Interesting Questions about "Jesus Christ" Son of God, Lord, Savior, Mediator, Messiah.... from those who studied the Iglesia ni Cristo
2. I HAVE ALWAYS believed, in fact so did my parents and grandparents, that Christ is God. One of the proofs of His deity is that He already existed even before the foundation of the world. I understand that you do not believe in the pre-existence of Christ. But, if Christ did not already exist before, then why did John the Baptist say in John 1:30, "He was before me''? Moreover, in John 8:58 Christ Himself said "... before Abraham was I AM" (NKJV). How do you explain these two verses?1. I WONDER HOW on earth you could teach that Jesus Christ is a "mere man," when the verses in the Bible clearly reveal that He has the same names and titles as God the Father. Revelation 1:8 for instances states that the Almighty God is "Alpha and Omega" and in chapter 22 verses 12 to 16 of the same book, Christ is also designated as "Alpha and Omega." Aside from that the titles "Lords of Lords" and King of Kings" which are attributed to the Father (I Tim. 6:15) are also ascribed to Christ (Rev. 17:14). Doesn't all of these show that Christ is God?
Emil S. Rabanal, Georgetown, Grand Cayman Islands
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James Hartnett, Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S.A
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3. I CAME ACROSS your magazine "Pasugo" (December 2003 issue) while I was in the lobby of my dentist's office. I became curious and started to browse the contents. I became particularly interested in the article on page 16 where on it you quoted from a book entitled Challenge of a Liberal Faith,/em> p* 60. The quote is as follows: "The Council could not agree and after two years, impatient at the delay the Emperor Constantine appeared and addressed the assembly; ordering them to agree on the divinity of Christ ...."
Noelle de Leon, San Francisco, California, U.S.A.Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
4. SAINT JOHN, IN the penultimate verse of his gospel, wrote that there are many other things which the Lord Jesus did, which if they are written one by one, the world cannot contain the books that should be written. I take these words as proof of Christ's pre-existence. Am I wrong?
Eduardo L Paragas, Dagupan City, PhilippinesClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
5. MAY I ASK if Felix Y. Manalo had a teaching that Christ should be worshiped? If he had, what are the biblical bases of this teaching?
Allan Poe Bona Redona, rallanpoe@yahoo.comClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
6. MUST ADMIT I'm just a beginner in studying the teachings of the Bible. . . . . . However, there are verses in the Bible which I honestly don't understand, or which confuse me. For instance, though I originally believe that the Father is different from the Son, there are nevertheless biblical verses which seem to teach otherwise. In John 17:22, for example, Christ said to the Father, "We are one." Doesn't it teach that the Father and the Son are one and the same?
Franz Merkl, Frankfurt, Germany Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
7. IT IS COMMON knowledge in religious parlance that one of the essential! characteristics of being God is being the Creator of all things. No less than the Bible itself proves that Jesus Christ created the world and we can read that in Colossians 1:16. So how can you reconcile your teaching that Christ is not God and the fact that He created all things?
Albert Fugard, King Williams Town, South AfricaClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
8. WE, AS TRUE CHRISTIANS, accept and believe in the verses of the Bible that you quote stating that Christ is man. However, it is very significant that the context and background of those verses be considered. In John 8:40, when Christ introduced Himself as man. He was still on earth. There is no question about that. What we are saying is that Christ became God or attained His divinity when He reached heaven.
Charles Garrett, New Your, USAClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
9. AS A LAYPERSON who is trying his best to be objective by comparing the doctrines of different Christian denominations, I personally believe that the most compelling reason to believe that Christ is God is, if it's true, that He is called God by the Bible. To affirm this, one author even asserts that no less than the Father Himself called Jesus "God" and submits Hebrews 1:8 as the proof. I consulted different versions of the Bible but was confused for they are not united in their rendition of the verse as to whether the one referred to as God is Jesus Christ or someone else. So I want to hear from the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo), did the Father really call the Son "God" in Hebrews 1:8?
Ken Yamazaki, Hokkaido, Japan Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
10. AMONG THE FOUR Gospels, that of John is the most explicit in teaching about the deity of Christ. Its very first statement (John 1:1) provides the key to the correct understanding of the Lord's true state of being: that He is God ("and the Word was God, and that He pre-existed with God the Father ("in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God"). Verse 14 reveals another truth about Him: that God took on a human nature and became a real human being like you and me ("And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us"). Why is it that your religion does not teach these three basic doctrines (divinity pre-existence, incarnation) about Christ?
