If Jesus Is God, Why Did He Didn't He Come Right Out And Say It? Why Didn't He Say Pray To Me?
I have heard many people bring up this question: "If Jesus is actually God, why didn't He just say 'I am God, worship/pray to me?'" This is a counter-point brought up by many people including but not included to, the pagans, kaaba/baal worshippers, Arain groups, such as Jehovah Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventists, etc. and atheists. I will not fully go into arguments for Christ our Lord being God in this Article, but within this Article I will be arguing from my belief, assuming it to be true and showing why Christ did not come out directly and say that He is God.
Section 1. The Bible tells us that Christ was a servant while on the Earth
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.
Verse 6 is speaking of Christ our Lord pre-incarnation. One may argue that well all men are made in the image of God, but image and form are entirely different. Form here means being and authority. Remember that here in this context God is referring to the Father. So the Form that the Father has, Christ also had. The authority and power that the Father has, Christ also had. Then we see verse 6 saying, "did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped." Meaning that Christ before He became incarnate to be on the earth, was in total equality with God the Father, which no creature can be. So verse 6 is telling us that, Christ before coming to the world by the incarnation, chose for Himself to not be equal with God the Father while upon the Earth. Verse 7a continues this, it says that Christ humbled Himself by taking a form of a servant. He willingly chose to become a servant while upon the earth, meaning servant to His Father. Then verse 7b tells us that Christ chose to be born in the likeness of men. No Christian should deny that Christ was an actual man. He was truly man, but verse 7b is alluding to that even though Christ became flesh, He was truly divine. And the beginning of verse 8 tells us that Christ was found in human form. Meaning He truly was human, but His interbeing was beyond Human. Now what does it mean that Christ became a servant?
8 I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; 9 but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.”
Notice here Saint John goes to worship the angel and the angel corrects John telling him that he, the angel is also a servant along with the other Apostles and Christians and Prophets. Notice the angel does not mention Christ as being a servant. Why is that?
5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man that thou art mindful of him, or the son of man, that thou carest for him? 7 Thou didst make him for a little while lower than the angels, thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.
Even thought he angel in Revelation 22 compared himself to Saint John as servants, angels are above humans as we see here because it says that Christ was below angels, meaning human form. Notice the terminology used in verse 9 specifically. "WHO FOR A LITTLE WHILE." Meaning that before incarnation, He was above the angels and then returned back to His position above the angels. The only position above angels is God.
5 and now, Father, glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made.
Christ makes it known to the disciples that He was with the Father before He came into the world in flesh, He was with the Father before the world was even made and He was in glory alongside the Father.
So if He truly is God why did Christ insist on being a servant? Remember that the wages of our sin is death. If Christ had not come, the only thing we deserve is death for the vile things we do that God detests. So Jesus came down as the Messiah, the Christ, and took flesh and went in our place to save us from eternal death. If He had remained in His full glory and did not take flesh, then what would the point of coming and doing everything He did? He could have rather decreed it from Heaven.
Section 2. Did Jesus Say Pray to Me?
Now I have shown you that before Christ the Word became flesh, was above all things in creation which means God. Now I will give you the verse where Christ directly says you can pray to Him.
13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.
Before these two passages here in chapter 14, Christ is speaking of going to the Father into heaven. And Christ here comes and says that anything we ask in Christ's name, He will do. He will do anything we ask so the Father may be glorified in the Son. This is Christ telling us directly that we can pray to Him and He will answer prayers that are directed to Him.
My Final Thoughts
I have a very high confidence in these verses I have given that shows why if Christ is God, why He did not directly come out and say it. I had previously heard this counter-argument many times but I did not know these verses at first to shoot back with. Memorize these verses and use them to witnesses to people. Down below I will link to various articles that show that Christ our Lord is God.
"The LORD bless you
and keep you;
the LORD make His face shine upon you
and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn His face toward you
and give you peace." ☦
Comments
Post a Comment