Session 3 Response Paper
Explaining how God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are one can be challenging. However, it's important to note that Catholic New Testament scholar Raymond Brown emphasized the New Testament, referring to Jesus as "God" on three separate occasions, which holds significant implications. 1.
The fourth gospel begins with the declaration that "the Word was God" (John 1:1 NIV2015)
2.
In John 20:28, Thomas explicitly acknowledges Jesus as "my Lord and my God."(NIV 2015)
The Book of Hebrews begins with a clear interpretation of a psalm that directly addresses Jesus as God (Hebrews 1:8 NIV 2015)
The writers of the New Testament chose not to directly refer to Jesus as "God."
It is imperative that as God's people, we expand our minds and become more receptive to various perspectives. The Bible is a rich source of valuable teachings that we can all benefit from.
Erickson (2015) argues that while Jesus did not explicitly proclaim his divinity, there is ample evidence suggesting that he comprehended himself as divine and possessed the attributes that only God could possess.
Based on the Bible, it is evident that God came to Earth in the form of the Son. Although Jesus never directly claimed to be God, his extraordinary abilities, including turning water into wine, healing a blind man, and rising from the tomb, provide compelling evidence that he possessed the divine power of God.
