From: emery@tc.fluke.COM (John Emery)
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc
Subject: Re: Jesus denied he was God
Date: 13 Aug 92 16:11:23 GMT
Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA

In article <adams.713475001@spssig> adams@spss.com (Steve Adams) writes:

>>>No, it would seem to me that Jesus was asking the person to consider who he
>>>was adressing.  In other words, the person had called Him 'good teacher'
>>>and Jesus said noone by God is good.  He asked WHY the man called Him good.
>>>To me, that is asking a reason of the man for the statement.
>>>
>>I have two objections to your interpretation. First, if Jesus were God,
>>he would have known the answer to the question as to why? Heck, I'm not
>>a god, and I can figure out that the man addressed him as "Good Teacher"
>>as a sign of respect. Why should this have been so difficult for Jesus
>>to figure out?
>That wasn't the point that Jesus was making.  If the man was going to call
>Him good, it had to be for the right reason.  If the man didn't know He was
>the Son of God, then he shouldn't have addressed Jesus as 'good'.
>
>>Secondly, if the man could have somehow figured out that Jesus was God
>>in disguise, why didn't Jesus praise the fellow for his insight? After
>>all, Peter supposedly got the keys of the kingdom for merely intuiting
>>that Jesus was the Messiah.
>Then he should have answered Jesus that he knew that Jesus was the Son of
>God...not just a teacher, and thus due the respect of that titile.
>
> -Steve
>--
> The opinions expressed above are those of the author and not SPSS, Inc.
>                        -------------------
>     adams@spss.com                           Phone: (312) 329-3522
>     Steve Adams                              Fax:   (312) 329-3558

That is a very good explanation, Steve.  One that I totally agree with.
It makes quite good sense in light of the rest of Scripture also.  For
instance, Scripture declares throughout that Jesus was *good*.  He said
in John 10 that he was the good Shepherd.  In Hebrews 13:20, he is called
the great Shepherd of the sheep.  In Acts 10:38, it says he went about
doing good, destroying the works of Satan.  Peter says of him, "Like
newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow
up into your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good."
(1 Peter 2:2-3)                                       ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In fact, Scripture declares that He was perfect and without sin:

1 Peter 2:22 "He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his
mouth."

2 Corinthians 5:21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in
him we might become the righteousness of God. (NIV)

1 John 3:5 But you know that he appeared so that he might take away our
sins. And in him is no sin. (NIV)

We see this throughout the gospels.  He did exactly what the Father sent
him to do, flawlessly.  He did good continually.  The very Scripture that
Jack quotes "...no one is good but God alone" actually points to Jesus'
diety.  For Jesus was perfectly good and who is good but God alone?

God bless,

-- 
John Emery		"You say we've risen to a new age of light.
emery@tc.fluke.COM       You're telling me what used to be wrong
			 is now right."
Newsgroups: talk.religion.misc,sci.physics,sci.chem