Last time we considered Jesus’ identity as God’s messiah.  Today, we’ll look at a number of texts that are sometimes misunderstood to teach that Jesus is God. We’ll go through three classifications of verses: (1) those with manuscript issues, (2) those with translation issues, and (3) those with interpretation issues.  Here is the breakdown.

Manuscript Issues: 1 Timothy 3.16, 1 John 5.7-8

Translation Issues: Acts 20.28, Romans 9.5, Titus 2.13, 2 Thessalonians 1.12, 2 Peter 1.1

Interpretation Issues: John 5.18, John 10.30, 1 John 5.20, Colossians 2.9

See below for links to the various handouts mentioned in this episode.

—— Notes ——

Jesus is God’s human messiah—a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst (Acts 2.22).

Ex 8.10; 19.16-20; 20.1-6; Deut 4.35-39; 5.1-7; 6.4-5; 7.9-10; 10.17-21; 32.12, 39; 1 Sam 2.2; 2 Sam 7.22-24;  1 Kings 8.60; 2 Kings 19.15, 19; 1 Chron 17.20; Neh. 9.6; Ps. 83.18; 86.9-10; 135.5; Is 37.16, 20; 41.4; 42.5-8; 43.10-13; 44.6-8, 24; 45.5-7, 12, 18, 21-22; 46.9; Jer 10.7-10; Joel 2.27; Zech 14.9; Mat. 19.17; Mk 10.17-18; 12.28-33; Jn 5.44; 8.41; 17.3; 1 Cor 8.4-6; Gal 3.20; Eph 4.6; 1 Tim 2.5; Jam 2.19; Jud 25

Before examining these texts, we should note how even Trinitarians have sometimes observed what a shaky foundation their belief in the deity of Christ rests:

Christopher Kaiser:

“Belief in the deity of Christ has traditionally been the keystone of the doctrine of the Trinity, yet explicit references to Jesus as ‘God” in the New Testament are very few, and even those few are generally plagued with uncertainties of either text or interpretation.”[1]

William Barclay:

“But we shall find that on almost every occasion in the New Testament on which Jesus seems to be called God there is a problem either of textual criticism or of translation.  In almost every case we have to discuss which of two readings is to be accepted or which of two possible translations is to be accepted.”[2]

1 Timothy 3.16 [NKJ]

1 Timothy 3.16  [ESV]

ὅς {A}

The reading which, on the basis of external evidence and transcriptional probability, best explains the rise of the others is ὅς. It is supported by the earliest and best uncials (א* A*vid C* Ggr) as well as by 33 365 442 2127 syrhmg, pal goth ethpp Origenlat Epiphanius Jerome Theodore Eutheriusacc. to Theodoret Cyril Cyrilacc. to Ps-Oecumenius Liberatus. Furthermore, since the neuter relative pronoun ὅ must have arisen as a scribal correction of ὅς (to bring the relative into concord with μυστήριον), the witnesses that read ὅ (D* itd, g, 61. 86 vg Ambrosiaster Marius Victorinus Hilary Pelagius Augustine) also indirectly presuppose ὅς as the earlier reading. The Textus Receptus reads θεός, with אe (this corrector is of the twelfth century) A2 C2 Dc K L P Ψ 81 330 614 1739 Byz Lect Gregory-Nyssa Didymus Chrysostom Theodoret Euthalius and later Fathers. Thus, no uncial (in the first hand) earlier than the eighth or ninth century (Ψ) supports θεός all ancient versions presuppose ὅς or ὅ and no patristic writer prior to t

Have you joined the Restitutio facebook group?  The idea behind the group is that its a place where anyone can start topics for discussion.  So, please join if you’d like to see what’s going on.

What is the defining title for Jesus of Nazareth?  Although he kept it mostly a secret during his ministry, Jesus’ role as messiah was and is the organizing center of his identity.  Join me as we work through the Gospels to understand Jesus by his own words and deeds.

—— Notes ——

How many is God?  Although the ancient Shema (recorded in Deuteronomy 6) teaches that God is one, Christian theologians have put forward a number of reasons arguing for a plurality within God.  We will examine a number of these words, texts, and reasonings in an effort to agree with Jesus who wholeheartedly affirmed the Jewish Shema as his own greatest commandment.

—— Notes ——

God is one.

The Shema!

