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MUSLIM’S SAY, “PAUL, NOT JESUS, FOUNDED CHRISTIANITY” Question: “Paul corrupted the [Muslim] message of Jesus and also invented continual sinning. Jesus never taught His blood-atonement, Paul thought it up. So, which gospel do you believe - the gospel of Jesus, or the gospel of Paul?” Answer: Neither God nor Paul founded Christianity, nor “invented sinning.” The fallen angel Satan “invented sinning,” (Isa. 14:12-13; Ezk. 28:14-16.) It was the false Roman Catholic Church with its false dogmas that corrupted Jesus’ first disciples called “The Way.” (Their assemblies or gatherings were called “the ecclesia.”) “The Way” was first renamed to ‘Christians’ “in Antioch,” when “[secret agents] brought in destructive heresies. Many follow their damnable ways, because of whom The Way of Truth, [Jesus Himself and His true followers,] is blasphemed…” (2 Pt. 2:1-3; Acts 11:26.) The papacy then set them up in “temples, [a false church system,] made with hands,” (Acts 9:2; 19:9,23; 22:4; 24:14.) But the Creator God of the entire universe does not dwell in [ANY] physical temples, (Acts 7:44-50.) Undoubtedly, only the Lord Jesus Christ could have been the Author and Foundation of the New Testament Gospel, as this Gospel is the New Covenant in which all true believers stand, (Jn. 3:16.) Hebrews 8:13, “By calling it a ‘New Covenant,’ He made the first [Old Testament Covenant] obsolete.” The context of the origin and ‘unfolding’ of Jesus’ New Covenant are described in the Gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – and in the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, Jude, and John. During the nearly 2,000 years since Jesus Christ walked the earth, the Salvation-Message of all four Gospels, as well as the context of the epistles, remained the same. Jesus the Savior was meticulously prophesied in the Old Testament Covenant, and all His predicted works were manifested in detail in the New Testament, (Isaiah 9:6-7, KJV.) ¨ The essence of Jesus’ New Covenant Gospel is as follows, “God so loved the whole world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who [personally] believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life,” (Jn. 3:16-17; Rom. 5:8-9.) The Lord Jesus Christ, [God Himself,] became flesh; became a mere human being, to atone for the sin of all humankind through His own broken body and blood, (Jn. 1:1-17; Isa. 53:10-11; Mt. 20:28; Eph. 1:7.) Everyone who chooses to accept Him as their personal Lord, Redeemer, Savior, and Blessor, “To them He gave the power or authority to become the [spiritually born again] children of God…” (Jn. 1:12-17; Jn. 3:3-5; Gal. 3:26-29; 1 Jn. 4:7; 5:1-4.)
Contrary to the false god of religion, (1 John 5:19,) the Lord Jesus did not ‘love’ us from afar without making a way to deliver us from Eden’s inherited sinful state, (Rom. 5:12 KJV.) He said in Matthew. 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as atonement for many [worldwide, who believe, accept, and follow Him.]” Still, the false Roman Catholic Church deified Peter, Paul, and some of the other disciples to the status of ‘god’-fathers and ‘popes,’ calling them “infallible apostles.” To this day, even Protestant churches disseminate the infallible-apostle dogma. Note that the King James Version of the Bible still refers to these disciples as Catholic (godfather) ‘saints’ in ‘The Gospel according to Saint Matthew…’ etcetera. ¨ However, in context, none of Jesus’ true disciples laid claim to that blasphemy; they knew only God Himself is infallible. Paul suffered tremendously for the truth of Jesus’ Gospel until emperor Nero martyred him by beheading. As Jesus’ born again disciple, Paul fought a constant spiritual battle to keep the non-legalistic teachings of Jesus pure. He fiercely opposed false teachers and the lack of Scriptural knowledge, which infiltrators sowed among Jesus’ early assemblies, (2 Pt. 2:1-3.) Paul neither invented nor condoned moral sin (immorality) either. Just like Jesus, Paul and the other disciples preached God’s judgment against unrepentant sinners and unrepentant believers alike. The writers of the New Testament became God’s instruments to bring a better understanding of Jesus’ Gospel truth, as well as to define the form and function of the body of Christ or the ecclesia, the “called-out” assembly of the Lord Jesus Christ.
