Articles-Questions for Small E-Book



Sub-Questions Pertaining to the Fifty, Two-Page Articles

By Servetus the Evangelical, a.k.a Kermit Zarley

(Old Testament= ot; New Testament= nt;Septuagint=LXX; The Restitution of Jesus Christ= RJC; Murray Harris, Jesus as God: The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus= JAG; Robert M. Bowman Jr. and J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ= PJP.)

The following fifty, numbered questions and their sub-questions relate to the fifty articles posted here on this webpage. These sub-questions are offered for Bible study groups to use in discussing the numbered questions in corresponding articles. These sub-questions are created especially for Christians for One God (CFOG) study groups. However, others are welcome to use them, including church Sunday school groups. Darrell Bock, research professor at Dallas Theological Seminary, says in his foreword in PJP that book could be used as “a Sunday school text, or even a required [college] class on Christology.” That book doesn’t even have a question study guide. If Bock is right, perhaps RJC, these articles, and their sub-questions could meet this purpose even more.

A moderator should be chosen to direct these discussions. Participants would only need to prepare for each discussion by reading one of these fifty, two-page articles and thinking about how to answer its corresponding questions. The moderator likely would want to purchase a copy of RJC and read some of it in preparation for these discussions since some answers to these questions occur in this book. (I expect soon to make RJC an e-book available at and Google Books for almost half the retail price of the printed book and thereby avoid shipping charges as well.) Some of these sub-questions instruct participants to read additional materials: RJC, JAG, and PJP. Groups could elect to forego this part of the study, since it is somewhat advanced and designed for college level. Yet, groups could decide to have members volunteer throughout the course of this study to undertake reading portions of these materials and report their findings to the class. If this approach was taken for a group discussion, it would only be necessary to purchase one copy each of RJC, JAG, and PJP and share them among group members.

All fifty articles and these corresponding sub-questions may be accessed and printed free of charge. If authors, webmasters, bloggers or any other media persons desire to publish these articles and their corresponding sub-questions, either online or otherwise, they are granted permission to do so as long as they acknowledge their source by quoting the following: “This article and its corresponding sub-questions are authored by Servetus the Evangelical, a.k.a. Kermit Zarley. Visit his website——to read fifty such articles. They represent condensations of his formidable, well-researched, biblically in-depth, 600-page book entitled The Restitution of Jesus Christ (2008).”

1. Is the Trinity in Genesis 1.26, 3.22, and 11.6?

Is God a Trinity of Persons? What do you think of the word “trinity” not being in the Bible?

Does the Hebrew word for God—elohim, the plural of eloah—indicate God is a plurality of Persons?

What are the primary interpretations for the “us” and “our” in these three Genesis passages?

Which interpretation of the “us” and “our” in these three Genesis passages is most compelling?

Are the supposed members of the Trinity mentioned together anywhere else in the ot other than here?

If not, is the Trinitarian interpretation of these “us” and “our” passages in Genesis very credible?

Read RJC (191-204). Is this viewpoint convincing?

2. Is Jesus “the Mighty God” in Isaiah 9.6?

What two words in the Hebrew text of Is 9.6 are usually translated “Mighty God”?

Can these two words be translated other than “Mighty God”? How did Martin Luther translate them?

Could this Jewish inscription refer to the Messiah as “God” even though Jews were strict monotheists?

If so, is this identification of Messiah as “Mighty God” a departure from strict monotheism?

Does the Bible’s other occurrence of el gibbor in Isa 10.21 affect its meaning in 9.6? If so, how?

Read about Isa 9.6 in RJC (204-09) and PJP (136-37). Which viewpoint is more compelling?

3. Who is the Son of Man in Daniel 7.13?

To what time period does Dan 7.13-14 refer? Who is “the Ancient of Days” in this text? See vv. 9, 22.

Why did Jesus so often refer to himself as “the Son of Man” (SM)? What did he mean by it?

Did Jesus’ disciples understand what he meant when he constantly identified himself as the SM?

Why doesn’t anyone esle in the nt, except Stephen (Acts 7.56) and Revelation, ever call Jesus the SM?

Did Jesus draw on Daniel 7.13 in calling himself the SM? How important was Daniel’s book to Jesus?

