Worshipping the Creature rather than the Creator

Man, it has been said, is a religious being. Recorded history of earliest known civilizations bear witness to his relentless attempt to return to his Creator. Since the days of antiquity, man has sought ways to win back God's favor which he lost through the sin committed by Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden. This original transgression caused his fall from the Lord's grace, his eviction from "paradise" and the consequent forfeiture of his right to serve the Almighty. The history of religion is the thrilling account of man's unending quest to be reconciled with his Maker. His innate desire to search for his God and the impulse to worship Him is man's natural response to the invitation of his ever-compassionate Benefactor: '''Ever since the time of your forefathers you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty..." (Malachi 3:7, NIV) In their earnest effort to return to God, however, many have trod the wrong path. Instead of taking the road or way that God prescribes, they established what Apostle Paul described as their "own way" as stated in Romans 10:2-3: "I can assure you that they are deeply devoted to God; but their devotion is not based on true knowledge. They have not known the way in which God puts people right with himself, and instead, they have tried to set up their own way; and so they did not submit themselves to God's way of putting people right." (TEV) These people seek God with zeal and devotion, their passion is indeed beyond question! The problem is that their devotion is not based on true knowledge, that is, they have not known God's righteousness or the way He puts people right with Himself. Instead of submitting themselves to the way chosen by God, they decided to set up their "own way." Hence, their attempt to return to God is already doomed at the outset. What is one of these futile and unsuccessful ways conceived by man by which he has sought reconciliation with his Creator? In writing to the first-century Christians in Rome, Apostle Paul noted his observation: "For though they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles." (Romans 1:21-23, NRSV) It is common knowledge that the ancient Greeks and Romans, to whom Apostle Paul was sent to preach the gospel, worshiped a pantheon of gods. They built temples dedicated to these gods and goddesses, carved out images of them and offered sacrifices before them. What remains of the glory and grandeur of the said cradles of Western civilization-their architecture, sculpture, literature-testify to this. A visiting tourist today can see the ruins of the temple built for Roman goddess of the hunt, Diana, or the Greek Parthenon for Pallas Athena. Greek and Roman literature contains rich tales about their gods and goddesses, even demigods. Apostle Paul sharply denounced this practice. He lamented that although they know God, "they did not honor Him as God." In what way did these people fail to glorify the immortal God as God? They exchanged His glory for "images resembling a mortal human being or birds or four-footed animals or reptiles." How grievous a sin have they committed? Apostle Paul continued, "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator-who is forever praised. Amen." (Romans 1:25, NIV) Instead of worshiping the Creator, many opted to serve the things He has created as well as the images purporting to represent them. Who is the true God that Apostle Paul and the first century Christians recognized and worshiped? The true God who must be worshiped In his first epistle to the Christians in Corinth, Apostle Paul declared: "Indeed, even though there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth -as in fact there are many gods and many lords-yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist..." (I Corinthians 8:5-6, NRSV) The early Christians acknowledged only one God: the Father in heaven who created all things. He is a spirit in state of being, that is, He has no flesh and bones but is invisible and therefore should be worshiped in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24; Luke 24:38-39; I Timothy 1: 17). To worship Him otherwise is to fail to honor Him as God. To serve any other except Him alone is to serve "other gods" or idols (Exodus 20:3-5). To think that he has a physical form or image that could be molded out of gold, silver and stone is blasphemy in the highest order (Acts 17:29). Pagan worship and idolatry, however, did not originate in ancient Greece and Rome. Long before the birth of Western societies, the cradles of civilizations in the East-Sumerian, Babylonian, Egyptian, Indian, Chinese-had already been worshiping innumerable gods. Every city and village, every human endeavor, had some inspiring and disciplinary divinity. The worship of the sun, the moon, and the stars-known as cosmic gods-is common to almost all ancient civilizations. The Sumerian pantheon included, among others, Anu as the Sky God, Sin the Moon God, Shamash the Sun God, and Enlil the Storm God. In ancient Egypt, the moon was also a deity, but in their official theology, the greatest of the gods was the sun. Sometimes it was worshiped as the supreme deity Ra or Re. In the book entitled, The Story of Civilization 1: Our Oriental Heritage, author Will Durant states: "...the Egyptians worshiped not merely the source, but almost every form, of life. Many plants were sacred to them:... More popular were the animal gods; they were so numerous that they filled the Egyptian pantheon like a chattering menagerie. In one nome or another, in one period or another, Egyptians worshiped the bull, the crocodile, the hawk, the cow, the goose, the goat, the ram, the cat, the dog, the