And these verses where Jesus asserts that He has the authority to forgive sins, an act only God can perform.
he believes God can delegate that authority, he believe he delegated dat power to christ and to d apostles
In addition, He demonstrates omniscience by knowing the thoughts of others.
he would reply that d son doesnt know d hour d world will help, he will stick to those word no matter your explanations, he would remain on that verse even after showing him passages that say christ knows all.
Matthew 9:2 And behold, some people brought to him a paralytic, lying on a bed. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.“3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?6 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Rise, pick up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. (Also in Mark 2 and Luke 5)
John 10:30 I and the Father are one.” 10:31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him.
So not only did Jesus make a declaration of divinity, but the Jews understood this and were preparing to stone Him for blasphemy.
Good luck with your friend and God Bless.
he believe d jews erred and couldnt understand what christ meant for him that verse means that d father and son have one purpose.
 
I wouldn’t: the Bible very clearly presents Jesus as God. In order not to accept that, the OP’s correspondent has to disbelieve it.
he says d bible calls d angels sons of God and calls humans Gods, only in the sense would he agree that Jesus is God.
 
this is a beautiful passage one can use to explain that Jesus is God, but it doesnt touch d question of whether or not the begotten had a starting point in eternity
…though I did not read the material… I think that the issue is self-explanatory since God is Eternal and Immutable–I believe that any interpretation that attempts to determine the emergence of Christ or the Holy Spirit must be born from the Holy Spirit’s dumbing down God’s existence to a level that is more acceptable to our finity understanding–we are linear (past, present, future) and we tend to do better when things are presented/received in such chronological events (ie: first the Father, God, then the Son, God, finally the Holy Spirit, God)… hence the trouble some find with God unless they can breakdown God into levels of “importance.”

Maran atha!

Angel
 
my friend will scream heresy! for my friend nicea was a concil convened by a pagan emperor who forced paganism into christianity, and d bishops agreed to please d emperor and those wu held on to their faith were forced to vacate their sees. For my friend arius is d champion of true doctrine
for my friend d above is proof against d trinity.
i agree it isnt among d easy stuff, but anyone wu gets it right will get many others.
…the problem with your friend, as with most who follow arianism and other heresies, is that they tend to accept those passages in Scriptures which they can assimilate while ignoring/rejecting all others…

Yahweh, in the Old Testament, is very adamant about no other gods existing before, with, after or alongside of Him:
10 You yourselves are my witnesses, declares Yahweh, and the servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that it is I. No god was formed before me, nor will be after me. 11 I, I am Yahweh, and there is no other Saviour but me. 12 I have revealed, have saved, and have proclaimed, not some foreigner among you. You are my witnesses, declares Yahweh, I am God, 13 yes, from eternity I am. No one can deliver from my hand; when I act, who can thwart me? (Isaiah 43:10-13)
…yet, this same Yahweh God, who is the Father, acknowledges Christ as His Son… but not only that… God, Who is God Alone, and will not share His Glory (Power), then Commands His servants to serve (worship) His Son… a Son Who is introduced to the world by God, the Father, as God:
1 At many moments in the past and by many means, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets; but 2 in our time, the final days, he has spoken to us in the person of his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things and through whom he made the ages. 3 He is the reflection of God’s glory and bears the impress of God’s own being, sustaining all things by his powerful command; and now that he has purged sins away, he has taken his seat at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high. 4 So he is now as far above the angels as the title which he has inherited is higher than their own name. 5 To which of the angels, then, has God ever said: You are my Son, today I have fathered you, or: I shall be a father to him and he a son to me? 6 Again, when he brings the First-born into the world, he says: Let all the angels of God pay him homage. 7 To the angels, he says: appointing the winds his messengers and flames of fire his servants, 8 but to the Son he says: Your throne, God, is for ever and ever; and: the sceptre of his kingdom is a sceptre of justice; 9 you love uprightness and detest evil. This is why God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness, as none of your rivals. 10 And again: Long ago, Lord, you laid earth’s foundations, the heavens are the work of your hands. 11 They pass away but you remain, they all wear out like a garment. 12 Like a cloak you will roll them up, like a garment, and they will be changed. But you never alter and your years are unending. (Hebrews 1:1-12)
…if it were a single word or expression here or there one would even feel tempted to agree with the heretical theology to which they abscribe their belief; but the preponderance of Scriptures allows no other conclusion but that Jesus is God–to be precise the second Person of God (which only means the Second Person to be Revealed)!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
My friend usually put scripture against scripture and take what he likes he would treat d above as of no importance he believes christ is simply using d verb to be and he isnt refering to d divine name.
he believes God can delegate that authority, he believe he delegated dat power to christ and to d apostles he would reply that d son doesnt know d hour d world will help, he will stick to those word no matter your explanations, he would remain on that verse even after showing him passages that say christ knows all.
he believe d jews erred and couldnt understand what christ meant for him that verse means that d father and son have one purpose.
…I suspect that you protest too much… it seems that your friend is actually dictating the responses to the posts to which you are replying… that or you know his mind and thought as no other…

