This is an article in the series on the question: Is Jesus the Most High God?
Summary
Philippians 2:5-11 is a profound statement of the nature of Christ, describing His life through four chronological stages, namely:
(1) Before He became a human being, “He existed in the form of God” and had “equality with God” (Phil 2:5-6).
(2) But then “Jesus Christ … emptied Himself” and was “made in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7). He became truly and fully human. Just like us, He had to grow in wisdom, become weary, thirsty, hungry, and die (Luke 2:52; John 4:6; 19:28; Matt 4:2; Mark 15:37).
(3) “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). He suffered a cruel death and remained in the grave for three days.
(4) After His resurrection and ascension, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:8-9). Therefore, “at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW” (Phil 2:10).
Jesus is not God.
This article analyzes these verses to determine whether they support the Trinity doctrine, according to which the Son is God and equal to the Father in all respects. For the following reasons, it concludes that these verses indicate that He is not God:
(A) By maintaining a distinction between “God” (Phil 2:6, 9, 11) and “Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5, 10-11), this passage reserves the title “God” for the Father only.
(B) Before He became a human being, He existed in the form of God (Phil 2:6), which means that God is one Person and the Son is somebody else.
(C) Jesus also had “equality with God” (Phil 2:6). This confirms the distinction between Jesus Christ and God. He was equal to God just like Joseph was equal with Pharaoh (Gen 44:18), namely through the authority which He received.
(D) Jesus emptied Himself of equality with God (Phil 2:6-7). God cannot empty Himself of equality with Himself. That Jesus was able to empty Himself of equality with God shows that He received His equality with God from God; it was not essentially His.
(E) After His resurrection and ascension, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9). In other words, He received His “name which is above every name” from God; it is not essentially part of His nature.
Why do we worship Jesus?
If Jesus is not God, why must we bow the knee to Christ (Phil 2:10)? This article provides three reasons:
Firstly, because God exalted Him (Phil 2:9-10). In other words, it is God’s will (cf. Heb 1:6).
Secondly, the created beings of the universe bow the knee to Jesus because “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:11); not because He is God (cf. 1 Cor 8:6).
Thirdly, Jesus is not worshiped independently of or equal with God the Father, but “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11).
– END OF SUMMARY –
Christ in Philippians 2
Philippians 2:5-11 is a profound statement of the nature of Christ, describing His life through four chronological stages, namely:
-
- Before He became a human being,
- His life as a human being,
- His death and
- His exaltation after He was resurrected and ascended to heaven.
This article analyzes these verses to determine whether they support the Trinity doctrine, according to which the Son is God and equal to the Father in all respects.
The Four Stages of Christ’s Life
1. Pre-Existence
Before He became a human being, “He existed in the form of God” and had “equality with God” (Phil 2:5-6).
Firstly, this confirms that Jesus existed before He became a human being. Some Unitarians (as opposed to Trinitarians) deny His pre-existence (e.g., listen to Dustin Smith).
Secondly, this could mean that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament. For example, Isaiah saw:
“The Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted,
with the train of His robe filling the temple.
Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings”
(Isa 6:1-4).
Since Jesus, before He became a human being, “existed in the form of God,” this could have been a vision of Him.
2 A Human Being
“Jesus Christ …
emptied Himself, taking
the form of a bond-servant,
and being made
in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:7).
Since Christ “did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself” (Phil 2:6-7), He emptied Himself of “equality with God.” He also “emptied Himself” of “the form of God,” for He took on “the form of a bond-servant … being made in the likeness of men” (Phil 2:6-7).
Adam attempted to seize equality with God (Gen 3:5 – “You will be like God”). Christ did the opposite: “He had to be made like his brothers in all things” (Heb 2:17). He emptied Himself of His powers and knowledge, beginning His human life as a vulnerable human baby (Luke 2:7; Gal 4:4). He performed many miracles, but only because “God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). “Our Lord Jesus Christ … though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor” (2 Cor 8:9). He voluntarily descended to the realm where He was “despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief” (Isa 53:3).
