Taken in part from: http://www.av1611.org/jmelton/JehovahsWitnesses.html ~ ~ ~ Newly Updated as of Wednesday, 19 November 2008

In Memory Of: Jesus of Nazareth (Eternity past - 2 BC) ; (2 BC - AD 31) ; (AD 31 - Present) ; (Present - Time-unending)
- Our only perfect example (John 13:15), by Whom we too can participate with good, great, and greater works (John 14:12) -

JESUS: God or not?

FACT: Matt. 1:21-23 shows Jesus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, and these passages, both Old and New Testaments, indicate that Jesus is “God with us.”

Query: Is this a reality or merely a title?

Query: Did Jesus' critics understand Him correctly, when they thought He was "making himself equal with God" in John 5:18 of the Bible?

Query: Does the King James Version of Philippians 2:6 correctly translate Jesus' claim that He "thought it not robbery to be equal with God," or, rather, is the Amplified Bible more correct in its claim that Philippians 2:6 really says that Jesus was "did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained?"

Query: "What does Colossians 2:8-9 (Holy Bible, KJV) mean when it says '8Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. 9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.'??"

ANSWER: Jesus does many God-like things, which hint at His Deity.

* Psalms 90:2 tells us that God is “from everlasting.” (This qualifies Him as GOD, not someone who used to be a man, as the Mormons tell us.) “Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. (Psalms 90:2, KJV; Cf: Psalms 93:2 and Isaiah 63:16) Notes: In John 10:28, Jesus said, "And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." If Jesus Christ isn't eternal, then how does He have the power to give "eternal life"?
* Micah 5:2 tells us that Jesus is “from everlasting.” (This qualifies Him as GOD, not as a mere man, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses tell us.) “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.” (Micah 5:2, KJV) See also: 1st Timothy 6:14,16 re: "our Lord Jesus Christ:...Who only hath immortality"

* NEW: GOD'S GLORY - Hear what God says: "I will not give my glory unto another." Isaiah 48:11b (KJV, emphasis added for clarity, here and elsewhere) Yet, guess what we find happening with JESUS?? "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels" (Matt. 16:27a, KJV; Cf.: Mark 8:38) But, it gets better! "For whosoever shall be ashamed of me [JESUS] and of my words, of him shall the Son of man [JESUS] be ashamed, when he [JESUS] shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels." (Luke 9:26, KJV) Did you catch that? God (The Father) said in Isaiah 48:11 that He would not give His glory to another, but we find Him giving it to Jesus -along with Jesus' own glory and that of the angels. Wow! That's a lot of glory, but the main point here is this: If God, The Father gave Jesus His glory, something that The Father could not give to someone who is not God ("I will not give my glory unto another." Is. 48:11b), then only one logical conclusion remains: JESUS IS GOD! Additionally, when Jesus' disciples said of Jesus "glory in the highest" in Luke 19:38, and the some of the Pharisees objected, saying "Master, rebuke thy disciples," (Luke 19:39), guess what Jesus said?? Jesus said it was OK for the disciples to give Him the highest glory, i.e., that which only belongs to The Father, as we've seen above: "And he [JESUS] answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:40, KJV) If you're brave, see also: John 1:14; John 17:22-24; Hebrews 1:1-3; and, 2nd Peter 1:16-17.

** In John 8:58, Jesus told the Pharisees, "Before Abraham was, I am." He claimed to be the "I AM" of Exodus 3:14, that is, God Almighty! (The Pharisees understood that Jesus was claiming to be God; Otherwise, they wouldn't have gotten so mad!)

* Jesus allowed others to worship Him (John 9:38; Matt. 14:33; and Luke 24:52), which was forbidden, unless He was God (Exodus 34:14; 1st Kings 22:53; Psalms 81:9; Psalms 97:7; Daniel 3:17-18; Matt. 4:10; Luke 4:8; Acts 10:25-26; Colossians 2:18; Revelations 19:10; Revelations 22:8-9). [Notes: Where the KJV says in Luke 14:10 "then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee," it is a different Greek word used here for "worship," and is more correctly translated in the Amplified Bible as: "Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit [at table] with you." Of course, Jesus was not saying that you and I can accept worship!] Jesus is worshipped by angels (Heb. 1:6) and worshipped begrudgingly by a demon (Mark 5:6). Jesus allowed and permitted worship by the wise men (Matt. 2:11), a leper (Matt. 8:2), a ruler (Matt. 9:18), some ship mates (Matt. 14:33), a Canaanite woman (Matt. 15:25), by James and John (the sons of Zebedee) and their mother (Matt. 20:20), Mary Magdalene and the "other" Mary (Matt. 28:9), the disciples (Matt. 28:17; Luke 24:52), a blind man (John 9:38), and finally, by "doubting" Thomas (John 20:28).

Question: Did Jesus really allow others to worship Him?
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Philippians 2:9-10 (HOLY BIBLE, King James Version, bold-face and underline emphasis added for clarity)
Answer: If every knee bows, then it bows in worship -not in jest.

