[aron]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Now either we got two creators, two husbands, two shepherds, two "I AM"s, two redeemers, two rocks, two stones of stumbling, two healers, etc. etc. or Yahweh of the O.T. is Jesus of the N.T.

Here's how I understand it. You have a very, very rich man that wants to do business. Now, there's people all over doing stuff. Some of them, for example, are working in a vineyard, owned by the rich man. So the rich man sends emissaries. Those emissaries speak for the rich man.

When they speak, he speaks. They weep at the condition, because He grieves. The rich man even cares so much for the vineyard that He sends His only Begotten Son.

You get my drift. The sender and the sendee are one. The sendee speaks for the sender. Operationally, he is and should be treated as the sender. And I do.

Jesus is Jehovah made flesh. He presents us with the Creator, made a small, Nazarene Jew living under Roman occupation. And yet my concept of One God, the God of the Jews, is not troubled.

Look at the appelations: "You are the King of Israel!!" "You are the Holy One of God!!" "You are the Son of God!!" "You are the Messiah(Christ)!!" "You are the One who comes in the name of the LORD!!" Etc. Jesus denied none of these appelations. The Pharisees got upset because He called God His Father, and this made Him (so they said) God. But He never said, "I am God", in spite of many opportunities to do so.

And I put forth the last paragraph, because I believe that Jesus was a Jew, walking among Jews, and to say, "I am God" would violate the monotheistic understanding. He never did that. I find that interesting. It was His followers that challenged monotheism as the Jews understood it. Please let me emphasize the last phrase, "as the Jews understood it." We are entering upon a discussion of scripture already written. We are not writing scripture here. Let's honor the past, not hurry past it to today's truth.