That Jesus emptied Himself when He became a human being also reveals God to us; how much God loves His creatures; even His enemies:
“God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16).
He became a real human being. Just like us, He had to grow in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52). “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Heb 5:8). He became weary (John 4:6), thirsty (John 19:28) and hungry (Matt 4:2). He marveled at the faith of the centurion (Matt 8:10) and was sad when Lazarus died (John 11:35). In Gethsemane, He grieved deeply, to the point of death (Matt 26:38). The next day He died (Mark 15:37). Jesus did not just look like a man; He was truly and fully human.
How it was possible for the Person, through whom God created all things, and who “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb 1:3), to be transformed into a human embryo, we cannot begin to understand, and we will not even try. “The secret things belong to the LORD our God” (Deut 29:29).
What we want to learn through the current series of articles is who Jesus really is; not only who He was as a human being. He said, “I can do nothing on My own initiative” (John 5:30). Since He emptied Himself of equality with God and of the form of God, we must always ask whether such statements are also eternally true of Him.
3 Death
“He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). He suffered a very cruel death and remained in the grave for three days.
As discussed in the articles on the Seven Seals of Revelation, the important matter is not His death, but His obedience. His entire life was a test, namely to see whether He would remain obedient under the most severe circumstances. Satan was allowed to test Jesus, even “to the point of death” (Phil 2:8). But Jesus remained faithful, “that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). (Also see – Why Jesus had to die.)
4 Exaltation at the Father’s Right Hand
Because “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death,” after His resurrection and ascension, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:8-9). Therefore:
“At the name of Jesus
EVERY KNEE WILL BOW …
in heaven and on earth …
and that every tongue will confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10-11).
Is Jesus God?
For the following reasons, this description of the four stages of the Son’s life indicates that He is not God:
(A) By maintaining a distinction between “God” (Phil 2:6, 9, 11) and “Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5, 10-11), this passage reserves the title “God” for the Father only.
(B) Before He became a human being, He existed in the form of God (Phil 2:6). If an angel appears in the form of a man, he is still an angel and not a man. Similarly, that Jesus existed in the form of God does not mean that He is God. Rather, it means that He is distinct from God.
(C) The statement that Jesus had “equality with God” (Phil 2:6) also makes a distinction between Jesus Christ and God. In other words, He is not God. Joseph was given His power and authority by Pharaoh to act on his behalf. So, he had equality with Pharaoh (Gen 44:18). Similarly, God gave His power and authority to Jesus Christ. He was equal in authority, but it was an authority which He received; not His own.
(D) Jesus emptied Himself of equality with God. God may perhaps be able to empty Himself of His divine form and glory but God cannot empty Himself of equality with Himself. That Jesus was able to empty Himself of equality with God (Phil 2:6-7) shows that He received His equality with God from God; it was not essentially His.
(E) After His resurrection and ascension, “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9). In other words, He received His “name which is above every name” from God; it is not essentially part of His nature.
Another article shows that the entire New Testament teaches that Jesus is distinct from God, reserving the title “God” for the Father alone. Since “God” highly exalted Him (Phil 2:9), Jesus is subordinate to God. As discussed in the article – Subordinate to God, this principle is also taught all over the New Testament.
Why do we worship Jesus?
The Bible commands us to worship only God. For example: “You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only” (Luke 4:8), but we must also bow the knee to Christ (Phil 2:10). If Jesus is not God, why do we worship Him?
In Revelation 5, heavenly beings fell down before the Lamb with the prayers of the saints (Rev 15:8) and give honor to both Him who sits on the throne (the Father), and to the Lamb (Rev 5:13). God commanded all angels to worship His Son (Heb 1:6). We must honor Jesus as we honor the Father (John 5:23).
Many Christians believe that Jesus is worshiped because He is co-equal with the Father, but we have already noted that Jesus is both distinct from and subordinate to God. Philippians 2:9-11 explains why Jesus is worshiped:
(1) It is God’s will.
