Is Jesus God?

[Jim108]

OK, most of you know me if you are a regular user. This question came up on another thread and I was asked to post it as a new thread. As some of you know, I am not LDS. I am born again. No religion, just a believer in Jesus. In my faith Jesus is God. I have come to understand that this is not the case with the LDS faith. This is why I believe.

1. The introduction to John's Gospel. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (The Word is God). ....and the Word became flesh. (God became flesh..ie Jesus)

2. John 20:19 Thomas declares Jesus as "my lord, my God" and Jesus states how more blessed those will be who believe this on faith alone.

3. John 10:30 Jesus says that I and the Father are one.

There is more, but this will do for now. Now I know that many places in the Bible talk about Father, Son and Spirit as seperate persons, but just as you are body, soul and spirit, God is Father, Son and Spirit and you can speak of them separately. I also would not like to get into the whole trinity thing. It has already been tossed around.

My question for you are these, (from the LDS perspective)

1. Is Jesus God?

2. When you pray, who is it that you pray to?

3. If Jesus is not God, then was Thomas wrong and Jesus confirmed a lie?

4. Is there more than one God?

I will promise you this, I will not respond to any answer. I just want to sit back and learn.
Thank you for allowing me to be a part of this site. It shows your good faith to allow different point of view. I do not think other such sites from other religions would be as friendly to outsiders, God Bless, Jim

[WillowTheWhisp]

1. Is Jesus God?

Yes,and no. Jesus is Jehovah the God of the Old Testament. He is Divine. He is a member of the Godhead. He is not God the Father. God the Father is the father of Jeus, as in "only begoten of the Father" "this is my beloved Son" etc

2. When you pray, who is it that you pray to?

I pray to Heavenly Father as Jesus taught us to. I pray in the nameof Jesus but I do not pray to Jesus or to anyone else.

3. If Jesus is not God, then was Thomas wrong and Jesus confirmed a lie?

No, Thomas was not wrong. He did not identify Jesus as God the Father. He identified him as divine and as God in the sense of God The Son.

4. Is there more than one God?

Yes.

[TheAngelPalmoni]

hmmm, I wonder, if you would be so generous as to tell us all what you currently already know about how we would answer this topic. Furthermore I hope you have an extremely good day.

~Angel Palmoni~

[pam]

2. When you pray, who is it that you pray to?

As taken from lds.org:

We are all children of God. He loves us and knows our needs, and He wants us to communicate with Him through prayer. We should pray to Him and no one else. The Lord Jesus Christ commanded, "Ye must always pray unto the Father in my name" (3 Nephi 18:19). As we make a habit of approaching God in prayer, we will come to know Him and draw ever nearer to Him. Our desires will become more like His. We will be able to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that He is ready to give if we will but ask in faith.

[pam]

3. John 10:30 Jesus says that I and the Father are one.

Though I haven't gone to read the scriptures that preceed and follow..whenever I hear this..my explanation is that they are ONE in purpose..not one being.

[Vort]

Originally Posted by Jim108

In my faith Jesus is God. I have come to understand that this is not the case with the LDS faith.

You are mistaken, but sometimes LDS word usage is subtle, so this is not surprising.

1. Is Jesus God?

Yes. Unequivocally, yes.

2. When you pray, who is it that you pray to?

I pray to the Father, and to him only. I do so in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.

3. If Jesus is not God, then was Thomas wrong and Jesus confirmed a lie?

N/A. Jesus is God.

4. Is there more than one God?

No. There is only one God.

As I said, word usage is a subtle thing for Latter-day Saints. We don't play around with definitions, but we do use words in a way others may not. As the Bible clearly teaches, Jesus and his Father are one -- one in purpose, one in intent, one in desire, one in work. In the same sense, the Bible teaches that Jesus and his followers are one. But Jesus and his Father are not one Being, any more than Jesus and you are one Being.

[Just_A_Guy]

Originally Posted by Jim

1. Is Jesus God?

He is a God and one of the three members of what we term the "Godhead" which consists of God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Spirit (Holy Ghost). They are united in purpose under the direction of God the Father, but are separate Beings.

2. When you pray, who is it that you pray to?

Usually God the Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ. However, there is scriptural precedent (in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible) for praying directly to Jesus when we are in His physical presence.

3. If Jesus is not God, then was Thomas wrong and Jesus confirmed a lie?

No. Jesus is a God. In fact, He is (per current LDS understanding and belief) Jehovah. But He is subordinate to His Father, Elohim.

4. Is there more than one God?

Yes--see above. But this is not a group of squabbling deities. It is a united council consisting of three individuals, two of whom (Jesus/Jehovah and the Holy Spirit) are subject to the third (God the Father/Elohim).

[pam]

Originally Posted by Vort

You are mistaken, but sometimes LDS word usage is subtle, so this is not surprising.



Yes. Unequivocally, yes.



I pray to the Father, and to him only. I do so in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ.



N/A. Jesus is God.



No. There is only one God.

As I said, word usage is a subtle thing for Latter-day Saints. We don't play around with definitions, but we do use words in a way others may not. As the Bible clearly teaches, Jesus and his Father are one -- one in purpose, one in intent, one in desire, one in work. In the same sense, the Bible teaches that Jesus and his followers are one. But Jesus and his Father are not one Being, any more than Jesus and you are one Being.

Vort your answers concerning is Jesus God are very confusing. You say Jesus IS God. Do you mean Jesus IS a God? Because I could take it to mean that you are saying Jesus and God are one and the same.

[Just_A_Guy]

Originally Posted by pam

Vort your answers concerning is Jesus God are very confusing. You say Jesus IS God. Do you mean Jesus IS a God? Because I could take it to mean that you are saying Jesus and God are one and the same.

Well, Jesus = Jehovah. So, to a mainstream Christian, for all practical purposes, Jesus is God as they know Him. It's just that we Mormons sort of insert a new being (or two!) into the equation.

[pam]

I understand that. But since the question is being asked what we as LDS believe..I wanted to make sure any answers are in line with what we truly believe.