chicken, the swallow, the jackal, the serpent, and allowed some of these creatures to roam in the temples with the same freedom that is accorded to the sacred cow of India today." (pp. 198-199) Nature worship dates back to the dawn of civilization. The Semites, Egyptians, and Babylonians all worshiped as their supreme deities heavenly bodies, as well as plant and animal life-things that were only created by the Supreme Being. God long ago deplored this practice when He said through Moses: "You saw no form of any kind the day the Lord spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire. Therefore watch yourselves very carefully, so that you do not become corrupt and make for yourselves an idol, an image of any shape, whether formed like a man or a woman, or like any animal on earth or any bird that flies in the. air, or like any creature that moves along the ground or any fish in the waters below. And when you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars-all the heavenly array-do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the Lord your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven." (Deuteronomy 4:15-19, NIV) India, the birthplace of three of the world's major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism -is not to be outdone. In the book entitled, Major Religions of the World, the author, Marcus Bach, said the following: "Anyone who travels in India will be struck by the multiplicity of Hindu gods. There are literally thousands of gods. There are gods within gods, families of gods, and wives and children of gods. Here is Krishna, an embodiment or incarnation of Vishnu. Here, too, is Indra, god of the firmament; Varuna, the all-seeing god; Agni, god of fire; Soma, personification of the juice of the soma plant. Hinduism honors Ganesa, the elephant god, and Hanuman, the monkey god. It loves and respects Sarasvati, goddess of learning, and Lakshmi, goddess of wealth, and Parvati, who is the wife of the god Siva. Hinduism has gods and goddesses galore." (p. 26) The Christian Church, after the death of the apostles, was not spared from this prevalent but deplorable practice. At first there was strong resistance from the faithful disciples of Christ against idolatry. The apostles were at the forefront of this opposition to image worship. Apostle Paul and Barnabas, when people mistook them as gods after healing a crippled man in Lystra, exclaimed to the crowd: "Men, why are you doing this? We too are only men, human like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them." (Acts 14: 15, NIV) But the seeds of deception were sown by the false prophets after the death of the apostles and the Christian Church was led into apostasy. Historian Will Durant has this to say: "The early Church had frowned upon images as relics of paganism, and had looked with horror upon pagan sculptures purporting to represent the gods. But the triumph of Christianity under Constantine, and the influence of Greek surroundings, traditions, and statuary in Constantinople and the Hellenistic East, had softened this opposition. As the number of worshiped saints multiplied, a need arose for identifying and remembering them; pictures of them and of Mary were produced in great number; and in the case of Christ not only His imagined form but His cross became objects of reverence-even, for simple minds, magic talismans. A natural freedom of fancy among the people turned the holy relics, pictures, and statues into objects of adoration; people prostrated themselves before them, kissed them, burned candles and incense before them, crowned them with flowers, and sought miracles from their occult influence." (The Story of Civilization 4: The Age of Faith, pp. 425-426). The true Church founded by Christ succumbed to the pressure from its pagan surroundings and eventually became the Roman Catholic Church, embracing idolatry during the time of Constantine the Great. And this practice continues up to our time. In Catholic masses and rituals, a number of objects of worship and adoration are being used, which include the cross, holy relics, pictures, and statues of their so-called saints. The Catholic faithful venerate graven images of these "saints," as enforced upon them by their religious authorities. This is recorded in the Catechism of Christian Doctrine No.3: "10. What is a saint? A saint in the strict sense of the word, is one who is in heaven, and has been presented by the Church for the public worship of the faithful 13. Is the worship of the saints confined to their persons? No; it extends also to their relics and images 15. Ought we to worship holy images? We should have, particularly in our churches, images of Our Lord, as also of the Blessed Virgin and the saints,..." (p. 86) It is indeed unfortunate that a great majority of the people in the world today practice idolatry and pagan worship. They chose to set up their own way of returning to God. Instead of serving and worshiping the only one true God, they have chosen to channel their devotion to the things He has created and the images allegedly representing them. This explains the sad plight of humanity at present, as expressed by the Apostle Paul: "And the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth... And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind and to things that should not be done. They were filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, covetousness, malice. Full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, craftiness, they are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, rebellious toward parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." (Romans 1:18,28-31, NRSV) Source: Pasugo March 1999 issue, pp. 10-13