“God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil 2:9). Then Philippians 2:10 begins with the phrase, “for this reason.” This means that “at the name of Jesus every knee will bow” (Phil 2:10) because “God highly exalted Him” (Phil 2:9); not because He is God Himself. Hebrews 1:6 contains a similar statement, saying that God commanded the angels to worship His Son.
God is the great Source of power and authority. Jesus received everything He has from God; also such an exalted position that it is right and proper for created beings to worship Him.
(2) Jesus Christ is Lord.
Secondly, the created beings of the universe bow the knee to Jesus and confess that “Jesus Christ is Lord” (Phil 2:11). They do not confess Him to be God. The identification of the Father as God and the Son as the Lord is a consistent pattern in the New Testament. For example:
“For us there is but one God, the Father …
and one Lord, Jesus Christ” (1 Cor 8:6).
The article – Jesus in Colossians – shows that Jesus is never called God in that letter; He is always called Lord. That is significant because Colossians is the letter in the New Testament with the highest view of Christ.
Related to this, notice also that the word “worship” does not appear in Philippians 2. All it says is that “every knee will bow” (Phil 2:10). This is the ancient way of showing respect to a king. As explained in the article on worship, that is exactly what the Greek word proskuneo (sometimes translated as “worship”) means.
(3) To the glory of God
Thirdly, Jesus is not worshiped independently of or equal with God the Father, but “to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:11). This is also how we should understand the worship of Christ in Revelation 5, where He is worshiped together with “Him who sits on the throne” (Rev 5:13-14). Similarly:
“All will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.
He who does not honor the Son
does not honor the Father who sent Him” (John 5:23).
To “honor” the Son is the same as bowing the knee to the Son. This verse also contains the idea that, to honor the Son, is to honor the Father. Jesus is the visible “image of the invisible God” (Col 1:15). By honoring the Son, the universe honors the Father. The worship of the universe flows through Jesus to the Father, who exists outside space, time, and matter.
Other Articles
-
- Is Jesus the Most High? – List of all articles
- The Trinity Doctrine – List of all articles
- All articles on this website
I have been reading all your comments and found them all interesting, however I believe that it is through revelation that we can find out about the true nature of Christ.
I grew up in a Christian denomination where they taught us not to believe in visions, dreams, or revelations. I had so many questions that were unanswered which led my faith to grow cold; After some years, I began making serious research in the bible with strong tears and fastings then I received visions through the holy spirit. I was given the text of 1 timothy {3:16} And
without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of
angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world,
received up into glory.
The text was shown in a vision in 2018 and confirmed on March 29, 2020. Clearly Jesus is God, being begotten by God and the Son of God by inheritance. The Lord has blessed me with so many visions over the past seven years.
I learned a great lesson from prophet Daniel, Moses, Paul Peter, and Lord Jesus,,, all of them practiced fasting and it does make a huge difference.
Hi Apollin
It is wonderful that you receive visions. I never receive visions. At best, when there is something I do not understand, and I go to my knees, I often receive clarity about the subject. But no vision.
However, we cannot base our theology on visions. I must use the Bible only. How would I know it is really God that is speaking to you in vision and not the devil? We are warned about false signs and wonders in the end-time:
– “False prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders” (Mt. 24:24).
– “One whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and signs and false wonders” (2 Th. 2:9).
– “He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men” (Rev. 13:13).
With respect to the verse you quote, 1 Timothy 3:16 does not say God was manifested in the flesh, it says “He who was revealed in the flesh” (NASB). If some translation changes that to “God,” that would be an interpretation.
In my view, your visions must be tested by the Word of God; not the other wat round. “To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” (Is. 8:20). Visions that contradict the Bible should be rejected. “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize … taking his stand on visions he has seen” (Col. 2:18).
Regards, Andries
new bible student here,
I truly enjoyed your take on this issue. I am of the opinion that no one on earth has a monopoly of the full interpretation of the word of God and that we all know a little here and a little there.
