Is Christ Jesus Angel Michael? An Early Church Father’s Answer

A northern African Latin theologian Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus’ (c.160-225 A.D.) works gives a wonderful insight of who Christ Jesus is and particularly in  “On the Flesh of Christ”, which was written to refute the heretics who denied that Christ took on human flesh because of their presupposition viz. ” no resurrection of body”, Tertullian helps us answer the whether Christ Jesus is angle Michael.

I believe that this historical pierce could help us in our dialogue with today’s Arius, Jehovah Witnesses, who claim that Jesus is angel Michael.

Tertullian wrote:

But Christ, they say, bare (the nature of) an angel. For what reason? The same which induced Him to become man? Christ, then, was actuated by the motive which led Him to take human nature. Man’s salvation was the motive, the restoration of that which had perished. Man had perished; his recovery had become necessary. No such cause, however, existed for Christ’s taking on Him the nature of angels. For although there is assigned to angels also perdition in “the fire prepared for the devil and his angels,” yet a restoration is never promised to them. No charge about the salvation of angels did Christ ever receive from the Father; and that which the Father neither promised nor commanded, Christ could not have undertaken.

For what object, therefore, did He bear the angelic nature, if it were not (that He might have it) as a powerful helper wherewithal to execute the salvation of man? The Son of God, in sooth, was not competent alone to deliver man, whom a solitary and single serpent had overthrown! There is, then, no longer but one God, but one Saviour, if there be two to contrive salvation, and one of them in need of the other.

But was it His object indeed to deliver man by an angel? Why, then, come down to do that which He was about to expedite with an angel’s help? If by an angel’s aid, why come Himself also? If He meant to do all by Himself, why have an angel too? He has been, it is true, called “the Angel of great counsel,” that is, a messenger, by a term expressive of official function, not of nature. For He had to announce to the world the mighty purpose of the Father, even that which ordained the restoration of man.

But He is not on this account to be regarded as an angel, as a Gabriel or a Michael. For the Lord of the Vineyard sends even His Son to the labourers require fruit, as well as His servants. Yet the Son will not therefore be counted as one of the servants because He undertook the office of a servant. I may, then, more easily say, if such an expression is to be hazarded, that the Son is actually an angel, that is, a messenger, from the Father, than that there is an angel in the Son.

Forasmuch, however, as it has been declared concerning the Son Himself, Thou hast made Him a little lower than the angels” how will it appear that He put on the nature of angels if He was made lower than the angels, having become man, with flesh and soul as the Son of man? As “the Spirit of God.” however, and “the Power of the Highest,” can He be regarded as lower than the angels,—He who is verily God, and the Son of God? Well, but as bearing human nature, He is so far made inferior to the angels; but as bearing angelic nature, He to the same degree loses that inferiority.

This opinion will be very suitable for Ebion, who holds Jesus to be a mere man, and nothing more than a descendant of David, and not also the Son of God; although He is, to be sure, in one respect more glorious than the prophets, inasmuch as he declares that there was an angel in Him, just as there was in Zechariah. Only it was never said by Christ, “And the angel, which spake within me, said unto me.” Neither, indeed, was ever used by Christ that familiar phrase of all the prophets, “Thus saith the Lord.” For He was Himself the Lord, who openly spake by His own authority, prefacing His words with the formula, “Verily, verily, I say unto you.” What need is there of further argument? Hear what Isaiah says in emphatic words, “It was no angel, nor deputy, but the Lord Himself who saved them.”

So is Christ  Jesus Angel Michael? Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (ca. 160-225 A.D.) answers NO.

Source:
Roberts, A., Donaldson, J., & Coxe, A. C. (1997). The Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. III : Translations of the writings of the Fathers down to A.D. 325 (533–534/Chapter XIV). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems.

(paragraphs added for blogofriendly read. My Donaldson and Coxe edition has “spake” instead of “spoke”, probably editorial error. )

Related:

Former JW Asks Watchtower Society Brilliant Questions
12 Questions I Found Useful Asking Jehovah’s Witnesses
Did Jehovah’s Witnesses Worshiped Jesus?
Jehovah Witnesses And John 20:28
Jude 5: Is It Jesus? Yahweh? Or Lord?
Dangerous Logic Behind Jehovah’s Witnesses’ Jesus

Poem: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus

Poem by: Jeffrey Bethke

What if I told you, Jesus came to abolish religion?
What if I told you getting you to vote republican, really wasn’t his mission?
Because republican doesn’t automatically mean Christian,
And just because you call some people blind, doesn’t automatically give you vision.