Ephraim Rifkin, Denver, Colorado, USAClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
11. HOW CAN YOU say that Jesus Christ is not God when Thomas, an apostle of Christ, clearly called Him God. In John 20:28 we can read, "And Thomas answered and said to Him, 'My Lord and MY GOD!"" Doesn't the pronoun ''Him" refer to Christ? Clearly, Thomas referred to Christ as God because He is God.
Ian Parks, Madison Wisconsin, USAClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
12. ALMOST ALL OF the articles I've read proving the divinity of Christ mention Isaiah 9:6, a verse which prophesies about "a Child." Accordingly the Child referred to in this verse which also mentions about the "Mighty God" is none other than the Son or Jesus Christ. Does the Iglesia ni Cristo deny that Christ is the fulfillment of this prophecy? If not, why not teach that He is the "Mighty God"?
David Koch, Geneva, Illinois, USAClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
13. AS FAR AS what I learned from school is concerned, the English word "the" is a definite article and is used when it is obvious which one is being referred to because there is only one, as in "the sun", "the US President", etc. Now, no less an authority than the Bible teaches that Christ is, to quote it from I John 5:20, "the true God". So, honestly, I find it perplexing and odd to find out from a relative who is a member of your Church that you do not recognize Jesus as God.
Jan Peter Deken, Dordrecht, Netherlands Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
14. I KNOW THAT every now and then you scan the Holy Bible, but unfortunately you do not understand what the Scriptures mean, like Deuteronomy 6:4 where it is stated that Jesus is our one and only true God. You are only referring to your very own verses. There are other verses clearly stating that Jesus is the one and only true God, such as the following; 1 Timothy 3:16 clearly shows God was manifested in the flesh. Now, who was manifested in the flesh? Of course, none other than Jesus Christ. He considered Himself as a man just to fulfill His promise to save the world from sins. But in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). So He is the God who was manifested in the flesh; . Titus 2:13 also clearly states that Jesus is our great God and our Savior. What are you looking for? Jesus is our God and our Savior. No one can save us except Jesus Christ. In Matthew 3:7 Jesus revealed himself to be God when He said to Satan ".....you shall not tempt the Lord your God." Did Jesus He to Satan? Absolutely no! Jesus is perfect. See? With these few; verses alone I can assure you and it is clear that Jesus Christ is our God.
Junjun Lanoy, Surigao del Norte, PhilippinesClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
Junjun Lanoy, Surigao del Norte, PhilippinesClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
15. HONESTLY, I'M SURPRISED to find out that Iglesia ni Cristo dismisses the Christ-is-God doctrine as being (allegedly) unbiblical. So instead, it teaches that Christ is a man, and even "purely human" tor that matter. But does it not blatantly run contrary to the biblical fact that Jesus was not conceived in a natural, human way (referring to sexual union between a husband and wife)? If Christ was spiritually conceived (Matthew 1:20), why teach that He is purely human or without spirit?
David Williams, Auckland, New Zealand Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
16. THE BIBLE EXPLICITLY says that God is the Savior, I Tim. 2:3. In your denial of the Godship of Christ you have a pseudo-savior. I Tim:2:5 explicitly states that Jesus Christ is a mediator not savior. It is Jesus Christ, God Incarnate, true God and true man who is and no one else. Your insistence that Jesus Christ is only a man and is devoid of divinity is practically denying the veracity of a basic biblical truth—the Incarnation as revealed in Jn. 1:14 and Philippians - 2:6-8. Except for the Iglesia ni Cristo, Christendom believes that Jesus Christ is true God and true man because he is God Incarnate. In denying this you have made liars of John and Paul and since their lies appear in the New Testament this is tantamount to saying that the Holy Bible, the Iglesia ni Cristo's sole rule of faith is tainted with lies.
Lutgardo P. Alquiros, Lucena City, PhilippinesClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
17. I AM REACTING to the statement that the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) recognizes Jesus Christ as the "only one Lord" (Feljun B. Fuentes, "Some Misconceptions About Iglesia Ni Cristo Unity," Pasugo, March-April 1992, p.5).
I notice that this statement is against the teachings of Jesus Christ who told us that "the Lord our God is the only Lord" (Mark 12:29, TEV). How could you explain this inconsistency between the Iglesia ni Cristo and Christ's teachings in the Gospels?Dennis M. Fermace, Quezon City, Philippines Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
18. IN JOHN 10:30 Jesus said, "I My Father are one." According to your Church this statement means that Jesus and the Father are one in their work. But if we examine the verse, we can see that Christ's statement "I and My Father are one" ends with a period after the word "one." There is no mention in the verse about being one in their work If we examine the sentence grammatically in the statement, "I and My Father are one", "are" is a linking verb plural; the phrase "I and the Father" is the subject of the sentence; "I" (the pronoun stated by Jesus) and the noun "Father" are both in the nominative case; the phrase ''are one" is a predicate; and "and" is a connective used to join or connect both Jesus and the Father with equal class or category. Therefore, what Is being referred to in John 10:30 is that Jesus and the Father are one in being Persons of the one God, namely they are God the Father and God the Son.
