Post by iris89 on May 25, 2008 11:57:37 GMT -5
Many Cloud Bible Truths By Twisting Word Meanings:
INTRODUCTION:
Originally God (YHWH) set out to create a guide for all his faithful human followers or believers to be able to use for their education about him and for guidance. To this end he caused over 40 faithful men he used as scribes to put his thoughts into the words of men so we would be able to understand what he desired that we know. These faithful writers thus wrote under divine inspiration/guidance much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. But, of course, the real author of what we know today as the Bible is God (YHWH). Interestingly each of these many scribes he used to put his thoughts into the words of men over a period of approximately 1,600 years wrote in his own style. What many now call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
The Bible is therefore the only book God (YHWH) ever inspired men to write as his scribes. In other words, God is its author and men only put his thoughts given to them by divine inspiration into their own words, the words of men.
Whereas, God (YHWH) sought to have these divinely inspired men put his thoughts into the words of men to enable all to understand, many seek to twist the meaning of some of these words to fit their own creedal beliefs, beliefs of creeds, instead of taking them as given. They put forth arguments such as when applied to heavenly things and/or the Creator (YHWH) and/or his son that the words have a different meaning than the ordinary meaning. Of course this violates God's (YHWH's)original purpose which was the putting of his thoughts into the words of men and not giving other than their ordinary meaning to the words.
Some of the words these individuals seek to pervert to support their creedal beliefs are firstborn, begotten/beget, father, son, etc. Yet we should not be surprised at this since 2 Corinthians 4:4 clearly says, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." (Revised Standard Version; RSV).
LET'S CONSIDER FIRST BEGOTTEN/BEGET:
Some say in attempting to twist the meaning of begotten/beget, "We know from Scripture that he was begotten not created." Clearly shows you do not even understand what begotten in the sense of Jesus Christ means, and have even formed a defective question since he is the "first of creation". But let's look at the facts with regard begotten/beget.
Easton;s Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
yy Your comment, "We know from Scripture that he was begotten not created." Clearly shows you do not even understand what begotten in the sense of Jesus Christ means, and have even formed a defective question since he is the "first of creation".
Easton;s Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
(Gr. Logos), one of the titles of our Lord, found only in the writings of John #Joh 1:1-14 1Jo 1:1 Re 19:13 As such, Christ is the revealer of God. His office is to make God known. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" #Joh 1:18 This title designates the divine nature of Christ. As the Word, he "was in the beginning" and "became flesh." "The Word was with God and "was God," and was the Creator of all things (comp.) #Ps 33:6 107:20 119:89 147:18 Isa 40:8 [source - Easton's Bible Dictionary]
Another Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
How he is the "only-begotten Son." Jesus' being called the "only-begotten Son" (Joh 1:14; 3:16, 18; 1Jo 4:9) does not mean that the other spirit creatures produced were not God's sons, for they are called sons as well. (Ge 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7) However, by virtue of his being the sole direct creation of his Father, the firstborn Son was unique, different from all others of God's sons, all of whom were created or begotten by Jehovah through that firstborn Son. So "the Word" was Jehovah's "only-begotten Son" in a particular sense, even as Isaac was Abraham's "only-begotten son" in a particular sense (his father already having another son but not by his wife Sarah).-Heb 11:17; Ge 16:15. [source - Insight, Vol 2]
The International Encyclopedia of the Bible defines it as follows:
ONLY BEGOTTEN on'-li be-got-'-'n (monogenes):
Although the English words are found only 6 times in the New Testament, the Greek word appears 9 times, and often in the Septuagint. It is used literally of an only child: "the only son of his mother" (Luke 7:12); "an only daughter" (Luke 8:42); "mine only child" (Luke 9:38); "Isaac .... his only begotten" (Hebrews 11:17). In all other places in the New Testament it refers to Jesus Christ as "the only begotten Son of God" (John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9). In these passages, too, it might be translated as "the only son of God"; for the emphasis seems to be on His uniqueness, rather than on His sonship, though both ideas are certainly present. He is the son of God in a sense in which no others are. "Monogenes describes the absolutely unique relation of the Son to the Father in His divine nature; prototokos describes the relation of the Risen Christ in His glorified humanity to man" (Westcott on Hebrews 1:6). Christ's uniqueness as it appears in the above passages consists of two things:
He reveals the Father:
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). Men therefore behold His glory, "glory as of the only begotten from the Father" (1:14).
He is the mediator of salvation:
"God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him" (1John 4:9; John 3:16); "He that believeth not (on him) hath been judged already" (John 3:18). Other elements in His uniqueness may be gathered from other passages, as His sinlessness, His authority to forgive sins, His unbroken communion with the Father, and His unique knowledge of Him. To say that it is a uniqueness of nature or essence carries thought no farther, for these terms still need definition, and they can be defined only in terms of His moral consciousness, of His revelation of God, and especially of His intimate union as Son with the Father. [source - International Encyclopedia of the Bible].
The Bible:
" And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" (Revelation 3:14, Authorized King James Bible; AV), [this clearly shows that he is "the beginning of the creation of God" so anyone presuming he was not created is in gross error that could be taken as blasphemy]
" Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Colossians 1:15 AV)
In fact, his Father (YHWH) has put everything under this only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) except himself as clearly shown at 1 Corinthians 15:21-28, " For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (American Standard Version; ASV). Now if they were the one and same god as this ones who are misguided by their unconscious assumptions assume, the 27 verse would be meaningless and in error when it says, " 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him." (ASV).
Since his Father (YHWH) has given his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) immortality he has life to eternity, but that in no way signifies that he always existed since the Bible clearly refers to him as the first of creation " And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" (Revelation 3:14, AV) and " Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Colossians 1:15, AV). Since he is the first of creation and existed in heaven with his Father (YHWH) long before the earth was created he is properly called the only begotten Son. This is made clear at " What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" (John 6:62, AV) and " Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58, AV). In fact the very fact repeatedly stressed in the Bible that he is the Son of God clearly implies a beginning as we all know that a Father exist before a Son.
Now let's consider the teachings of the believers in the false dogma of the Trinity Theology who of course translate with bias to make it appear that the Almighty God Father (YHWH) and his, Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) are one and the same, but is this reasonable when considered with other Bible text? No it is not as Almighty God's (YHWH's) son ,Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) is clearly shown to be a lesser one than his father, consider, " Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (John 14:28, AV) where the same writer of John 1:1 clearly shows the Father (YHWH) as being greater as he does again at " Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19, AV) where the Apostle John quotes Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves).
His subjection was made quite clear as follows, "And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal." Clearly he, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) was doing the will of his Father (YHWH) . In fact, when tempted by Satan the Devil he stated " Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 4:10, AV), " Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:17, AV), "21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." (John 4:21-26, AV).
Of course, since Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH) is Almighty God (YHWH) only begotten Son, he is also a god, but a lesser one; therefore, The First Commandment of the Ten Commandments, " Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3, AV), is not violated since he is neither equal to or before his Father.
Since he has proved his obedience to his Father (YHWH), his Father (YHWH) has " That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus "every knee shall bow", whether in Heaven or earth or under the earth. And that is why, in the end, "every tongue shall confess" that Jesus Christ" is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father." And his Father has subjected all things onto his Son, except himself, "17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:17-28, AV). Therefore, it is clear that Almighty God, the Father (YHWH) is the superior one since he has put all things under his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves), except himself, and could not do so unless he was above or superior to his Son. Also, it is clear that after he accomplishes his Father's purpose, he, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves), will subject himself to his father, "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." This clearly shows that Trinitarian Theology and Dualism Theology are false dogma and should be clearly rejected by all Christians.
This is necessary as it is recognizing the office or authority of the Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) who is the only begotten son and the first of creation by his Father (YHWH). His Father (YHWH) exalted him to a position only second only to himself, "9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11, AV). And, he was given, " And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:16, AV)
He proved faithful to his Father (YHWH), " And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," (Revelation 1:5 AV); therefore, he became, "9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 5:9-10, AV).
