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Questions & Answers
Q: Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus was God in the flesh while on earth?
B.R.L., Huntsville, Texas
A: The apostle John introduces His Gospel with this statement: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). The Bible later explains that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth" (verse 14, emphasis added). That is, the Word became Jesus Christ. Please see verse 17 in context.
Later, in his general epistle, the apostle John stated: "We announce to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld, and what our hands touched, as regards the Word of Life. And the Life was revealed, and we have seen, and we bear witness, and we announce to you the everlasting Life which was with the Father, and was revealed to us" (1John 1:1-2, Green's Literal Translation).
While still in the human flesh Jesus said, "I am the resurrection and the life" (John 11:25). He also said that He was the "I AM" of the Bible (John 8:57-58; Exodus 3:14-15). Hebrews 1:8-9 refers to both Jesus and the Father as God. Matthew wrote before His birth that Jesus would be called "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Clearly Jesus was divine, God in the flesh.
Q: Your publications state that God loves me. How can you know that God loves me?
J.A., San Francisco, California
A: God loves all human beings. This can be inferred from John 3:16: "For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes
in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life." It is our Creator's desire
that all attain everlasting life in His Kingdom.
The apostle Paul further explains that prayers should be made "for all men . . . For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1Timothy 2:1-4, emphasis added throughout). But we first have to learn and then decide to accept God's way of life, the biblically mandated path to salvation. Our Creator has given us freedom of choice and will not force His truth on anyone.
Yet He is exceedingly patient in hopes that human beings will repent of their ways of life that result in suffering and death. The apostle Peter tells us, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2Peter 3:9).
We do not want to miss out on our fantastic destiny. It stretches our imaginations to the full even to try to conceive of it. Read what Paul said when he quoted Isaiah 64:4. "But as it is written: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1Corinthians 2:9-10).
Indeed the Holy Spirit is the germ of eternal life; we must receive it from God in order to be saved. "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God" (Romans 8:14). God wants human beings to be coheirs with Jesus Christ and share His glory in the Kingdom of God (verse 17).
These important matters are all explained in detail in our free booklets What Is Your Destiny?, The Road to Eternal Life and You Can Have Living Faith. All are free of charge from any of our offices listed on page 2. You can also download them from our Web site at www.gnmagazine.org.
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Keywords: god in the flesh God's love
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