Furthermore, notice the succeeding verses (John 10:31-36). After Jesus made His statement in John 10:30, the Jews wanted to stone Him and accused Him of blasphemy. When Jesus asked why they wanted to stone Him, they answered because He was a man that was making Himself God. Therefore, they didn't believe He was God because He was a man. So who is the real blasphemer? Jesus who is saying that He is God or the who only believe that Jesus is only a man? Jaime Francisco, Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines
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19. I BELIEVE IN your teaching that Christ is man. However, He is also God because He claimed that He was the Father (John 14:7-11). Also, then were times when God became man (Isaiah 42:13; Exodus 15:3).
Johnstiff B. Malnegro, Davao City, Philippines
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Johnstiff B. Malnegro, Davao City, Philippines
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20. I HEARD THAT the Iglesia ni Cristo teaches that Jesus Christ is not God. Is this true? If Jesus Christ is not God, then who is He? Is He ordinary man?
Crispin C. Cedeno, Cebu, Philippines Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
21. I STILL CANT understand why the Church of Christ utterly denies Christ's pre-existence when the Savior Himself taught that He existed with the Father even before the world was made. In one of His prayers to the Father, Christ said, "... glorify thou me in thy own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world was made" (John 1 7:5, emphasis added). Kindly notice the verb used ("had") which is in the past tense form and the point in time referred to ("before the world was made"). Isn't it obvious that Jesus had preexistence? Doesn't it prove also that Christ is indeed God?
Leonard Woo, Seattle, Washington, U.S.A.Click here to read the full Answer to the Question.
22. THE FIRST LETTER of Timothy (2:5) states that Jesus Christ is man who is the mediator between men and God, the Father. According to the Bible, when Jesus had risen from the dead He said that he would go up to heaven to eventually sit at the right hand of the Lord God.
Is Jesus Christ who is now in heaven with the Father still a human being? Or is He already spirit in nature? Rolando Romero, Ilocos Norte, Philippines
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23. I AM AN avid reader of your magazine I get my copies from neighbors who are members of your Church, .However, I disagree with your teaching that Christ is man. How can this be true, when Christ is not a product or result of the fertilization of the cell?
Kate Ruiz, Las Pinas, PhilippinesClick here to read the full Answer to the Question.
24. I BELONG TO a group which teaches that it is enough to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved. I wrote for clarification about your doctrines because there is so much confusion these days resulting in the rise of many religions with different teachings. My questions are as follows:
1. Jesus said "I will build my Church" (Mt 16:18). This Church, according to one of your members is the Iglesia Cristo. As I have known, your founder was Felix Manalo. If this is the case, then your Church is false because there would be two persons who built it. Who really built your Church, the Lord Jesus Christ or Felix Manalo? 2, You believe that Christ is only a man and not God. In Romans 3:4 it says "Let God be true, and but every man a liar," If Christ is only a man, then He is a liar. What a blasphemy! Jesus is the Way and the Savior, but how could a liar save? The blood of Jesus would be a sinner's blood if He is only a man. Acts 20:28 (Lamsa) states that the Church of Christ was purchased by His own blood. Are you claiming then that your Church was purchased by a sinner's blood?
Marlon Trumpo, Apayao, Philippines
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25. IN ONE CORNER of our ship (I am serving on-board a bulk ship), I found a copy of Pasugo magazine. I was overwhelmed with the teachings it contains which are convincing and biblically true.
I wrote to ask for your explanation of the verse John 1:30 where John the Baptist said that "A man is coming after me, but he is greater than I am, because he existed before I was born" (TEV). Also, please explain John 8:58 where Christ said that "...before Abraham was, I AM (NKJV)." Eric C. Lucena, MV Robert Stove
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26. I HAVE BEEN reading your magazine for quite some time through the tireless efforts of my - friend who gives me any issue that she can. I'm in search of the true religion and ever since my first visit to one of your locales, I have begun to seriously research on your doctrines because I find them very different from the other religions I have come across in the past. Your faith enlightens me in a way that I have not felt before. I would like to know how Christ can be man when Matthew 1:18-24 states that the Lord Jesus was created by God through the Holy Spirit.
Lestat de Lioncourt, Bite@metallicafan.com
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