…in either case, your friend has God’s own mind (he knows everything about everything) or he is set in his ways and will refute Christ Himself!

Thank God Salvation is not a matter of personal opinion or selective reasoning!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
…I suspect that you protest too much… it seems that your friend is actually dictating the responses to the posts to which you are replying… that or you know his mind and thought as no other…

…in either case, your friend has God’s own mind (he knows everything about everything) or he is set in his ways and will refute Christ Himself!

Thank God Salvation is not a matter of personal opinion or selective reasoning!

Maran atha!

Angel
actually most of the points presented here are a repetition of the ones i gave him. The issue is about 2000yrs old and it seems everybody knows the next point one will make.
He prefers his own position because he believe the bible supports it, besides no one can find the word trinity in scriptures, when i raise points he cant find immediate answers to he goes and hide behind the shema and repeats “hear o israel the lord your God is one…” and the passage that say “eternal life is to know you the only true God and…”.
This is one discussion where i doubt any of the parties will learn anything from.
Peace
 
actually most of the points presented here are a repetition of the ones i gave him. The issue is about 2000yrs old and it seems everybody knows the next point one will make.
He prefers his own position because he believe the bible supports it, besides no one can find the word trinity in scriptures, when i raise points he cant find immediate answers to he goes and hide behind the shema and repeats “hear o israel the lord your God is one…” and the passage that say “eternal life is to know you the only true God and…”.
This is one discussion where i doubt any of the parties will learn anything from.
Peace
…my remarks, you must agree, are suspect because you propose a great number of points to which you reply as your friend would… it makes one think that either you are that “friend” or he is there with you as you propose the measures and countermeasures…

…if he is Jewish there’s very little that a Christian can add to his understanding since most religious Jews reject Christ outright and consequently everything about the New Covenant; if he is not Jewish then he does have a major problem (as the Jehovah Witnesses) since he wants to dictate to God how God is suppossed to Reveal Himself!

Maran atha!

Angel
 
My friend usually put scripture against scripture and take what he likes
Sounds like your friend is a Jehovah’s Witness, who teach that Jesus was the earthly manifestation of Michael the only archangel. Since Michael is the only archangel he gets the title “only begotten.”
Throw this verse at him:
Daniel 10:13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
If Michael is one of the archangels then He can’t be the only begotten."
he would treat d above as of no importance (Jesus claiming to be I AM) he believes christ is simply using d verb to be and he isnt refering to d divine name.
Then he is being willfully ignorant. Stop trying to convincehim.
he believes God can delegate that authority (to forgive sin), he believe he delegated dat power to christ and to d apostles
Where is the Scriptural support for that?
he would reply that d son doesnt know d hour d world will help, he will stick to those word no matter your explanations, he would remain on that verse even after showing him passages that say christ knows all.
Point to Scripture where the Son will judge the earth (John 5:26), find a verse that says an angel will judge mankind.
he believe d jews erred and couldnt understand what christ meant for him that verse means that d father and son have one purpose.
Again, willfully ignorant.
 
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