WHERE DID JESUS SAY, “I AM GOD; WORSHIP ME?” It is said, there is not a verse in the Gospels where Jesus says, “I Am God, worship Me.” That is why “Jesus was [supposedly] not worshipped until 4 A.D. when the pope deified Him.” Well, those blasphemers must simply read the Gospels — and the whole Bible in context! The debate about Jesus’ humanity and Divinity has been raging since He was born in Bethlehem. Millions made Him into a human prophet and so-called ‘christ’ like Buddha: a sinful human who merely “carried the christ-consciousness.” They forget that Jesus fully fulfilled the whole law and all the prophecies of the Old Testament concerning the Savior, (John 19:27-30; 36-37.) So, let us see what Jesus said about Himself in the clear, unadulterated context of the Gospels, and what the rest of Scripture teach about Him. ¨ Jesus Christ did not materialize from heaven as God but was born “in the form” or flesh/body of a helpless baby, who had to live as an ordinary person. Although Jesus was miraculously conceived by the virgin Mary, He did not have “divine blood.” He had the blood, bone, organs, emotions, and all the physical needs of human “flesh,” just like His human mother had, although He did not share in her spiritual sin-state without God, (Jn. 1:1-14; 3:3-5.) He was the “Second [completely sinless] Adam,” (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-23.) Yet, in His weak humanity, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. He cried at the tomb of Lazarus, “learnt obedience [to His Father in heaven] from what He suffered,” sweat blood in Gethsemane, prayed for His disciples and Himself as a Holy-Spirit dependent man, and endured every spiritual, emotional, and physical affliction as a mere human on that cross, (Heb. 5:8; Isa. 53:3-5; John 17; Phil. 2:5-11; Heb. 2:5-11.) Jesus, as a human being, was utterly dependant on His Father in heaven. However, Spiritually as God Himself, Jesus did not share in Mary’s fallen sin-nature, (Rom. 5:12.) Jesus He had the Divine, sinless nature of the omnipresent, One God of the Bible. He was fully human and fully Divine because He Is God Himself. Mary was not “immaculate or god’s wife!” Spiritually, she was born under the fallen, cursed sin state that “spread from the fall in the Garden to ALL human beings” - except to the Man Jesus, the “Second, [perfectly sinless human] Adam,” (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-23.) Yet, physical bodies, real “flesh,” cannot be sinful. Sin is a spiritual place without the righteousness of God; supported by corrupt, carnal, human minds that dwell on “the sins of the flesh,” (Jn. 1:12-14; 3:3-5; Rom. 8:4-11; 2 Cor. 10:2-6.) Animals do not partake of man’s sin state. They are completely innocent. So, neither the physical bodies of humans nor animals are spiritually ‘unclean,’ ‘unholy’ or ‘cursed.’ That’s why animals were holy sacrifices under the Old Covenant as symbols of the Sinless, Spotless Lamb of God, (Jesus,) Who would, through His human blood and broken body, “take away the sin of the whole [sincerely believing world,” (Jn. 1:29; 3:16.) ¨ When God “took on the flesh” of the man Jesus, He did NOT “empty Himself of His Divinity,” (Jn. 1:1-14; 8:58!) When God came to earth in the “form” or body of Jesus, He remained God, (Jn. 1:1-3.) So, when God “appeared as a man, He looked, suffered, and lived exactly like every other man — except that He was God the Eternal, Most Holy Spirit at the same time, (Jn. 4:21-24.)