Your explanation is clear and also unclear at the same time. I sincerely hope these conversations continue until Christ returns.
more blessings,
daisy.
Jesus prayed: our father in heaven hallowed by your name, so what is the name of the father so that we can hallowed it?
Hi Joel
It is not recorded in the Bible that Jesus ever prayed using those exact word; He taught His disciples to pray like that. But I can quite imagine that Jesus used those words in prayer.
Secondly, we do not hallow His name. His name represents Him. We revere Him.
But you probably asked this question in this context because “God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name” (Phil. 2:9). I would say that that name is ruler over all, because the consequence is that “every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (v11).
Why we do not hollow His Father’s name? That is written in Matthew 6:9-10. I can’t quite understand the phrase “your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” I need someone to explain it. Can you?
I appreciate how you explain the distinction between the Father and the Son, so, I want to know more about the Father and the Son: for this is written in the scripture: “And this is life eternal, that they should know thee the only true God, and him whom thou didst send, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). I know already know about Jesus, then, how should I know more about the only true God?. I don’t even know his name?
Your question seems to be how can we hallow (or honor – see GNB) the Father’s name if we do not even know what His name is. We should not think of His name as literally His name. The Greek word translated name (onoma) can also mean “character, fame, reputation.” The Pulpit Commentary explains His name as “that description of him which embraces all that he really is.” See BibleHub.
You also ask what it means when we pray that the will of God may be done. We pray that because His will is perfect kindness and love. Think about what the earth will be like once God again took control, and love reigns everywhere. This reminds me of Revelation:
“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever” (11:15-17). “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away” (21:4).
Hallo Andries
Dankie vir jou website. Hoe verstaan jy die Ligaam van Jesus. Sy vlees en bloed as mens was dit die selfde as Adam? Dit maak nie vir my sin nie want dan was hy stof en soos Adam. As ek na die bybel kyk dan praat dit bv van ‘in the likeness of flesh’ etc
Ek behoort ook nie aan enige kerk denominasie nie my getuienis is baie dieselfde as joune.
Groete in Jesus
Marthinus Hattingh
Port Elizabeth
Hi Marthinus, You ask whether Jesus’ body was flesh and blood like Adam’s. John wrote that the one that denies that Jesus came “in the flesh” is the antichrist (2 John 1:7). I would therefore say yes, but there is a difference. The Bible teaches that Jesus was without sin (Heb. 4:15). On the other hand, through the sin of Adam sin and death spread to all people (Rom. 5:12). In my view this means that Jesus was not Adam’s physical descendant. And Mary was His surrogate mother; not His natural mother. Jesus did not inherit the degenerated DNA from Mary. He was perfect, like Adam also was in the beginning. But how the One, through who God created all things (Col. 1:16), could become a human being, I do not know.
This is true and correct and one of the BEST written articles I have seen.
Jesus is NOT GOD, but the SON of His ONE TRUE GOD, John 10:36, John 17:3.
GOD bless ANDRIES VAN NIEKERK for this great article.
Jesus is God and is equal with God. I’m sorry this article is rubbish.
BEWARE OF FALSE TEACHINGS LIKE THESE, JESUS CHRIST IS GOD. YOU GUYS ARE JUST MISINTERPRETING EVERYTHING. N0.1 the dictionary definition of equality is the FACT of being EQUAL.