And, last but not least, he became, "" For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5 AV), and " And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24, AV)
Isaiah 9:6. For--the ground of these great expectations, unto us--for the benefit of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles (compare "unto you," "for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." ( Luke 2:11, ASV). Thus given-" I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son, today I have begotten you. (Psalms 2:7, RSV). God's gratuitous gift, on which man had no claim, "" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, AV) and " For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23, AV). [[You will note that Jehovah (YHWH) called him his son, "Thou art my son" that he have because he so loved the world]]
HOW HE IS THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON:
Why is Jesus (Yeshua) called the only begotten Son of God (YHWH) when in reality there are many sons of God (YHWH)? John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (American Standard Version; ASV); And at John 3:16-18, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 4:9, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him." (ASV); now this does not mean that the other created spirit beings were not also God's (YHWH's) sons, as they are also called sons as affirmed at Genesis 6:2, "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose." (ASV); And at job 1:6, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them" (ASV); And at Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (ASV); And at Job 2:1, "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (ASV). So what makes Jesus (Yeshua) unique?
He is unique by virtue of his being the only direct creation by Almighty God (YHWH), thus making him different from all others of God's (YHWH's) sons, all of whom were created or begotten by god (YHWH) through that firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). Therefore, Jesus was God's (YHWH) 'only-begotten Son' in a very special sense just as Isaac was Abraham's 'only-begotten son' in a special sense even though he already had a son, Ishamel, but not by his wife Sarah as testified to at Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten [son];" (ASV); And at Genesis 16:15, "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (ASV).
Of course some will say begotten does not mean create, but they never quantify what it means. They have to consider the facts which are (1) the Bible says at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV); (2) the meaning of the word create which is "To cause to come into existence; originate" [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]; (3) That humans create by means of copulation as did Abraham in the creation or begetting of his son, Isaac, as shown in Hebrews 11:17 and Genesis 16:15, quoted previously; whereas, the Bible makes no mention of a Mrs. God (YHWH). Therefore, God (YHWH) creates differently, obviously, from man. He always existed as shown at Psalms 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. " (ASV); And at Psalms 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting." (ASV); and at Job 36:26, "Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable." (ASV); And at 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (ASV). Of course another way of looking at the verb beget is to look at its synonyms and its definition which are (1) To procreate; be the father of. (2) To cause to be; occasion [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]. Now that makes it clear one of its meanings is to cause to be same as for create. If that is not clear enough for some, let's consider the definition of its synonym as given above, procreate which means by definition (1) To engender or beget (offspring), (2) To originate; produce; and at its ethnology from Latin, [- before + creare to create> ] which leaves no doubt that it means to create as does the other synonym, engender which by definition means (1) To cause to exist; give rise to; produce. (2) beget, (3) To come into being; and its ethnology from Latin [- in + genus, generis race] [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries].
Of course some critics say that having been created makes Jesus (Yeshua) inferior, but the Bible shows the exact opposite at Philippians 2:1-11, "If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ASV). Obviously all thinking people should believe the Bible and not accept the opinions of man.
LET'S REASON A LITTLE MORE ON THIS WORD BEGOTTEN/BEGET:
FIRST, you need to do a little thinking and I shall put to you with some questions to get you thinking.
a, I believe we both agree that Almighty God (YHWH) is a spirit creature and has never been a human and that he always existed. Now the scripture backs up the fact that he is a spirit at John 4:24, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (American Standard Version; ASV). Now the Bible nowhere, as previously mentioned, mentions a Mrs. Almighty God, but indicates the that spirit beings do not have gender; therefore, begotten can not mean the same thing with respect to the spirit beings as to humans. The Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary says of the verb beget (1) to procreate as the father: sire (2) to produce as an effect: cause. And the same dictionary says with respect procreate (1) to beget or bring forth (offsprint): propagate: to beget or bring forth offspring: reproduce. And of sire (1)beget-- used esp. of male domestic animals (2) to bring into being: originate. And of cause (1) to serve as a cause or occasion of (2) to effect by command, authority, or force. And the Bible clearly says at John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (ASV) that we are children of God (YHWH); And at Romans 8:14-19, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 3:1-2, "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is." (ASV). So the scripture says we are sons of God (YHWH), how so? The scripture shows, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." So in this case if we let God's (YHWH's) spirit or force lead us we are his sons or begotten of him, but not in a sexual context since our begetting was by his having his firstborn prepare the earth and then create mankind. At first mankind was only male, but then God (YHWH) saw he needed a companion and at Genesis 2:19-23, " And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him. 21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: 22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (ASV) so up to that time mankind consisted of a single sex, why so? Because he made man in his image and only later saw he needed a companion or help mate (read the first three chapters of Genesis). The animals all had companions of the opposite gender, but at first man did not, see Genesis 2:18, " 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (ASV).
A. Now, the question, how would God (YHWH) beget except through creation, if there was no Mrs. God; think for a moment? Remember one of the definitions for beget is " to procreate as the father."
B. Mankind is spoken of as his children; yet mankind was created. The angels are spoken of as the sons of God (YHWH), yet we know they were created, so why should some get hung-up on logomachy?
C. Jesus (Yeshua) long before his arrival on earth existed in heaven and was the 'master worker' for his Father (YHWH) or his agent used to create all else as testified to at, Proverbs 8:22-31, " Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, as a master workman; And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). Note, this scripture states, " Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old." Clearly showing he was the firstborn or in his case the first created or caused to come into existence. The important thing here being he was the first of the children and/or sons of God (YHWH), then the Angels, and then all earthly beings. Before this there was only God (YHWH) through untold eons of time. He, Jesus (Yeshua) also was the first to be resurrected as shown at 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV). So his Father (YHWH) wanted his first Son, Jesus (Yeshua) to be first among creation in everything, that is why the scripture at Philippians 2:10-15, " that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and questionings: 15 that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world," (ASV).
Now what do some disagree with in these scriptures?
D. Some state as an objection, here is an interchange with a former member of the RCC (Roman Catholic Church) is used as an example with regard what he said, " The problem is that you don't always let the Bible speak for itself. You put your own interpretation on certain Scriptures so they match your own belief." Now with respect this statement, have you ever considered that you are actually doing what you charge me with doing. I also was once a member of world's largest cult the RCC, but saw their error from a study of the Bible. I put forth what I found to be the salient important doctrines contained in the Bible and then searched for groups basically in conformity with the Bible truths; whereas, it is apparent to me that you, probably unconsciously went the other way and without knowing it looked sub-consciously for what you had heard was the truth in the Bible. This approach is like buying a lottery number and hoping you will win by blind chance. Now how do you justify this type of search?
E. He states, " you will not accept the true meaning of certain words, therefore you remain deceived to some Biblical truth." Whereas, In reality I carefully search the meaning of words, and am well aware with respect how meaning of words change overtime. For this reason I often use interlinear Lexicons such as the Rotherham, Kingdom Interlinear, Thayer, Emphatic Diaglott, etc. When still in doubt, I consult by email or phone with one of the two greatest living experts on Koine Greek, Dr. Jason Benuhn at the University of Northern Arizona, and belong to a Koine Greek forum where I can in questions to be answered by Koine Greek experts at many leading Universities such as Washington University (NC), University of Oslo, etc. Now have you done a similar check of words?
G. Have you ever bothered to check the Koine Greek word for firstborn at Romans 8:29, "For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren:" (ASV), or contemplated why he would be the firstborn among many brethren?
Or Colossians "1:15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;" or Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Or Revelation 1:5, " and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;" (all from the ASV)?
H. Here is something from a writing of mine you should seriously contemplate, " All except Almighty God (YHWH) is created at some point in time. Jesus (Yeshua) is subordinate to his Father (YHWH). Refer to Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. " (ASV) and 1 Corinthians 15:22-29, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV), and John 5:20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel." (ASV), and John 10:29, "My Father, who hath given [them] unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand." (ASV), and John 14:28, "Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I." (ASV). So start really learning instead of thinking of snappy replies do to your failure to comprehend.
ALSO, LEARN FROM THE FOLLOWING::
1 Corinthians 1:21-24 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure throuth the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (ASV)
These scriptures show it would be the obedient and not the wise who would be gaining God's (YHWH's) approval, and this is reaffirmed at 1 Corinthians 3:18-19, "let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:" (ASV); And God (YHWH) showed he would reveal it to 'babes' at Matthew 11:25, when his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) thanked him, "At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes." (ASV); And at 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them." (ASV). Now this last scripture reveals two important Bible truths, First, the god (Satan) of this world has, "blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, should not dawn upon them," clearly showing the truth would be hid from those who consider themselves wise in their own reckoning. Second, that Jesus (Yeshua) was created in "the image of God."
