Jesus or God?

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hausofferni

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Ok forgive me for asking this question, but I’m still trying to understand the trinity and such, but this issue has always baffled me. Who do I thank? God or Jesus? When saints talk about loving God, that’s all they ever talk about, God, they never mention Jesus? I just get confused because sometimes I say “thank Jesus” only because I always say “thank God” and so I feel guilty, and i know Jesus is God but I still get confused??? So confused sometimes that I don’t even know who God or Jesus is at times and it hurts me. Can someone explain please?
 
There is one triune God. 3 persons in one Divine Entity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit.
 
God is 3 in 1 - you can’t have just part of God. So it doesn’t really matter who you address, all 3 Persons are there. And if you say Jesus, the Father & Holy Spirit aren’t going to feel left out.

If you should ever really understand the Trinity, I think you would be made a Doctor of the Church. 😉
 
hausofferni said:
Ok forgive me for asking this question, but I’m still trying to understand the trinity and such, but this issue has always baffled me. Who do I thank? God or Jesus? When saints talk about loving God, that’s all they ever talk about, God, they never mention Jesus? I just get confused because sometimes I say “thank Jesus” only because I always say “thank God” and so I feel guilty, and i know Jesus is God but I still get confused??? So confused sometimes that I don’t even know who God or Jesus is at times and it hurts me. Can someone explain please?
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Jesus IS GOD, The Holy Spirit IS GOD, GOD the Father IS GOD.

Whomever you address you address the other 2 because they are ONE 👍

…
 
Let me give it a shot. Jesus is God. See Is 9:6. Then read Rev. 1. Who is the “first and the last”?
Now let me say something about the Trinity that few understand. God (or the Trinity) has a center. Or a focus, if you will.The focus of everything God does is the Son. He is the revelation of God. It is about Jesus. When we praise Him, it pleases the Father. You see, God does not desire things for Himself. That would be selfishness. God is selfless. We should have the same focus as God.
Hope this helps:)
 
hausofferni said:
Ok forgive me for asking this question, but I’m still trying to understand the trinity and such, but this issue has always baffled me. Who do I thank? God or Jesus? When saints talk about loving God, that’s all they ever talk about, God, they never mention Jesus? I just get confused because sometimes I say “thank Jesus” only because I always say “thank God” and so I feel guilty, and i know Jesus is God but I still get confused??? So confused sometimes that I don’t even know who God or Jesus is at times and it hurts me. Can someone explain please?
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Well, perhaps on the different persons of the Trinity I can help you a little. The problem comes from what we mean by using this word ‘is’ in the sentence Jesus is God. It does not mean that Jesus and God are identical. Because Jesus is distinct from the Father and from the Holy Spirit. Therefore Jesus can not be identical with the Father or the Holy Spirit in every way. Yes, there will be similarities but also distinctions. So each person of the Trinity is distinct from each other in some way. Otherwise,we could not tell them apart and we might as well believe in modalism. Thus, you can distinctly address each person of the Trinity.

When we say Jesus is God we are talking about his nature or essence. Not his identity. His identity is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. His nature is God or divine. When we talk about natures or essences we are talking about what something is. When we talk about persons we speak of who someone is. This Jesus has a divine nature is what we mean by Jesus being God. We do not mean that Jesus is the Father.

For instance, if I said to you that John is human would you think that John and human are identical persons? No. You would realize the term human is not a person but a nature or essence. It describes what John is not who he is. His identity is John. His nature is human. Thus, when we say Jesus is God we are talking about Jesus’ nature, not his identity.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are together identical with God. Which means the Trinity is identical with God. Not each person separately.

When we address each person distinctly we can do so according to each person’s role within the Trinity and in regards to our salvation, how God has interacted with us.

For instance, Jesus is our Mediator. The Father is origin of all. The Son is eternally begotten from the Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and through the Son. The Holy Spirit is often called the Counselor. Scripture says he also bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God.

