JESUS-GOD
PROVEN TO BE TRUE
By Pastor G. Reckart
Copyright, All rights reserved

The following email was received by Pastor Reckart from a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo Church of the Philippines.

----- Original Message -----
From: "C.K"
To: <acts0412@jmfi.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 01, 2005 11:57 AM
Subject: Re: Jesus is not God

Pastor Reckart, why do you teach Jesus is God when this is not true he was only a man. If Jesus is God then there are two Gods, Jesus and the Father. We know there are not two Gods therefore Jesus is not God. Jesus himself said the Father was the only true God. Again this proves Jesus is not God.  Our church does not believe Jesus is God. How do you explain Jesus praying to the Father if he is God?

Thank You

C.K.
_____________________________________________________________

Here is my reply to the email of C.K.

C.K:

Your question is an old trinitarian  one trying to prove that one person in the trinity was praying to another one in the trinity. So the question on its face is a trinity question.

Was one God praying to another God?

The Trinitarians say yes, one person in the Godhead who is God was praying to another person in the Godhead who was God. Thus, one God is praying to another God according to their theory, however they will not confess there are two gods or even three, but their doctrine forces this conclusion.

On the other hand, there are the deist, the dynamic monarchians, and the Islamics, who claim Jesus was not God and man, but was rather only a man. To them, when Jesus was praying it was the man Jesus praying to God the Father. This is a confession that flesh prays to God where as God does not pray to God. Why would God pray to himself? Thus, the conclusion is reached that if God does not pray to himself, and Jesus prayed to God, Jesus must not be God.  The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) got this doctrine from Islam via Felix Manalo being influenced by George Lamsa.  Lamsa tried to create an Islamic-Christianity and himself denied much about Jesus.  The founder of your INC religion, Felix Manalo was a follower of Lamsa and used his Aramaic Bible.  It was after this introduction to Islamic denial of the deity of Christ that INC officially begin to claim Jesus was not God only a man.

What is the Truth?

The truth is Jesus the son of man was praying to God the Father, the omnipresent Spirit.

God adds humanity image to his Godhead

What is overlooked and denied by Iglesia Ni Cristo church is the fact that God has appeared on earth many times in a human theophany form.  In these appearances God did many things. Why is it then such a difficult thing to accept these many theophany forms and then not see that Jesus is the final and last theophany of God upon the earth? To answer your questions I will go back and reconstruct a small sketch of these historical visits and then finalize my response by answering your question.

Earthly visits of God

First, it must be confessed the Word of God teaches that God has appeared on earth in human body form. It must be confessed that these theophanies of God in human form were appearances in bodies that were not born of a woman. They were appearances and in them GOD existed or dwelt. God did not appear in a body form born of woman until Jesus. If these principles are denied, the person denying them has no revelation knowledge how God can exist in a human form and then at last in a human form born of a woman, made under the law.

God never appeared in a human body born of a woman until Jesus.  This automatically rules out all other men born of a woman who claims to be a god. Jesus is the ONLY begotten Son of God, there is none other.  Christians confess this and reject all other woman born men whom the nations in their pagan religions have elevated to be a god.  Jesus is the last human form of God Almighty.

Visit of God with Adam and Eve
Visit of God to Abraham
Visit of God to Hagar
Visit of God to Jacob
Visit of God to Moses
Visit of God to Manoah and his wife
Visit of God to the three Hebrew Children
Visit of God in Jesus the last Theophany

Let's examine the first appearance of God upon earth.

Visit of God with Adam and Eve

The LORD GOD walked in the garden of Eden in the presence of Adam and Eve (they heard God walking in the garden). While we do not know the form or fashion of this body, except by other future occurrences, we do know God was in some earthly form when he appeared to Adam and Eve. After all, it was in this form and likeness that Adam was created, so we have every right to believe God has a human form, even in the Spirit world. God has two eyes, two ears, one mouth, one head, two arms, two hands, two legs, two feet, he has a heart, a nose, a mind, and he is even clothed after the fashion of later men, in a garment or robe like clothing. God has a form exactly like he made man into. If this is denied, then a person has no revelation knowledge about God at all in the first place. God appeared to Adam in a human like form (Gen 3:1-4).

