The question at hand is: Would Jesus Christ command human beings to do what He had done while on earth if He had an advantage over all other human beings? Being fair, He would not, as the Scriptures reveal. Not even His Words were His, but rather those that the Father had given Him to say as John 8:28/12:50 attest. He stated flatly without caveat: “I can do NOTHING of (by) Myself” (Jn. 5:30). If He had been a God while on earth He would have had all the innate power in the universe to do everything and anything on His own volition. He could neither do nor speak by His own power, just like other men then and now. That He totally emptied Himself of all His former Godness is brought out in John 14:28 where He states: “… for My Father is GREATER THAN I.” Remember that before coming to earth He had “EQUALITY WITH GOD” (Phil. 2:7), which He relinquished upon becoming a human being. He was the Word–equal to God the Father–before com- ing to earth; He was a man–equal to all men–after coming to earth. He had no advantage over His fellows during His time among them–AS HE SAID.

A careful study to “… show ourselves approved of God” will reveal Christ’s relationship to the Father while on earth. In John 17:3 we find Jesus saying to Him concerning the apostles: “… that they might know Thee, the ONLY (at that time) TRUE GOD, AND (also) JESUS CHRIST Whom Thou hast sent.” Note that Jesus called the Father the ONLY God in the universe while He (Jesus) was on earth. Jesus is not referred to as “Christ” before being sent to earth as a man. He was, however called “God” (Jn. 1:1-4). Peter made the distinction in Luke 9:20 when he called Jesus “… the Christ OF God,” not Christ the God or God the Christ or God. If Jesus had been God at that time Peter would have identified Him as God, just as he identified the Father as God. Peter spoke truthfully by referring to Jesus as the Son OF God and the Father as God. While on earth Jesus was the Son OF God, just as true saints are sons OF God (Rom. 8:14). Throughout His earthly tenure He oper- ated as did His fellow men and as true believers do today–totally dependent on the Father for all things. Those “all things” are presented by God in the Holy Bible, which makes not believing any part of it a denial of His Godship.

Hebrews 5:7-9 also reveals Jesus’ total dependence on the Father by stating that He prayed with “… strong crying and tears” and was heard “… BECAUSE HE FEARED GOD,” not because He was God. He “… LEARNED OBEDIENCE” and was “MADE PERFECT” through suffering. Being fearless, all-knowing and perfect, a God does not cry, fear, learn or need to be made perfect. As a man and capable of sin and failure, Jesus earned the right to be the Savior of the world by LEARNING to obey God and, through the power of God (His Holy Spirit), overcame Satan’s temptations to sin and fail.

In Isaiah 50:4,5 we are told that the Father would tell His Messiah what to speak. In Isaiah 7:14-16 God promised to send to earth a male child (not a spirit–God is a spirit-Jn. 4:24) Who would be born of a human mother. God has no human mother or father. This Child would enter the world NOT KNOWING GOOD FROM EVIL AND NOT KNOWING WHICH TO CHOOSE–just as does every other child born into this world. Jesus learned to distinguish good from evil and to choose the good, which we all must do in order to inherit eternal life. The Gods (Elohim) of Genesis 1:1 were not born–having neither mother nor father, beginning nor ending. The man Jesus was born of a human mother and had a beginning and an ending. Mary was told that she would give birth to the Son of God, not a God. God cannot die; Jesus died. God cannot be tempted (Jam. 1:13); Jesus was tempted as are all men (Heb. 4:15). In order to inherit eternal life we must overcome Satan’s temp- tations exactly as He did (Rev. 3:21)–through the power of God’s Holy Spirit.

Hebrews 4:15 tells us that Jesus was tempted as are all men, yet without sin. If He was a God while on earth, the fact that He did not sin would be meaningless in that a God, being all powerful and possessing all righteousness, cannot sin. Jesus could sin. Because He walked the earth as a man, Jesus knows what it is like to be tempted by Satan. Because He was a man, He can demand that men overcome the devil AS HE DID (Rev. 3:21). We have no excuse. Isaiah 11:2 reveals how Jesus came to have God’s power: ” … and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him.” This is proven in John 10:38 where we are told that “God ANOINTED Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power, Who THEN went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, FOR (because) GOD WAS WITH HIM,” not because He was a God. A God needs no help, not even from another God.

We know from Scripture that Jesus neither did a miracle nor preached a message until the moment when the Spirit of God (the Holy Spirit) came on Him following His baptism. This was God the Father anointing the man, Jesus of Nazareth, empowering Him to do all that He would later do, say, etc. This same anointing was given to the apostles who went about doing what the Lord told them and empowered them to do. For example, people were healed and delivered simply by having Peter’s shadow fall on them. I have prayed over a piece of paper which, when laid upon a sick child, brought about immediate healing. God has used me on numerous occasions to heal sicknesses and deliver the oppressed from demonic bondage. There is nothing special about me; I simply believe what He said in John 14:12 and Mark 9:23: “He that believeth in Me, all things that I have done he will do also, and greater things than these shall he do.” “All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mk. 9:23). To be continued. If you have a comment or question contact me at LPJ4242@gmail.com