So while it might make it easier for us to imagine only one person of God to address, there are 3 persons of God. But these three persons have different roles and distinctions that we should keep in mind. I recommend a book called “Beginning Theology”, by Frank Sheed. As well as reading Scripture,especially the gospels to see each person’s role in our lives.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
 
Correction: “Theology for Beginners”, by Frank Sheed
 
fisherman_carl said:
Well, perhaps on the different persons of the Trinity I can help you a little. The problem comes from what we mean by using this word ‘is’ in the sentence Jesus is God. It does not mean that Jesus and God are identical. Because Jesus is distinct from the Father and from the Holy Spirit. Therefore Jesus can not be identical with the Father or the Holy Spirit in every way. Yes, there will be similarities but also distinctions. So each person of the Trinity is distinct from each other in some way. Otherwise,we could not tell them apart and we might as well believe in modalism. Thus, you can distinctly address each person of the Trinity.

When we say Jesus is God we are talking about his nature or essence. Not his identity. His identity is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. His nature is God or divine. When we talk about natures or essences we are talking about what something is. When we talk about persons we speak of who someone is. This Jesus has a divine nature is what we mean by Jesus being God. We do not mean that Jesus is the Father.

For instance, if I said to you that John is human would you think that John and human are identical persons? No. You would realize the term human is not a person but a nature or essence. It describes what John is not who he is. His identity is John. His nature is human. Thus, when we say Jesus is God we are talking about Jesus’ nature, not his identity.

The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are together identical with God. Which means the Trinity is identical with God. Not each person separately.

When we address each person distinctly we can do so according to each person’s role within the Trinity and in regards to our salvation, how God has interacted with us.

For instance, Jesus is our Mediator. The Father is origin of all. The Son is eternally begotten from the Father. The Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father and through the Son. The Holy Spirit is often called the Counselor. Scripture says he also bears witness with our Spirit that we are children of God.

So while it might make it easier for us to imagine only one person of God to address, there are 3 persons of God. But these three persons have different roles and distinctions that we should keep in mind. I recommend a book called “Beginning Theology”, by Frank Sheed. As well as reading Scripture,especially the gospels to see each person’s role in our lives.

“And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
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What a great answer:thumbsup:! Where’s the Like button?
 
hausofferni said:
Ok forgive me for asking this question, but I’m still trying to understand the trinity and such, but this issue has always baffled me. Who do I thank? God or Jesus? When saints talk about loving God, that’s all they ever talk about, God, they never mention Jesus? I just get confused because sometimes I say “thank Jesus” only because I always say “thank God” and so I feel guilty, and i know Jesus is God but I still get confused??? So confused sometimes that I don’t even know who God or Jesus is at times and it hurts me. Can someone explain please?
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The whole point of our faith is restored relationship between man and God. Jesus reconciled man and God by bridging the gap between them, Himself being both. He shows us that man and God can-and were meant to-commune. As Athanasius said, “God became man so that man may become gods”.

In any case only Jesus can show us the true face of the Father-and the way to the Father-because He is God. God, alone, can save man. God is the whole focus, and the more we know Jesus, the more we know God.
 
whenever a theological tradition is developing, it must decide which way key terms are going to be used or there will be hopeless confusion. For example, during the early centuries it was decided that in connection with Jesus identity the term God would be used as a noun rather than as a proper name for the Father. This enables us to say, Jesus is God and be understood. If the term God were used as a proper name for the Father in this regard, we would have to say, Jesus is not God. Obviously, the Church could not have people running around saying Jesus is God and Jesus is not God, though both would be perfectly consistent with the Trinity depending on how the term God is being used (i.e., as a noun or a proper name for the Father). Hopeless confusion (and charges of heresy, and bloodbaths) would have resulted in the early centuries if the Church did not specify the meaning of the term God when used in this context.
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Of course, the Bible uses the term God in both senses, but to avoid confusion (and heretical misunderstandings on the part of the faithful, who could incline to either Arianism or Modalism if they misread the word God in the above statements) it later became necessary to adopt one usage over the other when discussing the identity of Jesus.
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