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The cornerstone of my biblical belief

While studying Bible, we may come across some records either by the statement itself or in its complete context, which we can fully understand with complete certainty. I consider such understanding as the cornerstone of my faith which remains true forever! The following presents some of the immutable biblical facts:

(1)  Jesus declared that he was a man

John 8:40 But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.

It is not a mistake. What you read is absolutely correct. Jesus had declared that he was just a man.

(2) Jesus denied he was God

When the Jews heard Jesus said that “I and my Father are one”, they thought that Jesus meant to make himself God, thus committed blasphemy. As such, they wanted to stone him to death. Jesus defended himself, saying that “do you say of him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming,' because I said, 'I am the Son of God'?”.

By saying so, not only Jesus had denied that he had tried to make himself God, but also had denied that he had ever said “I am God”. And in Jesus denial, he had also meant to tell us that he was not God Himself. He only claimed himself as “the Son of God”.

(3) Apostle John stated that “No one has seen God at any time”!

Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved most, shared with us his first-hand understanding. His conclusion implied that Jesus of Nazareth, whom he saw with his own eyes and touched with his own hand, is not God! Clearly, Jesus' refutation and Apostle John's understanding resonate well with each other!

 (4) My Father, of whom you say that He is your God.

During a conversation with the Jews, Jesus said “It is My Father who honors me, of whom you say that He is your God”. Jesus said to Mary Magdalene “but go to my brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God”.

Obviously, Jesus not only told us that he is a human being like us, but also he worships the same "God the Father" as we do.

Of course there are many similar examples you can find in the Gospel of John. But even just based on the above four examples, the clear-cut meaning radiated from them is good enough for me to make a conscious decision. The following understandings have become the cornerstone of my biblical knowledge:

 (A) Therefore, “Jesus is not God” has become the first corner stone of my Biblical knowledge.

(B) Jesus is a man, he called himself Son of man (John 5:27), he is Christ, he called himself Son of God; all have become my second corner stone of my Biblical knowledge.

Moving forwards, unless there are ironclad facts and reasons, I will not eliminate such explicit understanding. This has also become my unswerving principle.

How to deal with two seemingly opposite biblical records?

There is no denying that Bible contains two types of apparently contradictory records. Even the Jews were confused and misinterpreted its meaning.

To repeat the example mentioned above: Lord Jesus Christ refuted, "I said I am the Son of God; why do you say I am blasphemy"? After listening to Jesus' explanation, the Jews still believed that when Jesus said "I and my Father are one; the Father is in me, and I in Him", Jesus meant to make himself God, and thus committed the sin of blasphemy!

Obviously, you can see that the problem is not with Jesus but with the Jews!

Ask yourself a question: did the Father not sending Jesus to save us but to confuse us?

Obviously, the answer is no, because Apostle John had clearly told us his first-hand understanding that "no one has seen God at any time" implying that Jesus whom he had seen was not God Himself. He was not confused by the words of Jesus, but instead, he had clearly understood them!

Clearly, the problem is not with the seemingly contradictory records, but with us who read the Bible right now!

Challenge to my cornerstone belief

Obviously, the imminent challenge to my cornerstone belief is the church’s theological theory of "Jesus is the Son and the Father at the same time" which have been preached for over 2,000 years!

But at least I still deeply believe that Lord Jesus Christ and the disciple he loved most, would not deceive us with false words! Therefore, I come to believe that the problem is not in Jesus’ sayings but in us who fail to read the words properly.

Furthermore, whether perceptually or intellectually, I think that the church taking into its own hand to freely exclude one explicit biblical fact with another biblical fact is a gross mistake.

Since 2007, I have been researching the Gospel of John with this principle, thoroughly examining the church's interpretations and the biblical texts which appear to state that Jesus is God, looking for legitimate reasons which can be used to overturn the cornerstone of "Jesus is not God".

So far, I am able to identify errors contributing to the wrong interpretations. To my amaze, the most common mistake is to interpret figurative language as a declarative language. This mistake appears as too simple to be true, but truly, it is as simple and foolish as it appears!

In year 2012, 2017 and 2019, I have collected and published three books respectively. At the beginning of this year, I am inspired to publish a series of articles that will share with you some of the most difficult questions and concepts I have encountered while writing the book "Jesus in the Eyes of Apostle John".

Next article will talk about “what the Bible has told us concerning the consequence of listening to and obeying interpretations which opposed to the meaning of God's words”.

 If God is willing, you may see these articles soon!