Did Jesus Repudiate His Divine Nature? by Wayne Jackson (Reprinted from The Christian Courier, January 13, 2004)
Some claim that Jesus, in his conversation with the rich, young
ruler (Mk. 10:17-18), denied that he possessed the nature of deity.
What is the truth of this matter?
Study this controversial passage with us.
"Did Jesus imply that he is not 'God,' in his statement
to the young ruler in Mark 10:18?"
Here is the disputed passage in full.
"And as he [Christ] was going forth into the way, there ran
one to him, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Teacher, what
shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto
him, Why do you call me good? none is good save one, even God"
(Mk. 10:17-18).
When the "rich young ruler" addressed Jesus as "Good
Teacher," the Lord posed this thought-provoking question:
"Why do you call me good? No one is good except One, even
God" (Mk. 10:17-18). In making this response, was Christ
denying his divine nature? No; actually, the gist of his argument
was just the opposite.
The young man carelessly had used the word "good," as
though Jesus was merely a good teacher in much the same way that
certain rabbis had distinguished themselves as effective teachers,
though apparently the expression "Good Teacher" was
not formally used of the rabbis (I.H. Marshall, "Mark,"
The Daily Devotional Bible Commentary, Nashville: Holman, 1977,
p. 140), which makes this incident all the more exceptional. The
ruler's casual use of the adjective had been evidenced already
when he inquired about what "good thing" might he do
to inherit eternal life - as reflected in Matthew's parallel account
(Mt. 19:16).
Clearly the Lord turned the conversational flow in another direction,
employing the term "good" in an unusual sense; indeed,
in the absolute sense - perfect goodness (see A.T. Robertson,
A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical
Research, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1919, p. 661). That
Jesus used the term "good" in the absolute sense, rather
than in a relative sense, is evident from the fact that, in describing
the final Judgment of mankind, the Lord pledged to acknowledge
the faithful as "good" servants (Mt. 25:21,23) - without
any implication that they possessed the nature of deity.
In the case at hand, the Savior - ever looking for just the right
opportunity to instruct - seized upon the man's language to drive
home a tremendously important point.
The Master Teacher was attempting to lead the young gentleman
into an analysis of his use of "good." E. Bickersteth
paraphrases the Lord in this way. "If you call me good, believe
that I am God; for no one is good, intrinsically good, but God"
("St. Mark," The Pulpit Commentary, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans,
1962, II, p. 61). Similarly, R.C. Foster renders it: "Do
you know the meaning of this word you apply to me and which you
use so freely? There is none good save God; if you apply that
term to me and you understand what you mean, you affirm that I
am God" (Studies in the Life of Christ, Grand Rapids: Baker,
1971, p. 1022).
In view of the massive volume of evidence in the Scriptures which
indicates that Christ possessed a divine nature (e.g., Isa. 7:14;
9:6; Jn. 1:1; 10:30; 20:28; etc.), how could anyone possibly arrive
at the conclusion, on the basis of this solitary passage, that
the Lord repudiated his own divine identity? No one would contend
for such a baseless view - unless pursuing a hostile agenda.
Are You Like Barabbas? By Andrew Mitchell (heb12-2@msn.com)
If you already know who Barabbas was, you may wonder why I would
ask you if you are like him. If you've never heard of him, besides
wondering who he was, you might ask, "What does he have to
do with knowing Jesus?" or "What does this Barabbas
have to do with me?"
1. Who Was Barabbas?
2. Are You Like Barabbas?
"Turning A Stray" by Dan Shipley (Reprinted from Plain Talk, January, 1982)
The bank just presented me with my annual dividend - a new wall calendar. I like it. Mostly, I guess, because it features a western scene. Its central figure is a hard riding cowboy attempting to turn a galloping steer back to the herd. The painting is appropriately called, "Turning astray". As I reflected on this scene and its title, it brought to mind another kind of stray - one whose plight ought to be the concern of every faithful Christian.
The spiritual stray represents one of the oldest and most perplexing problems among God's people. Scarcely a congregation has escaped his hurtful effects, not to mention what he does to himself. Many have agonized over solutions. What can we do? Well, regardless of what we decide, it may be helpful to ponder his plight for a moment. How does one get to be a stray to start with? Obviously, it is not a deliberate thing, as the word itself indicates. Another term describing the same process is the word "drift" as found in Heb. 2:1. In this context (v. 1-3) we find a clue, not only to the cause of this condition, but to its cure as well: "Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them... how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation...?" It is not that one plans to stray - in fact, many are a long time in realizing they have. And herein we see the deceptiveness of this gradual and almost unconscious process. It always begins with a slight loss of spiritual appetite; a little less interest; and a bit less involvement - almost imperceptible at first, not only to the stray but to his undiscerning brethren as well.
In fact, what we normally consider to be the first signs of drifting may be nearer the last - and that is absenteeism from Bible classes and worship services. This may be due to a faulty concept of faithfulness; one that is more oriented to the church than to the Lord. While it is true that faithfulness involves our presence in assemblies, it does not follow that merely attending services makes one faithful. Being in the pew and in the faith are not the same. Lips that say "Lord, Lord", even from the pew, mean very little when the heart is far from Him (Matt. 15:8). And such a heart is where the problem begins. In spiritual deterioration the heart is always first to go. So it is the straying heart and not so much its symptoms that must be dealt with if meaningful changes are to be effected. And this brings us back to the remedy suggested in our context.
The key to faithfulness is giving heed to "the things that were heard"; to the word of God - and the "more earnest", the better. The more one's attention is on God's truth, the less apt he is to stray. Not only will this keep one with God, it will restore the stray (if anything will). You might say that heeding Truth will keep us from turning astray and at the same time help us to turn a stray. Only an appeal to Truth can bring men to God or return men to Him. With it we can instruct, remind and admonish, but it is our only power to turn the stray. The need is heed!
FOOD FOR THOUGHT (Selected from The Beacon)
"Anger makes your mouth work faster than your mind."
"It may be that a dog is man's best friend because he wags his tail, and not his tongue."
"A child, like your stomach, doesn't need everything you can afford to give."
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Our weekly services are held at 1318 Griffin Road, Leesburg, Florida
34748.
Phone: (352) 365-9946 for times of services.
Web site: http://www.careydillinger.com/cocbs/cocbshp.htm
MONTHLY BIBLE READING: Lessons the Disciples Learned - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
GOSPEL MEETING: Our winter meeting is being held this week. Sunday night through Friday night. Services will be held at 6:00 PM on Sunday and 7:30 PM each weekday evening. It is our pleasure to have Robert Harkrider as our guest speaker each evening.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS
BIBLE INSIGHT is published for the members of, and visitors to,
the Church of Christ at Beverly Shores, Leesburg, Florida, USA.
Carey Dillinger is the editor. He can be reached at the church
address or via e-mail: webmaster@careydillinger.com