שְׁמַ֖ע יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵ֖ינוּ יְהוָ֥ה׀ אֶחָֽד׃

Deuteronomy 6.4-9

story of Akiva

Akiva set a precedent for dying, especially in persecution

Isaac Peretz:

“The Hebrew language… is the only glue which holds together our scattered bones. It also holds together the rings in the chain of time…. It binds us to those who built pyramids, to those who shed their blood on the ramparts of Jerusalem, and to those who, at the burning stakes, cried Shema Yisrael!”[2]

Rabbi Shraga Simmons:

“Seth Mandel, the father of 13-year-old Koby Mandel who was bludgeoned to death in a cave by Arab terrorists, spoke at the massive pro-Israel rally in Washington DC in April 2002. He told the following story:

In the Sbarro Pizza bombing which killed 15 people in Jerusalem, five members of a Dutch family were killed. One was a 4-year-old boy named Avraham Yitzhak. As he was lying on the ground – bleeding, burning and dying – he said to his father, “Abba, please help me. Save me.”

His father reached over and held his hand. Together they said the words of the Shema.

Seth Mandel told the DC crowd:

“My son Koby died alone. I didn’t have the chance to say the Shema with him. So now I want you to help me say the Shema for the hundreds of Jews who have been killed in Mideast violence. Say the Shema with me in the merit of the boy in Sbarro’s. And say the Shema with me in the merit of my son Koby.” He then led the crowd of 250,000 in reciting the Shema together. [3]

Talmud:

“Jerusalem was only destroyed because its inhabitants desecrated the Shabbat, they refrained from reciting the Morning and Evening Shema…” (Talmud, Shabbat 119b)

Today we’ll tackle the biggest question of all: who is God?  We’ll take a journey through scripture together to discover what God is like, stopping at key moments to consider what this or that interaction tells us about him.

—— Notes ——

theology: one’s understanding of God

Today we’ll take a look at a number of confusing scriptures that seem to indicate that hell is a place where the wicked are consciously tormented forever.  We’ll look at texts that talk about weeping and gnashing of teeth as well as the how the worm will not die nor the fire be quenched.  We’ll consider biblical phrases like “eternal punishment,” “eternal fire,” and “everlasting contempt.”  Last of all we’ll analyze two verses in Revelation that use the language of eternal torment to describe the final punishment.

—— Notes ——

The biblical punishment for the wicked is destruction not an eternal life of torture.  This is why we find scores of text that use words like perish, cut off, and death to describe the fate of the wicked.

Gen 2.17; 3.19, 22-23; 5.5; Ps 37.2, 9, 10, 20, 22, 27, 28, 34, 36; Mal 4.1-3; Mt 3.12; 7.13-14; 10.28; 18.8-9; Jn 3.16; Rom 6.23; Gal 6.8; 1 Tim 1.17; 2 Tim 1.9-10; Heb 10.26-27; 2 Pet 2.6; 3.6-7; 1 Jn 5.11-12; Jud 1.6-7

Matthew 8.11-12 (cp. 13.42)

Acts 7.52-54

Matthew 3.11-12

Mark 9.47-48

What is the destiny of the unrighteous?  Christians over the centuries have put forward three major options: eternal conscious torment (traditionalism), temporary torment followed by salvation (universalism), temporary torment followed by destruction (annihilationism).  In this lecture we'll cover the main texts supporting the annihilation of the wicked as well as three logical problems with the traditional view.

—— Notes ——

Gen 2.17

 proof

Psalm 37 uses terms to describe the fate of the wicked

v2

wither quickly like the grass

v9

cut off

v10

be no more

v20

perish

v20

vanish like smoke

v22

cut off

v27

reward for good is to live forever

v28

cut off

v34

cut off

v36

passed away

Mal 4.1-3 day is coming that will set them ablaze, they’ll be ashes under your feet

Mat 3.12 burn up chaff [wicked] w/ unquenchable fire

Mat 7.13-14  narrow gate leads to life; broad way leads to destruction

Mat 10.28  destroy body and soul in hell

Mat 13.40-42 all law-breakers thrown into fiery furnace

Mat 18.8-9 better to enter life crippled than to be thrown into eternal fire (hell of fire)

Mat 25.46 eternal punishment vs. eternal life

Gal 6.8

Heb 10.26-27 those who go on sinning will get a fury of fire that will consume

2 Peter 2.6 Sodom&Gomorrah condemned to extinction as example of what happens to ungodly

2 Peter 3.6-7 future destruction is like Noah's flood

Jud 1.6-7  Sodom & Gomorrah are an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire

Romans 5.6 “Christ died for the ungodly”

In our last episode, we examined the broad scope of scripture, stopping at many texts along the way that teach about a future kingdom when Jesus returns.  In this session, we’ll take a look at a number of sometimes misunderstood texts that seem to imply the kingdom is either already present or in heaven.