* Jesus forgave sins (Matt. 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; Luke 7:48), which only God can do (Jer. 31:34; Cf: Matt. 9:3; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21; Luke 7:49). Note: Anyone can forgive sins against himself; Only GOD, however, can forgive ALL your sins: "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:34 Jesus forgave sins, thus He was God, worthy of all worship.)
* The Lord Jesus Christ is omnipresent: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I [JESUS] in the midst of them." (Matt. 18:20) "...lo, I [JESUS] am with you always, even unto the end of the world..." (Matt. 28:20) "The Revelation of Jesus Christ...Behold, I [Jesus] stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Rev. 1:1; Rev. 3:20) We know He is God because He is capable of being everywhere at once.
* Jesus is omniscient: “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” (Mark 13:32, KJV, emphasis added; See also Matt. 24:36, NIV, subnote 'a') Commentary: Jesus may or may not have known then, but that was then, and this is now; Jesus, as ascended and having regained the privileges he laid down, does know everything. Here is proof: Jesus knew things about the Father that no one else knew (Matt. 11:27). Which mere mortal knows the future about his own death? But, Jesus did! (Matt. 12:40; Matt. 16:21; Matt. 20:19) Jesus knew the future about the owner of a colt -that he would allow the disciple to have it (Mark 11:2-6). Jesus knew private things about Nathanael (that he had no guile: John 1:47-49). Jesus knew the private details of a Samaritan woman's marital woes (John 4:16-19). Jesus did not rebuke His disciples when they said He knew all things (John 16:30; John 21:17). Jesus is God because He knows all things.
* The Lord Jesus is also omnipotent: "...the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." (Rev. 19:6) Jesus is all powerful too: "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." (Matt. 28:18) Cf: 1st Timothy 6:14-15 Re: "our Lord Jesus Christ:...who is the blessed and only Potentate". ~ "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." (Rev. 3:21) Jesus has the power to grant promote and demote who sits in which throne in Heaven?! Wow! That's real power! Jesus has all power.
* The Lord Jesus is also omni-existent: Jesus has always, is currently, and will forever exist in all time -Jesus "omnipresent" in all places and "omni-existent" in all time! Past (Exodus 3:14; Micah 5:2), Present (Heb. 13:8), and future (Heb. 6:20; Heb. 13:8; 1st Timothy 6:14,16; Revelation 11:15; Cf: Revelation 22:5, which allows us to reign forever with Him). Jesus is the root (ancestor) AND offspring of David -Jesus is both the beginning AND the end, the alpha AND the omega. (Revelations 22:13-16) Therefore, He is very God.
* The Lord Jesus is also immutable: He changes not: Hebrews 13:8. This is an attribute of God: "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." (Mal. 3:6) "...the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." (James 1:17) What mere mortal can 'change not'? Therefore, Jesus is God.
* NEW: It is indeed scriptural to pray to Jesus. Yes! You CAN pray to Jesus ~à FIRST, we see Stephen praying TO Jesus as follows in Acts 7:59 "...calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (This implies that Jesus is God, but it SAYS by example that we CAN pray to Jesus.) Now, to those who suggest that this was an exception, merely because Stephen was freaking out at the vision, let me point you to 1st Timothy 1:12, which clearly shows Paul praying a prayer of thanks: "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me..." In case you think Paul was merely making a play on words -and speaking ABOUT Jesus, not to Him, see also: Revelation 22:20, in which the writer specifically prays to Jesus THIS prayer: "...Even so, come, Lord Jesus." Also, see the 1st Epistle of John 5:14b-15, which says "...if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him." ~~~ "He" who, you ask? See the prior verse, which refers ONLY to "Son of God," that is, Jesus. (1st Jn 5:13) Oh, did you know that JESUS ANSWERS PRAYERS also? Yep! Hear Jesus' own words: "13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it." (The Gospel According to John 14:13-14) It is clear: You can't pray to someone, for example, your neighbor, friend, or boss. Why? Such person is not God. Thus, anyone to Whom scripture allows us to pray must of necessity be God. Therefore, once again, we see Jesus must be Very God.
* NEW: Jesus indwells us ("I in them": John 17:23a; John 17:26b; Cf.: Rev. 3:20) like the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 63:11; Luke 11:13; Acts 2:4). Although demons (fallen angels) occasionally indwell the possessed lost person, this is not God's will but rather man's "free will," allowed by God for a season. However, no Holy Angel will indwell a believer, so Jesus is not just some angel, but very God!
* According to The Gospel of John 1, The 1st Epistle of John 1, Colossians 1, and Hebrews 1, Jesus Christ is the Creator of Genesis 1! ~ ALL things were made by JESUS, not all other things, as the New World Translation would have you believe: “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.” (John 1:3, KJV; cf: Colossians 1:16)
NEW - This just in: Only God is the Saviour:
* I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.-Isaiah 43:11
* Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me.-Hosea 13:4
* And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.-Luke 1:47
* Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;-1st Timothy 1:1
* But hath in due times manifested his word through preaching, which is committed unto me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;-Titus 1:3
* To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.-Jude 1:25
HOWEVER - JESUS is also called Saviour:
* For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.-Luke 2:11
* And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.-John 4:42
* For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:-Philippians 3:20
* But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:-2nd Timothy 1:10
* To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour.-Titus 1:4
* For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.-2nd Peter 1:11
THEREFORE, we know that - JESUS must be very GOD.

Passages taken from (HOLY BIBLE, King James Version)

* Jesus never sinned! Romans 3:23 says that ALL HAVE SINNED and come short of the glory of God. Yes! "Even in His [heavenly] servants He puts no trust or confidence, and His angels He charges with folly and error--" (Job 4:18, Amplified Version, HOLY BIBLE) Yet, Jesus did not sin (2nd Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15; Heb. 9:28; 1st Peter 3:18). So Jesus had to be God.

* "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn." (Zech. 12:10) God is speaking about being pierced -and Jesus fulfilled it (Rev. 1:7). Jesus is therefore God: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.” (Rev. 1:7)
* Jesus walked on water (Matt. 14:25), and He rebuked the wind -and the wind and seas obey Him (Luke 8:24-25). Yes, prophets can do miracles, but check THIS out: Jesus didn't merely "pray" to God to calm the sea; As Rev. Melton rightly points out, Jesus calmed the sea Himself!

* "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." (1st Epistle of John 5:7)
* "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." (1st Timothy 3:16, KJV)
* "And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory." (1st Timothy 3:16, AMP)
* "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." (2nd Corinthians 13:14)

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