If Jesus drew from Daniel’s SM concept, did he rework it and thus characterize himself differently?

Does Jesus’ parable about the nobleman in Luke 19.11-27 allude to the SM in Daniel 7.13-14?

Read about Daniel 7.13-14 in RJC (171-88).

4. Is the Son of Man Divine in Daniel 7.13?

Are the saints in Dan 7.18-27 only Jews, as most modern scholars insist, or all ethnicities as in v. 14?

Is this Son of Man (SM) a particular human or, as many scholars now say, only a symbol of the saints?

If the SM refers to a personal being, is he Jesus or, as some scholars now say, a particular angel?

If the SM is Jesus, does it indicate his humanity (church fathers) or supposed deity (modern scholars)?

Is the Aramaic word ke (“like/as”), in “one like a son of man,” significant? If so, what does it mean?

Does the Bible indicate that riding on clouds is an act restricted to God, as some scholars now insist?

Since the Bible depicts Yahweh riding on clouds, does the SM doing so indicate he is God/divine?

Does the nt portrayal of Jesus sitting on God’s throne, at his right hand, indicate Jesus also is God?

Read RJC (189-91) and PJP (67-69, 245-54). Which viewpoint is more convincing?

5. Did Jesus Preexist in Heaven?

Do the nt gospels provide any evidence that Jesus was aware that he literally had preexisted?

If Jesus preexisted, do the synoptic gospels provide any information about it? If not, why not?

If Jesus preexisted, did he at that time sit on God’s heavenly throne? If so, was this a later reward?

Does actual preexistence necessarily indicate deity? Is preexistence compatible with being human?

If Jesus preexisted, was his personality the same then as it was during adulthood? See Lk 2.40, 52.

Read RJC (337-351, 426-30, 440-42, 480-82) and PJP (81-102). Which is more reasonable?

6. Did Jesus Preexist as “the Angel of the LORD”?

Who was “the angel of the lord” in the ot? If Jesus, as Justin said, does it indicate he preexisted?

If so, was Jesus an actual angel during his preexistence? What does the Hebrew word malak mean?

If Jesus was a malak during his preexistence, can this be reconciled with Hebrews 1.4-8 and 2.5-9?

Why do some ot narratives alternate between “the lord” and “the angel of the lord”? Is this agency?

Or is “the angel of the lord” in the ot a literary device signifying God himself, as some scholars say?

Does “the angel of the lord” in the ot refer to an actual angel? If so, was he Michael the archangel?

Read RJC (419-22, 457-62) and PJP (157-70). Which presentation is more credible?

7. Did Jesus Literally Come Down from Heaven?

In John, Jesus often says God sent him or he came from God. Did he mean literally from heaven?

Did Jesus mean in John 6.27-58 that he preexisted and literally came from heaven to become a man?

If so, is this literal interpretation compatible with everything else in this text being figurative?

Does Jesus’ explanation in v. 63, that these words “are spirit and are life,” mean they are figurative?

Could God sending Jesus, or Jesus coming from God, mean only the role of prophet? See Jn 1.6; 3.2.

Read Wayne A. Meeks, “The Man from Heaven in Johannine Sectarianism” JBL 91 (1972).

Read RJC (340-49). Scholars highly esteem Meeks’ article. Which viewpoint is more convincing?

8. Is the Incarnation True?

Did the leading Protestant Reformers scrutinize the Catholic doctrine of incarnation? If not, why not?

Could the church doctrine of incarnation have derived somewhat from the Gnostic Redeemer Myth?

If Jesus preexisted and then had an incarnation, can he be regarded as having been fully human?

Did Jesus have to be God to save us, or could he have done it only as a man? See Ac 7.37; Heb 2.17.

What are the main merits and fallacies of the controversial book, The Myth of God Incarnate (1977)?

Read Scripture and Christology (41-53, 95-96)? Do these elite Catholic scholars say Jesus is God?

9. Did Jesus Empty Himself of any Divine Attributes according to Phil 2.6-7?

Did Jesus preexist in the form of God? Does it mean image? Was he equal to the Father? See Jn 14.28.

Did Jesus possess any attributes belonging only to God? Read RJC (109-11) and PJP (73-80, 103-18).

Did Jesus empty himself of any divine attributes at an initial incarnation? If so, what attributes?

