The Life of Jesus Christ
Today at church, our lesson was focused specifically on the life of Jesus Christ. As Christians, we claim to be devoted followers of Christ and to emulate His perfect example. As part of the lesson, our instructor asks the class to think about what events in Christ's life that really defined him. What were the defining moments, the moments of truth, that set Jesus Christ apart from anyone else.
EXAMPLE OF FAITH
One such defining moment in the Life of Christ for me was how Christ responded to temptation. After he fasted for 40 days and 40 nights the scriptures tell us that Satan came tempting. I wonder if many Christians take for granted the possibility that Christ may not have had a perfect knowledge of who He was and what his mission was to be. I wonder if Christ was born into this world with a veil of forgetfulness of His prior life just as all people are. With this in mind, I remember the continual jeers of Satan who tempted "If thou art the Christ, then change these stones into bread." and "If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence (pinnacle of the temple)" Then later on the Cross, again the people mocked, "if thou art the Christ, come down off the cross." and again, "He saved other, but himself he cannot save." However, despite not having a perfect knowledge from the beginning and having to grow from grace to grace, Christ exemplified perfect faith in never doubting who He was and His purpose to save all mankind from sin and death. Like Jesus Christ, Satan tries to get us to doubt that we are spiritual children of our Heavenly Father.
EXAMPLE OF OBEDIENCE
Another defining moment of Christ's character was His submission to the will of the Father in getting baptized and being crucified. At the start of Christ's mortal ministry, He went to John the Baptist to be baptized of him by water in the River Jordan. Upon seeing Christ, John replied "I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?" In response, Jesus said, "Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness". Even thou Christ was sinless and had no need to be baptized for the remission of sin, Christ submitted to the will of the Father to set us an example and mark the gate we are to enter to the Kingdom of God. And much later, in the Garden of Gethsemane, Christ submits to take upon Him the sins of the world by saying, 'If it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt;" Again, Christ exemplified complete submission and obedience to the will of the Father in all things even when that obedience resulted in taking upon Him the sins and pains and sufferings of His people.
EXAMPLE OF PATIENCE
Lastly, I think other defining moments in Christ's life were how He responded to His enemies. To the scholars and Pharisees who came tempting, He met their challenges with thoughtful questions of His own. To Judas who would betray Him, he did not call him out in front of of the other 11 Apostles, but privately excused him saying, "what thou doest do quickly." Later in front of Pilate and Herod Antipas, we are told by Isaiah that Christ would face great injustice and pains yet he would "open not His mouth." How many of us wouldn't feel justified in complaining about the injustice of it all and be tempted to "curse God and die." Yet, Christ again submitted to the will of the Father in all things and patiently bore the persecutions. Isaiah foretold that Christ would "[give] my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting."
Isa 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: . . Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. . . and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
3 comments:
How about the divine aspects of Christ that makes him unique? The New Testament makes it clear that Christ is unique because He's God (John 1:1, 20:28; Phil. 2:6; Heb.1:1-6, etc, The creator of all things (Col. 1:15-19), and sovereign over all (Rom. 9:5). LDS Doctrine however makes Christ just like you and me; our elder brother, the brother of Lucifer, no different than any of us. He simply reached his "potential." Totally different than what the Bible says: John 1:1 says that God became a man, not the other way around. LDS have devalued Christ because by saying that we can reach the same potential that Christ did. The problem is that Christ is God everlasting veiled in flesh, but we are human creatures created for God. God is not a created being, He's the creator. Humans cannot by definition become like God is because we are created beings. If this were not the case, Paul's point wouldn't make sense when he says, "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, ... Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed forever"(Romans 1:22-15). Christ is not a creature who became God, He is God who became man.
-Matt
Matt,
Christ, who was God and is God became man to show men how to become gods. 1st Century Early Church Father's taught this truth.
"LDS have devalued Christ because by saying that we can reach the same potential that Christ did."
The Bible teaches that through Christ we can be made "joint-heirs" with Christ. But this is only possible through Christ. I am not sure how the exaltation of Man devalues the King of kings and the Lord of lords and the Most High God. Maybe you think God is more glorified by being the King of surfs and paupers.
