xjwsforChrist

Peace to you!

I do not want to start a trinity debate or anything. I think we have had plenty of those, lol. But I just want to speak about this particular line, in the passage about Thomas:

John 20: 26-29

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" Then he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here; see my hands. reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe."

Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"

Then Jesus told him, "Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."




Last year sometime, I was feeling so thankful for something, that while on my drive to work, I spoke in gratitude to "my Lord and my God." It came out totally naturally. But I did not say it as though my Lord and my God were the same person. I was literally saying "my Lord... AND... my God". Overcome with joy and gratitude to both of them. Christ... and God. I, then, immediately recalled Thomas saying the same thing, 'my Lord and my God'... also overwhelmed once Christ showed him the wounds in his hands and side. I know some use that verse to support the trinity, but here I had said that very thing, totally naturally - overwhelmed with joy and gratitude - without any connotations other than that I was thanking my Lord, and through my Lord (in gratitude for having been sent my Lord, by God), also my God.

I just want to add another perspective for others to ask Christ about, themselves.


Peace to you,

tammy

Tammy,

I completely hear you.

I repeat saying Father everyday. In the beginning I felt it might be disrespectful. Like I was trying to go to Jah without going through CHRIST first.

But I always understand CHRIST is my door and way into the most holy.
Even when I use the term " father" I understand I am going through christ first as a father as well and then to the most holy father.

CHRIST is referred to as an " Eternal father" to us.

Not a trinity, just ONE in spirit and from and of the same source. As we are as well! It is why we feel such a connection.

I don't have a problem looking to my Lord as my God (peace, dear tec, and thanks for posting this)... because he IS my God AND my father... in that he is the One who granted me holy spirit and thus "beget" me as a son of God. For me, it is the same as Jacob... and the Jews/Israel calling Abraham their father: for THEM... there was no "grandfather" but only fathers. Those who beget. And so, Judah was "the son of" Jacob/Israel, who was "the son of"... and so on.

Christ is my God... in that he is the HOLY One of Israel. He is not, however, the ALmighty God, the MOST Holy One of Israel... JAH of Armies... who is HIS Father... and thus mine.

We get hung up on the MODERN understanding of words and so fail to allow ourselves to be taken BACK... to how words were used and intended THEN. I can see how Thomas WOULD have called Christ his God: he'd just had it shown to him that Christ had indeed returned from the dead. Now, we can consider what he said in many ways:

"My Lord AND my God"

"MY Lord and MY God!"

"My Lord and my GOD!"

Doesn't matter (to me) really... as at some point we will ALL be gods. And there will be those who bow down before us (and I am NOT saying that to raise myself/us up, but simply because it is true: Israel will bow down before the Apostles, but ALL... INCLUDING the Apostles, the 24 elders, the living creatures, the myriad of angels... AND US... will bow down before Christ, the Lamb).

It is our human arrogance... and tendency of man to dominate man to his (own) injury... that makes such a prospect unpalatable: we want to be FREE and so take issue with ANY situation that denotes some kind of obeisance/servitude/subordination. Except, sometimes, when it comes to others of men. To THEM we will acquiesce, even denigrate ourselves.

This really is no different. Except... that those we all ultimately bow down TO... will never lord it OVER us. Rather, unlike man, we are lifted UP in our subservience, not brought down. TRULY free... not burdened and loaded down, again.

Thanks, dear tec... for bringing up this topic.

Peace to you!

YSSFS of Christ,

Shellamar

Yes, I can understand all of this, and thank you for that.


Peace to you!!

tammy

Thomas was stating that the RISEN Christ was His Lord AND His God.
Only Thomas knows for sure what EXACTLY He means BUT withing the context of the GOJ, it is quite clear that the whole GOJ makes the statement that Father and Son are God, not the same person of course, that is also made clear in John 1:1, but they same in all else that matters.

I agree with AGuest. Nothing wrong to call Jesus my God.