If Jesus emptied himself of any divine attributes at an initial incarnation, did he remain fully God?

Or did Jesus choose not to use some divine attributes during an incarnation? If so, was he fully God?

If Jesus did not empty himself of any divine attributes, or not use them, of what did he empty himself?

In Phil 2.9, is “the name that is above every name” the “Lord” or “Jesus”?

Read RJC (443-63) and PJP (57-59, 82-84, 278-80). Which interpretation is more compelling?

10. Was Jesus God even though God Is Invisible?

Have mortal humans ever seen angels? See Gen 18-19; Josh 5.13-15; Mt 28.1-7; Mk 16.1-8; Lk 24.1-7.

Can angels literally see God? Read Mt 18.10.

Can mortal humans literally see God? See Ex 33.20-23; Jn 1.18; 6.46; 1 Tim 1.17; 6.16; 1 Jn 4.12, 20.

Is the idea of Jesus being God compatible with God being invisible to mortal humans?

Why can’t mortal humans ever literally see God? Read Ex 33.3-5, 11, 18-23; Ps 104.2; 1 Tim 6.16.

Does the risen and exalted Jesus literally see God as he sits beside him on his throne in heaven?

Will resurrected, immortal saints literally see God? Read Job 19.26; Ps 11.7; 17.15; Mt 5.8; Rev 22.4.

11. Is Jesus God Because of His Virgin Birth?

Are nt accounts of Jesus’ virgin birth, in Matt 1.18-25 and Luke 1.26—2.20, historically authentic?

Does Jesus’ virgin birth indicate he is God? Does the Bible ever say this?

Was Jesus’ virgin birth necessary for him to accomplish salvation for us? Read Heb 2.10; 5.9.

Does Jesus’ virgin birth relate to his sinlessness? Did Jesus have to be God to become sinless?

Why doesn’t the rest of the nt mention Jesus’ virgin birth? Was it due to an omission in oral tradition?

Does the Bible say it is necessary to believe in Jesus’ virgin birth in order to be saved?

12. Is Jesus God Because He Did Miracles?

What does “miracle” mean in the nt? Is it different from how “miracle” is commonly used today?

Was Jesus’ miracle-working power intrinsic to his nature or being? If not, how did he do miracles?

Did any ot prophets or nt apostles perform actual miracles? If so, how did they do them?

If prophets and apostles did miracles, was that power intrinsic to their own natures or beings?

If prophets and apostles did do miracles, does that indicate they were gods? What about Jesus?

Read RJC (221-25, 228-30, 240, 492) and PJP (198-206). Which presentation is more convincing?

13. Is Jesus’ Disciples Worshipped Him, Does that Indicate They Believed He Was God?

The most common word in the Greek nt that is translated “worship” is proskuneo? What does it mean?

What does “worship” mean? Does proskuneo in the nt always mean worship of God or gods?

Is proskuneo in the nt applied only to God the Father and Jesus or also sometimes to men?

Can proskuneo ever indicate an inner attitude? Does the nt ever indicate different degrees of worship?

Why is John told in Revelation 19.10 only to worship “God,” yet Jesus is mentioned there (cf. 22.9)?

Read RJC (236-39, 482-83, 509-11) and PGP (37-45). Which presentation is more convincing?

14. Is Jesus God Because He Is Lord?

In the Bible, is any man other than Jesus ever called “lord/Lord”? If so, what does this mean?

In the nt, are both Jesus Christ and God the Father ever called “Lord”? Does Paul do this?

In the nt, does calling Jesus “Lord” mean he is God? If so, why are other men called “Lord” not God?

Does the LXX practice of translating YHWH as kurios (lord) indicate the Lord Jesus is YHWH?

What does it mean to you for Jesus to be the Lord of your life?

Read RJC (419-22) and PJP (157-70). Which is more compelling?

Read Geza Vermes’, “Is Jesus Lord?” in his Jesus the Jew: A Historian’s Reading of the Gospels.

Read George Howard, “The Tetragram and the New Testament,” Journal of Biblical Literature 96 (1977): 63-83.

15. Is Jesus God Because He Forgave Sins in Mark 2.5?

Why did Jesus claim authority to forgive sins in Mk 2.5? Read Mk 2.11; Jn 20.23; Mt 16.19; 18.15-20.

