[Show open]

Brother Bob Pellien: Good day to everyone! Thank you very much for a nice warm welcome. We welcome everyone here in the studio audience as well as all those who are joining us on the internet—maybe watching it by means of incmedia.org on your smartphones, through the Facebook pages that we have, or also maybe on channel 49 INCTV in the Philippines. Thank you all so very much for joining us in this episode of…?

Audience: That’s in the Bible!

Brother Bob: You know, dear friends, anyone that’s following the Iglesia Ni Cristo social media outlets, and we do have a few, you are by now very well aware of the intensified efforts of the Church Of Christ, led by the Church Administration, in eradicating poverty all over the world. There’s been a lot of efforts that have been exerted by the Church Of Christ, most especially in the continent of Africa. In order to reach that goal of, well, like I said, eradicating poverty all over the world, Lord willing. The questions that we’ll be addressing in our taping for today of this broadcast of the program That’s in the Bible are questions that come from ordinary citizens that the That’s In The Bible team that went to Africa were able to meet. Some of the ordinary citizens of Africa. And they posed a lot of questions. Like I said, we’re going to address a couple of them here in our broadcast for today. 

We were happy to receive some questions because as the continent of Africa learns about the Church Of Christ, it has begun to prompt some questions. We will continue to reach out to our fellow men there and everywhere. The That’s in the Bible team, as I mentioned, recently visited and received the following specific questions to this program. And we’ll be tackling them together, for today. Our first question comes from John, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Let’s take a look at the question that John posed for today.

[Video begins]

John: And the question I have is, who is Jesus? Who is God?

[Video ends]

Are God and Jesus the Same Person? 

Brother Bob: “Who is Jesus? Who is God?” These are questions that usually stem from what some would call a confusing, nevertheless, a very common concept that in fact God and Jesus are one and the same. But how does the Bible respond to that? John has asked and the Bible, the Bible gives a response. First of all, we cite from the book of Matthew, chapter 3, verse 17:

And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

[Matthew 3:17 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: Here, dear friends, God is the one who introduced Jesus. God introduced Jesus as His Son. That’s according to the Father Himself. So John asked, “Well, who is Jesus?” God answers by saying, “That’s My Son.” Never has any correct translation of the Bible ever said that Christ is, in fact, God the Son. What can be read very clearly from the Bible is the fact that Christ is the Son of God. God the Son and Son of God are two very, very, different things and they must not be interchanged. Aside from being the Son of God, John’s question was, “Who is Jesus?” So there’s so many verses that we could cite. How else was Jesus introduced in the Holy Scriptures? For example, if we were to read Acts, chapter 2, verse 36, the Bible says and shows that Jesus was made Lord: 

“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

[Acts 2:36 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: In the book of Acts as well chapter 5, verse 31, it mentions that Jesus was also made as Savior:

Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.

[Acts 5:31 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: In 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse 5, the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that Jesus was the Mediator between God and man:

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

[1 Timothy 2:5 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: All these attributes are given to our Lord Jesus Christ. So when we say “Who is Jesus?” The Bible does not answer it by saying He is God. And I’d like to cite another statement of Apostle Paul, here in Ephesians 1:22 . The Bible says: 

And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,

[Ephesians 1:22 New King James Version]

Is Jesus just a man?

Brother Bob: So, dear friends, here the Bible clearly teaches us that Jesus was placed above all things to the Church. This is the Jesus of the Bible. Any other Jesus would be a different Jesus than the Jesus of the Bible. But here’s the question that some pose when they read that verse: “If Jesus is just a man—as we cited from I Timothy 2:5 just a moment ago—if Jesus is a man (we didn’t read that he was just a man), then why is He also worshipped? In Ephesians 1:22 , He was placed above all things. So doesn’t that make Him God?” 

First off, no one heard us read or say that Jesus is ‘just a man.’ We cited 1 Timothy 2:5, but it didn’t say that He’s ‘just a man’ or ‘just an ordinary man,’ like all of us. Instead, what you did hear from the Holy Scriptures was the various qualities or distinctive, unique qualities that the Bible gives or attributes to Jesus, which proves that He is not just an ordinary man. And regarding the point [made], “He is worshipped, so therefore He must be God.” Yes, we do worship Jesus. But why? Is it because He is God? Answer of the Bible, Philippians chapter 2, verses 9, 10 and 11, answers this way:

Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

[Philippians 2:9-11 New King James Version]

Brother Bob: So, dear friends, based on what we have just read, do we have a reason to worship Jesus even though He’s not God? Absolutely, yes, we worship Him not because He is God but because, as we just read together, God commanded Him to be worshipped. We worship Jesus. Yes. Why? Because … 

Audience: That’s in the Bible!

If God put Jesus above everything, is Jesus God?

Brother Bob: That’s in the Bible! Remember obeying the commandments of God, as we just read also, that’s what gives glory to God. God, as we read, highly exalted Jesus, gave Him a name above every other name, and gave the instruction that people at every knee should bow. Bowing is a form of worship. And that’s the commandment and instruction of God to us all. So we have to obey and follow that because that’s what will give glory to God the Father. Sometimes though, people reason out and say for example, “If He’s above everything, that’s got to make Him God. It’s got to make Him God, because only God is above, is placed above everything else.” What do you think, studio audience? Does that seem like a reasonable conclusion to draw?

[Audience nods] 

Audience: Yes. 

Brother Bob: Seems, seems reasonable. I turn, however, here, 1 Corinthians—Apostle Paul, this is the Good News Bible—I turn to 1 Corinthians 15. Let’s take a look here at verse 27 and 28. How does the Bible respond to that?

For the scripture says, “God put all things under his feet.” It is clear, of course, that the words “all things” do not include God himself, who puts all things under Christ. But when all things have been placed under Christ’s rule, then he himself, the Son, will place himself under God, who placed all things under him; and God will rule completely over all.

[1 Corinthians 15:27-28 Good News Translation]

Brother Bob: Who is over all? God. Jesus is over all, with one exemption. Who’s that?

Audience: God.

What is God’s state of existence?

Brother Bob: God. Still, Christ is under or subject to God. As God has placed all things under Christ, Christ will still be, is still subject, subjected to God.  And you know, despite all the great attributes of Christ, the Bible also made very clear—in fact, Jesus Himself made very clear, and we’ll cite a quote directly from Jesus Himself—He made clear His nature, or let’s say His state of existence. Concerning this topic, there’s no one clearer to go t