(...)
When Thomas discovered that He had risen from the dead, he did
My Lord and my God! (Jn 20:28)
That says only that it was amazing to Thomas, not that Jesus was
God. This is red herring.
Nonsense. Read it more closely. It says "My God". Who is he talking
to or about? He is talking to Jesus. About whom? The context
should have made it clear: it is not just TO Jesus, it is _about_
Him.
Thomas is clearly calling Jesus Himself God.
Okay, so this is that great argument I snipped. I snipped nothing
from it.
Then what does your "(...)" above represent? Why are you continually
trying to hide things? You don't even have the message-id of the
message quoted -- as most posters do, and all _honest_ posters do.
You answered the same thing twice.
No, I did not.
It doesn't say "My Lord _is_ my God!".
But this is irrelevant. It still implies that Christ is God.
It makes a comparison
Oh, does it? Between what and what is the comparison made?
and doesn't even contain a verb. It's not even a sentence.
Now you are showing off your ignorance of really basic grammar! In
both Greek and English, you do NOT need a verb to have a sentence. The
single word 'yes', for example, is a common, complete sentence in
dialog. But Greek can omit the verb in many more cases than English.
That, and your recommendation that I read 1:18 of John for evidence
that Jesus was called God by anyone other than Jesus tell me that you
hav comprehension difficulties.
Fat chance. In fact, it proves that it is you that has "comprehension
difficulties". For it was you, not I, who made the gross error of
claiming that John 20:28 "is not even a sentence".
Unfortunately, your clear "comprehension difficulties" do not end
there. For you even missed what it was I recommended you read. I did
NOT say "read 1:18 of John". I said to read John 1:1-18. See the
difference?
Sorry, the "comprehension difficulties" are clearly yours. And they
are clearly numerous.
[snip]
The thing defies understanding.
Well, if it defies understanding, why are you so sure that _you_
understand it well enough to advance the following claim?
God is an omnipotent being.
This part is not at issue...
The flesh is not.
Nor this.
God is omnipresent.
Nor even this.
The flesh is not. God knows everything. The flesh does not know when
to believe what it sees.
You have confused the different senses of the word 'flesh' in Scripture.
So, how can God be made flesh without making Him ignorant, small, and
weak.
Aha! The fundamental "comprehension difficulty" emerges from its
hiding place! So _this_ is why you are convinced that Jesus is not
God! Remember your own words about how it "defies understanding" and
embrace the paradox, since it is so _clearly_ taught by Scripture in
John 1:1-18:
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, AND THE
WORD WAS GOD. He was in the beginning with God; all things were
made through him, and without him was not anything made that was
made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light
shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came for
testimony, to bear witness to the light, that all might believe
through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness to the
light. The true light that enlightens every man was coming into the
world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet
the world knew him not. He came to his own home, and his own people
received him not. But to all who received him, who believed in his
name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not
of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but
of God. AND THE WORD BECAME FLESH AND DWELT AMONG US, FULL OF GRACE
AND TRUTH; WE HAVE BEHELD HIS GLORY, GLORY AS OF THE ONLY SON FROM
THE FATHER. (John bore witness to him, and cried, "This was he of
whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was
before me.'") And from his fulness have we all received, grace upon
grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who
is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. (Joh 1:1-18
RSVA)
I put in caps the parts most relevant to the immediate issue: they
show _clearly_ that it was God Himself who became flesh. This is the
most central mystery of the Christian faith, God Incarnate who dwelt
among us. Without this, you have not Christianity, but some sort of
neo-Judaism with Hellenistic flavoring.
--
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Subducat se sibi ut haereat Deo
Quidquid boni habet tribuat illi a quo factus est
(Sanctus Aurelius Augustinus, Ser. 96)