 

JOHN 20:28 = " MY LORD AND MY GOD!"

Thomas answered him, "My Lord and my God!" (John 20:28 RSV) One of the witnesses summoned by proponents of the Christ-is-God theology to prove their contention regarding the doctrine of the alleged deity of Christ is Thomas the Apostle, who is well known in theological and religious circles as the "doubting Thomas," because of his adamant position of not believing the testimonies of those who had actually seen the risen Lord, unless the account could be visibly proven. However, was Thomas' statement in John 20:28 a statement of faith of a believer or a statement of a person who was in a state of disbelief and amazement when he addressed Jesus as "my Lord and my God?" According to the narrative of John, Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week (John 20:1). Mary Magdalene saw Him alive and was told by Jesus to tell His brothers these messages, "... I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God"" (John 20:17). Take note that Jesus told Mary that His God is also the God of His brothers. Thomas is one of His brothers, so he should believe the message sent to him by Jesus. The message is clear: His God is the God of Thomas and everyone else who considers himself to be the brother of Jesus. Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that Jesus had spoken these things to her (John 20:18). Since Thomas was one of the disciples, we could assume that he got the message and the news about Jesus’ resurrection. What was his reaction to the news about the resurrection? In line with the other disciples, he reacted in the same fashion when told by Mary Magdalene about the news of Jesus' resurrection. What was the reaction of the disciples when Mary Magdalene told them about these things? Mark reported that when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they believed not (Mark 16:11). Luke reported that the apostles did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them as nonsense (Luke 24:9-11). Thomas, being one of the apostles, was among those who did not believe that Jesus was resurrected. After this event, Jesus appeared in another form to two of the disciples (Mark 16:12) who went to a village called Emmaus (Luke 24:13). He walked with them and while they were on the road, they told Him about the news that He was seen by some women who had seen a vision of angels and reported that He was alive (Luke 24:23). What was Christ's reaction to their words? Christ called them "'fools and slow of heart to believe" (Luke 24:25). With these statements, Jesus was condemning them because of the hardness of their heart. These two disciples returned to Jerusalem and told the Eleven apostles that Christ had risen (Luke 24:33-34). What was the reaction of the apostles upon hearing them? Mark reported that they did not believe the report of these two disciples who were with Jesus on the road to Emmaus (Mark 16:13). We could likewise assume that Thomas was one of them who did not believe the report of the two disciples since he is one of the apostles. When the disciples were assembled with the doors locked for the fear of the Jews, Jesus came and told them to be at peace. Then He showed to them His hands and side (John 20:19-20). What was their reaction? The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord (John 20:20). Who was not present when Christ first came? John reported that Thomas was not with them when Jesus came (John 20:24). The other disciples told him that they have seen the Lord (John 20:25). Did Thomas believe this report? Possessing an attitude similar to that of the other disciples, he reacted with unbelief and skepticism. He told them, "except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe" (John 20:25). By this infamous statement, Thomas became identified with skepticism and disbelief. Mark reported that Jesus later appeared to the Eleven as they were eating (Mark 16:14). Luke reported that when the two disciples found the Eleven assembled together, they told them that the Lord had risen (Luke 24:33). John reported that this event happened eight days after Jesus initially and briefly appeared to the disciples (John 20:26). The disciples were gathered again and Thomas was with them at this time (John 20:26). He summoned Thomas to reach out his finger, to look at his hands, and to reach out his hand to him (John 20:27). What was the reaction of the disciples, including Thomas? They were terrified and frightened and supposed that they had seen a spirit (Luke 24:37). What did Christ do when they supposed Him to be a spirit? He showed His hands and His feet and told them that a spirit has no flesh and bones (Luke 24:38- 39). But before He showed His hands and feet, what did Christ tell them? "'Why are you troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?" (Luke 24:38). What is the meaning of these statements? Christ was upbraiding them! Christ's statements in Luke 24:39 is also tacitly teaching them that he is not God. Christ, prior to this event, had earlier instructed the disciples about the nature of God. He taught that God is a spirit (John 4:24, Greek. pneuma). The apostles mistook Him for a spirit which is tantamount to recognizing Him as God. Is this only an assumed position? The very fact that Thomas stated to Jesus, “my Lord and my God!” serves as palpable evidence that they have indeed a mistaken identity of Jesus. Therefore, Jesus immediately corrected their wrong conclusion concerning His nature. He emphasized that He is not a spirit, which is tantamount to saying that He is not God in his state of being. Jesus’ statement in Luke 24:39 serves as a didactical teaching of Jesus himself to anyone who would misinterpret him to be God. His denunciation of those who thought that he was a spirit is a strong signal to anyone who would think of him as God. Whenever someone has a question regarding the true nature of Jesus Christ, he should be reminded simply about Jesus' own statements in Luke 24:39. In another account, Mark reported that He upbraided them or scolded them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who saw him after he had risen (Mark 16:14).   