A Message for Jews

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Whether or not "the Gospel writers" were actually doing that, I do believe that is what many apologists or whatever do today. Rather than just seeing things as written, they use mere word searches to compile "topical notes" and then get things all mis-construed.

He is not God. He is God's son. That's the difference and something the churches of Christendom teach. It is a false doctrine based on pagan origins.

... and one that effectively places the son ahead of the father.

How so?

My simplest example:

As a child, I was taught to pray to "Jesus" ... but nothing of the such can be found in Scripture where the *son* prayed to the *father*.

Bottom line:

"... whosoever shall call on YHWH shall be delivered" (Joel 2:32).

"... whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be saved" (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).

"[He is] YHWH and there is no saviour but [Him]" (Isaiah 43:11; Hosea 13:4).

So far as the Gospels go, naturally you're not going to pray to someone who's standing right there. And of course Christ isn't going to pray to Himself. The book of Acts abounds with instances of people calling on the name of Jesus, and makes it explicit (Acts 4:12, and the preceding discourse) that His is the only name by which we are to be saved. The Epistles aren't shy about the whole thing either.

Are we to then believe his own example was to be forgotten after he was gone?


Another "proof" (logical argument) the son was only a son.


I believe name-likeness is an accurate comprehension of that.


By comprehending name-likeness, that squares completely with this:

"... whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be saved" (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).


Agreed, and in not even one place is anyone ever told/taught to pray to "Jesus".

Yes, whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved - hence all the pointed mentions in the New Testament of "the Lord Jesus Christ", "Jesus Christ our Lord", "the Lord Jesus", "the name of the Lord Jesus," etc. The Jewish authors knew exactly what they were doing by writing that. It's not "name-likeness" (assuming I understand the term). They were clearly equating Christ with God, and giving His name, Jesus, as the name of the Lord that we are to call on. God took human flesh and a human name; the unknowable became knowable. The injunction on the Name still stands.

If you can read the New Testament and come away believing that no one is taught to pray to Christ - honestly, I got nothin'. It's all over the place, to the degree that I don't know how you can miss it.

The lingual scholars might have to straighten me out here, but I think "the Lord Jesus Christ" would amount to something like "Adonai Yahuahshua Messiah" ... and now you tell me where that squares with this:

"... whosoever shall call on the name of YHWH shall be saved" (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13).

... and yes, since it does run throughout, I cannot imagine anyone missing "name-likeness" there:

The obedient son/child is a perfect reflection of his/her father.


It is not for me to judge your understanding there (or anywhere else), but I can definitely say those Jewish authors were most certainly *not* teaching people to "pray to 'Jesus'" and/or to place a son ahead of his father.


In the sense of name-likeness, yes.


That is the twisted doctrine of today's Christianity.


No, the father simply blessed (anointed) a son with his (the father's) "spirit" (likeness).


Show me just one ... and I am already very familiar with Christian extrapolation.

Could you explain name-likeness, so I can know a bit better where you're coming from?

I have a father and I used to work in my father's factory, and my co-workers there all clearly understood that anything I ever said or did might just as well have come directly from my father ... and my father never had to stop me from saying or doing anything there because he knew I was obedient to him. So, it was as if I was actually transparent there and my father was still always "the man" ... and my co-workers and I all simply worked to carry out his bidding.

Disclaimer: None of us humans there were perfect, of course, and the above is meant to only address the question at hand.

Whereas scripture shows that Jesus himself is subject to God and returns the repaired creation back to God after the 1000 year reign.

1 Corinthians 15

20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[c] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

@Lee - If 'calling on the name of the Lord/of Jesus' is not prayer, then what is it...but for a verse using the specific word 'prayer', there's Acts 7:59: "[Stephen] prayed, 'Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.'" That's on a glance-through, I don't have time just now for a more comprehensive look.

Got you on the subject of "name-likeness"; thanks.

Having been stirred, I would begin here:

"... he (Stephanos), being filled with the Set-apart Spirit, looked steadily into the heaven and saw the esteem of Elohim, and YahuShua standing at the right hand of Elohim, and he said, 'Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Ad'am standing at the right hand of Elohim!' And crying out with a loud voice, they (those who would stone him) stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one mind, and threw him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Sha’ul. And they were stoning Stephanos as he was calling and saying, 'Master YahuShua, receive my spirit.' And kneeling down he cried out with a loud voice, 'Master, do not hold this sin against them.' And having said this, he fell asleep."
(Act 7:55-60, ISR, emphasis added)

Whew. Powerful stuff!

The prayer there was not for salvation (or a new job or car) and it is completely consistent with what I am saying ...

Whatever "the name of the Lord/of Jesus'" might mean to you, it can still really only be one thing, and that single thing it can be, at least in this context, is (maybe-and-as an ability to see or evidence of) the grace of the father: Either we are saved by grace, or we are not.

Modern-day Christianity, however, essentially uses "Jesus" -- "Hey Zeus", eh?! -- like a skirt/cloak to try to hide behind while living in open lawlessness (with Torah nowhere even within sight) ... or at least that is my own crude description of the state of Christianity as I happen to know it.

He who endures to the end will be saved, YahuShua (YahSaves) said, and "right fellowship and worship" (Torah) is, by grace, what happens to actually make that possible.

PS:

"But Elohim, who is rich in compassion, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Messiah ... and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenlies in Messiah YahuShua, in order to show in the coming ages the exceeding riches of His (the father's) favour in kindness toward us in (the all of) Messiah YahuShua. For by (unmerited) favour (grace) you have been saved, through belief ..."
(Eph 2:4-9, ISP, emphasis added)

@Natty_Boh: I do not want to do any more inserting there and make that unreadable, but the comprehension of "name-likeness" in conjunction with obedience under "grace by faith" (even making obedience even possible) actually overlays all of that ... and all of that is just *soooo* much more than "just believe in 'Jesus'" (like some kind of magic pill) and one can take advantage of forgiveness.

However, even those words yet seem so inadequate ...

Oh well!