Jesus Christ the way, not the God

By The Standard | Jun. 23, 2019

I diligently follow the teachings of Christ as written down in the books of the saints, Matthew, Luke, Mark and John. These books carry the real-life acts and teachings of Christ. They are my most favoured.

sundayword BY PROSPER TINGINI

Acts tell us of the works of the apostles of Christ in promotion of his teachings. Half of the last parts of the New Testament carry the numerous letters of Paul to the various churches in the regions.

In my previous writings I have made it clear that at times I find some of Paul’s letters to be in conflict with some teachings of God the Father and of Jesus Christ, especially in relation to the law. As such, I will always give prominence to the actual teachings of God and of Christ above all others, sometimes resulting in clashes with the disciples and scholars of Paul’s letters, followers of the Pauline Christology doctrines. I will remain steadfast in my views.

I believe Jesus’ main purpose was to save mankind from damnation, to redeem the sins of man, and to save us from the consequences of our sins. He was the sacrificial lamb given to us for that purpose by our Father, the Almighty God. Jesus was His gift for humanity for the atonement of sins. He was also meant to show us the way to our Heavenly Father, for us to travel on the right path to the Lord our God. Jesus himself told us so, that he was the Way. It means he was the Way to a Destination, ie, God. That means he was not the destination, but the way. This implies he was the medium to God, not the God. I worship God through Jesus Christ, the way.

In my last articles, I highlighted that there were shortfalls in the Roman era human-manufactured doctrine of the Holy Trinity, which gave the birth and rise to this phenomenal belief that Jesus Christ is in essence God. I will not repeat its original source or of its adoption into a Roman Empire decree. It is the reason why Christians in some denominations have been indoctrinated into the almost blasphemous view enunciating that Jesus is indeed God. This was in line with the Roman pagan multi-god religious system of worship. We all know of some of the numerous god entities they worshipped, ie, the stars, the moon, the sun, the planets and even individual characters too numerous to mention. Christians were brought into these same multi-gods mode of worship by the Romans.

For those who will steadfastly cling to the Holy Trinity doctrine with its glaring shortfalls, may I be allowed to ask and highlight certain aspects to validate either my views or theirs. If Jesus Christ is God, is he at par with God the Almighty or is he a lesser God? Let’s say you stick with that inclination, then allow me to highlight some numerous examples that I regard as dispelling the 3-in-1 godliness, the multiplicity of gods.

Matthew 1:1 starts with the genealogy of Christ. “The generations of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Paul also writes to the Romans, “Concerning his son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). Paul rightly describes Christ as the Son, not as God. I totally agree with his description of Christ as the Son. The genealogy of Christ indicates that he was born of a line of generations of man. God as an entity has no generations. He was there in the beginning, is there now and will always be. Of Jesus Christ, John 1:45 says: “Phillip found Nathaniel, and said to him, we have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write about, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” God thus could never be a son of man.

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Only the Heavenly Father, the Almighty God, has the power over everything, including the knowledge of things. Christ at times needed the power and assistance from the Father. He could not be like God in every sense of the word. In John 5:30 he spoke, “I can of my own self do nothing.” This means he needed God Himself to be constantly by his side. Of the judgement day he also spoke, “But of that day and that hour no man knows, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son but the Father.” Christ clearly spelt out that his powers were limited and could not match those of God, the Heavenly Father, he thus could not be called God.

God has powers over the devil, otherwise also know as Satan. The devil cannot be seen to be exercising his power over God. It just can’t. Mark 1:12-13 states, “And immediately the spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan.” Surely if Christ was in the same league as God, then satan would never have attempted to tempt him. Luke 4:13 ends the temptation, “and when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a reason”. This clearly indicates that the devil would persistently come to tempt Jesus, although he prevailed in all temptations. God would never be tampered with like that. Paul writes to the Hebrews, “but Christ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin”. (Hebrews 4:15) I agree with Paul. Christ was human after all, simply not God. James 1:13-14 sums up the issue of temptation of God and of man: “God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempt He any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.”

Like man, Christ also had some moments of weakness. John 11:35 reads: “Jesus wept.” God is not a weeping God. Christ was showing he was human. He needed God the Father to strengthen him. Luke 22:43 confirms this: “And there appeared an angel into him from heaven, strengthening him (Christ).”

God does not run away from danger as nothing can endanger Him. Scriptures tell us of Christ evading danger to his life in some instances. John 11:53-54 reads: “Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the Jews.” John 10:59 also reads:

“Then they took up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them and so passed by.” John 10:39 tells us: “Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand.” The Almighty God would never run away from man. It would make a mockery of him. Jesus is indeed son of man born through an act of God, thus God becomes his Father, like He is also Father to us.

The Lord our God would never be humiliated by man as happened to Jesus Christ. Luke 22: 63-64 reads: “ and the man that held Jesus mocked him and smote Him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face”. Mark 14:64 condemns Jesus to death: “and they all condemned him to be guilty of death”. Act 8:32 also reads: “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter, and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, he never opened his mouth”. I feel tears running down my cheeks. Man inflicting suffering to God? God never dies, He never will. John 19:33 tells us of Jesus’ death, “He was dead.” Paul also wrote to the Romans, “Christ died” (Romans 5:6). Neither will God ever be buried as is written about Christ in Matthew 27:58-59,”Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, and begged of the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth”

. Our God lives forever. Amen.

Prosper Tingini is the president of the children of God Missionary Assembly. His contact details: 0771 260 195 or email [email protected]