MORE THAN A SPOKE IN A WHEEL

JESUS IS MORE THAN A SPOKE IN A WHEEL!

Russell, in his religion class, took part in a debate/discussion on all religions. And, it provoked this post. We must be able to know and speak up for what we believe.

Is Christianity just a spoke in a wheel?
Do all religions lead us to God?

All these questions can be answered several ways. Today I will just briefly try to dispute the idea that all religions are the same and focus on the deity of Christ.

Logically, all religions canNOT be true. Truth by nature is exclusive. Christianity is exclusive (Christ said I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE... NO ONE COMES TO ME EXCEPT THROUGH THE SON. There are other Scriptures that support this as well.)

All religions do differ on who God is, how we get to heaven, and who Christ was/is. Logically, they can't all be true. How can God be personal (Christianity) and impersonal (Hinduism)? How can we get to heaven only through Christ and not works (Christianity) and just through good works and not Christ (Islam)? How can Christ be God (Christianity) and also not God, but just a prophet (Islam) or just a magician (Judaism)? How can you be sure of salvation (Christianity) and unsure (every other religions)? How can God be true (religions) versus nonexistent (atheism)? When we are confronted with relativism (all paths lead to God, all religions are different spokes on the same wheel, all religions are different facets of God), we must steer the conversation towards CHRIST! Who do you say that Christ is?

The Bible specifically states that CHRIST IS GOD. (Of course, we believe historical data supports this as well.) But for today, ask yourself how you would answer the skeptics. Could you defend your faith? I sure want to be able to, so I am writing down these Scriptures. You could keep some handy with you. This would also be a great thing to give Jehovah's Witnesses, who deny the deity of Christ and yet claim to support the Bible.

Isaiah 9:6
A coming child. Heb. Yeled- something or someone born.
The child would be:
Wonderful: pele
Counselor: ya’ats- The Supreme Counselor.
The Creator to the created.
Mighty God: El Gibbor- El = God, The Lord
Almighty One. Everlasting Father: Father of time and eternity.

Isaiah 7:14
“A virgin shall bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.”
God with us.

John 1:1
The Word was with God
The Word was God
He created all things- Creator
Pre- existence
Divine
v. 14 The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

John 10:33
“For good works we do not stone you, but for blasphemy, and because you being a man make yourself God.”

John 8:58
“Before Abraham was, I AM. They immediately picked up stones to throw at him.”

eimi i-mee': a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist (used only when emphatic) -- am, have been, it is I, was.

Luke 1:68
“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people.”

Philippians 2:6
Who being in the form of God thought it not be robbery to be equal with God.
Greek. Huparcho and morphe
Literally- “who subsisting in the form of God by which he from eternity had appeared to the multitude of heaven yet not thinking that this equality with God should be retained; he emptied himself glory and honor to assume the form of a servant and become a man“.

Colossians 1:15
The image of the invisible God. Greek. eikon- outward and bodily image.
Invisible in relation to distance.

John 3:16
You must be born again. Greek. gennethe anothen. Transformation from God and a renewal of righteousness and true holiness.

I John 5:11-12
“And this is the testimony; that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son does not have life.”

I Timothy 3:16
“And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [[God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory.”

εφανερωθη verb - aorist passive indicative - third person singular phaneroo fan-er-o'-o: to render apparent -- appear, manifestly declare, (make) manifest (forth), shew (self).

Lord and God
Both words are used of Jesus as God.
Hebrew Greek
Yahweh = Kyrios (Lord) or Despotes (Lord God)
Jesus told the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I AM.” I Am = Yahweh.

Firstborn
prototokos- used only for Messiah in His eternal relationship to the Father, used in Colossians to express both that he was the first born before all creation (eternal) and that that he created everything.

Son
Three Greek words for son, Son and child.
son/ huios- offspring to a parent, spiritual or natural. used for believers.
Son/ Pais- This greek word is only used for Jesus, as in the “Son of God“.
It refers to the manifestation of God, Yahweh, in human form/Represents the eternal relationship of the Son to the Father. God from God.
The expression of character and image and likeness.
child/ teknon- used in the natural sense. Children. Sons of Abraham etc...

Jesus told Phillip, “If you have seen me, then you have seen the Father.”
Jesus told the Jews who wanted to kill him, “I and the Father are one.”

“I will dwell in them and I will walk among them”
Ezekiel 37

“God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world and received up in glory.”
I Timothy 3:16

Some say Jesus never said He was God. He did... Look at what he told Phillip. JESUS was killed, because He claimed to be God! That is why the Jews hated Jesus. That is why today all religions can be defended in America, but watch out when you mention JESUS CHRIST! The name above all other names. The only name by which men can be saved.

One other major thing that sets apart Christianity...
I have NEVER seen anyone transformed INSIDE OUT in Buddha or in Allah or in karma. I have only seen a TRANSFORMED LIFE IN CHRIST, when someone surrends to the Lordship of JESUS CHRIST. JESUS alone can change a heart, break a person free from addiction, fear, and torment, and mend a torn life. JESUS ALONE IS LORD AND GOD! WE HAVE GOOD NEWS!