If religion is so great, why has it started so many wars?
Why does it build huge churches, but fails to feed the poor?
Tells single moms God doesn’t love them if they’ve ever been divorced
Yet God in the Old Testament actually calls the religious people whores

Religion preaches grace, but another thing they practice,
Tend to ridicule Gods people, they did it to John the Baptist,
Cant fix their problems, so they try to mask it,
Not realizing that’s just like sprayin perfume on a casket
Because the problem with religion is that it never gets to the core,
It’s just behavior modification, like a long list of chores.
Let’s dress up the outside, make things look nice and neat,
Its funny that’s what they do to mummies, while the corpse rots underneath,

Now I ain’t judging I’m just saying be careful of putting on a fake look,
Because there’s a problem if people only know that you’re a Christian by that little section on your facebook
In every other aspect of life you know that logics unworthy
Its like saying you play for the lakers just because you bought a jersey
But see I played this game too; no one seemed to be on to me,
I was acting like church kid, while addicted to pornography.
I’d go to church on Sunday, but on saturday getting faded,
Acting as if I was simply created to have sex and get wasted.
Spend my whole life putting on this façade of neatness,
But now that I know Jesus, I boast in my weakness.

If grace is water, then the church should be an ocean,
Cuz its not a museum for good people, it’s a hospital for the broken
I no longer have to hide my failures I don’t have to hide my sin,
Because my salvation doesn’t depend on me, it depends on him.
because when I was Gods enemy and certainly not a fan,
God looked down on me and said, “I want that man!”
Which is so different from religious people, and why Jesus called em fools
Don’t you see hes so much better than just following some rules?
Now let me clarify, I love the church, I love the bible, and I believe in sin
But my question, is if Jesus were here today, would your church let Him in?
Remember He was called a drunkard and a glutton by “religious men”
The Son of God not supported self-righteousness, not now, not then.

Now back to the topic, one thing I think is vital to mention,
How Jesus and religion are on opposite spectrums,
One is the work of God one is a man made invention,
One is the cure and one is the infection.
Because Religion says do, Jesus says done.
Religion says slave, Jesus says son,
Religion puts you in shackles but Jesus sets you free.
Religion makes you blind, but Jesus lets you see.
This is what makes religion and Jesus two different clans,

Religion is man searching for God, but Christianity is God searching for man.
Which is why salvation is freely mine, forgiveness is my own,
Not based on my efforts, but Christ’s obedience alone.
Because he took the crown of thorns, and blood that dripped down his face
He took what we all deserved, that’s why we call it grace.
While being murdered he yelled “father forgive them, they know not what they do”,
Because when he was dangling on that cross, he was thinking of you
He paid for all your sin, and then buried it in the tomb,
Which is why im kneeling at the cross now saying come on there’s room
So know I hate religion, in fact I literally resent it,
Because when Jesus cried It is finished, I believe He meant it.

Related: Poem: Sexual Healing & Poem: Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

Jefferson Bethke’s Facebook

Reviews:

Does Jesus Hate Religion? Kinda, Sorta, Not Really: Kevin DeYoung goes in to point theological greatness and weakness of this poem.

Jesus Was Religious: Jared Wilson sees lots of right things in the poem but also few wrong ones.

In Defense of the Video That No One Seems To Like: Stephen Altrogge defends the poem

Is 2012 End Of The World?

Some Historians say that Maya’s “Long Count” calendar dated the end of 5,126-year era on December 21, 2012. Is 2012 the ends of time?

The Gospel according to Matthew records Christ Jesus’ answer to this question:

“But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.(Matthew 24:36-44 ESV)

No one knows, nor Mayans, nor Evangelical pastors or theologians, not even the angels of heaven, nor Christ Jesus himself, but the Father only. We, Christians, have to learn from countless errors made throughout our history in predicting the time that Christ Jesus’ said to be known only by the Father.

It is important to be aware and also be ever looking forward to the time when everything will be restored. The day we will see God face to face. The everlasting days of joying and delighting in God singing ” Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”(Revelation 4:11 ESV) Yes, we are to look forward to that day, but for now we ought to “preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles”.

Today might be the end of the world, or tomorrow, or December 21 or 10 years from now, no one knows but the Father.

Is 2012 the end of the world! I simply care-less. For I decided to know nothing among you[End-time predictors] except Jesus Christ and him crucified( 1 Corinthians 2:2). My desire is to fight the good fight, and to finish the race, and to kept the faith by the power of Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus my Lord and my God. I chose to be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour I do not expect.

