Thursday, March 10, 2005
Jesus is Just like God
So Benny Hinn is in the hot seat again. I got one thing to tell Hinn. Stop your false preaching and repent. Benny you are not preaching the truth on healing and all your miracles are set up. If someone has a real miracle I will recant. You make so much money then cry to old people for more. John Macarthur sends a free gift and does not expect you to pay for it. Repent Hinn of sin and you can be saved. Preach true doctrine. You do not teach the truth on the filling of the spirit. It is not right to do what he is doing folks and please do not listen to him.
I am not trying to Hate Hinn I am asking him to repent and be right. If I hate him I would not do that I would not say what needs to say. I deal with Hinners too much to let this go by. I want to think about did Jesus actually have things about him that we can conclude about that he was God. I did some studies on the things that God is here Just keep reading or email me I will send them to you. If Jesus was God then there has to be proof by him showing he is. Yet there is a problem in the bible. Jesus became a man and laid aside some of the things he otherwise has as God. Like God is everywhere at one time. But Jesus was not in his body. Jesus did lay aside his God like attitudes in some way. Lets examine a passage on this in Phil.
2 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[1]
Jesus made himself nothing taking a form of a bondservant and becoming like man. Jesus was a man and some of his God hood was not there. He died which God cannot do. I do not know how much he gave up or what but one thing he did not give is his forgiving of sins. Jesus forgave people in the Gospels. He also healed people. So it can be said Jesus choose some things to not have and others he kept. I also think Jesus power to heal and rule was still there. Jesus after he rose I think had the things we are going to have in heaven in our bodies. Jesus now has all the attitudes of God. Jesus is all we need and all God is Jesus is.
I am choosing to not go into parts of the chapter because I dealt with them. I want to say this about slavery and Jesus. Why does Jesus teach slaves are ok? In the roman time this was not a race thing it was a common thing. A reason one became a slave was to pay off a debt. It was one way people worked in that time. Many did not have any job so in slavery they had a way to live eat and work. Also the slaves were freed after 7 years and debts were forgiven. Jesus never endorsed slaves and the junk we had here was not good. All the slave stuff was really a way to work and pay off things. Here is a better thing than I am able to write on this topic
Jesus and Slavery
My nephew Hal has a web site and a blog where there is a page of links and my site is included. I was perusing it the other day and noticed he had put a comment next to my name saying "My uncle David is, in fact, pro-slavery." A statement like that, although potentially libelous, is at least provocative and perhaps even serves me and my site well by sending people here who would not have come otherwise. So I thought I would return the favor and perhaps send some folks to Hal's site.
Anyway, I write this to defend myself. I recall a conversation we were having last summer in a family gathering about some interesting political and religious topics. Hal made a comment that Jesus was wrong to have never spoken against slavery. I forget what I said but I am sure it was something to the effect that slavery wasn't so bad back during that day. We'll the conversation went downhill after that and the rest of the family interceded to ban any further discussion on such subjects.
Allow me to explain my complete thoughts on the subject.
Jesus did not come to set men free from slavery to men; rather he came to set men free from slavery to sin. Had he taken up the worthy cause of social reform, he would not have been able to preach his message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Eternal salvation is infinitely more beneficial to the human soul than freedom from slavery. In fact, by focusing his message on what truly counts and on the only thing that can reform men's hearts, he was effectively establishing a church that would one day lead the way in abolishing slavery. Thank God for Christians like William Wilberforce who saw his God-given goal in life as that of the abolition of slave trade in England.
In the Roman world of that day, the master/slave relationship was more likely to be similar to employer/employee relationship. While certainly not affirming slavery as something good, it is noteworthy to realize that many slaves were treated as well as other members of the family. Besides, such a campaign to abolish slavery in that day would have been futile given the social and governmental climate of the time.
In the church, which by the way Jesus established and also heads, members included both slaves and slave owners and they were treated equally. This is not just historical fact but according to God's plan:
Galatians 3:26-28 (NKJV)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Notice that it is not just slaves and masters who are equal but male and female too. That was quite a forward thinking idea for that time! I think that I probably mentioned to Hal that the Bible says that slaves should be obedient to their masters. But also consider that the Bible admonishes masters to be good to slaves as well:
Ephesians 6:5-9 (NKJV)
Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Finally, I hope I said something about the fact that we are all ultimately slaves to something, either to sin or to righteousness.
