Before answer to the question, another question just prompts to my mind: Why must he state it overtly? Undoubted, we agreed that divinity of Christ is important to Christian faith but it does not means that it is necessary for Jesus stated it overtly.
Likewise, I would suggested that Jesus didn’t stated it overt is because the purpose of Jesus incarnated into the world as man to show us that He experienced what a man experienced. Theologically, I believed that God need not come to earth to save man but Jesus, as God willing to come and sacrifice His life to redeem our life. With this, we can see Jesus choose not to use his divinity while his on earth for the sake of accomplish his mission on earth. Not only this, I also would suggest that His divinity made Him couldn’t carry the mission of incarnation but only through incarnation as man-liked, he able to redeem our life.
Hi Cheryl,
回复删除We all agreed that the divinity of Christ is important to the Christian faith. You mention why must Jesus state it overtly because it is not necessary (if I understood your statement correctly)? But another question is also possible. Because the issue is of great importance to faith, will it not be true that for the same reason it is necessary that Jesus must state His divinity overtly?... at least at some point in time, to certain or selected individuals, implicitly or explicitly otherwise, which I think He did (I assume we are discussing about the earthly, yet to be glorified pre-resurrected Jesus). Perhaps it was necessary for Jesus to do that… What’s your opinion?
If faith is not presumption then faith needs to hook on something solid. In Peter’s case, his is a rock solid confession that hooked on a revelation from above that Jesus is the Son of God (Matt. 16:13-20). In this classic instance, it was the Father who revealed it to Peter. In my opinion that would not be possible if Peter had not first heard Jesus spoke about His divinity overtly, or openly, at some point in time, for the Father to reveal the ultimate truth to him eventually. I also think that Peter had begun to connect to the Father as he learned under Jesus. Faith, which is also a gift, cannot be manufactured by human. It comes by responding to definite divine revelation. Necessary to faith, God must first reveal Himself openly. This is what I think.
Hi, thank for comment.
回复删除Undoubtedly, i agree with you that Jesus might in some way showed/stated His divinity in His three years ministry on earth, however i believed that He didn't state it overtly, mainly because it is not the "time" yet for Him to reveal His divinity overtly.
besides this, in order to response to your view of point on Peter's case, i do not think that "Peter had first heard Jesus spoke about His divinity overtly, or openly, at some point in time" as refer to the scripture. According to the scripture, what Peter said is not revealed by man but by the father in Heaven, therefore i would is nothing to do with Jesus whether Peter had first heard/exposed to Jesus divinity. He just say what was putting in his heart by the Father in Heaven.
Thanks for your reply,
回复删除Just to clarify some thoughts, yeah, referring to Peter’s case I’m quoting, Jesus didn’t say to Peter ‘overtly’ that He is the Son of the Living God. In his confession, Peter draws the conclusion himself as to who Christ is as revealed to him by the Father. Jesus only asked the disciples the question who the majority of the people out there say He is, and then He asked the disciples who do they say He is? We see the contrast here at this point of time the different opinions people had concerning Jesus. At this stage if I’m not mistaken, Jesus’ mission on earth is about to be accomplished, and He wants the disciples to catch the revelation of His divinity, after all the thick and thin He had gone through with them these whole years, Jesus wants them to see the fullness of who He is, as the final and exact representative of the Father, in the form of the Son that He sent. Prophets and messengers that God had sent in the pasts were at best partial representatives, and they point to the Son. After this incident which happened in the area of Caesarea Philippi, six days later Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain and there He was transfigured with Elijah and Moses appeared before them. Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice (supposedly the voice of the Father) came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”
Now, there is one more occasion recorded in the Scripture where a voice from heaven (supposedly the voice of the Father) was heard testifying the divinity of Jesus Christ. This happens at the very onset of Jesus’ earthly ministry, when He came to be baptized by John the Baptist. And as Jesus was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Lk. 3:21, 22) John himself also introduced Jesus to the public as “…the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! …I have seen and testify that this is the Son of God.”(Jn. 1: 29 - 34) These three obvious testimonies concerning the divinity of Christ made by the Father, and also John, both at the very onset and offset of Jesus’ earthly ministry, in your estimation, were they overt, or open testimonies regarding Christ divinity? I sought your opinion, and perhaps you can elaborate a bit…