Since God is the Creator of all things, He is the Ultimate Authority, but He hands power, authority and judgment over to the Son. So who is this Son? Is it Jesus or is it man?
I’m not really clear on your question - maybe a senior moment for me, alas - could you put it another way?
Thanks
I have to agree with David. Asking the right question is crucial.
was essentially a paraphrase of an exchange between Alice and the Cheshire Cat in Chapter 6 of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. But it applies here to the question.
Did the guy with the wrench ask the right question?
Did the person on the phone ask the right question?
If you don’t want an answer like that given in the videos, perhaps you can rephrase the question?
I think this question is perfectly clear. Dave and Randy, what do you find unclear about it?
LLC, I think that the “Son” over to which He hands the authority, is the only-begotten Son, whose name was “Jesus” while here on earth.
Speaking of Jesus, Paul wrote:
Jesus frequently referred Himself as “The son of man”. Though He was the Son of God, He never stated that He was, although when He was asked directly if He was the Son of God, He didn’t deny it. I think He wanted to emphasize the fact that He was fully human when He walked this earth.
If that’s what LLC met, Paidion, given by your answer - it is pretty straightforward. I just want to be sure!
-Is it Jesus or a human male? Or both?
-Is it Jesus or mankind?
-Is Jesus a man, or a pre-existent being?
I wasn’t trying to be obtuse, just did not understand the question and still don’t. If Paidion’s answer is correct, that’s fine, now I understand the question.
All questions of the nature of the Godhead aside, to me this is the pivotal point upon which the integrity of the gospel hinges. As it is expressed by Paul in Phil 2…
Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. 8 Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
No matter what we believe about pre-incarnate Christ, this is the reason He was exalted, and it is the reason the blood is so powerful. he completely partook of our blood, so we can completely partake of His. He walked, whether by the constraint of His mortal frame or the constraint of God within His spirit- completely as a man, because, while on earth, He was a son of man, the second Adam. He accomplished all because of faith and faithfulness, and we overcome the world because He is in us as God was in Him.
I must apologize for not being very clear. Sometimes my thoughts get ahead of me. I did find your video clips to be quite hilarious, Randy.
Thanks Paidion for summing it up for me. The consensus is that Jesus, being the only begotten Son of God, is given power and authority over everything. This doesn’t really make much sense to me because if Jesus is God then He already has the power and authority over everything. So I would say that God was giving power and authority to each of us as Sons of God. Romans 8:14 says " For as many as are led by the spirit of God, these are the sons of God." Also, Luke 10:19 says “Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
That would be true if Jesus were God the Father—but He isn’t. He is the Son of God. He is “God” only in the sense of being divine as His Father is divine. So the Father, being “the only true God”(John 17:3) is able to give power and authority to His Son.
The Son was submissive to His Father, not only while He walked the earth, but right from the beginning when He was begotten. And He always will be submissive to the Father. That is why when everything is put under the feet of the Son (1 Cor 15:27), and all things are subjected to Him (1 Cor 15:28), “then the Son Himself will also be subjected to Him who put all things in subjection under Him, that God may be all in all.”(I Cor 15:28)
Is that what, “My Father is greater than I”(Jn 14:28) means? Or “I can of my own self do nothing?”(Jn 5:30) Or “All authority on heaven and earth is given me by my Father”(Mt 28:18)? Or "The Father who dwells in me, He does the works? (Jn 14:10)
It seems redundant to say that God gave power and authority to Jesus whether He be God Himself or another divine being, because if we don’t believe in God then we won’t believe in Jesus either. This is why I say that God was giving power and authority to all who believe. These are the sons of God, born of the Spirit of God and taught by Jesus. As more of us come to believe and walk according to God, we will rise in power and rule over our societies. Even the unbelievers will be made subject to God’s universal laws. This is how it was in the beginning, when God gave man dominion over the earth and specifically to those made in His likeness.
As Eaglesway mentions John 5:30 Jesus says “I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge.” I take this to mean that God can’t help us unless we want to be helped. He can give us the truth, but if we don’t believe and don’t act upon it with the power and authority God gave us to do so, then nothing changes.