Now many will say the Bible clearly states that that Jesus (Yeshua) was Begotten, and that puts Him in a different category to created beings, but is this correct? No it is not as we shall see. But first a little reasoning warm-up. We know that the son of a dog is always a dog also; therefore, it is only reasonable to expect that the Son of Almighty God (YHWH) would also be a divine being like his Father (YHWH). Now let's deal with the word 'beget,' the Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary defines it as follows: a verb meaning, 1. To procreate: be the father of. 2. To cause to be; occasion. With synonym being being to sire, father, engender, breed, propagate. And 'begotten' being the alternative past participle of 'beget.' Now lets consider the word to 'create' in the same dictionary, 1.To cause to come into existence; originate. 2 To be the cause of; occasion:, etc.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER THE WORD 'FIRSTBORN':
Now let's consider one Koine Greek word, PROTOTOKOS ("Firstborn") as an example of in-depth word research and what it really means:
Its Meaning and Usage in the New Testament,
The Apostle Paul left us two great passages expressing his teaching concerning the person of Christ in His pre-incarnate state: Philippians 2:5-7 and Colossians 1:15-17. It is interesting that both passages provide quite a challenge to the translator, though their meaning undoubtedly was clear to their original audiences. In the Colossians passage, Paul describes the Lord Christ as "the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation." (New American Standard Bible: NASB). He then goes on to ascribe to Jesus the creation of "ta panta," all things, i. e., the universe and all that is in it.(1) How, then, are we to understand Paul's use of the phrase, "first-born"? What does this word tell us about Jesus Christ? How is it used in the New Testament?
The word under consideration is "prototokos." It is made up of two words, "protos," meaning first,(2) and "tokos" from "tikto," "to give birth."(3). There is little evidence that the word "prototokos" was used extensively before the time of the Septuagint.(4) Its basic meaning is the first one born, the first born child. However, it must be examined in its context to determine its true meaning.
"Usage in the Septuagint"
The word "prototokos" is used approximately 130 times in the Septuagint (LXX). About 70 of those instances will be found in the genealogical lists of Genesis and Chronicles, and here it retains its literal meaning of "first-born."(5) The Hebrew word "bekor" is consistently translated by "prototokos" in the LXX. It must be remembered that the "bekor," the first-born, was entitled to the double portion (Deuteronomy 21:17), to the blessing (Genesis 27), and to special treatment (Genesis 43:33).(6) An etymological study of "bekor" reveals that it is not related in its root meaning to either the ideas of "protos" or "tokos," and hence the meanings might have become "detached altogether from the idea of birth or the whole question of origin."(7)
This idea of "prototokos" is seen clearly in the Old Testament. For example, the Septuagint translators utilized "prototokos" in their rendition of Exodus 4:22: "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My first-born."' " (LXX: "prototokos"). Obviously here the emphasis is on the primacy of Israel's relation to God. Of all nations, Israel is chosen specially by God to occupy a place of high honor and esteem. In 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 we read of Reuben, the first-born of Israel, losing his birthright for his sin. Here the idea of first-born carries with it much more than just temporal ascendancy.
In Jeremiah 31:9 the Scriptures record God as saying, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born." Passages such as this provided a basis for the later Rabbinic interpretation that referred to the nation of Israel as God's "first-born" in the special sense of Israel's superiority and exaltation above the nations of the earth. Seemingly the most significant passage is to be found at Psalm 89:27: "I shall also make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth." This highly Messianic passage paves the way for a solid understanding of the use of "prototokos" in the New Testament, especially in relation to the Messiah, Jesus. In this passage, a clear emphasis on the pre-eminence and superiority of the coming Messiah is emphasized.
"New Testament Usage"
In the New Testament we find the word "prototokos" used a total of eight times. Six of these instances are in the singular and refer to the Lord Christ, two are in the plural form.( These passages are: Luke 2:7, Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15 and 1:18, Hebrews 1:6, 11:28, 12:23, and Revelation 1:5. The first passage, Luke 2:7 of the Christmas narrative, refers to the basic meaning of the word as it is used in the genealogy lists of the Old Testament. The other references, however, take on a far greater meaning.
In the New Testament usage, the emphasis is placed not on the "tokos" but instead upon the "protos." The word stresses superiority and priority rather than origin or birth. This can be seen as early as the LXX usage, where it has been pointed out that Israel, as God's first-born, certainly can not be seen as the first creation of God, but rather His special choice and pre-eminent people. The Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker Lexicon says, "This expression...is also used in some instances where it is uncertain whether the force of the element "-tokos" is still felt at all...Col. 1:15."(9)
In Romans 8:29, the Lord Christ is described as "the first-born among many brethren." These brethren are, of course, the glorified Christians. Here the Lord's superiority and sovereignty over "the brethren" is acknowledged, as well as His leadership in their salvation. "As the brethren of Christ, all Christians will share his destiny (c.f. Heb. 2:10-17), and Christ is the pre-eminent Son among the sons of God (c.f. 1:3)."(10). The term "prototokos" is used here as a title, and no idea of birth or origin is seen.
In both Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5, Christ Jesus is called the first-born of the dead (or "from" the dead). These would refer especially to the leadership of Christ in bringing about the resurrection of the dead and inauguration of a new, eternal life. Some think that Colossians 1:15-20 is an ancient Christian hymn, and the Greek words "prototokos" and "proteouon" are a play on sound.(11)
The greatest amount of discussion and exegesis has centered around Paul's use of "prototokos pases ktiseos" of Christ in Colossians 1:15. The early Church Fathers argued it, and modern scholars have spent more time discussing this use than all seven other instances combined
The The New Testament Greek Lexicon defines prototokos as follows:
the firstborn
of man or beast
of Christ, the first born of all creation [source - The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament." These files are public domain. ]
The Expositor's Greek Testament" defines "prototokos" in this way: ..."prototokos" in its primary sense expresses temporal priority, and then, on account of the privileges of the firstborn, it gains the further sense of dominion.(15) R. M. Clark put it succinctly:[source - The Expositor's Greek Testament].
"Prototokos", first-born...The original meaning of the word is giving birth for the first time. Later it came to mean the first-born or first in rank. This is the N. T. meaning. In the N. T. the "-tokos" element is clearly implied only in Luke 2:7, in other places it tends to recede into the background.(16) [source - The "Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament" by Fritz Reinecker and Cleon Rogers, distills down the scholastic information and says, "The word emphasizes the preexistence and uniqueness of Christ as well as His superiority over creation.
Now Consider Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (American Standard Bible; ASV). Clearly this scripture shows that Jesus (Yeshua) was the firstborn or first of Creation and was his Father's (YHWH's) agent in the creation of all else and this is clearly affirmed in the New Testament at 1 Corinthians 15:22, " But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV).
NOW LET'S CONSIDER THE WORD 'SON':
The following is an actual discussion with one trying to give meaning to words that they do NOT have:
"FIRST, Words have several meanings in many cases, but you are trying to restrict the meaning of the word 'son'."
<<<reply of one trying to give a meaning to the word 'son' which it does NOT have] "I have not suggested any meaning that words do not have. The word, "son" does not mean "created" when used figuratively. The same is true of "firstborn" when it is used figuratively.>>>, and this individual tries to justify it by the following, <<<God is not limited by the terms "Father" and "Son" to our human limitations. No one is saying that Father and Son are the same. They are two different expressions of the same God.>>>. Clearly showing that he was trying and change the meaning of the words by denying the meanings they do have such as with respect father and firstborn son. Let's look at the facts.
His contention that 'son' does not mean 'created' when used figuratively is clearly shown to be incorrect by the International Encyclopedia of the Bible, and by the Bible,
1. Use of Title in the Synoptists:
While the title "the Son of man" is always, except once, applied by Jesus to Himself, "the Son of God" is never applied by Jesus to Himself in the Synoptists. When, however, it is applied to Him by others, He accepts it in such a way as to assert His claim to it. Now and then He Himself employs the abbreviated form, "the Son," with the same intention; and He often speaks of God as "the Father" or "my Father" or "my Father who is in heaven" in such a manner as to betray the consciousness that He is the Son of God.