In 740-701 B.C., Isaiah 9:6, (without any Christian connections, dogmas, or church agendas,) prophesied, “For unto us a Child is born… a Son [of God] is given. [Psalm 2:8,11, “...You are My Son, today I have begotten You….”] The government will be upon His shoulder. [In Matthew 28:18, Jesus said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”] His Name will be called, Wonderful, Counselor, Almighty God. [There is only One God; a ‘lesser or smaller god” does not exist in heaven. Revelation 1:8 and 4:8, “Holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty Who Was, Is, and Is to come!” So, the Son of God, Jesus The One and Only Christ, is also called] Everlasting Father. [There cannot be two ‘fathers’ or gods, (“Divine Persons”) in heaven, one temporally and one eternally. Jesus Is the Everlasting Father] and the Prince of Peace.” ¨ The Pharisees themselves said, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy because You, being a man, make Yourself God, [saying, ‘I give My sheep eternal life, and they will never perish, neither will anyone snatch them out of My hand. I and My Father are One [God,]” (Jn. 10: 24-33.) It is clear that only God Himself can give eternal life, and promise that He will keep His true followers safely “in His Hand for all eternity!” The following are also Jesus’ own Words. Churches that twist or reject His clear declarations grossly mislead their followers! When Philip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us [God] the Father, [Whom You always refer to and pray to in Your humanity,] Jesus answered according to Isaiah 9:6, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me, has seen the Father, [as I Am the human Image [Photo] of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15.] I AM in the [Everlasting] Father and the [Everlasting] Father Is in Me… The Father and I are [Eternally] One [God…]” (Jn. 14:8-11.) ¨ As prophesied in Isaiah 9:6, Jesus plainly stated He Is the fully human Christ and the Omnipresent God in heaven at the same time. So, He declared in both the Old and New Testaments, “The first of all the commandments is: Hear o Israel, the Lord your God is One [inseparable] God! And you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength,” (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29.) Thus, when Jesus commissioned His disciples to evangelize the whole world, He commanded, “[As God and as the human Christ, I give you My authority to] go [into the whole world] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing [all true believers] in the Name of the [One God: the inseparable, omnipresent] Father, Son, and Holy Spirit… [That is why in Acts 2:38; 19:5, sincere believers were baptized in the Name of Jesus.] And I AM [ever-present] with you even to the end of the world,” (Mt. 28:18-20; Col. 2:9; 1 Cor. 6:15-20!) ¨ So, in His humanity, Jesus clearly referred to Himself as “Everlasting God.” He even stated, “Most assuredly I say to you: before Abraham was, I AM,” (Jn. 8:58-59.) The temple masters knew Jesus was saying, “I AM GOD,” and they again wanted to stone Him for blasphemy, but He eluded them. Most English translators say ‘I AM’ means YHWH, the One and Only God Who commanded Moses, “You will say to them, ‘I AM, [YHWH,] has sent me to you,’ because [calling Me by] the [title] Lord was not known to them,” (Ex. 3:14; 6:2-3; Jn. 8:58-59.) ¨ Jesus actually referred to Himself as ‘God in the flesh’ or ‘I Am [YHWH] incarnate’ by declaring, “I AM the Truth; [He did not say He only spoke the truth,] I AM the Way, [He did not say He only shows the Way,] I AM the Life; [He did not say He only preaches or represents Eternal Life,] I AM the Resurrection, [He did not say He only teaches on the resurrection,] I AM the Bread [or Spiritual Life Itself] from heaven...” ¨ All Jesus’ declarations refer to Exodus 3:14-15 & 6:2-3, when He plainly said to Moses, “I AM [YHWH or I Am Who I Am] the Lord….” “I AM [YHWH] Who sends you…” The general conclusion of these verses is, “The Lord” does not mean YHWH. God also said to Moses, “I