Because He Could Swear By No Greater
Hello Mr. Vinson and IWWB, I have spent a lot of time wandering in and out of understanding as to who and what manner of God we have. I was at one time under the belief of the Jehovah’s Witness heresy that Christ was not divine, but simply a “little god”. Then I was under the belief that Jesus was just a chosen man in the manner of Moses or Elijah. The difference was that God’s full Spirit had come to rest on Christ. Now I know and understand that Christ is God, because He just recently allowed me to see and fully understand Php 2:5-8 and what those verses are really saying. I now know that Jesus Christ is God Almighty and that Jesus is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Thank the Lord for that! A huge burden has been lifted and the path to fully knowing God and His Father or My Father’s Father is opening for me. I only have one snag, and I am turning to a brother in Christ who is far more schooled in the deep things of God than I.
Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
“God” is Christ Jesus in that verse.. I don’t know why this causes me such confusion, but in my mind it “appears” that Christ would not be able to swear by Himself on the grounds of “none greater to swear by” if His Father is greater than He. I have meditated on this for many days and many nights, and the only explanation that keeps coming back is that Christ was equal with His Father or ” all power” is given to Him by His Father. That’s all I can figure based on scripture that I know currently. These seem most plausible to me, but I can’t cement it into my faith because it’s not confirmed in me as so many other truths have been. I keep wanting to wander back to a “heirarchy” mentality. Perhaps this is a small lesson in patience, but I want to finish this segment of my study and move on to other subjects of God’s Word. Perhaps, if this “theory” of mine is correct and confirmed by a brother I trust in the things of God, I can finally move on in my search for that most valuable of treasures. I know it seems silly.. If I am wrong on any point, PLEASE correct me. With much gratitude, R_____
Hi R____,
Thank you for your question about Christ’s relationship with His Father. For a much more indepth treatment of this subject be sure to read The Head of Christ Is God on iswasandwillbe. com.
You are, of course, right about Christ being “The Almighty” of Revelation one:
Rev 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Christ is ‘the Almighty’ in the same sense that Joseph was ‘almighty’ in all the land of Egypt. Christ is ‘Almighty in the sense given us in Php 2:
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Php 2:9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Php 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of [ things] in heaven, and [ things] in earth, and [ things] under the earth;
Php 2:11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
We confess that Jesus is “the Almighty… to the glory of God the Father” because:
1Co 15:27 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.
But Christ never thinks of Himself as separate from His Father. Here is how Christ thinks of His own relationship with His Father:
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
Here is the verse that tells us that the ‘God’ who spoke with, and appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all of those to whom He appeared in the Old Testament, was none other than Christ Himself and was never ever God the Father:
Joh 5:37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
There were several people who both heard the voice and saw the form of Yahweh. But as we saw in Php 2, Christ was given a name that was above every name, so there was no way for Him to swear by a greater name than Himself.
Heb 6:13 For when God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by no greater, he swore by himself,
I hope this all helps you to clear this up for you.
Mike
Other related posts
- Wisdom Is 'She' (June 21, 2014)
- Who Walks To And Fro In The Earth? (November 18, 2009)
- Where Does Scripture Say That All Ungodly Men, Devils and Satan are Brought Out of the Lake of Fire? (March 19, 2020)
- To Give Account Of Every Idle Word (November 18, 2009)
- Think It Not Robbery To Be Equal With Christ (December 18, 2009)
- The Words Might Be (October 5, 2011)
- The Sins of The First Adam (June 30, 2010)
- The Saviors of Obadiah 21 (May 7, 2008)
- The Lord And His Church (April 7, 2010)
- The Book of Hebrews - Heb 12:9-17 "Be in Subjection unto the Father of Spirits and Live" - Part 2 (April 15, 2021)
- The Biblical Overview of The Plan of God - Part 14 (January 30, 2015)
- Sovereignty Introduction (May 7, 2009)
- Seven Steps of Salvation (February 8, 2013)
- Resurrection(s) (August 26, 2010)
- Pledging Our Allegiance (August 25, 2008)
- Not The God Of The Dead (April 25, 2010)
- Job 14:1-10 "Who Can Bring a Clean Thing Out of an Unclean?" (April 8, 2012)
- Is God Totally Sovereign? (December 8, 2008)
- Is God Sovereign? (January 23, 2006)
- Is God Judging Us Today? (April 25, 2007)
- In What Way Is Christ God (June 3, 2008)
- How Christ is God? (November 25, 2007)
- Gospels in Harmony - The Coming of the Son of Man and the Lesson of the Fig Tree (August 17, 2021)
- Gods Two Amazing Miracles (August 2, 2008)
- God Is Love! (February 7, 2010)
- God And Suffering (July 6, 2006)
- Do We Cease to Exist When God is All in All? (November 26, 2012)
- Do The Aions Come To An End? (October 6, 2008)
- Do Men Conspire To Rule This World? (January 6, 2010)
- Did We Consciously Pre_Exist? (December 30, 2010)
- Continue to Fight the Good Fight (June 23, 2011)
- Can Universalism be Refuted? (September 7, 2004)
- Because He Could Swear By No Greater (August 30, 2007)
- All Things Come Alike To All (December 31, 2010)
- All The Petty Details of Life? (March 5, 2008)
- All In All And Ranking (August 1, 2010)
- All In All And Family Members (January 27, 2010)
- Aionian Life is not Eternal (October 12, 2010)
- After the Counsel of His Own Will - parts 11-20 (April 29, 1997)
- After The All In All (July 20, 2010)