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Question: I have no doubt that God exists and that the man called Jesus of Nazareth was His Son. What I cannot credit is all that is done in the name of God by churches. I find hardly any reference to the word "church" in the words of Jesus. And I certainly cannot connect Him with popes, cardinals or archbishops and domineering pastors. Jesus was not in the churches where I worshipped, and yet everyone insisted on His presence. It is better to believe that He is at God's right hand until He returns. Don't feel obligated to answer my doubts about Christianity, but I am sure what you have to say will be valuable in that you are plain speaking and uncomplicated. (From a lapsed churchgoer.)
—J.R.L., Southport, England
Answer: We can empathize with your plight. Certainly God the Father and Jesus Christ do exist (as we regularly make plain in articles in The Good News). Regrettably, it is also true that many abuses have been perpetrated in the various churches of this world.
However, this is not the fault of God and Christ but of human leaders who have, whether knowingly or unknowingly, made wrong decisions. To the extent that church organizations have allowed themselves to become expressions of the darker side of human nature, the purity of godly biblical standards has been tarnished in the world of "churchianity."
Actually the English word "church" has been translated from the Greek word ekklesia, which means "called-out ones (to an assembly)." There is no doubt that Jesus did use the word "church" several times in Matthew's Gospel account. For example, He said, "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18).
In using this word, Jesus Christ was referring to a special group of people who would follow His teachings and preach the gospel to the world (Matthew 24:14; 28:19-20). What held them together was the presence of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13)—through which the Father and Christ dwell within true believers (see John 14:23).
However, what has generally emerged in the mainstream churches during the many centuries that followed is not what Jesus had in mind. We must remember that many who profess to follow Christ do not (Matthew 7:21-23).
Furthermore, as you suggest, the hierarchy of popes, cardinals, bishops, etc., is not based on the New Testament model. Christ emphasized responsible stewardship and loving service by church leaders (Matthew 20:25-28)—not the Roman authoritarian model. And we certainly agree that the simplicity of the gospel has often been lost in the shuffle of mainstream church politics and complex theologies. This was a problem even in the apostle Paul's day (2 Corinthians 11:3-4).
We understand your frustration with your previous church experience. Many have shared it. Yet we must make a distinction between that which is merely a negative manifestation of human nature and that which comes down from "the Father of lights" (James 1:17). He gives good gifts as the constant, unchanging, loving and absolutely reliable Father. He has given His Son Jesus Christ to the true Church to be its active spiritual head (Ephesians 1:22-23).
The apostle Peter speaks of this Church—God's assembly, called out of this world and its systems and ways of doing things—in glowing terms. "But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10, emphasis added).
Whatever happens in this world's churchianity, God's plan and purpose to redeem humankind continues to unfold and reap a spiritual harvest of those who have committed themselves to His way of life to be part of His coming Kingdom.
You may find our booklet to be of additional help.
Question: I have read your statement of beliefs. I find it hard to accept Jesus as God. I believe Jesus is the Messiah but not God. Do you believe that Jesus is also God?
—Reader from Sweden
Answer: The Bible's revelation of God is found throughout its pages. Some of the key points are:
In the Bible, the word "God" sometimes comprises more than one divine being. The Hebrew word Elohim, translated "God" more than 2,300 times in the Old Testament, is a plural word (in Hebrew the –im ending indicates plurality, just as in English adding s or es to a noun makes it plural).
Genesis 1:26, the account of man's creation, shows that more than one divine being was involved. It states: "Then God [Elohim, plural] said, 'Let Us [note the plural] make man in Our [plural] image, according to Our [again plural] likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"
So, from the very first book of the Bible, we have the revelation that more than one divine being constitutes the one God.
In the Gospel of John, we find several other revelations about the nature of God: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (John 1:1-3).
Here we see two divine beings—one designated "the Word" who "was with God" and also "was God" from the beginning. Further, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made." So this Being, the Word, was the Creator.
Continuing in verse 14: "And 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." This verse and the next few verses identify "the Word," this Being who was with God and was God from the beginning and who made all things, as the One who was born as Jesus Christ. This also tells us that there is another divine being known as "the Father."
John continues in verse 18: "No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him."
This tells us again that there is a "Son" and a "Father" (as Jesus Christ repeatedly mentions throughout the four Gospels). But it also tells us that "no one has seen God at any time." Since the Gospels show that thousands of people had seen Jesus Christ in the flesh during His earthly ministry, the "God" whom no one had seen could only have been the One known as "the Father."
But if no one had ever seen the Father, who was the God who at times revealed Himself directly to various people in the Old Testament? Obviously it could only have been the One who later would be born as a human being, Jesus Christ. Thus the "God" of the Old Testament who created all things and interacted with human beings was Jesus Christ! (Compare 1 Corinthians 10:4.)
You might also want to read Hebrews 1:1-2, Colossians 1:16, John 1:10 and Ephesians 3:9, all of which clearly tell us that Jesus was the divine being through whom the universe was created.
Scripture tells us that God is a family. Jesus Himself makes this clear from His dozens of references to the Father and the Son. God's ultimate design is for us to be His children in that family (1 John 3:1-2; Romans 8:14-21; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Galatians 4:6-7; Revelation 21:7), of which Jesus is "the firstborn among many brethren" (Romans 8:29).
Space here is inadequate for a complete exploration of what the Bible has to say on this issue. Much more information is available in our free booklets , and
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