Has the authority to forgive sins always belonged exclusively to God?

If not, what men has God ever granted such authority? Did he do so with any angels? Read Ex 23.21.

Will Jesus’ authority to judge on the future judgment day indicate he is God? Read Jn 5.22.27.

Read about Mark 2.1-12 in RJC (282-85) and PJP (211-12, 239). Which is more convincing?

16. Was Jesus God if He Did Not Know the Time of His Return?

When Jesus said of his return that only the Father knew its timing, to what ot Scripture did he allude?

If Jesus did not know the time of his return, did that indicate he was not omniscient?

If Jesus knew in his supposed divine nature when he would return, did he lie in saying he didn’t know?

Is there any other biblical evidence indicating that Jesus was not omniscient? If so, what is it?

Read about Matthew 24.36/Mark 13.32 in RJC (256-65) and PJP (118-22). Which is more convincing?

17. Did Jesus Admit to the Sanhedrin that He Was God?

When Jesus admitted to the Sanhedrin that he was the Son of God, was this a claim to be God?

When Jesus earlier said, “I am the Son of God” (John 10.36), was this a denial of claiming to be God?

What are the two blasphemy laws in the Torah?

According to the nt, did Jesus ever violate either of these two blasphemy laws in the Torah?

Why did the Sanhedrin allege that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy and therefore worthy of death?

Read RJC (265-79) and PJP (247-54). Which is more convincing?

18. Is Jesus God Because of His Resurrection?

In the book of Acts, what were the most important things the apostles preached about Jesus?

Why do the evangelistic messages in Acts often proclaim Jesus’ resurrection and never that he is God?

Did God the Father raise Jesus from the dead, or did Jesus raise himself? Read Acts and John 10.17-18.

Was Jesus’ resurrection dependent upon God the Father? If so, could Jesus also have been God?

Will the people of God become gods at their yet future resurrection from the dead?

Read RJC (230-32, 254-55).

19. Jesus Is Not God Bible Verses.

Did Jesus ever say in his nt gospel sayings that he was not God?

Does John 17.3 indicate that only the Father is God, so that Jesus cannot also be God?

Does 1 Corinthians 8.4 and v. 6 indicate that only the Father is God, so that Jesus cannot also be God?

Why do some traditionalist Bible scholars cite 1 Corinthians 8.6 to support that Jesus is God?

Does Ephesians 4.4-6 indicate that only the Father is God, so that Jesus cannot also be God?

Can the last phrase in 1 Corinthians 3.23 and 11.3 be reconciled with belief Jesus is equal with God?

Does the nt practice of repeatedly distinguishing Jesus and “God” indicate that Jesus cannot be God?

Read RJC (17-18).

20. Jesus Is God Bible Verses.

Are there any nt gospel sayings of Jesus in which he said he was God? If not, why not, if he was God.

Read RJC (18-24). Why are some of these texts grammatically obscure? How do you feel about it?

Should clear biblical texts take priority over comparable texts that are grammatically obscure?

What are the nine major theos nt texts that scholars cite to support their belief that Jesus is God?

If Jesus is God, why doesn’t the nt ever expressly say so, such as “Jesus is God”?

If Jesus is God, isn’t it disturbing that most nt texts thought to say so are grammatically ambiguous?

Does Raymond E. Brown (Jesus God and Man, 1-38) persuasively argue that the nt says Jesus is God?

Is A.W. Wainwright (The Trinity in the nt, pp. 53-74) convincing in saying the nt says Jesus is God?

21. Is Jesus God in the Gospel of John?

Is this gospel historically authentic or mostly a fictional creation of some church community?

Did the Johannine Jesus think he was God? Did he say he was God? If so, what is the evidence?

Does this gospel present messages of Jesus that differ from his sayings in the synoptic gospels?

If so, how, why, and do any of Jesus’ messages therein contradict his sayings in the synoptic gospels?

Does the Gospel of John present a different Jesus from the Jesus portrayed in the synoptic gospels?

Read RJC (289-325), JAG (284-86), and PJP (138-44). Which portrayal is more convincing?

22. Is Jesus God in John 1.1c?

Read about John 1.1c in RJC (325-37) and JAG (51-71). Which viewpoint is more compelling?