Was Thomas one of those that Jesus rebuked and upbraided? Yes, because he is one of the Eleven (Luke 24:33; Mark 16:14).   At this juncture, Christ told him "to be not faithless but believing" (John 20:27). What are these words that Christ uttered to Thomas? These words which Jesus spoke to Thomas is another example of the upbraiding which He did to him and to the rest of the apostles as narrated by Luke (24:39). Jesus realized then that Thomas still did not believe in His resurrection so He reproved him. When Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!" was he at this point affirming his faith in the alleged deity of Jesus or was he in a state of unbelief? Try to imagine the situation before Jesus showed himself to them: the doors were shut when Jesus abruptly stood in their midst and summoned Thomas to come near to Him. What was Thomas’ reaction? A reaction of unbelief and amazement. Is this kind of reaction something that is strange or unusual? No. The fact is: not only was Thomas caught perplexed but so were the rest of his companions. Luke reported that when Jesus appeared abruptly in their midst when the disciples were gathered together, they were terrified and frightened (Luke 24:36-37). Even after Jesus showed His hands and His feet (Luke 24:40), still they did not believe because of their joy and amazement (Luke 24:41). It was at this time that Mark reported that Jesus upbraided them (Mark 16:14). It is not surprising, therefore, for Thomas to react in such fashion similar to the other disciples. Being in a situation of wonder and disbelief, he uttered statements that were contrary to the message taught to them by his Lord through Mary Magdalene. What did Jesus tell Mary that Thomas and the rest of the disciples should believe concerning the subject of who should be their God? Jesus taught Mary and the disciples that "their God is his God" (John 20:17). A few days before his death, Jesus taught His disciples who is the only true God whom they should believe. In His intercessory prayer to the Father in heaven, He emphasized the absolute oneness of God by these statements:      “. . .Father, . . . you are the only true God . . . (John 17:1, 3).       Obviously, Thomas did not remember the words of his Master. When he uttered those heretical statements in John 20:28, it should not be regarded as a statement of faith or something that was uttered under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Nor should it be considered as a strong biblical foundation to augment Christ's alleged deity. Thomas’ statement in John 20:28 were not divinely inspired and should be rejected as a proof in proving the alleged divinity of Christ. If the proponents of Christ-is-God theology would summon Thomas as their witness to prove their point, their evidence is so weak because their witness is a doubting man with an unreliable testimony due to his obstinate character. Others ask: "'why did Jesus not rebuke Thomas if his statement was wrong?" They alleged that Jesus accepted Thomas’ statements and He blessed him afterwards. Is it true that Thomas was not rebuked? Is it true that he was blessed later? What did Jesus tell him after he proclaimed, "my Lord and my God!"? Jesus said to him, "Have you believed because you have seen me?" (John 20:29 RSV) What do we see at this point? Jesus was rebuking him, not blessing him! Who are blessed according to Jesus? "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe" (John 20:29). Many of Christ’s disciples have neither seen Him personally nor witnessed His resurrection or have seen His resurrected body. Still, they believed that Jesus existed and His body rose from the dead. These are the disciples that are more blessed than Thomas. Many have not seen Jesus walk on earth as a man but many believe His testimony that He is a man telling the truth which He heard from God (John 8:40). His disciples, Peter, Paul and James, unanimously testified that He was a man proven by God by miracles, wonders and signs which God did through Him. He is their Mediator to God (Acts 2:22 TEV; I Tim. 2:5 KJV; James 2:6 RSV). Never that they proclaimed Jesus to be God. Unfortunately, there are still some that would continue to summon the doubting apostle as their principal witness in proving their case. The reason is quite clear: this is done because of their failure to provide unquestionable biblical evidence in proving the alleged deity of Jesus so they have nothing left but to summon the testimony of a doubting person. It is ironic to find that there are many doubting Thomases today, who in spite of the overwhelming biblical evidence that it is not Jesus but the Father alone in heaven is the true God (John 17:1, 3; 1 Cor. 8:6; Eph. 4:6), would still contend that Jesus-is-God using Thomas’ erroneous statement. If these stubborn people would only accept the inspired testimonies of the Lord Jesus and Apostle Paul regarding the Father as the only true God (John 17:1,3; I Cor. 8:6), then they would not fall into that serious mistake regarding the true identity of Jesus Christ. However, for those who have done a thorough investigation, their conclusion regarding Thomas’ alleged statement of faith in John 20:28 is clear and unequivocal: it is not a confession of faith but a statement of a person in a state of disbelief.

