Following on from a post of Sacolton's on a recent thread. I hope he doesn't mind me cutting and pasting it as i want to examine it.
Was Jesus our God? Consider these two scriptures:
Acts 7:59 While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
Ecclesiastes 12:7 and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.
Spirit returns to who?
Stephen cries out to who?
The questions i have on this is to do with the context of Acts 7:59. Examining Acts 7:55-60 (NIV),
55 But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,
56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.
57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,
58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.
59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Verse 55 states that Stephen could see Jesus 'standing at the right hand of God', which surely contradicts the proposition Stephen saw Jesus as God? This confirmed in verse 56. The NIV translation here also shows that stephen in V59 called out to both God and Jesus.
So my question, not just to Sacolton, but to those who believe Jesus is God, is how do you reconcile these surrounding scriptures?
With reference to Ecclesiastes 12:7, v1 states,
1 Remember your Creator
in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble come
and the years approach when you will say,
"I find no pleasure in them"-
The context of this scripture to me shows that v7 was refering to 'your Creator'. Now a JW would believe that Jesus was with God at creation according to Colossians 1, but placing of the word 'other' in that chapter does give a whole new meaning. But with regards to v1, it seems to me that v7 is refering to the Creator, God, Yahweh, Jehovah, YHWH, call him what you will.
My personal view is that these two scriptures do not show that Jesus is God, but that is my personal view which is not rigid (one thing i've learned post JW is not to set your beliefs in stone). So my questions is to those here who believe Jesus is God is why do you believe this? Do you believe that Jesus was the manifestation of God? Or do you see him as divine because he was sent from God or a part of God?
Paul