2. Meanings in the Old Testament:
While to the common mind "the Son of man" is a title designating the human side of our Lord's person, "the Son of God" seems as obviously to indicate the divine side. But scholarship cannot take this for granted; and, indeed, it requires only a hasty glance at the facts to bring this home even to the general reader, because in Scripture the title is bestowed on a variety of persons for a variety of reasons. First, it is applied to angels, as when in Job 2:1 it is said that "the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh"; they may be so called because they are the creatures of God's hands or because, as spiritual beings, they resemble God, who is a spirit. Secondly, in Luke 3:38 it is applied to the first man; and from the parable of the Prodigal Son it may be argued that it is applicable to all men. Thirdly, it is applied to the Hebrew nation, as when, in Exodus 4:22, Yahweh says to Pharaoh, "Israel is my son, my first-born," the reason being that Israel was the object of Yahweh's special love and gracious choice. Fourthly, it is applied to the kings of Israel, as representatives of the chosen nation. Thus, in 2 Samuel 7:14, Yahweh says of Solomon, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son"; and, in Psalms 2:7, the coronation of a king is announced in an oracle from heaven, which says, "Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee." Finally, in the New Testament, the title is applied to all saints, as in John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name." When the title has such a range of application, it is obvious that the Divinity of Christ cannot be inferred from the mere fact that it is applied to Him.
3. Sense as Applied to Jesus:
It is natural to assume that its use in application to Jesus is derived from one or other of its Old Testament uses; and the one almost universally fixed upon by modern scholarship as that from which it was derived is the fourth mentioned above--that to the Jewish kings. Indeed, it is frequently asserted that in the Jewish literature between the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is found already coined as a title for the Messianic king; but the instances quoted by Dalman and others in proof of this are far from satisfactory.
...furst'-born, furst'-ling (bekhor; prototokos):
The Hebrew word denotes the firstborn of human beings as well as of animals (Exodus 11:5), while a word from the same root denotes first-fruits (Exodus 23:16). All the data point to the conclusion that among the ancestors of the Hebrews the sacrifice of the firstborn was practiced, just as the firstlings of the flocks and the first-fruits of the produce of the earth were devoted to the deity. The narrative of the Moabite war records the sacrifice of the heir to the throne by Mesha, to Chemosh, the national god (2 Kings 3:27). The barbarous custom must have become extinct at an early period in the religion of Israel (Genesis 22:12). It was probably due to the influence of surrounding nations that the cruel practice was revived toward the close of the monarchical period (2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 16:20; 23:37; Micah 6:7). Jeremiah denies that the offering of human beings could have been an instruction from Yahweh (7:31; 19:5).
The prophetic conception of God had rendered such a doctrine inconceivable. Clear evidence of the spiritualization and humanizati0n of religion among the Israelites is furnished in the replacement, at an early stage, of the actual sacrifice of the firstborn by their dedication to the service of Yahweh. At a later stage the Levites were substituted for the firstborn. Just as the firstlings of unclean animals were redeemed with money (Exodus 13:13; 34:20), for the dedication of the firstborn was substituted the consecration of the Levites to the service of the sanctuary (Numbers 3:11-13,15). On the 30th day after birth the firstborn was brought to the priest by the father, who paid five shekels for the child's redemption from service in the temple (compare Luke 2:27; Mishna Bekhoroth viii.8). For that service the Levites were accepted in place of the redeemed firstborn (Numbers 3:45). See note. According to Exodus 22:29-31 the firstborn were to be given to Yahweh. (The firstborn of clean animals, if free from spot or blemish, were to be sacrificed after eight days, Numbers 18:16.) This allusion to the sacrifice of the firstborn as part of the religion of Yahweh has been variously explained. Some scholars suspect the text, but in all probability the verse means no more than similar references to the fact that the firstborn belonged to Yahweh (Exodus 13:2; 34:19). The modifying clause, with regard to the redemption of the firstborn, has been omitted. The firstborn possessed definite privileges which were denied to other members of the family. The Law forbade the disinheriting of the firstborn (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). Such legislation, in polygamous times, was necessary to prevent a favorite wife from exercising undue influence over her husband in distributing his property, as in the case of Jacob (Genesis 25:23). The oldest son's share was twice as large as that of any other son. When Elisha prayed for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he simply wished to be considered the firstborn, i.e. the successor, of the dying prophet. Israel was Yahweh's firstborn (Exodus 4:22 privileges. She occupied a unique position in virtue of the special relationship between Yahweh and the nation. In three passages (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:6), Jesus Christ is the firstborn--among many brethren (Romans 8:29); of every creature (Colossians 1:16). This application of the term to Jesus Christ may be traced back to Psalms 89:27 where the Davidic ruler, or perhaps the nation, is alluded to as the firstborn of Yahweh. [source - International Encyclopedia of the Bible].
The Bible, Revised Standard Version, (RSV).
Lu 2:7 - (RSV)
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Ro 8:29 - (RSV)
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.
Col 1:15 - (RSV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;
Col 1:18 - (RSV)
He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.
Heb 11:28 - (RSV)
By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.
Heb 12:23 - (RSV)
and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Re 1:5 - (RSV)
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood [source - the Revised Standard Bible, RSV]
He tried to either give a different meaning and/or deny a legitimate meaning to both 'son' and 'first born' which is just plain wrong and misguided.
LET'S LOOK AT ATTEMPTS TO SUBVERT THE MEANING OF 'FATHER.'
Actual comment by one trying to change the meaning of the word 'father.' <<<It is clear that you don't understand that earthly terms do not always mean exactly the same thing when applied to God. For example, God is called "Father", yet to be a father one must have a wife to be mother. Equally so Jesus is called "Son", by your logic, we must start looking for a mother.>>>
Clearly showing he does not understand even this well known word/term which can have various meanings. To me it is clear that Almighty God (YHWH) is rightfully called a father as he created and/or caused to be created all else so he is a father to the entire human race. To create in the sense that God (YHWH) created does not require that he have a wife, but apparently some are ignorant of this fact. Jesus (Yeshua) is spoken of as the beloved only begotten of his father which is the equivalent of firstborn or created, but obviously some are ignorant of this fact. Let's look at how other reliable sources define 'father.'
Let's look at some source information of 'father."
See Part Two:
INTRODUCTION:
Originally God (YHWH) set out to create a guide for all his faithful human followers or believers to be able to use for their education about him and for guidance. To this end he caused over 40 faithful men he used as scribes to put his thoughts into the words of men so we would be able to understand what he desired that we know. These faithful writers thus wrote under divine inspiration/guidance much as transcribing secretaries today taking transcription and then later typing it out. But, of course, the real author of what we know today as the Bible is God (YHWH). Interestingly each of these many scribes he used to put his thoughts into the words of men over a period of approximately 1,600 years wrote in his own style. What many now call or consider inconsistencies are really not such, but most often just a problem of translation and/or understanding, i.e., lack of understanding of what the original writer writing in his own language and culture meant/said in his original writing. What is remarkable, is the writers over such a period of time all wrote in harmony when even most posters on threads on this forum can not even stay on track or subject over a period of a few days and/or weeks at most with the original subject of the thread. This fact of harmony over a period so great as to almost stagger the imagination shows that it had one guiding force or author who divinely inspired its writers as humans of their own volition can not keep on track over short periods of time.
The Bible is therefore the only book God (YHWH) ever inspired men to write as his scribes. In other words, God is its author and men only put his thoughts given to them by divine inspiration into their own words, the words of men.
Whereas, God (YHWH) sought to have these divinely inspired men put his thoughts into the words of men to enable all to understand, many seek to twist the meaning of some of these words to fit their own creedal beliefs, beliefs of creeds, instead of taking them as given. They put forth arguments such as when applied to heavenly things and/or the Creator (YHWH) and/or his son that the words have a different meaning than the ordinary meaning. Of course this violates God's (YHWH's)original purpose which was the putting of his thoughts into the words of men and not giving other than their ordinary meaning to the words.
Some of the words these individuals seek to pervert to support their creedal beliefs are firstborn, begotten/beget, father, son, etc. Yet we should not be surprised at this since 2 Corinthians 4:4 clearly says, "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God." (Revised Standard Version; RSV).
LET'S CONSIDER FIRST BEGOTTEN/BEGET:
Some say in attempting to twist the meaning of begotten/beget, "We know from Scripture that he was begotten not created." Clearly shows you do not even understand what begotten in the sense of Jesus Christ means, and have even formed a defective question since he is the "first of creation". But let's look at the facts with regard begotten/beget.