Mathhew 1:23

“’Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel’, which is translated, ‘God with us’.” (Mt. 1:23, NKJV) The apostle was actually quoting here a prophecy of Prophet Isaiah (Is. 7:14) which was fulfilled in Lord Jesus Christ. Since it was foretold that the name of the Son, Jesus Christ, would be called Immanuel, meaning “God with us,” believers in the deity of Christ conclude that Christ is God. ASCRIBING THE NAME Immanuel (“God is with us”) to Christ does not imply that Christ Himself is God who is with us. The meaning of one’s name does not denote one’s nature or state of being. For instance, a lady may be named Rose or Daisy but this doesn’t mean that she is a literal flower. We can cite so many names of biblical characters whose meanings do not in any way denote the state of being of the persons bearing them. Apostle Peter’s name means rock (Jn. 1:42) but he is not a literal stone. Christ gave the brothers James and John the name “Boanerges” meaning the sons of thunder (Mk. 3:17) but they were not literally born to a thunder. The last of the 13 sons born to King David was named Eliphelet meaning “the God of deliverance” (Smith’s Bible Dictionary, p. 167) but this doesn’t mean that David’s son is the God of deliverance himself. Christ’s being called Immanuel only signifies that God is with us through the Lord Jesus Christ. God is in Christ and through Him, we have been reconciled to God: “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, “That is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.” (II Cor. 5:18-20, NKJV) And by obeying Christ’s teachings, man will receive the love of the Father and the promise that God and Christ will dwell in him: “Jesus answered him, ‘Whoever loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and my Father and I will come to him and live with him’.” (Jn. 14:23., TEV) God is with us through Christ. Thus, anyone who is separate from Christ is without God: “Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners top the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.” (Eph. 2:12, NIV) Hence, the name Immanuel does not in any way prove the alleged deity of Christ. It simply means that God is with us through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Isaiah 46:11: WHY CYRUS IS NOT THE ‘BIRD OF PREY FROM THE EAST?

