The answer is here: Matthew 13:11-17 (cf. Matthew 13:34-35; Luke 8:10). Jesus said that “Many are called, but few are chosen.” Jesus wanted people to establish a personal relationship with him and not get all of their knowledge from books. I’ll let it go at this simplistic answer because there are already quite a few excellent answers here.
John 17:11 “And now I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, while I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are.”
Did the Father send the Son, or did the Son come of his own accord? It’s difficult to say because we don’t know Jesus’ exact words. Sometimes he says the Father sent him, and sometimes he says he came.
Jesus says so that they may be one just as we are… Does that mean they are equal and that we will be equal with them? The verse most trinitarians use always only speaks about God and Jesus… Where is the third person in John 17:11?..but that’s going off topic… Let’s stick to it… Is Jesus equal to God
Matthew 28:19 - Go, therefore,* and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit,
When prophets of old like Moses and Noah an them believed in God did they ever confess that they didn’t understand him or that understanding him is a mystery? What about the people who believe in God in the NT, do you think that God was a mystery to them? Back then they didn’t even have the Bible yet the could understand God, who he was, what’s his name etc etc… Yet today we are privileged to have the Bible but yet we say God’s a mystery, do you not think God would reveal himself by means of his word the Bible that we can get to know God, who he is, what his name is, how he deals with people, what he dislikes and likes etc etc… Every other faith believes in God and can explain there God except those who believe in the trinity God. I think God has given us enough information in the Bible for us to understand him. But you say explaining or understanding the trinity is a mystery but you can easily say Jesus and God is equal. Answer me one question - if Jesus was created is it possible that he can be equal to God?
No we will never be equal to them. They are 1 GOD. We on the other hand are created persons. What we can achieve though in being one is to share the divine life freely given to us By GOD the father through the sacrifice of Jesus, we become partakers of the divine life.
Okay… I’ll ask you the same question then… It is believed that Jesus and God is one in the sense that they are equal, correct me if I’m wrong… So my question to you to would be that if Jesus was created by God can he be equal to God?
We are not divine, so we can never be the equal of God.
See you using your own understanding of what you think is right that’s man made ideology, you have no scriptural bases to support that belief… Your belief that Jesus wasn’t created contradicts what the Bible says… The Bible answers that question… Try to explain this verse for me at colossians 1:15 which says - “He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation,”
This explains it better than I would:
I am not an Associate Professor of Theology but my understanding is that God was, is, and always will be. He is without creation. Jesus, the second person in the Holy Trinity, is God and has all the nature of God so Christ is also without creation.
Is Jesus equal to God? Yes because Jesus IS God. We will never be equal to God because we are creatures of God; we are created by God and the creation cannot equal the Creator.
When did God ever become Man before or since? Jesus is the Word and He was with God from the beginning and the Word was God (at least in the Bible we Catholics use.) So Jesus was with God before God created the world because He is God. Begotten is not created.
Firstborn refers to the best of the best not necessarily the first in chronological order. This is the challenge when reading from ancient script; translations to modern language don’t always come out accurate.
Lily read my previous post… Jesus was created, to deny what Colossians 1:15 says means that you ignoring the fact that Jesus was created or ignoring what the Bible says on this matter… In that link under begotten it says about and I quote ‘To call Jesus “the only begotten Son” means that he is fully divine and eternal. He is God the Son. This is why the creed says that Jesus was “begotten, not made.” Why? Because he is of one substance with the Father.’
I ask the question because while I was a student some of my professors would give ambiguous answers, whereas some of the students were very clear. I guess it’s a case of “many are called, but few are chosen.” Sometimes the student answers surpassed the professor answers.I am not an Associate Professor of Theology but my understanding is that God was, is, and always will be. He is without creation. Jesus, the second person in the Holy Trinity, is God and has all the nature of God so Christ is also without creation.
Did God the Father send the Spirit to Mary so that she could bear the Son of God? Yes. By Mary’s fiat, God was Incarnate: God become (the perfect) Man.
Is the Holy Spirit God? Yes but God did NOT create God. The Father, Son, and Spirit all have the same divine nature. If we tried to describe how God Incarnated, we’d fall short of an accurate description. When the Spirit inspires the writers of the Bible to record the event, how do you think they might have responded?
From what little I know of the Gospels, they were written in the first century by different people in different places and at different times. I believe Mark’s version came out first followed by Matthew’s and Luke’s then John’s. In the end, the Gospel is more than a literary collection to be studied and debate; they point to how we’re to live so we can follow Christ.
God will provide all the answers when we face Him. I pray that I’m found worthy enough and will meet you there! God Bless you.
I think the scriptures is quite clear on what firstborn means… Unless you want me to give you another verse as more evidence… Okay let’s do that, read Revelation 3:14 which says - “To the angel of the congregation in La·o·di·cea write: These are the things that the Amen says, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation by God."