Before the Christmas 2022 holiday, I happened to watch a preacher - a former presidential candidate (who lost but is an incumbent Party List Congressman) in his own TV program declaring that worship of Jesus is based on the Biblical fact that Jesus is the begotten Son of God!
I was not surprised when he did not cite any Biblical verse in support of his declaration. While this preacher-politician whenever he preaches, would normally cite few Biblical verses, however, in this particular issue where he declared that worship of Jesus is based on the Biblical fact that Jesus is the begotten Son of God, he did not cite any verse in the Bible where God Himself in His own words commanded men to worship Jesus! Nor did Jesus in his own words command men to worship him! Because unknown to many, particularly the blind followers of the so many false prophets as mentioned in the Bible and Quran, these false prophets do not teach and emphasize to their followers that there was no such Biblical verse – about regular worship of the Prophet Jesus commanded by God Himself nor by the Prophet Jesus himself directly spoken by them (God and Jesus) as written in the Bible, like the ones spoken by God Himself as written in the Ten Commandments (Old Testament), and spoken by Prophet Jesus himself as written about the Holy Supper (New Testament).
It is a fact that:
1. Nowhere in the Bible did GOD Himself in HIS OWN WORDS command men to worship Jesus with regularity! Whether in the belief that Jesus was God, son of God, or lord or master, king of king, Mediator, Messiah, prophet, or simply a man by nature of whatever status, position or power is attributed to him.
2. Nor did Jesus in his own words command men to worship him with regularity!
Going back to Jesus being referred to as “son of God’ in the Bible, the said preacher-politician must have intentionally omitted the fact that the term “son of God” is not exclusively attributed to the Prophet Jesus. It was also attributed to David, Adam, Israel, and Ephraim as can be discerned from the following Biblical verses.
David was called begotten son Psalm 2:7, English Standard Version, King James Bible,New King James Version, NASB 1995, etc.
“I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”
Adamwas called the son of God, described as “was from God”, in Luke 3:38, the New Living Translation, Aramaic Bible in Plain English, etc.
“Kenan was the son of Enosh. Enosh was the son of Seth. Seth was the son of Adam. Adam was the son of God.”
Apostle Paul and his followers were called “the offspring of God” in Acts 17:28,
Israel was described by God as “My firstborn son”, in Exodus 4:22
Ephraim was called “my sons” by GOD inJeremiah 3:19 English Standard Version, Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, etc.
“‘I said, How I would set you among my sons, and give you a pleasant land, a heritage most beautiful of all nations. And I thought you would call me, My Father, and would not turn from following me.”
Contrary to the claim of the preacher politician as mentioned above, it is a fact that worship of Jesus is not commanded by God Himself, nor by Jesus himself.
It is also a fact that worship of Jesus is not based on the Biblical term “son of God” as such term is not exclusively attributed to the Prophet Jesus.
But it is a fact that worship of the Prophet Jesus is based on the many verses in the Bible that provide interpretations but are highly debatable, that “the Prophet Jesus is God Himself”. This is a debate on whether or not the Prophet Jesus is God. Debatable issue number 1.
Therefore, worship of the Prophet Jesus on the plain belief that he is “son of God” literally, Lord, Master, King of Kings, Mediator, Messiah, a man by nature, or any belief about the worship of the Prophet Jesus other than “He (Jesus) Himself is God” may be plainly and simply, defined as idolatry – worship of others than God. This could be a debatable issue number 2 to worshipers of man-Jesus.
Others, particularly those who worship the “man-Lord Jesus,” employ the strategy of mingling the above debatable issue number 1 and debatable issue number 2.
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