Jesus must be God.

I thank you for your confident acceptance. I know that as long as we are respectful to one another, we will have a great and productive debate. Initial Argument(1) Jesus is God because He said that He was. (2) Jesus never lied.(3) Therefore, Jesus is God. I am sure you would agree with me when I say that this syllogism is very inadequate for the depth of the topic we are debating, and for this I apologize. There are many approaches to this topic and I have chosen the one that is most appropriate for this type of online debate. Anything else would seem to be very abstract even for this website. However, It will suffice in presenting a basic format for us to argue by.With this being said, let us review this syllogism.The first premise is going to be what we dispute the most; I imagine that this will be the backbone for the entire debate. The second premise is a given, you and I both agreed to this fact. The conclusion however, is just a marrying of the two complimentary premises.As you can see, this debate will be heavily influenced by the decision of the first premise. I will now affirm our positions.My Position I must provide evidence that Jesus said He was/is God. Jesus claimed that He is/was the Word of God in human flesh so, due to the second premise, the Bible can be considered Jesus' word. Therefore, I must provide evidence that the Bible suggests that Jesus is God. Your PositionYou must provide evidence that Jesus said He was/is not God. Jesus claimed that He was/is the Word of God in human flesh so, due to the second premise, the Bible can be considered Jesus' word. Therefore, you must provide evidence that Jesus said He was/is not God.ContentionI contend that Jesus did in fact state He was/is God in John 10:30. (I noticed this verse was used in your previous debate and so I will provide further input). John 10:30 reads plainly as follows: "I and my Father are one."Context: (Joh_10:1-5)The parable of the good shepherd.(Joh_10:6-9)Christ the Door.(Joh_10:10-18)Christ the good Shepherd.(Joh_10:19-21)The Jews' opinion concerning Jesus.(Joh_10:22-30)His discourse at the feast of dedication.(Joh_10:31-38)The Jews attempt to stone Jesus.(Joh_10:39-42)He departs from Jerusalem. These contextual references clearly align the context of the chapter. Notice that we are concerning the verse "John 10:30" which is in the fifth contextual grouping. Notice that in the following series of verses "group six starting with John 10:31" shows that the Jews attempt to kill Jesus after Jesus makes the statement that He and God are "one" (we will show proper concern to this word later). With this type of reaction, we can only know that the power of that verse (John 10:30) is real. If Jesus was meaning other than that He was God (such as only meaning that He was in agreement with God) surely there wouldn't have been such a terrible, emotional response. Please keep this in mind while we walk through this verse word by word.John 10:30 "I and my Father are one"This verse is a clear example of the purpose and essence of Jesus Christ.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I-and-my-Father-are-one-:-I- ἐγώ; egō; eg-o'; A primary pronoun of the first person, “I” (only expressed when emphatic): - I, me. For the other cases and the plural see -and- kai kahee Apparently a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so, then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words: - and, also, both, but, even, for, if, indeed, likewise, moreover, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yea, yet.-my-Father- patēr; pat-ayr'; Apparently a primary word; a “father” (literally or figuratively, near or more remote): - father, parent.-are- esmen; es-men'; Frist person plural indicative of G1510; we are: - are, be, have our being, X have hope, + [the gospel] was [preached unto] us.-one- heis; hice; (Including the neuter [etc.] ἕν hen); a primary numeral; one: - a (-n, -ny, certain), + abundantly, man, one (another), only, other, some. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------With this in depth insight into the entire Greek interpretation of the verse, it is clearly evident that Jesus was saying that He is God. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Taking our contextual overview into account along with our Biblical understanding, it is perfectly logical to assume that Jesus was/is not lying when He makes the statement that He is in fact God, in the singular sense. To argue any other way against this verse would be to take it outside of it's well established context or to manipulate its clear Greek meaning. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Counter ArgumentMany suggest that Jesus is not God due to the fact that He was seen, tempted, and prayed to God, whom Jesus called "Father". Response:(1) Jesus was tempted while God cannot be tempted.(2) Jesus was seen while God cannot be seen.(3) Jesus prayed to His "Father" (God).------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------(1) and (2) The original verses that express these truths are true. God cannot be tempted, but Jesus is God you say? That too is true. Jesus in His human nature, could be tempted while being God. He also could be seen. This is true because Jesus took came to earth as a human. So in Jesus' humanity, He could be both tempted and seen and could even experience pain. As for (3), Jesus did pray to His "Father" (God). The Father is a separate part of the trinity, or triune God doctrine, that is, One God In Three Personalities. This chart should illustrate my point Let me know if you cannot view the image and I will provide a link for you to access it. So as my image clearly shows, Jesus is God, but the Son is not the Father. Jesus is the same but different. The nature of this, or how exactly this is possible is never explained, but neither is the beginning of God explained. There are many questions regarding this topic that are not meant to be answered by man. This being one of them.Here is a chart to help illustrate my point of Jesus being both God and Man: Jesus as one person with two natures GOD MAN He is worshiped (Matt. 2:2,11; 14:33; 28:9)He is prayed to (Acts 7:59; 1 Cor. 1:1-2)He was called God (John 20:28; Heb. 1:8)He was called Son of God (Mark 1:1)He is sinless (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15)He knew all things (John 21:17)He gives eternal life (John 10:28)The fullness of deity dwells in Him (Col. 2:9) He worshiped the Father (John 17)He prayed to the Father (John 17:1)He was called man (Mark 15:39; John 19:5).He was called Son of Man (John 9:35-37)He was tempted (Matt. 4:1)He grew in wisdom (Luke 2:52)He died (Rom. 5:8)He has a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:39) I believe that this argument helps to excuse all other interpretation. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Final Topical NotesI hope that these seemingly scriptural discrepancies have been properly refuted in a matter most respectful and clear. Please note these last references: John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." and 1 John 5:7 "For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I am confident that these verses help to provide a foundation for my clause. Good Luck.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Sources:E-Swordhttp://carm.org...