AM [YHWH] the God of... Abraham I Am [YHWH] God Almighty, but by My [title] Lord I was not known to [the Israelites.] In original Hebrew, YHWH is unpronounceable as Hebrews pronounced only consonants. So God’s “Personal Name” is not “Jehovah,” which is a Christian/Jehovah Witness transliteration of YHWH (I Am Who I Am,) and ‘The Lord:’ Adonai or Master. ¨ Jesus also proved that He Was, Is, and always Will Be God Himself, because He also forgave sin while in the “form of a man,” and everyone knows only God can forgive sin, (Mt. 9:5-7; Ps. 8:5-9.) That is why Jesus declared to His disciples, “You call Me Master [Teacher] and Lord, and you say well, FOR SO I AM…]” (Jn. 13:13; 14:5-6; Ex. 3:14.) ¨ David also prophesied in Psalm 110:4, “The Lord has sworn… You are a [high] priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” [The temporal human priests of the old temple were according to the order of Levi.]” Jesus said in John 14:5-6 “I AM [YHWH in the human Christ, Who Is] The Way, the Truth, and the Life, and NO ONE comes to the Father [in heaven] EXCEPT THROUGH ME, [Melchizedek, the Eternal, Divine Mediator between God and man....”] ¨ In John 8:23-25, Jesus said to the temple masters who rejected Him as Christ and God, “You are from beneath but I AM from above. You are of this world but I AM not of this world, (see Jn. 18:36!) Thus I said that you will die in your sins if you do not believe that I AM HE! [Only God can save!] They asked, ‘Who are You?’ Jesus answered, “Just what I have been saying to you from the very beginning.” False preachers make Jesus into ‘Jacob’s ladder,’ who supposedly “brought heaven down to earth.” However, Jacob had a mere vision of God, where Jesus said to Him, ‘I AM [YHWH] the Lord God of [your fathers…’ Gen. 28.] In John 8:23-25, Jesus actually referred to Matthew 4:10-24, when He said to the woman at the well, “If you knew... Who it is Who asks you, ‘Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.... The water that I [give] will spring up unto eternal life...” [Again, Jesus declared that He is the Savior God of both the Old and the New Testament Covenant.] The woman thought Jesus was merely a human prophet, but He said, “[Those who receive My eternal life,] will neither worship on this mountain [this so-called ‘holy’ place or church/temple,] NOR IN JERUSALEM… [BUT THEY WILL] WORSHIP THE FATHER [AND I AM THE EVERLASTING FATHER, Heb. 7:4-50; John 14:8-11,] IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH, [BECAUSE] GOD IS SPIRIT…” The woman said she knows the Christ will tell them all things and Jesus answered, “I WHO SPEAK TO YOU AM HE.” (Jn. 1:12-14; 3:3-5.) This refers to Isaiah 12:2-3, “...The Lord… also [will] become my salvation. So, with joy you will draw water from the well of Salvation…” ¨ Moreover, God Jesus Christ is the Eternal Judge of the universe. Hence, He warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. [Here, Jesus again aligned His humanity with God Omnipresent in Him.] Many will say to Me in That Day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your Name, cast out demons, and done many wonders?’ And then I will declare to them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” In Matthew 25:1-13, the unwise virgins will insist to go to the one and only marriage feast in heaven with Jesus, “But the door will be shut. [Jesus will refuse to open for them, but answer,] I do not know you…” (Mt. 24:27-31.) ¨ The glorified, bodily risen, ascended man Jesus is now fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 110:1, “...Sit at My right hand, [an allegory of The Eternal High Priest,] until I make Your enemies your footstool [at your return to earth,]” (Rev. 11:15!) The Divine Christ Jesus agreed in Matthew 24:29-31 and Mark 13:24-31, “IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE [GREAT] TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS… THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN WILL APPEAR IN HEAVEN... [As suddenly and unexpectedly as a bright not secret] global lighting strike, and