Easton;s Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
yy Your comment, "We know from Scripture that he was begotten not created." Clearly shows you do not even understand what begotten in the sense of Jesus Christ means, and have even formed a defective question since he is the "first of creation".
Easton;s Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
(Gr. Logos), one of the titles of our Lord, found only in the writings of John #Joh 1:1-14 1Jo 1:1 Re 19:13 As such, Christ is the revealer of God. His office is to make God known. "No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" #Joh 1:18 This title designates the divine nature of Christ. As the Word, he "was in the beginning" and "became flesh." "The Word was with God and "was God," and was the Creator of all things (comp.) #Ps 33:6 107:20 119:89 147:18 Isa 40:8 [source - Easton's Bible Dictionary]
Another Bible Dictionary defines it as follows:
How he is the "only-begotten Son." Jesus' being called the "only-begotten Son" (Joh 1:14; 3:16, 18; 1Jo 4:9) does not mean that the other spirit creatures produced were not God's sons, for they are called sons as well. (Ge 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:4-7) However, by virtue of his being the sole direct creation of his Father, the firstborn Son was unique, different from all others of God's sons, all of whom were created or begotten by Jehovah through that firstborn Son. So "the Word" was Jehovah's "only-begotten Son" in a particular sense, even as Isaac was Abraham's "only-begotten son" in a particular sense (his father already having another son but not by his wife Sarah).-Heb 11:17; Ge 16:15. [source - Insight, Vol 2]
The International Encyclopedia of the Bible defines it as follows:
ONLY BEGOTTEN on'-li be-got-'-'n (monogenes):
Although the English words are found only 6 times in the New Testament, the Greek word appears 9 times, and often in the Septuagint. It is used literally of an only child: "the only son of his mother" (Luke 7:12); "an only daughter" (Luke 8:42); "mine only child" (Luke 9:38); "Isaac .... his only begotten" (Hebrews 11:17). In all other places in the New Testament it refers to Jesus Christ as "the only begotten Son of God" (John 1:14,18; 3:16,18; 1 John 4:9). In these passages, too, it might be translated as "the only son of God"; for the emphasis seems to be on His uniqueness, rather than on His sonship, though both ideas are certainly present. He is the son of God in a sense in which no others are. "Monogenes describes the absolutely unique relation of the Son to the Father in His divine nature; prototokos describes the relation of the Risen Christ in His glorified humanity to man" (Westcott on Hebrews 1:6). Christ's uniqueness as it appears in the above passages consists of two things:
He reveals the Father:
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him" (John 1:18). Men therefore behold His glory, "glory as of the only begotten from the Father" (1:14).
He is the mediator of salvation:
"God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him" (1John 4:9; John 3:16); "He that believeth not (on him) hath been judged already" (John 3:18). Other elements in His uniqueness may be gathered from other passages, as His sinlessness, His authority to forgive sins, His unbroken communion with the Father, and His unique knowledge of Him. To say that it is a uniqueness of nature or essence carries thought no farther, for these terms still need definition, and they can be defined only in terms of His moral consciousness, of His revelation of God, and especially of His intimate union as Son with the Father. [source - International Encyclopedia of the Bible].
The Bible:
" And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" (Revelation 3:14, Authorized King James Bible; AV), [this clearly shows that he is "the beginning of the creation of God" so anyone presuming he was not created is in gross error that could be taken as blasphemy]
" Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Colossians 1:15 AV)
In fact, his Father (YHWH) has put everything under this only begotten Son, Jesus (Yeshua) except himself as clearly shown at 1 Corinthians 15:21-28, " For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (American Standard Version; ASV). Now if they were the one and same god as this ones who are misguided by their unconscious assumptions assume, the 27 verse would be meaningless and in error when it says, " 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him." (ASV).
Since his Father (YHWH) has given his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) immortality he has life to eternity, but that in no way signifies that he always existed since the Bible clearly refers to him as the first of creation " And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God;" (Revelation 3:14, AV) and " Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" (Colossians 1:15, AV). Since he is the first of creation and existed in heaven with his Father (YHWH) long before the earth was created he is properly called the only begotten Son. This is made clear at " What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" (John 6:62, AV) and " Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58, AV). In fact the very fact repeatedly stressed in the Bible that he is the Son of God clearly implies a beginning as we all know that a Father exist before a Son.
Now let's consider the teachings of the believers in the false dogma of the Trinity Theology who of course translate with bias to make it appear that the Almighty God Father (YHWH) and his, Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) are one and the same, but is this reasonable when considered with other Bible text? No it is not as Almighty God's (YHWH's) son ,Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) is clearly shown to be a lesser one than his father, consider, " Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I." (John 14:28, AV) where the same writer of John 1:1 clearly shows the Father (YHWH) as being greater as he does again at " Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise." (John 5:19, AV) where the Apostle John quotes Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves).
His subjection was made quite clear as follows, "And, having become man, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, even to the extent of dying, and the death he died was the death of a common criminal." Clearly he, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) was doing the will of his Father (YHWH) . In fact, when tempted by Satan the Devil he stated " Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve." (Matthew 4:10, AV), " Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:17, AV), "21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he." (John 4:21-26, AV).
Of course, since Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH) is Almighty God (YHWH) only begotten Son, he is also a god, but a lesser one; therefore, The First Commandment of the Ten Commandments, " Thou shalt have no other gods before me." (Exodus 20:3, AV), is not violated since he is neither equal to or before his Father.
Since he has proved his obedience to his Father (YHWH), his Father (YHWH) has " That is why God has now lifted him so high, and has given him the name beyond all names, so that at the name of Jesus "every knee shall bow", whether in Heaven or earth or under the earth. And that is why, in the end, "every tongue shall confess" that Jesus Christ" is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father." And his Father has subjected all things onto his Son, except himself, "17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:17-28, AV). Therefore, it is clear that Almighty God, the Father (YHWH) is the superior one since he has put all things under his Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves), except himself, and could not do so unless he was above or superior to his Son. Also, it is clear that after he accomplishes his Father's purpose, he, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves), will subject himself to his father, "And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." This clearly shows that Trinitarian Theology and Dualism Theology are false dogma and should be clearly rejected by all Christians.
This is necessary as it is recognizing the office or authority of the Son, Jesus (Yeshua or YHWH saves) who is the only begotten son and the first of creation by his Father (YHWH). His Father (YHWH) exalted him to a position only second only to himself, "9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: 10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; 11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11, AV). And, he was given, " And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:16, AV)
He proved faithful to his Father (YHWH), " And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood," (Revelation 1:5 AV); therefore, he became, "9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; 10 Called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec." (Hebrews 5:9-10, AV).
And, last but not least, he became, "" For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;" (1 Timothy 2:5 AV), and " And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel." (Hebrews 12:24, AV)
Isaiah 9:6. For--the ground of these great expectations, unto us--for the benefit of the Jews first, and then the Gentiles (compare "unto you," "for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord." ( Luke 2:11, ASV). Thus given-" I will tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to me, "You are my son, today I have begotten you. (Psalms 2:7, RSV). God's gratuitous gift, on which man had no claim, "" For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16, AV) and " For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23, AV). [[You will note that Jehovah (YHWH) called him his son, "Thou art my son" that he have because he so loved the world]]
HOW HE IS THE ONLY-BEGOTTEN SON:
Why is Jesus (Yeshua) called the only begotten Son of God (YHWH) when in reality there are many sons of God (YHWH)? John 1:14 states, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father), full of grace and truth." (American Standard Version; ASV); And at John 3:16-18, " For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life. 17 For God sent not the Son into the world to judge the world; but that the world should be saved through him. 18 He that believeth on him is not judged: he that believeth not hath been judged already, because he hath not believed on the name of the only begotten Son of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 4:9, "Herein was the love of God manifested in us, that God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live through him." (ASV); now this does not mean that the other created spirit beings were not also God's (YHWH's) sons, as they are also called sons as affirmed at Genesis 6:2, "that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all that they chose." (ASV); And at job 1:6, "Now it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan also came among them" (ASV); And at Job 38:4-7, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (ASV); And at Job 2:1, "Again it came to pass on the day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jehovah, that Satan came also among them to present himself before Jehovah." (ASV). So what makes Jesus (Yeshua) unique?
