Examine the Verse
John 20:30-31
This verse is
claimed to provide the basis of the
Iglesia ni Cristo belief that
"Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God"―not God the Son,
and more so not God himself.
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And truly Jesus did many other signs
in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in
this book;
but these
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.
(John 20:30-31, New King James
Version) |
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Iglesia ni Cristo belief in God and
Jesus Christ:
Iglesia
ni Cristo believes in the absolute oneness
of God, that "the
Only True God is the Father" in heaven; The Father is the Lord God Almighty, the
Creator of all things. God is Spirit, eternal, immortal and invisible; He is the
God and Father of Jesus Christ and His Apostles; and that of
Moses,
Abraham and the ancient Israelites.
Iglesia ni
Cristo believes that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God. As the Son
of God,
Jesus is a
Man.
However, Jesus is not an ordinary man but a "very special Man",
who was sanctified; made
Lord, Christ, Savior, Mediator and Judge by God. |
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Apostle's admonition, warning and
unique way of teaching:
1.
No prophecy of scripture is a matter of personal
interpretation. (II Pt. 1:20, NAB)
2. Do not go beyond what
is written. (I
Cor. 4:6, NIV)
3.
We do not use words of human wisdom. We speak words given to
us by the Spirit,
using the Spirit's words to explain spiritual truths. (1
Cor. 2:13, NLT) |
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Points to Consider: |
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1. Notice
that in the above verse, Apostle John explained the very
purpose why the
gospel of Christ was written.
2. Apostle John clearly said "but these
are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God, and that believing you may have
life in His name". Thus, the very purpose in writing the
gospel is for people to believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the "Son of God" (not God the
Son) so they may have eternal
life in his name.
3. Please note very carefully that Apostle John
clearly wrote "Son of God" and not "God the Son". If
Trinitarians insist that Jesus is "God the Son", then they
are going beyond what is written (1 Cor. 4:6) in the Bible.
The term "God the Son" can not be found in the Bible as the
term is related to the doctrine of incarnation and Trinity which
are not
also found in the Holy Bible.
4. Actually,
there are 47 places in the New
Testament where Jesus is given the title "the Son of
God".
By
contrast, the term "God the Son" does not appear at all.
Throughout
the New Testament, the phrase "Son of God" is applied repeatedly, in
the singular, only to Jesus.
The term "Son of God or Son of the living God" was
confirmed by Jesus Himself:
Examine the Verse
- Matthew 16:15-17 |
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John 20:30-31 in other versions of
the Bible: |
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And many other signs truly did
Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not
written in this book: But these are written, that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that
believing ye might have life through his name.
(King James
Version)
Jesus performed many other signs in
the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in
this book. But these are
written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by
believing you may have life in his name. (New
International Version)
The disciples saw Jesus do many
other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in
this book.
But these are written so that you may continue to believe
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by
believing in him you will have life by the power of his
name.
(New Living Translation)
You may use other version or translation of the Holy Bible.
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___________________
Examine
- consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover
essential features or meaning; Source:
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/examine
Bible Study
Suggestion: If you have further questions, please feel free
to visit the
Iglesia ni Cristo congregation nearest you. A minister or
an evangelical worker would be happy to answer any biblical question
you have in mind.
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