Visit of God to Abraham

In Genesis 18:1-3 God appeared again in human form to Abraham and here Abraham calls God Adonai "My Lord." God even ate on this occasion (Genesis 18:8) "and they did eat." God was in such a human form that he could eat roast beef, bread with butter, and drank milk. I will let the idiots try to undo this.

These appearances have been called by the Jews the "angel of the Lord's presence." In other words, God has appeared as a messenger (Hebrew malak #4397 translated angel; there are heavenly spirit messengers--angels; and earthly messengers--angels see Rev angels of the Churches). The presence of God can be in this heavenly messenger form and when it is, it is refered to as the angel of the Lord. Now, I am not calling God a created being, a spirit angel, but I would venture to say God did create the angels in a spirit form after his own bodily spirit likeness. What I am saying is, God can visit mankind as a Divine messenger in a human form (which prophets are), or in a spirit form he made the angels in the likeness of AND BE NO LESS GOD.

Visit of God to Hagar

Genesis 16:7-11 in the case of Hagar and God appearing to her in an angelic-human form. Who but God could tell her: "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude"? Who was it that heard Hagar weeping and the child (Genesis 21:16-17--"and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad.."). Here is what God told her as he stood there as a man with angelic (messenger) purpose: "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction." This is none other then God himself in a human form with angelic messenger purpose standing here upon the earth and talking to Hagar.

Visit of God to Jacob

In Genesis 32:24-30 Jacob was on his way back home.  In the middle of the night he encountered what he thought was a man.  The wrestling match went on for some time and Jacob refused to be conquered.  He put all of his might and strength into this tussle.  He was not going to be defeated.  His inner spirit to prevail over his attacker and adversary brought all his strength to bear. His opponent was unable to tire him out or to cause him to surrender. Jacob refused to be subdued.  At last after hours of hand to hand combat the eastern sky testified day break was coming. The man with whom Jacob wrestled touched his thigh and his hip came out of joint. O, the pain was so severe he could hardly keep his defense.  But in the midst of his agony he held on and would not allow this man to pin him down. Then, to Jacob's surprise his opponent begged him: "let me go, for the day breaketh."  

We now get a good picture of what has happened. Jacob was attacked and he was not going to let his opponent go until he defeated him. The man was now begging Jacob to release him. Jacob refused to loosen his grip.  He had the man where he wanted and now it was time to disable his opponent.  Jacob told the man under him he would not let him go as an enemy, he would let him go only if the man blessed Jacob. Jacob was wise. If you part with an opponent always get his blessing before you turn your back on him. Jacob had already practiced this method on his father-in-law Laban in the matter of working for his two wives.  Now he would apply it to his attacker. "Bless me or I will not let you go" he shouted.  Then the man asked him: "what is thy name?"  Jacob responded: "my name is Jacob." The man spoke with power and authority and said: "thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hath thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." The man gave Jacob the pronouncement he was the victor in their wrestling match (thou has prevailed). Jacob then thought; he knows who I am, who is he and what is his name? Jacob asked: "Tell me, I pray thee, thy name?" There was a pause, no immediate answer. Then the man spoke to Jacob: "wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name?" The man blessed Jacob and his fingers released their hold allowing the man to disappear right out of his sight. He stood there in awe!