He is unique by virtue of his being the only direct creation by Almighty God (YHWH), thus making him different from all others of God's (YHWH's) sons, all of whom were created or begotten by god (YHWH) through that firstborn Son, Jesus (Yeshua). Therefore, Jesus was God's (YHWH) 'only-begotten Son' in a very special sense just as Isaac was Abraham's 'only-begotten son' in a special sense even though he already had a son, Ishamel, but not by his wife Sarah as testified to at Hebrews 11:17, "By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac: yea, he that had gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten [son];" (ASV); And at Genesis 16:15, "And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bare, Ishmael." (ASV).
Of course some will say begotten does not mean create, but they never quantify what it means. They have to consider the facts which are (1) the Bible says at Revelation 3:14, "And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God:" (ASV); (2) the meaning of the word create which is "To cause to come into existence; originate" [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]; (3) That humans create by means of copulation as did Abraham in the creation or begetting of his son, Isaac, as shown in Hebrews 11:17 and Genesis 16:15, quoted previously; whereas, the Bible makes no mention of a Mrs. God (YHWH). Therefore, God (YHWH) creates differently, obviously, from man. He always existed as shown at Psalms 90:2, "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. " (ASV); And at Psalms 93:2, "Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting." (ASV); and at Job 36:26, "Behold, God is great, and we know him not; The number of his years is unsearchable." (ASV); And at 1 Timothy 1:17, "Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, [be] honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (ASV). Of course another way of looking at the verb beget is to look at its synonyms and its definition which are (1) To procreate; be the father of. (2) To cause to be; occasion [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries]. Now that makes it clear one of its meanings is to cause to be same as for create. If that is not clear enough for some, let's consider the definition of its synonym as given above, procreate which means by definition (1) To engender or beget (offspring), (2) To originate; produce; and at its ethnology from Latin, [- before + creare to create> ] which leaves no doubt that it means to create as does the other synonym, engender which by definition means (1) To cause to exist; give rise to; produce. (2) beget, (3) To come into being; and its ethnology from Latin [- in + genus, generis race] [Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary, ISBN #s 0-308-10309-2 and 0-308-10310-6, and most other standard English dictionaries].
Of course some critics say that having been created makes Jesus (Yeshua) inferior, but the Bible shows the exact opposite at Philippians 2:1-11, "If there is therefore any exhortation in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any tender mercies and compassions, 2 make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; 3 [doing] nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself; 4 not looking each of you to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others. 5 Have this mind in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 who, existing in the form of God, counted not the being on an equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men; 8 and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, becoming obedient [even] unto death, yea, the death of the cross. 9 Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; 10 that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [things] in heaven and [things] on earth and [things] under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (ASV). Obviously all thinking people should believe the Bible and not accept the opinions of man.
LET'S REASON A LITTLE MORE ON THIS WORD BEGOTTEN/BEGET:
FIRST, you need to do a little thinking and I shall put to you with some questions to get you thinking.
a, I believe we both agree that Almighty God (YHWH) is a spirit creature and has never been a human and that he always existed. Now the scripture backs up the fact that he is a spirit at John 4:24, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." (American Standard Version; ASV). Now the Bible nowhere, as previously mentioned, mentions a Mrs. Almighty God, but indicates the that spirit beings do not have gender; therefore, begotten can not mean the same thing with respect to the spirit beings as to humans. The Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary says of the verb beget (1) to procreate as the father: sire (2) to produce as an effect: cause. And the same dictionary says with respect procreate (1) to beget or bring forth (offsprint): propagate: to beget or bring forth offspring: reproduce. And of sire (1)beget-- used esp. of male domestic animals (2) to bring into being: originate. And of cause (1) to serve as a cause or occasion of (2) to effect by command, authority, or force. And the Bible clearly says at John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (ASV) that we are children of God (YHWH); And at Romans 8:14-19, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear; but ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16 The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: 17 and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation waiteth for the revealing of the sons of God." (ASV); And at 1 John 3:1-2, "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this cause the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. 2 Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is." (ASV). So the scripture says we are sons of God (YHWH), how so? The scripture shows, " For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God." So in this case if we let God's (YHWH's) spirit or force lead us we are his sons or begotten of him, but not in a sexual context since our begetting was by his having his firstborn prepare the earth and then create mankind. At first mankind was only male, but then God (YHWH) saw he needed a companion and at Genesis 2:19-23, " And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for man there was not found a help meet for him. 21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: 22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." (ASV) so up to that time mankind consisted of a single sex, why so? Because he made man in his image and only later saw he needed a companion or help mate (read the first three chapters of Genesis). The animals all had companions of the opposite gender, but at first man did not, see Genesis 2:18, " 18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him." (ASV).
A. Now, the question, how would God (YHWH) beget except through creation, if there was no Mrs. God; think for a moment? Remember one of the definitions for beget is " to procreate as the father."
B. Mankind is spoken of as his children; yet mankind was created. The angels are spoken of as the sons of God (YHWH), yet we know they were created, so why should some get hung-up on logomachy?
C. Jesus (Yeshua) long before his arrival on earth existed in heaven and was the 'master worker' for his Father (YHWH) or his agent used to create all else as testified to at, Proverbs 8:22-31, " Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, as a master workman; And I was daily his delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (ASV). Note, this scripture states, " Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old." Clearly showing he was the firstborn or in his case the first created or caused to come into existence. The important thing here being he was the first of the children and/or sons of God (YHWH), then the Angels, and then all earthly beings. Before this there was only God (YHWH) through untold eons of time. He, Jesus (Yeshua) also was the first to be resurrected as shown at 1 Corinthians 15:20, "But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV). So his Father (YHWH) wanted his first Son, Jesus (Yeshua) to be first among creation in everything, that is why the scripture at Philippians 2:10-15, " that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmurings and questionings: 15 that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom ye are seen as lights in the world," (ASV).
Now what do some disagree with in these scriptures?
D. Some state as an objection, here is an interchange with a former member of the RCC (Roman Catholic Church) is used as an example with regard what he said, " The problem is that you don't always let the Bible speak for itself. You put your own interpretation on certain Scriptures so they match your own belief." Now with respect this statement, have you ever considered that you are actually doing what you charge me with doing. I also was once a member of world's largest cult the RCC, but saw their error from a study of the Bible. I put forth what I found to be the salient important doctrines contained in the Bible and then searched for groups basically in conformity with the Bible truths; whereas, it is apparent to me that you, probably unconsciously went the other way and without knowing it looked sub-consciously for what you had heard was the truth in the Bible. This approach is like buying a lottery number and hoping you will win by blind chance. Now how do you justify this type of search?
E. He states, " you will not accept the true meaning of certain words, therefore you remain deceived to some Biblical truth." Whereas, In reality I carefully search the meaning of words, and am well aware with respect how meaning of words change overtime. For this reason I often use interlinear Lexicons such as the Rotherham, Kingdom Interlinear, Thayer, Emphatic Diaglott, etc. When still in doubt, I consult by email or phone with one of the two greatest living experts on Koine Greek, Dr. Jason Benuhn at the University of Northern Arizona, and belong to a Koine Greek forum where I can in questions to be answered by Koine Greek experts at many leading Universities such as Washington University (NC), University of Oslo, etc. Now have you done a similar check of words?
G. Have you ever bothered to check the Koine Greek word for firstborn at Romans 8:29, "For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren:" (ASV), or contemplated why he would be the firstborn among many brethren?
Or Colossians "1:15 who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation;" or Colossians 1:18, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence." Or Revelation 1:5, " and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loveth us, and loosed us from our sins by his blood;" (all from the ASV)?
H. Here is something from a writing of mine you should seriously contemplate, " All except Almighty God (YHWH) is created at some point in time. Jesus (Yeshua) is subordinate to his Father (YHWH). Refer to Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men. " (ASV) and 1 Corinthians 15:22-29, "For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV), and John 5:20, "For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel." (ASV), and John 10:29, "My Father, who hath given [them] unto me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father's hand." (ASV), and John 14:28, "Ye heard how I said to you, I go away, and I come unto you. If ye loved me, ye would have rejoiced, because I go unto the Father: for the Father is greater than I." (ASV). So start really learning instead of thinking of snappy replies do to your failure to comprehend.