"Humans cannot by definition become like God is because we are created beings"
"Create" does not mean "bring into existence from nothing" but rather it means "organized and put together and brought into being". The opposite of eternal is not created and visa versa. If organized beings could never be eternal that man could me made eternal and gain eternal life. Are you saying you do not believe that God can not make men eternal?
Christ is "I AM that I AM" or in other words "Self Existent of self existent" or God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, Judge of judges, Holy of holies, the Most High God, and the Most High Priest.
"Christ is not a creature who became God"
This does not reflect LDS Doctrine at all. I hope you will be intellectually and spiritually honest enough to retract it.
To sum up: I think this comes down to one issue. Is Christ's self-existence what make Him unique? Yes, LDS believe that Christ is unique to fulfill Isaiah. But LDS believe that the intelligence of man is also self-existent with God. And this truth is the only answer to the problem of evil in the world to which atheists are given their power.
Justin Martyr taught:
so the Father, when He chooses, say they, causes His power to spring forth, and when He chooses, He makes it return to Himself. In this way, they teach, He made the angels. But it is proved that there are angels who always exist, and are never reduced to that form out of which they sprang. [Justin Maryr comments to Trypho Chapter Chapter 128]
You are twisting the doctrine of theosis to fit your mistaken view of God. The early church fathers NEVER crossed the line between created man, and God the creator. St. Cyril is a prime example of what the Church fathers meant by theosis... God coming into humanity to save his creation and His spirit living in us to make us Holy and fulfill the holy image that we were intended to. It has NOTHING to do with the creature becoming like God in the sense that God is by nature. No matter how holy or how powerful we become, we will still be human beings by nature, not Gods by nature, right?! God is universally sovereign, we are not and can never be in the sense that God is. God self exists, we are totally dependent upon God for our existence. He is holy by nature, we can only BECOME holy by God's grace by imparting holiness to us. We are all sinners, right?!
It doesn't surprise me that you believe the heretical doctrines of Mormonism because your critical thinking skills are really lacking. For example, you said:
"'Create' does not mean "bring into existence from nothing" but rather it means 'organized and put together and brought into being'. The opposite of eternal is not created and visa versa. If organized beings could never be eternal that man could me made eternal and gain eternal life. Are you saying you do not believe that God can not make men eternal?"
HUH?! So you think that God organized everything from existing matter? Where did that matter come from? It just happens to exist? Where did the ORIGINAL designer come from to start organizing this "matter"? Did gods just pop up out of existing matter? That's just silly. There is NO reason for me to believe this, especially since scripture already says that God is from everlasting to everlasting. Why would I believe that God was once intelligent matter that somehow became God? Doesn't scripture say that God created ALL things, not just "some" things?! If God created ALL things then why should I believe your story about God organizing existing matter? Of course I believe that God can make men eternal. I can live for eternity future without having existed from eternity past. That’s the difference between us and God.
You said:
"Christ is 'I AM that I AM' or in other words 'Self Existent of self existent' or God of gods, King of kings, Lord of lords, Judge of judges, Holy of holies, the Most High God, and the Most High Priest."
Your doctrine doesn't teach that the Son is self-existent. The Son of God is a person and you can't separate Him from personhood. You can't logically say that the Son has always been self-existent as a person, can you? After all, according to Mormonism, wasn't there a time when He wasn't even a spirit baby? Was He a person before he became a spirit child from heavenly father and mother? If so, then wouldn't we all be persons who are self-existent, and therefore be no different that the Father, Son, or Holy Ghost? Mormonism does not make a clear distinction between God and man, you only make moral distinctions. God is much greater than you on more levels than just morality.
You say:
"Yes, LDS believe that Christ is unique to fulfill Isaiah. But LDS believe that the intelligence of man is also self-existent with God. And this truth is the only answer to the problem of evil in the world to which atheists are given their power."
Really, this truth is the only answer to the problem of evil? How so? What you are saying makes no sense. Who is the ultimate law giver if all of us are self-existent with God? Why can God judge our sin if we are no different than Him ontologically? What gives Him the ultimate power to say that what I'm doing is wrong?
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