Is the translation, “the Word was God,” correct? If not, what is the correct translation?

If it is correct, is the Word being “with God” in 1.1b compatible with “the Word was God” in 1.1c?

Did the Word exist as a Person separate from God the Father prior to taking flesh (v. 14)?

Should the Word in v. 1 be equated with the man Jesus in v. 14?

If Jesus really preexisted as the Word, did he have the same personality when he became a man?

23. Is Jesus God in John 1.18?

If Jesus is “the only begotten God,” is this compatible with “no man has seen God” (John 1.18)?

Did God beget his Son, so that Jesus is rightly called “the only begotten Son”? Can God beget God?

Is it more likely that scribes would have purposely changed theos to huios or huios to theos?

Is it necessary for this disputed clause in John 1.18 to have corresponding links? If so, where are they?

How do variants in the manuscript evidence affect your view of the divine inspiration of the Bible?

Read about John 1.18 in RJC (351-356) and JAG (73-92, 103). Which view is more convincing?

24. Is Jesus God Because He Is the Son of God?

In the ot, what does the expression “son(s) of God” mean? Read RJC (145-47, 217-18, 249, 321-23).

Does the ot call the Messiah God’s “Son”? If so, where and what does it mean?

In the nt, what does Jesus being “the Son (of God)” mean? Are there different meanings for it?

Is it logical that Jesus as God’s Son must be equally God since a man’s son becomes equally a man?

Since the Bible calls believing men “sons of God,” does that make them gods?

Read about John 1.18 in RJC (351-56) and JAG (73-103). Which is more convincing?

25. Was Jesus “Making Himself Equal with God”?

Read about John 5.18-46 in RJC (356-62). Does Jesus’ response reveal essential subordination to God?

Did Jesus break the Sabbath? Does God heal on the Sabbath? If so, what is work on the Sabbath?

Did Jesus make himself equal with God by associating his works with God and calling God his Father?

Does the Fourth Evangelist mean that this is only the Jews’ assessment of Jesus or his as well?

Does Jesus’ response to this allegation, recorded in John 5.19-47, represent a disclaimer of it?

26. Is Jesus Yahweh?

In the nt, does Jesus ever say explicitly that he is Yahweh? Do other nt characters or writers say so?

Do Jesus’ “I am” sayings in John 8.24 and v. 28 mean he claimed to be the “I am” of Exodus 3.14?

If not, who was Jesus saying he was in these verses? The Christ? The Son of Man?

What did Jesus mean when he said in John 8.25, “saying to you from the beginning”? Cf. John 3.1-14.

Do ot texts about Yahweh that are applied to Jesus in the nt (Rom 10.13) indicate he is Yahweh?

Read RJC (363-374, 421-22). Did Jesus mean in John 8.58 that he literally preexisted?

27. Did Jesus Claim to Be God in John 10.30?

What is the foremost verse in the Bible in which it is commonly believed Jesus said he was God?

Do you think Jesus’ saying in John 10.30 is a clear declaration that he was God?

What is the prior context of this saying of Jesus in John 10.30?

Does “one” in this context mean “one in essence” or merely a unity in fellowship and mission?

Does Jesus’ use of this same word “one” in his prayer in John 17 shed light on this matter?

In v. 33, did Jews rightly accuse Jesus of thinking he was God? Did Jesus then deny it or not?

Does Jesus’ remark in John 10.38b explain his being “one” with the Father?

Read about John 10.30 in RJC (374-83).

28. What Are “the Claims of Christ”?

Did Jesus identify himself as Israel’s Messiah? If so, when? Did he do so publicly? If not, why?

Did Jesus identify himself as the Son of God? If so, where and what did he mean?

What title did Jesus apply to himself most? What did he mean? Is there an ot basis for it?

In the nt, why did Jesus apply this title to himself so many times, yet his apostles never did?

Did Jesus indirectly identify himself as God when he said in John 10.30, “I and the Father are one”?

Whenever Jesus called himself “Lord” of his disciples, did he mean he was God?

29. Was Jesus a Liar, Lunatic, or God?

Does C.S. Lewis have biblical support in Mere Christianity (pp. 54-63, 140-153) that Jesus is God?

Could Jesus have been someone other than C.S. Lewis’ three characterizations of him on p. 56?

