Is Jesus God? It’s a valid question and one that separates “Christians” from – well, everyone else.As an apologist, one of the first things I do when examining other religions is to look at what the leadership teaches and believes about Jesus. The answer to this question is key. When examining any religion, everything taught and believed depends on this answer.
I blogged last week about my visit to the good people of St. Andrews Protestant Episcopal Church in Middleborough, MA. While there, I was asked to address the vestry regarding the direction and future of our denomination and I shared some of my vision. (Many of the folks on the vestry are former members of TEC - The Episcopal Church.) After the meeting they asked me if I could provide some sort of document that illustrates the differences in belief and practice between the TEC and the Protestant Episcopal Church.
Upon returning home I prepared, as promised, a short list basically outlining the major tenants of Christianity (things every Christian denomination believes), and juxtaposed The Episcopal Church's response to those issues. Those responses came mainly from interviews and publications of their presiding Bishop, Katherine Schori-Jefferts. It was by no means exhaustive but it did provide a clear understanding that under the current leadership, The Episcopal Church denies that Jesus Christ is God. They teach that "all paths lead to God," even though our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ clearly taught, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6).
In all of my blogging I have never said anything directly derogatory regarding the TEC as I really don’t have much to say. We may have a common past, but their departure in the last three decades from scriptural and moral absolutes clearly has sent them down a path that does not represent my understanding of who Jesus is. Nor do they represent my understanding of the Anglican faith and its practice anymore than non-believers do.
Let me shed a little more light on the subject of who Jesus is…
1) Jesus is the Lord of Creation.
"For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities: all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." (Colossians 1:16-17)
Jesus is the Creator and Sustainer of all things. He holds all things together, everything seen and unseen, He has power over all. He also has power over our lives and the life of His church. My bible is pretty clear about who He is and who He claims to be.
"My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." (Colossians 2:2-3)
I love these verses because they give a picture of a treasure chest filled to the top with something of great value, the wisdom and knowledge of Christ. So, we are to seek His wisdom and cry out for His knowledge when it comes to the direction of our life. He has all that we need.
"I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6).
If we believe Jesus Christ is telling the truth then all the other paths are dead ends in the most literal sense - they lead to eternal death itself.
2) Jesus is the Lord of the Church.
"And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." (Colossians 1:18-20)
Jesus is not only the Lord of creation; he is also the Lord of the church. He is the one who gave His life for the church, and He is the one who is the boss of His church. Original Anglicans want to see Him honored and glorified.
Remember, Jesus is the one who brought us into a peace relationship with God the Father, and He did it through the shedding of His blood. To Original Anglicans, Jesus is the Lord of creation and the Lord of His church. He has always been the second person of the Trinity; He is God the Son who was punished for us that we might be reconciled to the Father. He is God!
"So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness." (Colossians 2:6-7)
Be Discerning,
Bishop Ian