ALSO, LEARN FROM THE FOLLOWING::
1 Corinthians 1:21-24 For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure throuth the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe. 22 Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom: 23 but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumbling block, and unto Gentiles foolishness; 24 but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. (ASV)
These scriptures show it would be the obedient and not the wise who would be gaining God's (YHWH's) approval, and this is reaffirmed at 1 Corinthians 3:18-19, "let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:" (ASV); And God (YHWH) showed he would reveal it to 'babes' at Matthew 11:25, when his Son, Jesus (Yeshua) thanked him, "At that season Jesus answered and said, I thank thee O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou didst hide these things from the wise and understanding, and didst reveal them unto babes." (ASV); And at 2 Corinthians 4:4, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them." (ASV). Now this last scripture reveals two important Bible truths, First, the god (Satan) of this world has, "blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, should not dawn upon them," clearly showing the truth would be hid from those who consider themselves wise in their own reckoning. Second, that Jesus (Yeshua) was created in "the image of God."
Now many will say the Bible clearly states that that Jesus (Yeshua) was Begotten, and that puts Him in a different category to created beings, but is this correct? No it is not as we shall see. But first a little reasoning warm-up. We know that the son of a dog is always a dog also; therefore, it is only reasonable to expect that the Son of Almighty God (YHWH) would also be a divine being like his Father (YHWH). Now let's deal with the word 'beget,' the Funk & Wagnalls Standard College Dictionary defines it as follows: a verb meaning, 1. To procreate: be the father of. 2. To cause to be; occasion. With synonym being being to sire, father, engender, breed, propagate. And 'begotten' being the alternative past participle of 'beget.' Now lets consider the word to 'create' in the same dictionary, 1.To cause to come into existence; originate. 2 To be the cause of; occasion:, etc.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER THE WORD 'FIRSTBORN':
Now let's consider one Koine Greek word, PROTOTOKOS ("Firstborn") as an example of in-depth word research and what it really means:
Its Meaning and Usage in the New Testament,
The Apostle Paul left us two great passages expressing his teaching concerning the person of Christ in His pre-incarnate state: Philippians 2:5-7 and Colossians 1:15-17. It is interesting that both passages provide quite a challenge to the translator, though their meaning undoubtedly was clear to their original audiences. In the Colossians passage, Paul describes the Lord Christ as "the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation." (New American Standard Bible: NASB). He then goes on to ascribe to Jesus the creation of "ta panta," all things, i. e., the universe and all that is in it.(1) How, then, are we to understand Paul's use of the phrase, "first-born"? What does this word tell us about Jesus Christ? How is it used in the New Testament?
The word under consideration is "prototokos." It is made up of two words, "protos," meaning first,(2) and "tokos" from "tikto," "to give birth."(3). There is little evidence that the word "prototokos" was used extensively before the time of the Septuagint.(4) Its basic meaning is the first one born, the first born child. However, it must be examined in its context to determine its true meaning.
"Usage in the Septuagint"
The word "prototokos" is used approximately 130 times in the Septuagint (LXX). About 70 of those instances will be found in the genealogical lists of Genesis and Chronicles, and here it retains its literal meaning of "first-born."(5) The Hebrew word "bekor" is consistently translated by "prototokos" in the LXX. It must be remembered that the "bekor," the first-born, was entitled to the double portion (Deuteronomy 21:17), to the blessing (Genesis 27), and to special treatment (Genesis 43:33).(6) An etymological study of "bekor" reveals that it is not related in its root meaning to either the ideas of "protos" or "tokos," and hence the meanings might have become "detached altogether from the idea of birth or the whole question of origin."(7)
This idea of "prototokos" is seen clearly in the Old Testament. For example, the Septuagint translators utilized "prototokos" in their rendition of Exodus 4:22: "Then you shall say to Pharaoh, 'Thus says the LORD, "Israel is My son, My first-born."' " (LXX: "prototokos"). Obviously here the emphasis is on the primacy of Israel's relation to God. Of all nations, Israel is chosen specially by God to occupy a place of high honor and esteem. In 1 Chronicles 5:1-2 we read of Reuben, the first-born of Israel, losing his birthright for his sin. Here the idea of first-born carries with it much more than just temporal ascendancy.
In Jeremiah 31:9 the Scriptures record God as saying, "I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is My first-born." Passages such as this provided a basis for the later Rabbinic interpretation that referred to the nation of Israel as God's "first-born" in the special sense of Israel's superiority and exaltation above the nations of the earth. Seemingly the most significant passage is to be found at Psalm 89:27: "I shall also make him My first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth." This highly Messianic passage paves the way for a solid understanding of the use of "prototokos" in the New Testament, especially in relation to the Messiah, Jesus. In this passage, a clear emphasis on the pre-eminence and superiority of the coming Messiah is emphasized.
"New Testament Usage"
In the New Testament we find the word "prototokos" used a total of eight times. Six of these instances are in the singular and refer to the Lord Christ, two are in the plural form.( These passages are: Luke 2:7, Romans 8:29, Colossians 1:15 and 1:18, Hebrews 1:6, 11:28, 12:23, and Revelation 1:5. The first passage, Luke 2:7 of the Christmas narrative, refers to the basic meaning of the word as it is used in the genealogy lists of the Old Testament. The other references, however, take on a far greater meaning.
In the New Testament usage, the emphasis is placed not on the "tokos" but instead upon the "protos." The word stresses superiority and priority rather than origin or birth. This can be seen as early as the LXX usage, where it has been pointed out that Israel, as God's first-born, certainly can not be seen as the first creation of God, but rather His special choice and pre-eminent people. The Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker Lexicon says, "This expression...is also used in some instances where it is uncertain whether the force of the element "-tokos" is still felt at all...Col. 1:15."(9)
In Romans 8:29, the Lord Christ is described as "the first-born among many brethren." These brethren are, of course, the glorified Christians. Here the Lord's superiority and sovereignty over "the brethren" is acknowledged, as well as His leadership in their salvation. "As the brethren of Christ, all Christians will share his destiny (c.f. Heb. 2:10-17), and Christ is the pre-eminent Son among the sons of God (c.f. 1:3)."(10). The term "prototokos" is used here as a title, and no idea of birth or origin is seen.
In both Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5, Christ Jesus is called the first-born of the dead (or "from" the dead). These would refer especially to the leadership of Christ in bringing about the resurrection of the dead and inauguration of a new, eternal life. Some think that Colossians 1:15-20 is an ancient Christian hymn, and the Greek words "prototokos" and "proteouon" are a play on sound.(11)
The greatest amount of discussion and exegesis has centered around Paul's use of "prototokos pases ktiseos" of Christ in Colossians 1:15. The early Church Fathers argued it, and modern scholars have spent more time discussing this use than all seven other instances combined
The The New Testament Greek Lexicon defines prototokos as follows:
the firstborn
of man or beast
of Christ, the first born of all creation [source - The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer's and Smith's Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament." These files are public domain. ]
The Expositor's Greek Testament" defines "prototokos" in this way: ..."prototokos" in its primary sense expresses temporal priority, and then, on account of the privileges of the firstborn, it gains the further sense of dominion.(15) R. M. Clark put it succinctly:[source - The Expositor's Greek Testament].
"Prototokos", first-born...The original meaning of the word is giving birth for the first time. Later it came to mean the first-born or first in rank. This is the N. T. meaning. In the N. T. the "-tokos" element is clearly implied only in Luke 2:7, in other places it tends to recede into the background.(16) [source - The "Linguistic Key to the Greek New Testament" by Fritz Reinecker and Cleon Rogers, distills down the scholastic information and says, "The word emphasizes the preexistence and uniqueness of Christ as well as His superiority over creation.
Now Consider Proverbs 8:22-31, "Jehovah possessed me in the beginning of his way, Before his works of old. 23 I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, Before the earth was. 24 When there were no depths, I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water. 25 Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills was I brought forth; 26 While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, Nor the beginning of the dust of the world. 27 When he established the heavens, I was there: When he set a circle upon the face of the deep, 28 When he made firm the skies above, When the fountains of the deep became strong, 29 When he gave to the sea its bound, That the waters should not transgress his commandment, When he marked out the foundations of the earth; 30 Then I was by him, [as] a master workman; And I was daily [his] delight, Rejoicing always before him, 31 Rejoicing in his habitable earth; And my delight was with the sons of men." (American Standard Bible; ASV). Clearly this scripture shows that Jesus (Yeshua) was the firstborn or first of Creation and was his Father's (YHWH's) agent in the creation of all else and this is clearly affirmed in the New Testament at 1 Corinthians 15:22, " But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. 21 For since by man [came] death, by man [came] also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ's, at his coming. 24 Then [cometh] the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be abolished is death. 27 For, He put all things in subjection under his feet. But when he saith, All things are put in subjection, it is evident that he is excepted who did subject all things unto him. 28 And when all things have been subjected unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subjected to him that did subject all things unto him, that God may be all in all." (ASV).