Who was this that wrestled with him and then could disappear in front of his eyes.  Who was this that was in a human form but vanished like a spirit?  Who was this messenger who could change his name and bless him with this awesome feeling of love?  His mind raced back over the decades of his life. He had never heard of such an encounter by his father Isaac of a spirit that could materialize and then disappear.  Then his memory recollected that his grandfather Abraham had met God in the form of a man when he came to him prior to the destruction of Sodom.  Indeed, God had appeared as a man when he visited Adam and Eve in the garden.  Could it be?  Was it? How was it possible that he was visited by God?  He could still feel the inner power and strength of the blessing.  It yet lingered upon him in floods of glory.  He could not contain himself. Where am I?  What is this place? What? It has no name? I shall name it Peniel (Peni-elohim), "for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."  God appeared to Jacob in a human body form and then disappeared out of this form back into that of his eternal Godhead.

Visit of God to Moses

Moses had this encounter with God in angelic form:

"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of the bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush was with fire, and the bush was not consumed" (Exodus 3:2).

Watch this:

"And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I" (Exodus 3:4).

Moses also saw the hinder parts of God. We do not know this form but if hinder means "last" then what Moses saw is a form of God as the bodily form Jesus, which is the last theophany of God.

God appeared in the bush in a human-angelic form called the angel of the LORD. Was this angelic form separate from God? Could God take it up and lay it down? What is this angelic form? Was it the first creation of God and he stepped from the invisible spiritual to the visible spiritual? Was this the beginning of the logos, the Word, the sonship that became the earthly human form of God: ....Jesus? How did God create all things by Jesus Christ, when in John 1:3 it says all things were made by him (the logos-Word)? In John 1:10--"he was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not." Then who created the world in Genesis 1:1 when it says "God created the heavens and the EARTH?" How are Jesus and God both Creators, and yet one Creator? Solution: Jesus and God are the same only a different manifestation or mode when we refer to one and then the other. We speak of Jesus we speak of earthly; we speak of God we speak of the heavenly.

Visit of God to Manoah and his wife

Judges 13:3--"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son." Later on this same angel of the LORD in human form refuses to have a sacrifice done unto him, because it was the practice of the Patriarchs to sacrifice not to human forms or images of God, but rather directly to God in his invisible Spirit form. When Manoah sacrificed, it was touched by the angel of the LORD's presence and instant fire began to consume the sacrifice. Then the human form walked over to the sacrifice and instantly disappeared back into the Spirit world through the fire. What did Manoah cry?

"And Manoah said unto his wife, we shall surely die, because we have seen God" (Judges 13:22).

Did he see the Spirit form of God? No! He saw only an earthly theophanic form. He talked to God through this form, this mode.

Obviously no man has seen God in his heavenly Spirit form, but they have seen him in his earthly human-angelic form. No man can see God with the mortal human eye and live. The human eye must be changed into immortality or in a vision, or God cannot be seen by the naked eye of man and he live.

Manoah saw God in human form, in a theophany!

Visit of God to the three Hebrew Children

There are other appearances of God in the human-angelic form, one such is in the burning fiery furnace with the three Hebrew children, and here this visible image is a man-like from which the crying king said:

"Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Daniel 3:25).

When the foundational information of the appearances of God upon the earth are studied, understood, and accepted: we can see how God can have and did have a human form on many occasions. These were appearances of God himself and these human forms did many different things. All disappeared back into nothingness until God was ready to appear again and took on the same form and likeness.

Visit of God in Jesus the last Theophany

How then is Jesus both man and God, son of Adam and son of God and still God?

God purposed himself to come in human form in the seedline of David (see Psalms 132:11). This is Messianic appearance of God in flesh, as the son of David, as king of Israel, as the LORD our righteousness: who cannot see Jesus was more then a man?

The problem with Iglesia Ni Cristo and other Deist who see Jesus only as a man, they do not have the revelation of God in the first place and how he in past generations appeared to men in human-angelic forms. Not having this foundation, they cannot begin to know the real Bible Jesus: how he can appear as a man, speak as a man, and then in an instant speak as God just like at the burning bush when the text says an angel spoke and then the instant change-over and it is God speaking. Likewise, one instant Jesus is speaking as a man and the next instant God is speaking through him. This conduct is not strange, it is done through the prophets all the time. They speak as a man and then all of a sudden here it comes: "Thus saith the LORD." Jesus was a Prophet why could he not do this same thing? Jesus did speak as a man and as God.

