brakelite
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- Jul 28, 2011
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I have written this in response to some comments from a JW in the thread "the true church".
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
In the letter to the Hebrews we are told:
Hebrews 1:1 ¶ Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
It is natural for Christ to be considered lawgiver, for the One who creates must certainly have authority to guide and control. In John 5:22,23 we read:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
As Christ is the manifestation of the Father in creation, so is He the manifestation of the Father in giving and executing the law. A few scriptures will suffice to prove this.
In Numbers 21:4-6 we have the partial record of an incident which took place while Israel was in the wilderness:
4 ¶ And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
The people spoke against Moses and Godsaying, "why have you brought us up into the wilderness?" They found fault with their leader. This is why they were destroyed by serpents. Now read Paul's version of the same event:
1 Cor. 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
What does this prove? That the leader against who the people were murmering was Christ. This is further proved by the fact that when Moses cast in his lot with Israel, refusing to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. (Hebrews 11:26) And also in 1 Cor. 10:4 we read:
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Hebrews 3:1-6 confirms the same.
1 ¶ Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
We are His house if we hold fast to the end. Wherefore we are instructed not to harden our hearts as Israel did in the wilderness,
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
So Christ again is set forth as the leader and commander of Israel throughout their journeyings in the wilderness. Confirmed again by Jesus Himself when He said "Before Abraham was, I AM" ...referring to the voice in the burning bush.
Now let us look at the following.
Exodus 20:1 ¶ And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Who spoke these words? The One who brought them from Egypt. And who was the leader of Israel from Egypt? None other than Christ Himself. Then who spoke the law from Mt. Sinai? It was Christ, the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person, who is the manifestation of God to man. The Creator of all created things, and the one to whom all judgment has been committed. It is Christ Himself who is saying "I am the Lord thy God".
This can be proved another way by comparing the following verses.
1 Thess. 4:16; Jeremiah 25:30,31; Revel. 19:11-21; Joel 3:16. Now read Hebrews 12:25,26:
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Soon Christ is coming again, the Lord Jehovah of the universe to speak and shake the earth and the heavens.
The fact that Christ is a part of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of the deity, being the equal to the Father in all respects, as Creator and Lawgiver, is the ONLY force there is in the atonement. It is this alone which makes redemption possible. Christ died that He might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18) but if He lacked one iota of being equal to God, He could not bring us to Him. If Christ were not Divine, then we should only have a human sacrifice. It matters not, even if it be granted that Christ was the highest created intelligence in the universe; in that case He would be a subject, owing allegiance to the law, without the ability to do anything other than His own duty. He could have no righteousness to impart to others. There is an infinite distance between the highest angel ever created, and God: thus the highest angel could not lift fallen man up, and make him a partaker of the divine nature. Angels can minister, God only can redeem.
Since God is known only through Christ, the Word of God, it is evident that the Father cannot be honoured as He ought to be honoured, by those who do not exalt Christ. As Christ Himself said, "He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him." John 5:23
This post may also serve as my answer to the thread "Is Jesus God?"
Blessings.
Isaiah 33:22 For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; he will save us.
In the letter to the Hebrews we are told:
Hebrews 1:1 ¶ Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
It is natural for Christ to be considered lawgiver, for the One who creates must certainly have authority to guide and control. In John 5:22,23 we read:
For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.
As Christ is the manifestation of the Father in creation, so is He the manifestation of the Father in giving and executing the law. A few scriptures will suffice to prove this.
In Numbers 21:4-6 we have the partial record of an incident which took place while Israel was in the wilderness:
4 ¶ And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.
5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.
6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
The people spoke against Moses and Godsaying, "why have you brought us up into the wilderness?" They found fault with their leader. This is why they were destroyed by serpents. Now read Paul's version of the same event:
1 Cor. 10:9 Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents.
What does this prove? That the leader against who the people were murmering was Christ. This is further proved by the fact that when Moses cast in his lot with Israel, refusing to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter, he esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt. (Hebrews 11:26) And also in 1 Cor. 10:4 we read:
4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Hebrews 3:1-6 confirms the same.
1 ¶ Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;
2 Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses was faithful in all his house.
3 For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
4 For every house is builded by some man; but he that built all things is God.
5 And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after;
6 But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.
We are His house if we hold fast to the end. Wherefore we are instructed not to harden our hearts as Israel did in the wilderness,
14 For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
15 While it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation.
16 For some, when they had heard, did provoke: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.
So Christ again is set forth as the leader and commander of Israel throughout their journeyings in the wilderness. Confirmed again by Jesus Himself when He said "Before Abraham was, I AM" ...referring to the voice in the burning bush.
Now let us look at the following.
Exodus 20:1 ¶ And God spake all these words, saying,
2 I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Who spoke these words? The One who brought them from Egypt. And who was the leader of Israel from Egypt? None other than Christ Himself. Then who spoke the law from Mt. Sinai? It was Christ, the brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of His person, who is the manifestation of God to man. The Creator of all created things, and the one to whom all judgment has been committed. It is Christ Himself who is saying "I am the Lord thy God".
This can be proved another way by comparing the following verses.
1 Thess. 4:16; Jeremiah 25:30,31; Revel. 19:11-21; Joel 3:16. Now read Hebrews 12:25,26:
25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven:
26 Whose voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
Soon Christ is coming again, the Lord Jehovah of the universe to speak and shake the earth and the heavens.
The fact that Christ is a part of the Godhead, possessing all the attributes of the deity, being the equal to the Father in all respects, as Creator and Lawgiver, is the ONLY force there is in the atonement. It is this alone which makes redemption possible. Christ died that He might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18) but if He lacked one iota of being equal to God, He could not bring us to Him. If Christ were not Divine, then we should only have a human sacrifice. It matters not, even if it be granted that Christ was the highest created intelligence in the universe; in that case He would be a subject, owing allegiance to the law, without the ability to do anything other than His own duty. He could have no righteousness to impart to others. There is an infinite distance between the highest angel ever created, and God: thus the highest angel could not lift fallen man up, and make him a partaker of the divine nature. Angels can minister, God only can redeem.
Since God is known only through Christ, the Word of God, it is evident that the Father cannot be honoured as He ought to be honoured, by those who do not exalt Christ. As Christ Himself said, "He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent Him." John 5:23
This post may also serve as my answer to the thread "Is Jesus God?"
Blessings.
