John 10:24-35
- 24 Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
- 25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness of me.
- 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you.
- 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
- 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.
- 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.
- 30 I and my Father are one.
- 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
- 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
- 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
- 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
- 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken
In this scripture, Jesus makes reference to a scripture in the Old Testement (Psalms 82:6) in which a reference is made to the effect that man has the potential to achieve a state of godhood. Jesus was not calling himself God, but merely suggesting that He and God are One in purpose, having in mind the same goals. The Jews that came round about him misunderstood what he had said. That is when he made mention to the scripture in "the law (the old testement, or the Torah for the Jews) to correct any misconception.
Jesus taught that we are "joint-heirs" with Him to inherit all that God has (Romans 8:17) And if Jesus was resurrected and inherits eternal life, then, if we are obediant to God's will, and follow Christ's example, we can inherit eternal life. And if we have eternal life, we cannot die. And if we cannot die, we are thus immortal. Being immortal and inheriting a heavenly kingdom, we achieve a state of godhood (the state or condition of being a god) which in turn makes us, in a sense, a god.
(--Megagokushadow 23:11, 1 July 2009 (UTC))
Something else that I find interesting is the Nicene Creed. Not that i'm trying to blast on it, but that is basically man's interpretation of what God is. But it contradicts everything mainstream Christianity knows about Him. God gave us laws. Some of these laws being the laws of physics. God can't break his own laws. That would make him a hypocrite., and since He is perfect, He is not a hypocrite. So, God can't be in more than one place at once. Also, in the creed, He is made up to seem like some kind of gaseous being or spirit. God has a body, and I can prove this to you.
Nobody is greater than God. That is something upon which all Christians agree. With that in mind, let's dig deeper into the New Testement. I will say, something not all Christians agree on is the doctrine of the Trinity. That God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are all one being. In Matthew 3:16-17, we have a perfect example of the distinct separation of these three beings. Jesus is in the water getting baptized, the Holy Ghost is descending like a dove, and God's voice is heard saying "This is my beloved Son, in whom I'm well pleased". Another example of the distinct difference from these beings in the Godhead occurred in Lukk 22:41-43. Why would Jesus pray to himself? Another example is found in Acts7:55-56. To understand this opens up the door for understanding much more of the gospel contained in the Bible. Now, by knowing that they are separate beings, but one in purpose and goals.
Now, with this in mind, Jesus was crucified on the cross, and his body layed in a tomb for three days. The question is where was Jesus during that time. He was preaching the gospel to those that had lived and died and did not have the opportunity to recieve it (1 Peter 3:18-19), and we know this by what he said to Mary Magdelene on the third day that his body was in the tomb. He told her not to touch him because he had not ascended to be with God yet. Which suggests that he was somewhere else (John 20:17). This also brings to light what he meant when he told the theif on the cross next to him that he would be with him in paradise that day (Luke 23:43). He was making a reference to the place we go after we die to await judgement.
So, back to the point. Jesus's spirit and body had been separated (physical death), but were reunited, never again to be separated (resurrection) (1 Corinthians 15:20-22). A resurrected body is one that is made perfect. So, Jesus took his body with him when he ascended to Heaven. Jesus can't have something that God doesn't because that would make him greater than God. And Heaving, being a physical place (as it was also created in Genesis 1:1), as it is described in 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 being separated into three degrees, or three kingdoms, one would need a body to fully exist in a world or place like that. In Luke 24:36-39, after Jesus is resurrected, he shows himself to the apostles. Showing them that he had taken his body back up, and that he was not a spirit. Thus proving that God has a body because the servent cannot be greater than his Master. Likewise, Jesus cannot have something that God doesn't.
--Megagokushadow 17:57, 2 July 2009 (UTC)