every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.] AND HE WILL SEND HIS ANGELS… AND THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT, [HIS ONE AND ONLY BRIDE,] FROM… ONE END OF [THE EARTH] TO THE OTHER,” (1 Pt. 4:5.) Surely, only God Himself can do this! ¨ So, when Jesus appeared through closed doors and the disciples were terrified as they thought they saw a ghost, He showed them His hands and His feet and invited them to ‘handle Him,’ “As a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” Then He ate with them and opened their understanding that they might comprehend the Scriptures… before disappearing again through closed doors. At His third appearance, He eventually said of His literal but glorified, resurrected body, “Do not be unbelieving, but [believe in Me.]” Then Thomas proclaimed, “My Lord and my God!” [Would the Sinless Man Jesus Christ have accepted his worship if He Is not God?] Jesus answered, “Because you have seen [that I was resurrected,] you believe [that I Am God and Christ.] Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed…” The conclusion is, “These things were written that you may believe that Jesus Is the Christ, the [Divine] Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His Name… “ (Lu. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-27; 21:1-12.) Based on all these facts in the Jesus’ Gospels, 1 Timothy 3:16 perfectly summarizes Jesus’ Divine life on earth by saying, “God was manifested [or born] in the flesh [as a human, because The Word, (Creator God Himself,) became flesh and dwelt among men [to redeem, save, and bless all true believers on Golgotha...]” (Jn. 1:1-14; 3:16-17; Heb. 1:1-14.) People interpret the Name and Descriptive Title, “Jesus Christ” as God’s Name (Jesus,) and ‘Surname’ (Christ,) and do not know how to interpret His Scriptural Title and Name, “Christ Jesus.” The first mentioned means “Jesus The Christ,” and the last mentioned, (“Christ Jesus,”) describes His Divinity and His heavenly position in The [Inseparable] Godhead: the One God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, (1 Tim. 3:16; Rom. 1:20; Col. 2:9.)
“Christ” literally means “The Anointed One.” In terms of Jesus Being God Himself, “Christ” or “The Anointed One” relates directly to His Godhood, from Whom all power flows, (Col. 2:9-15.) Hebrews 1:1-14, (KJV,) “God, Who at various times and ways spoke in time past to the [Old Testament Hebrew] fathers by the prophets, has in these last [New Testament] days spoken to us by His [incarnated] Son. [We have the New Covenant especially: God’s Word that contains everything God wanted to reveal to us through the man Jesus.] Jesus was appointed Heir, through Whom also He, [as the Creator God,] made the worlds; [physical and spirit worlds.] Who, being the brightness of His glory and the express Image of His Person, [Jesus said that when they saw Him, they saw the Father, John 14:8-10,] upholds all things by the Word of His power [as The Anointed One or God in the flesh…] So, to the Son, God says, Your Thorne O God is forever and ever… Therefore God, [You Yourself are the Anointed] Who, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth and [made] the heavens… They will all be changed.. [destroyed at Your return, 2 Peter 3:10-14,] but You are always the same...” Paul explained in Philippians 2:5-8, “….[Jesus,] Who, being in the form of God… [as God Himself,] made Himself of no reputation [among men;] taking the form of a bondservant and coming in the likeness of men, [or in the flesh of men.] And being found in appearance as a man, [while still being God,] He became obedient to… the death of the cross.” Hence, the Name ‘Jesus’ actually means ‘The Anointed Savior’ in Koine Greek, the language in which the New Testament Scriptures were written. So, “Christ Jesus” means ‘God the Anointed Savior.’ To all who sincerely believe in Him, this means, ‘The Divine Son of God, Jesus,’ “God Jesus,” “Creator Jesus,” “King Jesus…” “Lord God Almighty Jesus,” (Isa. 9:5-6; Rev. 1:8; 4:8; 15:3-4; 16:5-7; 19:4-9!)
