- Do you think Jesus is God?
- Yes. While Jesus was the SON of God, because of the trinity, He is also God.
- Do you think Jesus was a prophet?
- No. Well, initially I answered yes then I thought about it and switched my answer. If Jesus was the expected Messiah, He did not need to prophesy about his own coming because He had come. Therefore by definition, he can't be a prophet. He's what the prophets prophesied about.
- Do you pray to Jesus or God? (I had previously discussed with her that because of Jesus, we can talk to God - He's our connection. I said this when explaining the difference between Christianity and Catholisism as the Catholics believe they need to pray to Mary so she can talk to Jesus. The Christians know Jesus is all they need and that Jesus interceeds on our behalf to God).
- I pray to both because they are the same "individual".
Christ is risen!!!! Happy Easter :)
Evelyn
4 comments:
It is true we can't really comprehend the trinity with our human minds. Just that God exists in three forms (we have many verses to support the trinity). Each person of the trinity, however, serves different functions. God the father being creator and kinda like the CEO of all that he surveys. Jesus being the sacrifice for our sins and also an intercessor for us. And the spirit being God living in us and empowering us to live for him.
To add to your first answer. Yes Jesus is God. A human begets a human. Dog begets little puppy dogs. God begets God. Jesus came from God and is therefore as much God. We as humans were not begotten of God but made by him. Merriam webster defines begot as to procreate. I don't really like it because I don't think Jesus really was procreated in the human sense but he did come from God. Then again its an example of how language alone cannot describe all that God has done.
Soli Deo Gloria
I kind of see the relationship among God, Jesus, and the Spirit as the mind, body, and soul of the human being. Kirsten's brain power, Kirsten's physical body, and Kirsten's emotions are all of Kirsten but three different "entities" (for the lack of a better word). I guess this metaphor doesn't really work all the way since God also depicts Himself as Father and Jesus as Son which kind of implies a "hierarchical" kind of relationship, but since we were created in the image of God, I'm convinced that we can figure out the Trinity through the way God created us.
Just to clarify something (having grown up in the Catholic church and all), Catholics DO pray to Jesus, and do know that they can go straight to Him or God with their prayers. They consider Mary to be an intercessor, who is able to help pray to God for their needs.
Also, Catholics have a different definition of prayer. Most people consider prayer to be something you only do/say to God. However, in Catholicism, let's say you went to visit a dead relative's grave and were talking aloud to them, that would also be considered prayer. In other words, prayer to Catholics is likened to having a conversation whether it's with God, or with saints or what have you.
As for the question of who do I pray to... it depends. I think we can talk to any one of the Trinity and still get the same answers and direction, but I admit that I probably go to God with all my "big" stuff, go to Jesus when I'm more needing healing and comfort, and the Holy Spirit when I'm confused and need direction, or just have some minor questions. Either way, I figure as long as I'm going to one of the three, I'm not going to be led the wrong way.
Evelyn, you cover a lot of ground in this entry. But when you're shooting from the hip that tends to be what happens. You hit lots of different topics lightly. Most people who are thinking about their faith, like I presume your Muslim friend is, already have presumptions about why Jesus cannot be the Son of God.
Therefore, you almost cannot come away "winning" and well you shouldn't because if you do, then you may ultimately lose. An understanding of Jesus is something that needs to grow, just as each of us has done. Plan seeds and wait for God to give the growth.
Honestly, the trinity is a topic that requires a LOT of discussion. There are so many angles to look at it, and though we apprehend the distinctions in scripture, we will not be able to fully comprehend it. There are some really good articles on www.equip.org. (Just do a search on "trinity" and you'll get something like 34 articles. It's a good place to either get a start or go a bit deeper. I've listened to and read from these folks for years.) First, I like the terminology of God: Father, Son, and Spirit. He is one in nature, yet three in person. So, when Jesus says, "Before Abraham was I AM", He was claiming deity. We see Jesus praying to the Father, which doesn't make sense unless there is some distinction between them. And we see Jesus speak about the gift of the Holy Spirit that He would send to them. Again, it doesn't make sense unless their separate somehow, and yet He calls this the Spirit of God that would live within you.
Also, Jesus was indeed a prophet. Prophets do 2 things: proclaim the words of God and announce things that are to come. Even though, as you say, the prophesy of the Law and the Prophets pointed to the Messiah, this doesn't preclude the fact that He would also proclaim His own message as well. In fact this is exactly what He did. So, not only did He fulfill the Law and Prophets, but gave some new perspective for those who desire to follow Him. In fact, even angels themselves long to look into such things. And there were His future-looking statement like "I will tear down this temple and rebuild it in 3 days", and His weeping over the city of Jerusalem and prediction that no stone of Jerusalem would be left atop another by the "before this generation had passed away".
And so, Prayer. This is critical in view of the Trinity. And yet, all three being God, Each knows the heart and will of the other as though this is commonly shared. So our prayers to God whatever person He takes are understood with the same heart and will for us. However, I must admit that I fall onto Jesus own prayer for my ultimate form and example. And Jesus himself starts with "Our Father". And so, I follow Christ in this. I may beg the Spirit for guidance and comfort, and plead with Christ for intercession on my behalf, but I go to the Father in holy respect when I pray.
Grace and peace
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