No.2 Jesus gave up his divinity and became a bondservant in the process being subject to God the Father that’s why He thinks of His Father as greater than Him because He WILLINGLY became subjected to him though they were equal. That is why Paul the apostle wrote we should be like Jesus and humble ourselves. Jesus had to humble Himself in the first place because he was equal with the Father or He won’t have had to humble himself at all. He gave up his divinity and became mortal so He became under the Father and walked by the Spirit. He was tempted by the devil though God cannot be tempted due to his human limitations and also during his transfiguration, his face shone like the sun showing his Godlike form. He came of no reputation and was made poor sa me may be rich. This is why the Father has highly exalted him and given him the name which is above every name that at the name of JESUS every knee will bow and every tongue will confess JESUS CHRIST is LORD to the glory of God the Father. See that even now in heaven Jesus Christ serves the Father and because Jesus was WILLINGLY made of no reputation and gave up his divinity, Jesus was given his glory and honor back to Him by the Father and was made Lord of all by God the Father. Notice before Jesus came He shared equality with God by himself and that was not given to him by anyone but after giving it up for to be a bondservant and after his resurrection, Jesus Christ was honoured by the Father and given power, glory, dominion and made Lord over all worthy of worship. The Father gave him all these and Jesus was not left empty. He is also worshipped in heaven and it says no one must worship any other God but Him and no creation in heaven, on earth, no creation created is meant to be worshipped but God Almighty not even the angels as said by Paul and also said by the angel in revelations when John attempted to worship him. Other verses which say Jesus is God are:
But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions.” And: “You, Lord , in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.”
Hebrews 1:8-12 NKJV
https://bible.com/bible/114/heb.1.8-12.NKJV
So obviously Jesus is called God in hebrews 1:8-12. The Holy Spirit is also God because in the bible it says: the same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in us and we know through the scriptures God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. So the Father and the Holy Spirit worked hand in hand ( as one ) for the ressurection of Jesus Christ to take place. Also in acts of the apostles, lying to the Holy Spirit was the same as lying to God , said by the apostle Peter. He is also a person as He is distinguished from the Father and Son many times. He can be grieved, and he can speak as shown in the bible. All three are One God as in 1×1×1=1 not 1+1+1=3. I hope I’ve been able to convince you Jesus Christ is God and is also under the Father who has given him all things as in the beginning and even more having giving him authority to judge the world and crowned him King of kings and Lord of lords and He is also called Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end and no one except GOD ALMIGHTY can bear all those names. Jesus is mostly confused not to be God because Jesus has a God ( “the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of Glory” ) which is the Father. He is God and has a Father which is his and our God. This is because He became a servant of God and even now in heaven He is under God the Father though given everything back and even more. And also Jesus said we should follow his footsteps and be like him. So as Jesus worshipped God we ought to. Also notice that throughout his stay on earth He never asked of worship to Him but to the Father. They only worshipped him out of their own will and even then did not shun them nor say its blasphemy. Now the Father has given Jesus the authority to be worshipped by all creatures. So we pray to God the Father, through the Son ( because He is our eternal high priest and intercedes for us so we pray using His name Jesus ) and with the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also said they should baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and not in the name of an angel, a person, of the Father alone nor of the Son only nor the Holy Spirit solely but all three, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as One God.
God bless.
Dear Shiloh
The beginning of your comment is somewhat different from the end. In the beginning you strongly oppose my views, but in the end you seem to be a bit more accommodating.
Many people simply barricade themselves behind worn out clichés, but you seem to be open to learn. Nevertheless, I would like to take issue with your views.
Your position is that Jesus said that the Father is greater than Himself because He (Jesus) gave up His divinity.
Firstly, where does it say that Jesus gave up His divinity? He gave up His equality with God, which is the opposite of saying that He gave up His divinity. If Jesus had equality with God, then He is not God, but equal to God. Similarly, when the Bible says that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, then Jesus is not God; but the image of God. On the other hand, to say that He gave up His divinity, means that He is God. Although I struggle with the idea that God can give up His divinity.
We use the words divinity, deity and God to easily. We need to define these terms. “Most High” is a title which the Bible uses from time to time for the Father. When the Bible says that Jesus had equality with God, or that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, then the Bible uses the title “God” for the Most High exclusively.
Secondly, when you say that Jesus is equal to God, what do you do with Paul’s statement that God is the head of Christ, just like Christ is the head of every man (1 Cor. 11:3)? And what do you do with the many statements in the Bible that Jesus received all things from the Father?
When people say that Jesus is God; co-equal with the Father they usually mean or imply that Jesus is the ultimate Source of all. That is not true. You admit that the Father (the Most High) gave Jesus all things. For instance, the Father has given all judgment to the Son. That does not refer to His life on earth, while He was emptied of the form of God. It refer to all time. Jesus therefore cannot equal to the Most High (the Father). But Jesus has equality with the Most High as far as status and our worship and admiration is concerned.
