www. bymonline. org | SEPTEMBER 2018
of the world”( KJV)
Jn 8:58-“ Jesus said to them,“ Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.”
When Jesus called God, His own Father, He made Himself equal to God and not inferior. Hence the title ' Son of God ' implies that He was equal with the Father.
Also the word ' firstborn ' denotes that Jesus was the first who was raised from the dead.
Rev 1:5-“ and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.”
Col 1:18-“ And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.”
Hence, Jesus was not a created being. He is from the beginning.
2. Jesus was born as the fleshly son of the Father
John 3:16“ For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The word ' begotten ' is used to misinterpret that Jesus was a son born to the Father. The Muslims boldly ask, ' Where is Jesus ' mother?'
The Greek word used for the word ' begotten ' is ' monogenes ' the meaning of which is ' same kind and of same nature.' So in effect what the Word of God says is that Jesus was born as the same kind and nature as the Father.
The claim is unlike certain cultures where the father is more respected than the son. According to Jewish culture, when somebody says that he is a son to someone, he claims the same nature and kind.
It is for this very reason the Jews were very much angry with Jesus( Jn 5:18).
Note the following verse:
John 5:18-“ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.”
3. The Father is greater than the Son
John 14:28-“ You heard me say to you, ' I am going away, and I will come to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I.”
Jesus Himself testified that the Father is greater than Him. It is true. Father is greater than Jesus in His position( as a Son of man) but not in His nature.
We should not forget that Jesus came as the Son of man. He was made little lower than angels. Note the following verse:
Heb 2:9-“ But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.”
Phil 2:5-7“ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.”
In the above verses, we find that Jesus volunteered to take the form of a servant. In short, He
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