If so, did Lewis unduly restrict this question? If so, how could an intelligent man like him do so?

Is this so-called “trilemma argument” by C.S. Lewis compatible with Paul’s Adam Christology?

Read RJC (417-18).

30. Is Jesus both God and Subordinate to God?

What are some prominent nt texts which depict Jesus as being subordinate to God?

Is Jesus’ subordination to God the Father compatible with Jesus being God?

Was Jesus obedience to God the Father compatible with Jesus being God?

Was Jesus essentially subordinate to God the Father or merely functionally subordinate to him?

Could Jesus have been God even though he depended upon the Holy Spirit to do his miracles?

Read RJC (313-14, 317-20, 422-23, 481).

31. Is Jesus God even though He Has a God?

How many times and where does the nt say that Jesus called the Father “My God”?

What did Jesus mean whenever he called the Father “My God”?

What Pauline passages identify God the Father as the God of Jesus Christ?

Do you think of Jesus as having a God and worshipping his God?

Does Jesus’ practice of praying to the Father suggest that Jesus was not God?

Is the concept of Jesus having a God compatible with him being God? If so, is this two Gods?

32. Did Thomas Call Jesus “My God” in John 20.28?

What interpretations have been proposed for Thomas saying to Jesus “my God”?

Does Jesus saying “my God” in v. 17 suggest the author didn’t mean Thomas called Jesus “my God”?

Could the author mean that Thomas alluded to Jesus’ teaching in John 14.9-11 (cf. 10.38; 17.21)?

Did Thomas mean only that he recognized God the Father indwelling Jesus?

If so, does God in Jesus mean Jesus is God? For Trinitarians, who is the God in Jesus?

Read about John 20.28 in JAG (105-29) and RJC (383-99). Which presentation is more convincing?

33. Did Peter Believe Jesus Was God?

Is there any evidence in the nt that the Apostle Peter believed Jesus was God?

If not, don’t you think bold Peter would have preached Jesus is God if that’s what he believed?

Is Peter’s practice in the nt of distinguishing Jesus and God compatible with Jesus being God?

Did Jesus depend on God to raise him from the dead? Is it possible for God to be dependent?

Is Peter’s proclamation of Jesus as God’s servant (Acts 3.13, 26) compatible with Jesus being God?

Can Jesus be God and have a God? If so, does that make Jesus a lesser God?

Read RJC (494-97) and JAG (229-38). Which is more compelling?

34. What Was Paul’s Christology?

Did the Apostle Paul remain a strict monotheist in his Christian life just as he surely was before it?

If Paul believed Jesus is God, don’t you think he would have made this very clear in his letters?

Does Paul’s affirmation of the Shema (1 Cor 8.4-6) allow for both the Father and Jesus to be God?

Does Paul’s constant practice of distinguishing God and Christ indicate Christ cannot be God?

How many times and where in the nt does Paul say the Father is “(the) God … of … Jesus (Christ)”?

Did Paul believe Jesus literally preexisted? What texts do some traditionalists cite as evidence of this?

Is Paul’s Adam Christology in Rom 5 and 1 Cor 15 compatible with Jesus preexisting and being God?

Where does Paul cite ot texts about Yahweh and apply them to Jesus? Does this mean Jesus is God?

Read RJC (147-50, 412-29).

35. Is Jesus God in Romans 9.5?

What is the grammatical problem in Romans 9.5? Why does this occur?

Would Paul ever call Jesus “God” in his letters since he often distinguishes Jesus and God in them?

As a former strict monotheist, would Paul call Jesus “God” in his letters without explaining it?

Could Paul describe Christ as “God over all” even though he calls the Father the “only Sovereign”?

Should Paul’s practice of identifying the Father as “God” and Jesus as “Lord” be used to decide this?

Read about Romans 9.5 in RJC (433-40) and JAG (143-72). Which interpretation is more convincing?

36. Does 1 Timothy 2.5 Indicate Jesus is a God-man?

Does this text identify Jesus as a God-man? Does a God-man concept seem like a hybrid?

If Jesus was both human and God, could he logically have been fully human and fully God?

If Jesus was fully human and fully God, could he logically have been a God-Man?

Is being God compatible with being human?

