Brother Bob Pellien: As members of the Church Of Christ, we worship Christ. But why do we do that? Does that mean Jesus is God because we worship Him?
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Brother Bob: The Bible. The basis of our faith in the Church Of Christ, which answers questions about proper worship, the right relationship with God, and most importantly, salvation. That’s in the Bible!
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Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien, and welcome to the program, That’s in the Bible. As we do here on this program, we respond to questions and comments regarding the Bible’s teachings to clear up misunderstandings regarding what is actually written. In an episode of our program called Face the Truth, which explained that Jesus Christ is not God, we received this comment:
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“…I think, only god (the almighty god) should be prayed to. Mt 4,10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Hebr 1,6 And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. Hebrew is talking about Jesus. But we just saw: Worship only belongs to god. Hebrew 1,6 says, the son shall be worshiped! Well, it fits when Jesus is god…”
–@wilkobriele9313
Brother Bob: Thank you for your comment. Now we want to make clear that we have no problem or no disagreement with the verses that were referenced there by the one who wrote in. However, we do disagree with the conclusion drawn, that because Jesus is worshiped that He is therefore God.
So to help us in our discussion, let’s break down his comment into these questions:
- Who is the only God that Jesus said must be served and worshiped?
- What is God’s command regarding Jesus Christ?
- How should Jesus Christ be recognized according to God?
Now, since Jesus Christ is the One who taught that “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.” as was stated in Matthew 4:10 NKJV, as quoted by the writer. Who is the God He is referring to? We can read Christ’s answer in His prayer rendered to God in the Book of John 17. Let’s listen together to verses 1 and 3:
After Jesus finished saying this, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Give glory to your Son, so that the Son may give glory to you.
And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
[John 17:1, 3 Good News Translation]
Brother Bob: Dear friends, here we can see that Jesus is praying to the Father, and here, Jesus makes mention that the Father sent Him. What did He say to the Father? He also said, “eternal life means to know you, the only true God”. So since the Father is the only true God according to Jesus, it is the Father that Jesus is referring to as the only One whom we should worship and serve. We should all understand what it means to worship and serve someone. To put it simply, it means to obey His every command.
Question 2: Since God the Father is the One to be served, worshiped and obeyed, what is His command regarding His Son Jesus Christ? Listen to what’s recorded here in Philippians 2:9-11 where He gave this command or instruction:
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
[Philippians 2:9-11 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: So dear friends, what is God’s command, then, to all of us? We read, “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord”. This level of honor and respect we give Jesus Christ is because of God’s command to us. God commanded that we should kneel, and remember, the act of kneeling mentioned specifically in the verse here pertains to worship. We worship Jesus Christ because that is God’s instruction. But let’s clarify: when we worship Jesus, does that in some way take away the glory from God? Absolutely not! We want to make very clear that we are not worshiping Jesus Christ as God, but rather as God’s Son whom God highly exalted. So how then does God feel if we obey His command to worship Christ? We also read there that it is “to the glory of God the Father.”
Dear friends, would there ever be a conflict in worshiping God and then also worshiping Jesus Christ? The answer is no. Why not? There would never be a conflict in worshiping Christ, because God is the One that commanded that Christ be worshiped. What is the result of following the command and worshiping Christ? As we read, it gives glory to the Father. But wait, how does worshiping Christ give glory to the Father? Is it because Jesus is the Father? No, no, no, the verse didn’t say that. But rather, it is because obeying the command of the Father is what gives glory to the Father; and it is the Father who commanded us to worship Christ.
But still, there are those that believe God the Father and Jesus are one and the same. Why? Because what they teach is the same. However, what did Jesus Himself say about his teachings? Let’s turn to His answer and that’s recorded in the Book of John chapter 7, and let’s listen together verses 16 and 17:
Jesus answered, “What I teach is not my own teaching, but it comes from God, who sent me. Whoever is willing to do what God wants will know whether what I teach comes from God or whether I speak on my own authority.
[John 7:16-17 Good News Translation]
Brother Bob: Our Lord Jesus Christ makes it very clear here, dear friends, what He’s teaching is not His own teaching but rather, the teaching that comes from God who sent Him. Now we can understand why God the Father is glorified then when we worship or obey Jesus Christ: It is because what Jesus Christ teaches is what God gave Him to teach. Which further proves the distinction between the two. They’re very different from one another.