Here is the picture of the Greek manuscript known as Codex Vaticanus on Luke 23.43 with an arrow pointing to the alleged comma:

And here is Codex Sinaiaticus on 1 Timothy 3.16, with the hand of a later scribe “correcting” ος to θς, changing “who” to “God.”

—— Notes ——

The kingdom is the age when Jesus rules over the world from the throne of David in Jerusalem.  It is present in that the sense that his followers already recognize him as king and submit to his kingdom way.  (It’s been inaugurated but not consummated.)  When it arrives, it will fill the earth.

Gen 1.28; Ps 2.6-9; 37.9-11, 22, 29, 34; 110; Is 11.1-9; 25.6-9; 35; Dan 2.44; 7.13-14, 18, 22, 27; Mic 4.1-8; Am 9.11-15; Zeph 3.8-20; 45.18; Mt 5.5; 6.9-10; 13.24-30, 36-43; 19.27-28; 25.31-46; Lk 1.31-33; 13.23-30; Acts 1.3-8; 3.19-21; 1 Cor 6.1-3; 15.24-28; 2 Tim 2.11-13; Rev 2.26-27; 5.10; 11.15-18

Luke 10.9

Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

Luke 11.20

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Luke 17.20-31

20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed,  21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”  22 And he said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  23 And they will say to you, ‘Look, there!’ or ‘Look, here!’ Do not go out or follow them.  24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.  25 But first he must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.  26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.  27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot– they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,  29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all–  30 so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  31 On that day, let the one who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away, and likewise let the one who is in the field not turn back.

Albert Nolan:

“Many Christians have been misled for centuries about the nature of God’s kingdom by the well-known mistranslation of Lk 17:21: “The kingdom of God is within” Today all serious scholars and translators agree that the text should be read: “The kingdom

We now begin a series of four lectures on the eternal destiny of the righteous and the wicked, including the kingdom and the judgement.  For today we are going to focus on what God promises for his own people in the age to come.  We’ll cruise through the entire bible (right from Genesis to Revelation), making key stops along the way to understand the golden thread, woven throughout scripture of the kingdom.

—— Notes ——

eschatology

3 dimensions to kingdom

we are just talking about hope right now

creation theology

Promise to Abraham

Promise to David

Psalms

In our last episode we looked at what the scriptures teach about humanity, including creation, death, and resurrection.  I laid out a case for conditional immortality from several important texts.  This time, we will consider a number of challenges to this understanding including:

—— Notes ——

The dead are asleep—unconscious—until the resurrection when they are brought back to life at the return of Christ.

Gen 2.7; 1 Kings 2.10; 11.43; 14.20; Job 3.11-14; Ecc 9.5-10; Ps 6.4-5; 13.3; 115.17; 146.3-4; Dan 12.2; Jn 11.11-14;5.28-29; 6.39-40, 44, 54; Acts 2.29, 34; 7.60; 1 Cor 15.6, 21-23, 51-55; 1 Thes 4.13-17

Hand out article by Matt Perman at Desiring God:

The “intermediate state” is the time between the death and the resurrection. Some have held that during this time we are unconscious or possibly even go out of existence. We do not think that this is biblical.

The biblical evidence is that our soul continues on after death and that we remain conscious in the intermediate state while awaiting our final destiny of resurrected existence in the new heavens and new earth.

First, Paul spoke of having the desire “to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better” (Philippians 1:23). Notice first of all that Paul speaks of death as a departure (from the body) not into temporary nothingness or unconsciousness but to be with Christ. If we are with Christ once we have died, then we continue existing. Second, notice that Paul speaks of this state as “very much better” than the present state. It would be hard to say such a thing of a state of complete unconsciousness. Particularly when we consider that Paul’s passion was to know Christ, it would seem that the reason the state beyond death is better than this present life is because we are with Christ and know it. If we were suddenly unconscious at death until the resurrection, wouldn’t it be better to remain in this life because at least then we would have conscious fellowship with Christ?

Second, Paul also said that “while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord” and that therefore he would “prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord” (

In this lecture, you'll learn about anthropology--the bible's view of humanity.  In particular, we'll focus on the two ends of the spectrum: creation and death.  We'll see how the biblical view of humanity is rather exalted since we are made in God's image.  We'll examine what the bible teaches about death and resurrection and how the intermediate state is regularly labeled sleep. 

—— Notes ——

Why start here?  it’s where the bible starts (creation)

anthropology: your understanding of humanity

where do humans come from?

Gen 2.7: God personally creates humans

consider God’s human design

God’s creation was good (7x)