Help with Mark 10:18

[crowtrobot]

I have some JW’s coming to talk to me soon so I am researching their beliefs. Mark 10:18 seems to support their belief that Jesus is not God. Jesus is rebuking a man who asks him “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Then Jesus says, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” Is this an example of Jesus referring only to his human nature? I have apologetics materials directed specifically at answering JW’s, but I have not yet found reference to this specific text. Why does Jesus seem to imply that he is not good?

 

[SyCarl]

If you notice, Jesus does not deny that He is good and thereby is inviting the recognition that He is God. At the same time He is confirming that no man is meets the standard of goodness that is God.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

If you notice, Jesus does not deny that He is good and thereby is inviting the recognition that He is God. At the same time He is confirming that no man is meets the standard of goodness that is God.

How can he confirm that if he was also a man who could have sinned if he allowed temptation to take over?

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

 

[fbl9]

hi all Jesus knew the man’s heart.so He also knew that the man did not believe Him to be God. that is why Jesus questioned his words.look at it this way…if you think i am just a man why are you calling me good?sorry i can not find where it was written that Jesus went to Jewish feast in secret and did not reveal Himself to them becuase He knew thier hearts.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

hi all Jesus knew the man’s heart.so He also knew that the man did not believe Him to be God. that is why Jesus questioned his words.look at it this way…if you think i am just a man why are you calling me good?

If Jesus could have sinned as it says, but didn’t because he relied on God, then it seems he is saying no one can be good without God. Not that he was God who couldn’t ever sin.

 

[crowtrobot]

hi all Jesus knew the man’s heart.so He also knew that the man did not believe Him to be God. that is why Jesus questioned his words.look at it this way…if you think i am just a man why are you calling me good?

That makes sense to me, but the man says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Doesn’t the question itself imply that he believes Jesus to be God? Who would know how to inherit eternal life but God himself?

 

[fbl9]

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin…yet without sin; because God can not sin.

 

[fbl9]

Who would know how to inherit eternal life but God himself?.. do you know how to inherit eternal life? as a christian we all should know

 

[FaithofAbraham]

Hebrews 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin…yet without sin; because God can not sin.

If God can’t sin then Jesus was not tempted like we are. He already knew he couldn’t sin. How can you be tempted to sin if you can’t sin? That doesn’t make sense.

 

[fbl9]

hi F.O.B. Jesus was tempted by the very same one who tempts all to sin. the reason for the tempters fall from heaven was his pride.do not think for one second this pride of the tempter has not diminshed. he actually thought he could make God sin thus justifying his rebellion in heaven.

 

[FaithofAbraham]

hi F.O.B. Jesus was tempted by the very same one who tempts all to sin. the reason for the tempters fall from heaven was his pride.do not think for one second this pride of the tempter has not diminshed. he actually thought he could make God sin thus justifying his rebellion in heaven.

If Jesus is God he knows he can’t sin so it wouldn’t be much of a struggle for him not to. So then he wouldn’t be tempted as we are, but it says he is. So something doesn’t add up.

 

[fbl9]

hi F.O.B. i understand what you are saying. we are getting way off topic for this thread though.as a catholic christian i believe Jesus to be both fully God and fully man.as a man won’t that just blow your mind(mine too) to know you are God and yet fully human too.remeber also Jesus was without orginal sin too just as was Adam and Eve who fell even though they had everthing man could have.

 

[Yerusalyim]

If Jesus is God he knows he can’t sin so it wouldn’t be much of a struggle for him not to. So then he wouldn’t be tempted as we are, but it says he is. So something doesn’t add up.

There is no contradiction here, we as mere humans simply can’t wrap our heads around the greatness of God. John 1:1 and other scriptures CLEARLY shows that Jesus is God. Jesus, as the incarnate worried, emptied himself of Glory and made his divine will subject to his human will. As a human, Christ was COMPLETELY CAPABLE of sin, if not then he was not tempted. However, Jesus subjected his human will completely to that of God the Father and did NOT sin.