The earlier English Translations of the Bible—such as Douay-Rheims (1609-1610), King James Version (1611), American Standard Version (1901), Revised Standard Version (1952), New English Bible (1961, 1970), and New American Bible (1970)—do not contain Cyrus?name in Isaiah 46:11.  It was only in the rendition of the Living Bible, which was published in July 1971, when the name of Cyrus appeared in Isaiah 46:11. It is important to bear in mind that the Living Bible is a paraphrase of the Old and New Testament. What is a “paraphrase?? In the Living Bible Version itself, it is explained: “To paraphrase is to say something in different words than the author’s thoughts, using different words than he did.?(Preface, Living Bible) The paraphraser of the Living Bible used words different from what the author originally used. The danger of paraphrase was also explained in the preface of the Living Bible:     “There are dangers in paraphrases, as well as values. For whenever the author’s exact words are not translated from the original languages, there is a possibility that the translator, however honest, may be giving the English reader something that the original writer did not mean to say.?(Ibid.)   We do not oppose the use of the Living Bible, or any other Bible translation for that matter. What we oppose are the verses that are erroneously translated, such as Isaiah 46:11 of the Living Bible. The inclusion of the name of Cyrus in Isaiah 46:11 is not correct. Cyrus is not the “bird of prey from the east because he does not fulfill the conditions that identify the prophesied messenger in Isaiah 46:11. The inclusion of Cyrus name in that verse is merely an assumption of the paraphraser of the Living Bible.

 

Will God change His nature?

When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended to the Father, He did not become God but remained a man, as testified by the Holy Scriptures: "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God." (Col. 3:1,NKJV) "Let Your hand be upon the MAN of Your right hand, Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself." (Ps. 80:17,Ibid.,emphasis ours) It is clear from the preceding passages that Christ remained a man. When He as such even now as He sits in the right hand of the Father. On His return, Christ will come in the same manner He was seen ascending to God in heaven (cf. Acts 1:11). The Scriptures do not teach that the Lord Jesus Christ had changed His nature from man to God. If Christ became God, as your premise states, then there would be two gods. This would contradict Christ's teaching that there is only one God--the Father (cf. Jn. 17:1,3). The same doctrine was upheld by the prophets (cf. Mal. 2:10). Consistently, the apostles upheld the teachings of Christthat there is only one God whom we must recognize, the Father (cf. I Cor. 8:6). The Lord God Himself declared that there is no other God aside from Him: I am the Lord, and there is no one else; there is no God besides Me. I will gird and arm you, though you have not known Me, that men may know from the east and the rising of the sun and from the west and the setting of the sun that there is no God besides Me. I am the Lord, and no one else [is He]." 9Is. 45:5-6, Amplified Bible) God is Almighty and nothing is impossible with Him (cf. Rev. 19:6; Gen. 35:11;Mt. 19:26). Thus, He has the power to do all things as He desires. But, would God allow Himself to become a man? Definitely not, for God said: "I am God, and not man" (cf. Hos.11:9, NKJV). In reference to man, He said: "yet thou art a man, and not God" (cf. Ezek. 28:2,KJV;Is.31:3). Therefore, to think that God could have decided to be man in the person of Christ is pure imagination. The Bible further tells us that the Father is distinct in nature from the Son and vice versa. Christ stated that God is spirit (cf. Jn. 4:24) which means that God does not have flesh and bones as what Christ has (cf. Lk.24:36-39). Being spirit in nature, God is invisible (cf. I Tim. 1:17). Moreover, Christ taught that He is a MAN who told the truth which He heard from God (cf. Jn. 8:40). What Jesus Christ revealed concerning His true state of being--His being a man--is a clear proof that He is not God.