You say that Jesus became mortal. That implies that He was immortal before. It is clear that you know our Bible. I am sure you are aware that only the One “whom no man has seen or can see” is “immortal” (1 Tim. 6:16). Everybody else receive their immortality from Him. That applies even to Jesus. And how can a being that is immortal become mortal? Then He was never immortal.
You say, and I quote, Jesus “was made Lord of all by God the Father.” I agree with that statement, but does that not prove that Jesus is subordinate to the Father?
You say that nobody gave Jesus His equality with God in the first place. I assume you have not read the article “Jesus is subordinate to God.” That article provides ample evidence that Jesus received all things from the Father. Colossians say that it was the Father’s good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him (1:19). In 2:9 it is called “the fullness of Deity.”
You also say that Jesus is worshiped in heaven. I agree with you, but Jesus is worshiped because God gave Jesus a name above all names. Furthermore, He is worshiped to the glory of God. In other words, to worship Jesus is to worship God.
I agree that Jesus is called God in Hebrews, but the very next verse says that God is Jesus’ God. We must be more careful. We often fail to define the title “God.” It can and it is used even of created beings. I am not saying that Jesus is a created being, for He is not. I agree that Jesus is God in the way that Hebrews describe Jesus as God. It just depends on what we mean by the title “God.”
You say that “no one except GOD ALMIGHTY can bear all those names.” “Almighty” is a term that is used about 27 times in the Bible, of which 9 are in Revelation. In one of those we read, “I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple” (21:22). This makes a distinction between God and the Lamb, which means that “God” refers to the Father exclusively. It also identifies God as “the Almighty,” which means that Jesus is not “the Almighty.”
Shiloh, I have read your comments carefully because it is important for me to get it right. I am just an old man working alone, with no connections with any church or denomination. Bible study is my passion and hobby. In my estimation, you still repeat some of the traditional clichés. Given your knowledge of Scriptures I assume you are a Bible teacher. In my view you and people like you must really throw away your traditional interpretations and what you have been taught in Bible colleges, and learn to read the Bible without pre-conceived ideas.
The danger of your selective analysis of the Bible is that it allows groups like Jehovah’s witnesses to obtain a foothold. They emphasize one set of texts and you emphasize a different set of texts. You are both wrong. To find the truth we need to find a solution that satisfy all the texts.
Regards
To call the fact that Jesus is God a worn out cliche shows where you are coming from. It is you that has a selective analysis of the Bible as if Jesus is not God, He would never have been able to die in our place. So to claim that Jesus is not God means the whole of the Gospel falls down. I was not taught this in church! I became a Christian at 14 on my own, sitting in my living room and met Jesus, the risen Jesus who died and rose from the dead as fully God. I knew He was then, and is now fully God and am as sure of that fact now as I was 40 years ago, (having been an atheist up until that point!)
Dear Andrea, that you are a believer is wonderful! But you CANNOT base what you believe on personal experiences. You must base it ONLY on the Bible!
One often hears the theory that, for us to be saved, Jesus must be God, arguing that an infinite price must be paid for our sins. But that is only one of the many Theories of the Atonement and I hold to a different theory of the atonement. I do not regard God as angry or that He needs a price to be paid for our sins. The problem is not with God! God GAVE His Only Begotten Son. It is God who reconciles us to Him. He is the Savior!
Jesus is not God because He is NOT the Ultimate Reality. The Bible is very clear that only the Father is the Supreme Reality. NEVERTHELESS, FOR US, Jesus is God. God is invisible because He exists outside our universe of time, space and matter. Christ is God’s FULL representative with FULL power and FULL authority within our universe. Therefore, whenever God appeared in a physical form in the Old Testament, that is, in my view, really the Son who appeared. As Philippians 2 says, He existed in the form of God and had equality with God.