THE SCRIPTURAL “ONE GOD” OF FATHER, SON, AND HOLY SPIRIT IS INSEPARABLY OMNIPRESENT The following incredible mysteries (not secrets,) can only be “understood” in terms of the omnipresence of the Inseparable, One and Only Godhead of the Bible: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, (Mt. 28:18-20!) The word “trinity” and the Catholic/Protestant dogma that defines “three separate ‘divine persons in unity’” are nowhere to be found in Scripture. The Godhead is inseparably everywhere in heaven, on earth, and throughout the whole universe at the same time. Jesus commanded, “THE FIRST OF ALL COMMANDMENTS IS: Hear, O [true believers,] The Lord your God is One [God!] You will love [or agape/obey] the Lord your [One] God with all your heart, [human spirit,] soul, [mind] and strength... THERE IS NO COMMANDMENT GREATER THAN THIS,” (Deut. 6:4; Mark 12:29; 1 Ths. 5:23!) The Lord Christ Jesus always was, is, and will be God Himself, although He came into this world in the “flesh” or body of a mere human. God the Father is God Himself, (Jn. 1:1-14.) He was ‘in and with’ the man Jesus, and yet He remained seated in heaven. The Holy Spirit is God Himself. He was ‘with and in’ Jesus, yet He remained in heaven and ‘in and with’ the Father, (Col. 2:9.) God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit IS One God. The One God always was, and always will be omnipresent, everywhere, or ever-present at the same time. A physically alive human being cannot be divided into a ‘distinctly separate’ human spirit, soul or mind, and a literal body, (1 Ths. 5:23.) No matter how perfectly the human spirit, mind, and body might be in “unity,” the human body (and mind) without the human spirit is dead, (Jam. 2:26; 1 Ths. 5:23!) Similarly, The Godhead of the Bible, (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,) can never be ‘divided’ into “three distinctly separate ‘divine persons’ in unity.” How can it be that believers cannot understand that “three distinctly separate divine persons” are “three separate gods?” ¨ God in the form or flesh of the man Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit Is inseparably One God, named “The Godhead” or “Godliness,” (Col. 2:9; 1 Tim. 3:16!) In John 14:8-11, when Philip asked Jesus to show them the Father, He said, “Have I been with you so long and yet you have not known Me? He who has seen Me has seen the Father… The Father dwells in Me… I and the Father are One [God.]” Paul concluded, “IN HIM DWELLS ALL the fullness of The [inseparable] Godhead bodily… [He Is] The Head of ALL principality and power, (Col. 2:9-10; Phil. 2:5-15.) Contextual Scriptural Truth repeatedly declares that God the Omnipresent Father was, and always will be ‘One God’ “in and with” Jesus the human Christ, “The Son of God,” Who suffered and died in our place as “the Son of man.” ¨ Jesus declared in John 10:27-30, “…[As I Am the life-giving God,] I give My sheep eternal life… I and the Father [IS] One [God.]” Jesus is also called “The Spirit of God,” “The Spirit of Christ,” and “Christ in you, [His living temple,]” (Rom. 8:9-11 KJV.) Jesus is “The Lord, the Holy Spirit,” (1 Cor. 6:13-20; 3:16-17!) Yet, Omnipresent Father God and the Holy Spirit remained seated in heaven while the man Jesus suffered on the cross. Likewise, the omnipresent Holy Spirit didn’t ‘brood’ around Jesus’ so-called ‘empty throne’ while the human body of Jesus Christ was in the grave. God The Holy Spirit was “in and with” the man Jesus at the cross and in death. It was the Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus’ human body from the dead, (Rom. 8:11.) ¨ However, the omnipresent Holy Spirit or God Himself remained on earth and in heaven as God at the same time. Jesus promised that, after His ascension, The Father will send the Holy Spirit from heaven to indwell His sincere, blood-cleansed believers to lead them into all truth and to teach them all things, (Jn. 16:13-15.) Yet, this does not mean that the Holy Spirit “left” heaven to remain on earth! He Is seated in His believing, born again temple and in heaven at the same time! (Rom. 8:11; Lu. 24:49; Acts 1:8; Jn. 14:26; 16:7; 1 Cor. 6:15-20; 3:16-17!)
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ON THIS PAGE: · Muslims say, “Paul, not Jesus, founded Christianity” · WHERE DID JESUS SAY, “I AM GOD; WORSHIP ME?” · The One God of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is INSEPARABLE AND OMNIPRESENT
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