Micah 5:2 Does Christ the Messiah dwells in eternity?

“But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah,? “Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah,? “Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel;? “Whose goings forth?are from of old, from ancient days.?     “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephrathah,? “Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah,? “Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel;? “Whose goings forth?are from of old, from ancient days.? Many mis-interpret the last part of the prophecy to advance their claim that Christ is God for He has existed from eternity.However it is quiet obvious that even the entire verse do not say about a Christ who has pre-existed from eternity. According to: [“THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, According To The Masoretic Text,?The Jewish Publication Society of America, Copyright 1917, 1945.] . “But thou, Beth-leham Ephrathah, Which art little to be among the thousands of Judah, Out of thee shall one come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; Whose goings forth?are from old, from ancient days.?(Micah. 5:1) “Out of thee?here we can see that, the LORD God is speaking to Bethleham. Also we can see that the “one?spoken of as, that shall “come forth? is spoken of, as coming forth “unto Me?or unto God, and “is to be ruler in Israel;?It should be quite clear that the LORD God as He, spoke through His prophet Micah, is speaking about some one other then Himself. The one coming forth unto God, out of Bethleham, to be ruler in Israel, is not God Himself. As it is written: “Has not the Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was? (John.7: 42. NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, The Lockman Foundation, Copyright 1960, 1977.) Yes indeed, For the Scriptures say “for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. (Luke.2: 11. NASB) “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;?(Luke.1: 32. Ibid.) So we can see that according to the Bible, the one Micah writes about in the Scripture in question is the Christ, not God. Now to continue with the Scripture in question, “Whose goings forth?are from of old, from ancient days.? This is the portion of Scripture, which is causing many to stumble. They could not comprehend how the subject “Whose?Christ) is predicated by the “goings forth? Here, the , “goings forth? that is spoken of as which “are from of old, from ancient days.?and not the subject “Whose? In other words, what this Scripture is referring to regarding the Christ,     “who was predestined for this before the foundation of the world, but was revealed only at the end of the ages,?(1 Peter 1:20) [THE BIBLE AN AMERICAN TRANSLATION, Smith&Goodspeed, Copyright 1931.] You see, what the Scripture in question is referring to, is the predestination of the Christ, not to Him as been preexisting, or eternal, and defiantly not to the Christ, as being God. I hope, that this was helpful; in rectifying, your misconception’s regarding this Scripture.

Are members of the Curch of Christ, forbidden to read the bible?

There is no such prohibition for members of the Church of Christ to read the Bible. Indeed, everyone must benefit from the enormous wisdom the Bible offers, and everyone must understand the truth or the words of God (Jn. 17:17), especially in matters concerning man’s salvation.

However, we do not agree that the Bible is an open book or that it can be understood by simply reading it. To illustrate this point, let us turn to the Bible and examine the case of the Ethiopian eunuch:

"..The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud the book of the prophet Isaiah. The Holy Spirit said to Philip, Go over and walk alongside the carriage? Philip ran over and heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah; so he asked, Do you understand what you are reading??The man replied, How can I, when there is no one to instruct me??And he begged Philip to come up into the carriage and sit with him.? (Acts 8:27-31, New Living Translation)

In the preceding biblical passages we see that the eunuch was already reading the book of Isaiah. But, when asked if he understood what he was reading, his reply was, How can I, when there is no one to instruct me