Did Christ Say He Was God?

Continuing along in my examination of differences between God and Allah, Was Christ really divine? Muslims assert that he was a great prophet but not the son of God. The Quran says in sura 2:22, THE HEIFER, "He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to Allah while you know."

In Islam, joining or assigning partners to Allah is the unforgivable sin of shirk. This is so reprehensible to them that they are commanded to deal harshly with any "disbeliever" who teaches the doctrine of the Trinity. As it says in sura 3:151, FAMILY OF IMRAN, "We will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they attribute to Allah partners for which He revealed no  sanction. Their lodging is the Fire. Miserable is the lodging of the evildoers."

This sura contradicts what God said to Jesus and those watching his baptism in Luke 3:22 (KJV). "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, 'Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'" Notice that the Holy Spirit was also present, nullifying any argument against a triune God.

Furthermore, God called Christ his beloved son when he was transfigured, showing his pre-incarnate glory. Mark 9:7 (KJV) says, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him'."

But did Jesus actually say he was God? He didn't say those exact words but it's clear from the scriptures that he knew he was divine. In John 8:58 (KJV), Jesus answered the Pharisees question about how he could have known Abraham and yet he wasn't even fifty years old. "Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'"

That wasn't a poor grammatical choice on Christ's part. He spoke the holy name of God. Exodus 3:14 (KJV) shows that's what God called himself.  "And God said unto Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM:' and he said, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, "I AM hath sent me unto you."'"

Because the divinity of Christ is crucial to our salvation, I'll stress its importance in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? If Jesus were a mere prophet, he couldn't atone for the sins of all who trust in him for forgiveness of sins. But since it's through him that we obtain salvation, we must believe he's divine and therefore able to pay our debt to God.

On Saturday, I hope to post about a touching song about a father's love for his rascal son.

Why Is Modalism Wrong?

Now that you know what Modalism is, here's why it's biblically incorrect. God has revealed himself in three distinct and eternally-existent persons. In many scripture passages, we see all three interacting, an impossible and ridiculous feat if God only was one but revealing himself in three different historical ways.


Modalists take their notions from the King James Version of the Bible. Though it's a well-respected translation, the translators didn't have the wealth of scripture fragments which we have today. Consequently, Modalists mistakenly assume that their doctrines are true.

Oneness folks use Acts 2:38 as their major proof text. "Then Peter said unto them, 'Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.'" Thus, they assume only Jesus' name must be used in baptism.

Modalists also quote all the verses in the Old Testament where God says he's it and there's none else. What those folks forget is that many verses have God and the Son together. Daniel 7:13 (KJV) says, "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him." How could the Ancient of Days and the Son of Man be in the same scene together?

Jesus often referred to himself as the Son of Man. We see that perfectly in Matthew 16:13 (KJV). "When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, 'Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?'"

Furthermore, we see all three members of the Trinity present at Christ's baptism. Luke 3:22 (KJV) says, "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." Unless God used stand-ins, this couldn't happen with a modalist deity.

I could provide many more explanations and scriptures which prove the utter impossibility of Modalism but I'll save those for my next book. We must have a proper understanding of the Trinity in order to realize the love between three distinct beings in the Godhead. Otherwise, we would worship  a deity who talks to himself and is a narcissist. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Jehovah's Witnesses and the Trinity

What sets Jehovah's Witnesses apart from orthodox Christian  churches is their rejection of the Trinity. These deluded people are taught that the Trinity is a three-headed pagan god invented by Satan. The Watchtower Bible and Tract Society, which governs all the cult's members, even retranslated the Bible to read the way they wanted it too.

But we can find all three members of the Trinity appearing in verses such as Luke 3:22 (KJV) which reads, "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, 'Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'"

As I pointed out previously, Jehovah's Witnesses assume that Jesus was the angel Michael before his incarnation and that he became Michael again when he was resurrected as a spirit being.

But we know that Jesus is God, not a god, from what Scripture says in Colossians 1:15 (KJV) which says, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist."

Witnesses also claim that Jesus is "a god" rather than one member of the Godhead. But if that's so, why does Exodus 20:3 (KJV) plainly command, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."?

Additionally, why do Jehovah's Witnesses insist Christ shouldn't be worshipped when Matthew 2:11 plainly says, "And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh."?

Jehovah's Witnesses are taught that the Holy Spirit is a force emanating from God. But how can that be when Christ said in John 16:13 (KJV), "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come." Those personal pronouns show that the Holy Spirit is a distinct being, not a force.

Moreover, The Watchtower Society claims that only they possess the truth. But how can this be when Scripture says in 2 Peter 1:20 (KJV) that, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." Neither were those who wrote them down writing their own thoughts.

But as Peter wrote a few verses later, "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not."

Like Saint John, I have many more things to write. But unlike him,  I'll save those things for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Like receiving a password from a friend, only believers will access eternal life. And it's a system which can't be hacked.

Is the Holy Spirit Merely One Phase of God?

One huge mistake certain sects make is Modalism. According to the Christian Research Institute, this heresy began in the third century. Men such as Sabellius and Paul of Samosata claimed that God switched modes of being. First, he was God Almighty. Then he became Jesus Christ. After the resurrection, he became the Holy Spirit.

A sect called Oneness Pentecostals claims that God manifested himself in three phases by quoting Matthew 28:19 (Bible in Basic English) which reads, "Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:. "

They also claim this idea is expressed in Acts 2:38 (BBE) which says, "And Peter said, 'Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given to you.'"

If this is so, what about the other two members of the Trinity being present at Christ's baptism? Luke 3:22 (KJV) reads, "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape  like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said,  'Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'" How could God be in three modes at once?

And what about 1 Corinthians 15:27 -28 (KJV) which reads, "For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all."

Poof! There goes the Modalism argument. I intend on writing about this and other errant views of the Godhead in a book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? In order to be saved, people need to have a proper understanding about who they've rebelled against and the magnanimous gift Christ offers to wretched sinners like us.