Read about 1 Timothy 2.5 in RJC (466-68).

37. Is Jesus God in Titus 2.13?

What is the grammatical problem in the last clause of Titus 2.13?

Does “the great God” apply to Jesus or the Father?

Does the epiphaneia (appearing) apply to Jesus or both Jesus and the Father?

Does the pronoun “our” modify only “Savior” or both “God” and “Savior”?

Should Paul’s constant practice of identifying the Father as “God” be considered in deciding this issue?

Read about Titus 2.13 in RJC (470-76), JAG (173-85), and PJP (150-54). Which is more convincing?

38. Is Jesus God in Hebrews 1.8?

Does the psalmist in Psalm 45.6 call Israel’s king or his throne “God”? What does he mean?

In quoting Psalm 45.6, does the author of Heb 1.8 call Jesus or his throne “God”? What does he mean?

Can Jesus be “God” in Heb 1.8 and the “exact imprint” or “exact representation” of God in Heb 1.3?

Is it superfluous to call Jesus “God” and afterwards try proving his superiority over men and angels?

Could this Jewish author writing to a Jewish community have called Jesus “God” without explanation?

Read about Hebrews 1.8 in RJC (483-89) and JAG (287-27). Which viewpoint is more convincing?

39. Is Jesus God in 2 Peter 1.1?

Should a grammatically ambiguous text such as this be used to support that Jesus is God?

Should the clear distinguishing of God and Jesus in v. 2 determine that v. 1 does not call Jesus “God”?

Does the repeated, “Lord and Savior (Jesus Christ),” in this letter indicate Jesus is not “God” in v. 1?

Could Peter call Jesus “God,” here, even though he doesn’t in any of his evangelistic speeches in Acts?

Read about 2 Peter 1.1 in RJC (494-97), JAG (229-38), and PJP (150-55). Which is more convincing?

40. Who Is “the true God” in 1 John 5.20?

Does “This” refer to the nearest antecedent, “Jesus Christ,” or the subject, “Him who is true”—God?

Does distinguishing “God” and his “Son” in vv. 19-20 require that “the true God” is the Father?

Does eternal life originate with “Jesus Christ” or only with “God” the Father?

Does “the true God” allude to John 3.33 and/or John 17.3 and thus identify “God,” here, as the Father?

In v. 20, is its second sentence a summary of its first sentence?

Do “idols” in John 5.21 help in identifying “the true God” in v. 20?

Read about 1 John 5.20 in RJC (403-06) and JAG (239-53). Which is more convincing?

41. Is the Holy Spirit a Person?

What primary Bible verses do Trinitarians cite to prove that the Holy Spirit is a full-fledged Person?

Does the Bible contain sufficient evidence to substantiate that the Holy Spirit is a full-fledged Person? Disregarding theology, can Bible pronouns for the Holy Spirit, e.g., in John 14-16, be translated “it”?

Does the Bible sometimes personify the Holy Spirit as it does the Word of God and Wisdom of God?

Can God be three separate persons if man is a single person made in the image of God?

If the Trinity is true, why does Paul mention in his salutations the Father and Son but not the Spirit?

If Trinitarianism is true, shouldn’t we expect the Holy Spirit to sit with the Father and Jesus in heaven?

Read the Appendix, “The Nature of the Holy Spirit,” in RJC (519-32).

42. Does Calling Jesus “Immanuel” Mean He Is God?

What does “Immanuel” mean in Isaiah 7.14 and Matthew 1.23?

Does describing Jesus as “God with us” mean Jesus was God?

How was God with people through Jesus? Can God be with Jesus and Jesus also be God?

How was God with Jesus? Was God with Jesus by God mystically indwelling Jesus?

Read RJC (280-81) and JAG (256-58) compared with PJP (135-37). Which view is more convincing?

43. Did Jesus Indicate He Was God to the Rich Young Man?

Why do Matthew’s quotations differ from those of Mark and Luke concerning the rich young man?

Does Matthew’s quotation of Jesus’ response substantially differ in meaning from that of Mark/Luke?

Did Jesus think he was good? If so, in what sense did he think he was good and the Father was good?

What is the difference between absolute and derived goodness?

Is this text compatible with Jesus as perfect/sinless (2 Cor 5.21, Heb 2.10, 4.15, 5.9, 7.26-28, 1 Jn 3.5)?