Romans 6:16 (NKJV)
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
[1]The New King James Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1982.
I am not trying to Hate Hinn I am asking him to repent and be right. If I hate him I would not do that I would not say what needs to say. I deal with Hinners too much to let this go by. I want to think about did Jesus actually have things about him that we can conclude about that he was God. I did some studies on the things that God is here Just keep reading or email me I will send them to you. If Jesus was God then there has to be proof by him showing he is. Yet there is a problem in the bible. Jesus became a man and laid aside some of the things he otherwise has as God. Like God is everywhere at one time. But Jesus was not in his body. Jesus did lay aside his God like attitudes in some way. Lets examine a passage on this in Phil.
2 5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.[1]
Jesus made himself nothing taking a form of a bondservant and becoming like man. Jesus was a man and some of his God hood was not there. He died which God cannot do. I do not know how much he gave up or what but one thing he did not give is his forgiving of sins. Jesus forgave people in the Gospels. He also healed people. So it can be said Jesus choose some things to not have and others he kept. I also think Jesus power to heal and rule was still there. Jesus after he rose I think had the things we are going to have in heaven in our bodies. Jesus now has all the attitudes of God. Jesus is all we need and all God is Jesus is.
I am choosing to not go into parts of the chapter because I dealt with them. I want to say this about slavery and Jesus. Why does Jesus teach slaves are ok? In the roman time this was not a race thing it was a common thing. A reason one became a slave was to pay off a debt. It was one way people worked in that time. Many did not have any job so in slavery they had a way to live eat and work. Also the slaves were freed after 7 years and debts were forgiven. Jesus never endorsed slaves and the junk we had here was not good. All the slave stuff was really a way to work and pay off things. Here is a better thing than I am able to write on this topic
Jesus and Slavery
My nephew Hal has a web site and a blog where there is a page of links and my site is included. I was perusing it the other day and noticed he had put a comment next to my name saying "My uncle David is, in fact, pro-slavery." A statement like that, although potentially libelous, is at least provocative and perhaps even serves me and my site well by sending people here who would not have come otherwise. So I thought I would return the favor and perhaps send some folks to Hal's site.
Anyway, I write this to defend myself. I recall a conversation we were having last summer in a family gathering about some interesting political and religious topics. Hal made a comment that Jesus was wrong to have never spoken against slavery. I forget what I said but I am sure it was something to the effect that slavery wasn't so bad back during that day. We'll the conversation went downhill after that and the rest of the family interceded to ban any further discussion on such subjects.
Allow me to explain my complete thoughts on the subject.
Jesus did not come to set men free from slavery to men; rather he came to set men free from slavery to sin. Had he taken up the worthy cause of social reform, he would not have been able to preach his message of the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Eternal salvation is infinitely more beneficial to the human soul than freedom from slavery. In fact, by focusing his message on what truly counts and on the only thing that can reform men's hearts, he was effectively establishing a church that would one day lead the way in abolishing slavery. Thank God for Christians like William Wilberforce who saw his God-given goal in life as that of the abolition of slave trade in England.
In the Roman world of that day, the master/slave relationship was more likely to be similar to employer/employee relationship. While certainly not affirming slavery as something good, it is noteworthy to realize that many slaves were treated as well as other members of the family. Besides, such a campaign to abolish slavery in that day would have been futile given the social and governmental climate of the time.
In the church, which by the way Jesus established and also heads, members included both slaves and slave owners and they were treated equally. This is not just historical fact but according to God's plan:
Galatians 3:26-28 (NKJV)
For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Notice that it is not just slaves and masters who are equal but male and female too. That was quite a forward thinking idea for that time! I think that I probably mentioned to Hal that the Bible says that slaves should be obedient to their masters. But also consider that the Bible admonishes masters to be good to slaves as well:
Ephesians 6:5-9 (NKJV)
Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Finally, I hope I said something about the fact that we are all ultimately slaves to something, either to sin or to righteousness.
Romans 6:16 (NKJV)
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?
[1]The New King James Version, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1998, c1982.