 

[Iloveu2]

I’ll never know if Jesus was/is God or not and it doesn’t affect my faith at the moment. I know He’s a Spirit and He is here for us when we believe and call upon His Name. That’s enough.

If we really try to define God who can’t be defined we get into trouble. After all, it does sound kind of silly to say that God died and rose again from the grave. How can God who is life and our very life substance die? How can God have a mother as in Mother Mary? Didn’t God exist before Mary? Jesus is the Son of God but why would God need a Son ? God has all power as He is. (Of course we can say God is a huge concept existing everywhere at the same time so the God part or spirit in Jesus died and rose again)

So, I guess I’d say the Spirit of God was in Jesus very powerfully. The first Christians didn’t believe He was God. That idea came much later. Paul had a vision but he had never met Jesus or even heard any of the miracle stories about Jesus. In his great zeal he’d surely have told us if he knew them. Off topic tho…

Jesus makes very few references to Himself as being God. He does say : “Before Abraham. I Am” but that could mean God who calls Himself “I Am as I Am” so Jesus is saying God existed before Abraham and doesn’t mean He Jesus existed before Abraham.

Yikes…its a can of worms.

 

[Iloveu2]

crowtrobot

The pagans were being exposed to the Jewish religion for the very first time. The first Christians were all Jews who accepted Jesus and his teaching. So, all of the holy Jews knew the Talmud which talks about the after life. That’s why they were being asked questions about eternal life. The Jews call it “the world to come” in the Talmud. It means the after life or the new world to come here on earth. Everything Jesus speaks about is in the Jewish Babylonian Talmud believe it or not, except perhaps not about the Gentiles coming to belief. I’m not sure but it was Paul who spoke mostly about that. I have a small pocket book copy of the Talmud in English. There’s much in it about caring for the sick, the poor, the hungry. People ask how to inherit the world to come. Jesus studied or heard the oral Talmud. I’m not sure it was in written form. Also, there was no New T. written at that time and I don’t believe all of the Old T. books were in writing perhaps. No printing press. It was really hard ;hand written by scribes on pieces of parchment like paper.It took years to write anything.

 

[paidion]

I’ll never know if Jesus was/is God or not and it doesn’t affect my faith at the moment. I know He’s a Spirit and He is here for us when we believe and call upon His Name. That’s enough.

If we really try to define God who can’t be defined we get into trouble. After all, it does sound kind of silly to say that God died and rose again from the grave. How can God who is life and our very life substance die? How can God have a mother as in Mother Mary? Didn’t God exist before Mary? Jesus is the Son of God but why would God need a Son ? God has all power as He is. (Of course we can say God is a huge concept existing everywhere at the same time so the God part or spirit in Jesus died and rose again)

So, I guess I’d say the Spirit of God was in Jesus very powerfully. The first Christians didn’t believe He was God. That idea came much later. Paul had a vision but he had never met Jesus or even heard any of the miracle stories about Jesus. In his great zeal he’d surely have told us if he knew them. Off topic tho…

Jesus makes very few references to Himself as being God. He does say : “Before Abraham. I Am” but that could mean God who calls Himself “I Am as I Am” so Jesus is saying God existed before Abraham and doesn’t mean He Jesus existed before Abraham.

Yikes…its a can of worms.

There’s so much in here, I hardly know where to begin… may I suggest you begin with finding out who Jesus really is.

You quoted Jesus saying, “…before Abraham was born, I AM” (John 8:58) The Jews around Jesus knew precisely from this that He was referring to His deity. There was no question in their minds that He was identifying Himself as G-d.

This also relates to the OP’s question of Jesus’ identity. Only G-d is good. Jesus identifies Himself as G-d, therefore, He (Jesus) is good. Jesus wasn’t questioning His own goodness; rather, He was questioning the man’s initial address of “[good] Teacher”. Jesus was asking the man why he thought Jesus was good.

Hope that helps, Crowtrobot.

shalom