How can tribulation saints who overcome the Antichrist sing God the Father alone is holy in Rev 15.4?

44. Is Jesus God in Acts 20.28?

Is “the church of God” or “the church of the Lord” more likely the correct reading in Acts 20.28?

To whom does the church belong? Is it God, Jesus Christ, or both? What of the Holy Spirit?

Should Acts 20.28 be used to support the view that Jesus is God?

Read JAG (131-41) and PJP (144-46, 330-31, #28-32). Which is more convincing?

45. Does Paul Call Jesus “God”?

What Pauline passages in the nt do traditionalists cite most in claiming that Paul calls Jesus “God”?

Would Paul as a former monotheistic Jewish theologian identify Jesus as God without explanation?

Do any of these grammatically ambiguous texts support Jesus being God?

Does grammatical ambiguity in Hebrew ot and Greek nt affect your view of inspiration of the Bible?

Should grammatically ambiguous texts be given equal weight with others in deciding if Jesus is God?

Does Paul’s practice of calling God “the Father” over 500 times suggest he never calls Jesus “God”?

46. Is Jesus God in other Pauline Texts?

Does 2 Corinthians 8.9 imply that Jesus preexisted?

Does Jesus having “the fullness” of God, in Colossians 1.19 and 2.9, indicate that he is God?

Is Jesus identified as God in 2 Thessalonians 1.12?

Is Christ Jesus portrayed as “God manifest in the flesh” in 1 Timothy 3.16?

Read RJC (440-43, 463-66, 468-70), JAG (259-68), and PJP (76-77).

47. Is the Church Doctrine of the Trinity Taught in the New Testament?

How long did it take the Church to develop its doctrine of the Trinity? When did it become official?

Did the Bible doctrines of God and Christ need developing or only transmitting to later generations?

Is the traditional church doctrine of the Trinity rightly deduced from, or confirmed in, the nt?

How do you feel about the fact that the Bible never expressly states that God is three persons?

Do the 8 times in the nt that mention the Father, Jesus, and Spirit together prove God is three persons?

Is it rational to accept a teaching its proponents admit is incomprehensible and seems contradictory?

If the doctrine of the Trinity is incomprehensible, is it rational to trust three scholars who developed it?

What makes this assertion any different from claiming the same for any blatantly false proposition?

Is Hans Kung right, that the nt has no doctrine of one God being three persons, thus no triune God?

Read RJC (512-18).

48. Why Doesn’t the Trinity Have Three Thrones in Heaven?

In Revelation, why do heaven’s citizens call the Father “our God” 10x, yet never call Jesus “God”?

In Revelation, why does Jesus call the Father “my God” 5x, yet the Father never calls Jesus the same?

Why does Revelation often mention God the Father and Christ together, but never the Holy Spirit?

Does Jesus sitting with God the Father on his heavenly throne necessarily indicate Jesus is God?

Is the Holy Spirit a person if not sitting with the Father and Son on the Father’s throne in heaven?

Read RJC (502-04).

49. Is Trinitarianism Monotheistic?

Is “one” in the Shema numerical, meaning “alone,” or a complex unity so God can be three persons?

Are Jews and Muslims correct in alleging that Trinitarian Christians worship three gods?

Can a person be a non-Trinitarian and be a genuine Christian? What about vice versa?

How should monotheism be defined? Should Trinitarianism be regarded as monotheistic?

What theological subject divides Christians from Muslims and religious Jews more than any other?

Should Christians dialogue with Muslims and Jews about whether God is three persons?

Read RJC (147-50).

50. What Must Christians Believe?

What does it mean to “believe in Jesus’ name” (John 1.12; 2.23; 3.18)? What does Jesus’ name mean?

According to the nt, to be a genuine Christian is it necessary to believe Jesus is God?

To be a genuine Christian, is it necessary to believe Jesus died for your sins?

To be a genuine Christian, is it necessary to believe Jesus literally arose from the dead?

To be a genuine Christian, is it necessary to believe Jesus was conceived and born of a virgin?

To be a genuine Christian, is it necessary for Jesus to be Lord of your life? What does this mean?

What are the basic essentials a person must believe and do in order to be a genuine Christian?

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