NOW LET'S CONSIDER THE WORD 'SON':
The following is an actual discussion with one trying to give meaning to words that they do NOT have:
"FIRST, Words have several meanings in many cases, but you are trying to restrict the meaning of the word 'son'."
<<<reply of one trying to give a meaning to the word 'son' which it does NOT have] "I have not suggested any meaning that words do not have. The word, "son" does not mean "created" when used figuratively. The same is true of "firstborn" when it is used figuratively.>>>, and this individual tries to justify it by the following, <<<God is not limited by the terms "Father" and "Son" to our human limitations. No one is saying that Father and Son are the same. They are two different expressions of the same God.>>>. Clearly showing that he was trying and change the meaning of the words by denying the meanings they do have such as with respect father and firstborn son. Let's look at the facts.
His contention that 'son' does not mean 'created' when used figuratively is clearly shown to be incorrect by the International Encyclopedia of the Bible, and by the Bible,
1. Use of Title in the Synoptists:
While the title "the Son of man" is always, except once, applied by Jesus to Himself, "the Son of God" is never applied by Jesus to Himself in the Synoptists. When, however, it is applied to Him by others, He accepts it in such a way as to assert His claim to it. Now and then He Himself employs the abbreviated form, "the Son," with the same intention; and He often speaks of God as "the Father" or "my Father" or "my Father who is in heaven" in such a manner as to betray the consciousness that He is the Son of God.
2. Meanings in the Old Testament:
While to the common mind "the Son of man" is a title designating the human side of our Lord's person, "the Son of God" seems as obviously to indicate the divine side. But scholarship cannot take this for granted; and, indeed, it requires only a hasty glance at the facts to bring this home even to the general reader, because in Scripture the title is bestowed on a variety of persons for a variety of reasons. First, it is applied to angels, as when in Job 2:1 it is said that "the sons of God came to present themselves before Yahweh"; they may be so called because they are the creatures of God's hands or because, as spiritual beings, they resemble God, who is a spirit. Secondly, in Luke 3:38 it is applied to the first man; and from the parable of the Prodigal Son it may be argued that it is applicable to all men. Thirdly, it is applied to the Hebrew nation, as when, in Exodus 4:22, Yahweh says to Pharaoh, "Israel is my son, my first-born," the reason being that Israel was the object of Yahweh's special love and gracious choice. Fourthly, it is applied to the kings of Israel, as representatives of the chosen nation. Thus, in 2 Samuel 7:14, Yahweh says of Solomon, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son"; and, in Psalms 2:7, the coronation of a king is announced in an oracle from heaven, which says, "Thou art my son; this day have I begotten thee." Finally, in the New Testament, the title is applied to all saints, as in John 1:12, "But as many as received him, to them gave he the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name." When the title has such a range of application, it is obvious that the Divinity of Christ cannot be inferred from the mere fact that it is applied to Him.
3. Sense as Applied to Jesus:
It is natural to assume that its use in application to Jesus is derived from one or other of its Old Testament uses; and the one almost universally fixed upon by modern scholarship as that from which it was derived is the fourth mentioned above--that to the Jewish kings. Indeed, it is frequently asserted that in the Jewish literature between the Old Testament and the New Testament, it is found already coined as a title for the Messianic king; but the instances quoted by Dalman and others in proof of this are far from satisfactory.
...furst'-born, furst'-ling (bekhor; prototokos):
The Hebrew word denotes the firstborn of human beings as well as of animals (Exodus 11:5), while a word from the same root denotes first-fruits (Exodus 23:16). All the data point to the conclusion that among the ancestors of the Hebrews the sacrifice of the firstborn was practiced, just as the firstlings of the flocks and the first-fruits of the produce of the earth were devoted to the deity. The narrative of the Moabite war records the sacrifice of the heir to the throne by Mesha, to Chemosh, the national god (2 Kings 3:27). The barbarous custom must have become extinct at an early period in the religion of Israel (Genesis 22:12). It was probably due to the influence of surrounding nations that the cruel practice was revived toward the close of the monarchical period (2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; Jeremiah 7:31; Ezekiel 16:20; 23:37; Micah 6:7). Jeremiah denies that the offering of human beings could have been an instruction from Yahweh (7:31; 19:5).
The prophetic conception of God had rendered such a doctrine inconceivable. Clear evidence of the spiritualization and humanizati0n of religion among the Israelites is furnished in the replacement, at an early stage, of the actual sacrifice of the firstborn by their dedication to the service of Yahweh. At a later stage the Levites were substituted for the firstborn. Just as the firstlings of unclean animals were redeemed with money (Exodus 13:13; 34:20), for the dedication of the firstborn was substituted the consecration of the Levites to the service of the sanctuary (Numbers 3:11-13,15). On the 30th day after birth the firstborn was brought to the priest by the father, who paid five shekels for the child's redemption from service in the temple (compare Luke 2:27; Mishna Bekhoroth viii.8). For that service the Levites were accepted in place of the redeemed firstborn (Numbers 3:45). See note. According to Exodus 22:29-31 the firstborn were to be given to Yahweh. (The firstborn of clean animals, if free from spot or blemish, were to be sacrificed after eight days, Numbers 18:16.) This allusion to the sacrifice of the firstborn as part of the religion of Yahweh has been variously explained. Some scholars suspect the text, but in all probability the verse means no more than similar references to the fact that the firstborn belonged to Yahweh (Exodus 13:2; 34:19). The modifying clause, with regard to the redemption of the firstborn, has been omitted. The firstborn possessed definite privileges which were denied to other members of the family. The Law forbade the disinheriting of the firstborn (Deuteronomy 21:15-17). Such legislation, in polygamous times, was necessary to prevent a favorite wife from exercising undue influence over her husband in distributing his property, as in the case of Jacob (Genesis 25:23). The oldest son's share was twice as large as that of any other son. When Elisha prayed for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, he simply wished to be considered the firstborn, i.e. the successor, of the dying prophet. Israel was Yahweh's firstborn (Exodus 4:22 privileges. She occupied a unique position in virtue of the special relationship between Yahweh and the nation. In three passages (Romans 8:29; Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 1:6), Jesus Christ is the firstborn--among many brethren (Romans 8:29); of every creature (Colossians 1:16). This application of the term to Jesus Christ may be traced back to Psalms 89:27 where the Davidic ruler, or perhaps the nation, is alluded to as the firstborn of Yahweh. [source - International Encyclopedia of the Bible].
The Bible, Revised Standard Version, (RSV).
Lu 2:7 - (RSV)
And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Ro 8:29 - (RSV)
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren.
Col 1:15 - (RSV)
He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;
Col 1:18 - (RSV)
He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent.
Heb 11:28 - (RSV)
By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the first-born might not touch them.
Heb 12:23 - (RSV)
and to the assembly of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to a judge who is God of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Re 1:5 - (RSV)
and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood [source - the Revised Standard Bible, RSV]
He tried to either give a different meaning and/or deny a legitimate meaning to both 'son' and 'first born' which is just plain wrong and misguided.
LET'S LOOK AT ATTEMPTS TO SUBVERT THE MEANING OF 'FATHER.'
Actual comment by one trying to change the meaning of the word 'father.' <<<It is clear that you don't understand that earthly terms do not always mean exactly the same thing when applied to God. For example, God is called "Father", yet to be a father one must have a wife to be mother. Equally so Jesus is called "Son", by your logic, we must start looking for a mother.>>>
Clearly showing he does not understand even this well known word/term which can have various meanings. To me it is clear that Almighty God (YHWH) is rightfully called a father as he created and/or caused to be created all else so he is a father to the entire human race. To create in the sense that God (YHWH) created does not require that he have a wife, but apparently some are ignorant of this fact. Jesus (Yeshua) is spoken of as the beloved only begotten of his father which is the equivalent of firstborn or created, but obviously some are ignorant of this fact. Let's look at how other reliable sources define 'father.'
Let's look at some source information of 'father."
See Part Two: