Why are people so determined

[Elijah John]

Why are so many people so determined to worship Jesus? It is not a Biblical imperative. "Worship Jesus" is not a Commandment. And there is plenty of Biblical evidence that Jesus is not God. (Just talk to any Jehovah's Witness, most seem adept at supporting their beliefs with Scripture)

So why is it that so many people are so determined to worship Jesus? Even in light of evidence (Biblical and otherwise) that Jesus is not God.

Childhood or cultural conditioning? Indoctrination? Or hero worship taken to the extreme?

Is the prevelance of Jesus-worship evidence of a very human tendency to worship our heroes?

[Elijah John]

[Replying to Elijah John]

In those days it was easy to worship Jesus as a divine being.

It seems to be just as easy nowadays, for we hear lots of support for a divine Jesus. But yes, you're right; acceptance of gods as being a few fleshy steps away from humans was common enough. The Romans had their household gods, Lares and Penates.
I recall on a visit to Bali having a little Hindu god at my doorstep, and he quite liked any sort of offering, so I got used to placing a coin or a sweet in his lap. It had a pleasing psychological effect, so I suppose Jesus does the same to people.

What happened to those offerings that you placed on the lap of the Hindu god?

[marco]

What happened to those offerings that you placed on the lap of the Hindu god?

I would love to report that the heavens opened and a voice shouted about being well pleased with my offerings. For all I know they are still there, people being reluctant to deprive a god of what is his.


The worship of Jesus is for the nicest reasons; we want miracles in our lives, and kindness and innocence and perhaps snow at Christmas and a warm glow of a midnight church. Jesus supplies all this - at least he used to. He might find it hard to move through modern traffic or interrupt TV viewing or football games. But it's nice to see he waits on street corners for a few, if not for Marco.

[Jack]

[Replying to brianbbs67]

I looked up Psalm 45 up in a version of the JPS but found the wording similar to the rest of the Christian interpretations. The Bible I found was JPS Tanaka 1917. Is there other interpretations?

[myth-one.com]

Why are so many people so determined to worship Jesus?

Because Jesus is the only existing path to everlasting life, or salvation.

It is not a Biblical imperative. "Worship Jesus" is not a Commandment.

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, . . .

And there is plenty of Biblical evidence that Jesus is not God.

That is correct -- Jesus was a man.

In fact, Jesus was the only man to live a sinless human life.

Consequently, He was the only man to qualify as an inheritor of everlasting life under the Old Testament Covenant or testament.

Under that covenant, the wages of sin was death. But Jesus never sinned. Thus, He awaits everlasting life.

However, He refuses His just reward and offers it as a gift from God to all humans who believe in Him as their Savior from the wages of their sins -- under the New Testament Covenant:

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)

So why is it that so many people are so determined to worship Jesus? Even in light of evidence (Biblical and otherwise) that Jesus is not God.

Because Jesus is the only path of salvation from the wages of mankinds sins.

Thus people worship or believe in Jesus as their Savior:

He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him. (John 3:36)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)

[Jack]

[Replying to brianbbs67]

I've found a few Jewish translations but none use the words "rightly has" in Psalm 45:8. Are you sure you use the correct interpretation?

[Jack]

[Replying to post 73 by myth-one.com]

It is correct to say that Jesus the Christ is true man, but it is also true that Jesus the Christ is true God, the Son of God the Father. See post 55.

[myth-one.com]

[Replying to Elijah John]

In the first chapter of Johns gospel John teaches us about how creation came to be and Jesus's nature being true God "in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God". He also teaches us that Jesus is also true man "and the word became flesh and dwelt among us.

Thomas backs up this teaching by calling Jesus "my Lord and my God".

But about the Son he said, your throne O God will last forever. Your love for righteousness and hate wickedness therefore God your God has set you above all your companions. God the Father calls Jesus God.

Who being in the very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage, but rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. Therefore God exalted him to the highest place that at the name of Jesus every knee must bend in heaven, on earth and under the earth and confess that Jesus is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

In him dwells the fullness of the deity in bodily form.

[myth-one.com]

[Replying to Elijah John]
In the first chapter of Johns gospel John teaches us about how creation came to be and Jesus's nature being true God "in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God".

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

The Word was in the beginning.

Jesus was born about 2018 years ago as a man:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)

Jesus Christ was made to be "a little lower than the angels," exactly as man was created!

What is man, that thou art mindful of him? ...For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, (Psalm 8:4-5)

However, we are given the one, and only one, reason that Jesus was made lower than the angels for His thirty-three years on earth. The Word could not die as a spirit! The Word was made flesh as the man Jesus so that he (Jesus) could suffer death for all mankind!

So the Word and Jesus are different type of beings.

The Word is a spiritual being and Jesus was a physical human being.

The Word is immortal and Jesus was mortal.

They both existed for 33 years.

But Jesus' mission is now finished:

When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

The Word made flesh no longer exists, although we use the terms Word, Jesus, Lord, Savior, and others to refer to the Word.

[brianbbs67]

[Replying to brianbbs67]

I looked up Psalm 45 up in a version of the JPS but found the wording similar to the rest of the Christian interpretations. The Bible I found was JPS Tanaka 1917. Is there other interpretations?

Mine is the 1985 version.

IMG_1032 by brianbbs67, on Flickr

Here's a link to the 1917, i found to download.

https://jps.org/wp-content/uploads/2015 ... kh1917.pdf

We could contiue this in messages , so as not to derail this thread?

[Jack]

[Replying to myth-one.com]

You said they both existed for 33 years. Do you believe that Jesus and the Word cease to exist after his 33years on earth?