Runningman
Active Member
Not convincing at all since nothing in the Bible says to pray to Jesus. There is only one teaching in the Bible about who to pray to and it explcitly says to pray to the Father.Jesus is God.
IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. [Isa. 9:6.]
2 He was present originally with God.
3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being.
4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it].
John 1:1–5
Jesus said to him, On the other hand, it is written also, You shall not tempt, test thoroughly, or try exceedingly the Lord your God.
Matthew 4:7
The hypostatic union is the term used to describe how God the Son, Jesus Christ, took on a human nature, yet remained fully God at the same time.
The most important reason that Jesus must be God is that, if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the world.
2 And He [that same Jesus Himself] is the propitiation (the atoning sacrifice) for our sins, and not for ours alone but also for [the sins of] the whole world.
1 John 2:2.
A created being, which Jesus would be if He were not God, could not pay the infinite penalty required for sin against an infinite God. Only God could pay such an infinite penalty. Only God could take on the sins of the world. Then die, and be resurrected, proving His victory over sin and death.
21 For our sake He made Christ [virtually] to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become [endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God [what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness].
2 Co 5:21
Matthew 6
6But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
9So then, this is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be Your name.
There are also no teachings to worship Jesus in the Bible. The Bible says to worship the Father.
John 4
23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. 24God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”
Additonally, the Lord sent Jesus Christ, therefore Jesus isn't the Lord who sent himself. It's because you don't understand Jesus has a Lord who made him Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36)
Acts 3 (KJV)
19Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; 20And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The glory Jesus was given he gave to his disciples. Means Jesus didn't have God's exclusive glory. There are no examples of Jesus sharing God's exclusive glory in all of Scripture. All of the glory Jesus has, the Bible says we can share it with Jesus. Jesus and us Christians don't share God's exclusive glory. The Bible says we are given such glory by God, just like Jesus.
This means Jesus isn't God.
John 17
5And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed.
22I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one—
Romans 8
17And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him.
18I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us.
30And those He predestined, He also called; those He called, He also justified; those He justified, He also glorified.
2 Corinthians 3
18And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
Colossians 3
4When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
2 Thessalonians 2
14To this He called you through our gospel, so that you may share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 5
1As a fellow elder, a witness of Christ’s sufferings, and a partaker of the glory to be revealed, I appeal to the elders among you:
10And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself restore you, secure you, strengthen you, and establish you.
It has been recorded that Jesus denied that he is God in the verses below from the KJV:
Matthew 19
17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
Mark 10
18 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God.
Luke 18
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
Based on the above Scripture, we can find the following information:
Jesus rhetorically questions why he is being called "good" and says that only God is good. This means that Jesus is distinguishing himself from God and that absolute goodness belongs exclusively to God. In saying this, Jesus denies that he possesses the absolute goodness that God has.
This distinction that Jesus pointed out between himself and God is evident in his rhetorical question about why he is being called good. If Jesus were God, then it would not be consistent for him to deny being called good and thus deny having this divine attribute of God.
Since Jesus denied having the absolute goodness of God, Jesus strongly inferred that he is just a teacher and a prophet. In John 8:28, Jesus stated, "I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things." Therefore, Jesus was himself taught by his God and Father. Needing to be taught by God means that Jesus is not omniscient and didn't inherently know the things he himself was teaching until he was taught.
Therefore, Jesus denied being God.