And question again, what unique qualities did God give Jesus Christ, which is why God instructs us to worship Him or obey His teachings? How should Jesus Christ be recognized? Well, we now turn to the Book of Acts. We’re just posing the questions together, turning here to the Scriptures, in the Book of Acts 2:36.
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
[Acts 2:36 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: So dear friends, why do we call Jesus Christ Lord? It is because “God has made this Jesus,… both Lord and Christ.” God is the One that made Him Lord, God is the One Who made Him Christ, which, by the way, means Messiah or the Savior. And since the word Lord signifies someone who has authority, someone that should be followed or obeyed, it’s fitting that God made Jesus Lord. Which presents yet another distinction, because nobody gave God the Father His Lordship, He is inherently Lord God Almighty. Yet the Lordship of Jesus was a God-given, a God-made Lordship.
And you know, dear friends, just how much authority did God give to Christ in the first place? You know, we can read that as well, Ephesians chapter 1. Let’s listen together to verse 20 and we’ll go all the way to verse 22:
he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church,
[Ephesians 1:20-22 New International Version]
Brother Bob: The Bible teaches here, dear friends, that God placed Christ “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion”. We also read that “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church”. Therefore we should recognize Christ as the head of the Church, Lord, Savior, recipient of all authority, and above all things.
But wait a minute. Although all things were placed under Christ’s rule, what should we understand about His given position and authority? Does that make Him God because He was placed with authority over all? Well, let the Holy Scriptures give the response. 1 Corinthians 15:27-28 gives the Bible’s answers:
For the scripture says, “God put all things under his feet.” It is clear, of course, that the words “all things” do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ’s rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.
[1 Corinthians 15:27-28 Good News Translation]
Brother Bob: So even though all things, yes, were placed under Christ, the Bible makes clear that the words “all things” does not include God himself, who put all those things under Christ. What will Christ do, then, when all are placed under Him? As we also read, He “will place himself under God, who placed all things under him.” What must be clear regarding the only true God, then, which is the Father that raised Christ to authority? God will rule, as we just read, He will rule completely over all.
And what is Jesus Christ able to do because of the authority that God gave to Him? Another important biblical citation on this topic is recorded here, also in the Book of Acts, this time chapter 2, verse 22 the Bible says:
“Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know—
[Acts 2:22 New King James Version]
Brother Bob: According to the Bible, dear friends, Jesus is able to perform miracles as God’s instrument. But, it’s important to note, who actually performed the miracles that Jesus did? As we read here, the “miracles, wonders, and signs which God did” how did God do these miracles and wonders? As we read, “through Him”. Who is the instrument or the “through Him” that God used? As we read, “a Man”. Which man? It states, “Jesus of Nazareth.”
This is why when asked if we believe Christ is God, we faithfully answer: no. He is a man. When asked if Christ is a man then, do we worship Him? We say with all conviction: yes we do, but not as God.
When asked why we worship Christ if, in fact, He is not God, we also reply with all understanding: we do so because that is the command of God to us. That’s what we should all do because That’s in the Bible.
To summarize, the questions we asked together were
- Who is the only God that Jesus said must be served and worshiped?
As we just studied together, according to Jesus Christ, the one and only true God is the Father
- What is God’s command regarding Jesus Christ?
As we also just studied together, God the Father commands that we worship His Son Jesus Christ whom He highly exalted. And by obeying this command of God, God Himself will be glorified.
- How should Jesus Christ be recognized then?
We should recognize Christ as a man, not God but also not just an ordinary man, no. He is the one God exalted to be the head of the Church, to be Lord, Savior, recipient of all authority, above all things, and the only man God commands us to worship.
Brother Bob: So dear friends, we’re hopeful, we’d like you, and hope for the day you continue learning about the Iglesia Ni Cristo, the Church Of Christ with us. Please visit us online and browse the different topics.
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Visit incmedia.org
Brother Bob: You can also set up an appointment to meet with a minister of the gospel here in the Church Of Christ. If you have any questions about the Bible or salvation, please email them to us.
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Brother Bob: I’m Bob Pellien. Thanks for watching. See you next time, right here on That’s in the Bible!