Jesus was both God and man, this is the teaching of the scriptures. It is not the teaching of the scriptures that Jesus is only a man. It is not the teaching of the scriptures that Jesus is a God separate from the Father. When Jesus said: "when you have seen me you have seen the Father" this was in direct answer to Philip's request: "Show us the Father and it sufficeth us." Philip was wanting to see a visible form of the Father. Jesus told Philip and all who will believe, that when he looked at him, he was looking at the Father. How is this possible? It is possible ONLY if Jesus in t he flesh was an earthly form of God. Otherwise, Jesus could have never told Philip that if he looked at him he would see the Father.

Jesus was both God and man. He was not a separate God from God. The human side of Jesus came from David, the soul-spirit form of Jesus was God the Father. That is why Jesus is Emmanuel (God with us). That is why he is said to be God manifest in the flesh (1Tim 3:16). That is why Jesus claims to be God in Revelation 1:8. The earthly form Jesus is manifest as God, and this is the only form of God men will ever see. God has no other eternal form in which we will appear to angels and men in eternity. It is this form, this image of God, this likeness, that sits down in the Father's throne, since Jesus and the Father are the same person. The image is Jesus, the God in him on the throne is the Father. No man will ever see the spirit form of God separate from the image of Jesus. NEVER! Jesus said it like this:

"All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him" (Matthew 11:27).

No one will see the Father unless revealed in, through, and by Jesus! Anyone who claims they can know the Father separate and apart from the Son is a liar.

Now, why did Jesus pray to the Father?

Was this one God personality praying to another God personality? No!

If Jesus was God was he not then praying to himself? Jesus was not God according to the flesh, only according to the soul-spirit within him.

Jesus was the son of man and as such human in all points and was tempted like all of us: according to Hebrews 4:15. The conduct of Jesus is both that of a man and then as God also. Who but God can forgive sins? Who but God can speak as God?

When Jesus prayed it is the flesh, the human side of Jesus praying to the Divine side. Was Jesus then praying to himself? No, if he was only flesh, only a man, then to pray to himself he would have to be praying to his own flesh. But if he was praying to the God who is in him, who is also in heaven at the same time, who is omnipresent throughout the universe at the same time; he is not praying to himself, he is praying to the Spirit that is God.

What is so different in this then when we pray?

If we claim we have the Spirit of God dwelling within us. If we claim we have the Holy Spirit within us. If we claim in any manner that God is in us: are we praying to ourselves when we pray to God? No, we are not praying to ourselves, we are praying to the omnipresent God, and he who is everywhere and also within us hears us.

If we are not praying to our flesh when we pray, neither was Jesus praying to his own flesh when he prayed! If when we pray we pray also to the Spirit of God who is within us and also in heaven, then when Jesus prayed why is it any different? Flesh prays to God, God does not pray to God. One God cannot pray to another God without undeifying himself.

Jesus is the visible fleshly presence of God whereas we are not the visible fleshly presence of God. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself (2 Cor 5:19). God is not in us reconciling the world unto himself. God was in Christ from birth unto the Cross and just as the flesh was about to die, the Spirit of God departed from the flesh body and the body then died.

When we get to heaven we will not see anyone on the throne but Jesus. In this form God will be seen as the Father to all the redeemed. In this form, for all eternity we will know God, just as they did in the early Church, as the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus was not just a man!

Jesus was, according to the Word of God, the very image of the invisible God:

"In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature" (Col 1:14-15).

Come to this Jesus and you will meet God in heaven.

Go to the INC Jesus and you will meet the devil in hell.

For all who deny that Jesus is the visible image of God is not of God and they will be lost.

Get the revelation of Jesus or get the revelation of men. One will save you, the other will damn you.

Pastor Reckart