The God Who Took On Flesh

Christmas Story According To Paul: Exposition of Philippians 2:6-7

In these two verses, Apostle Paul wanted the church in Philippi to contemplate that despite pre-incarnate Christ Jesus being “truly God (in essence, morphē)”(Utley: 1997: 178), he did not count equality with God.

The Epistle to Philippian’s expositor, Homer. A. Kent, Jr. outline out two assertions made in verse 6 concerning the Christ’s pre-incarnate status: “He existed in the form of God and he did not regard his existing in a manner of equality with God as a prize to be grasped or held onto. “Being in very nature God” is, literally, “existing in the form of God.””(Kent: 1981: 123)

Christ Jesus emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men

Christ Jesus, who is morphē theos(form of God) pour out (kenoō) himself by taking morphē doulos (form of servant) through the incantation. Christ Jesus, driven by love freely made nothing of Himself by not holding onto his heavenly glory, status and privileges. He humbled Himself in taking the form of being that hungers, thirsts, fears, feels pain, grow in wisdom knowledge and dies.

Kenosis theory advocates, I believe, miss the spirit of the passage when they claim much out Paul’s expression of Christ emptying himself namely “He actually set [omnipotence and omniscience] aside and genuinely took the form of a servant”(Peoples: 2011: ad).

Sean M. McDonough outstandingly noted that: “Paul is not saying that Christ became less than God or “gave up” some divine attributes; he is not even commenting directly on the question of whether Jesus was fully omnipotent or omniscient during his time on earth. Nor is he saying that Christ ever gave up being “in the form of God.” Rather, Paul is stressing that Christ, who had all the privileges that were rightly his as king of the universe, gave them up to become an ordinary Jewish baby bound for the cross. Christ “emptied himself” by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men[1] (roughly equivalent phrases).”(McDonough: 2007: 2283). It was a subtraction by addition[2].

Lesson To be Learned From Philippians 2:6-7

Paul wants Christians to learn from the King of glory, who did not hold onto his glorious status, not “looking on His own things” (Php 2:4), which is rightfully his. Wiersbe wonderfully reasoned that “ Jesus did not think of Himself; He thought of others. His outlook (or attitude) was that of unselfish concern for others. This is “the mind of Christ,” an attitude that says, “I cannot keep my privileges for myself, I must use them for others; and to do this, I will gladly lay them aside and pay whatever price is necessary.”(Wiersbe: 1996: ed)

Christians in all positions and status are called to learn from their Master. Learning not to grasp or hold onto to their privilege positions and status but to pour themselves into mission. A mission that aims towards unity and that may only archived through humility, the art of humbling in love through serving others as we look not only to our own interests, but also to the interests of others.

This art of humble living in the footprints of Christ Jesus will destroy selfish ambition, struggle for control and power and division within Christian’s ministries and substituted it with the passion and hunger for serving others.

The passion and hunger that will bring Merry in Christmas time.

---

[1] Emphasis fond on original notes.

[2] Giving up the nature (omniscient and omnipotent) would be, I believe, a long short from Paul’s teaching in this passage, since it would imply that the Philippians were to give up or lay aside one/or more of their natures. Over and above that, verse 4 increases the plausibility of giving up of status and position than that of giving up of nature.

Bibliography:

Gaebelein, F. E., Wood, A. S., Kent, H. A., Jr., Vaugn, C., Thomas, R. L., Earle, R., Hiebert, D. E., & Rupprecht, A. A. (1981). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 11: Ephesians through Philemon. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

Utley, R. J. D. (1997). Vol. Volume 8: Paul Bound, the Gospel Unbound: Letters from Prison (Colossians, Ephesians and Philemon, then later, Philippians). Study Guide Commentary Series. Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International.

Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Php 2:5). Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books.

McDonough, Sean M. (2007), Note on Philippians in The Holy Bible: English standard version study bible. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Peoples, Glenn. Blogname: Say Hello to my Little Friend: Article: Nuts and Bolts 012: Kenosis(http://www.beretta-online.com/wordpress/2011/nuts-and-bolts-012-kenosis/) Last accessed: 17^th November 2011.

Quote: Timothy Keller On Salvation

God’s salvation does not come in response to a changed life. A changed life comes in response to the salvation, offered as a free gift.

– Timothy Keller

 

Christians Must Be Hated

“It is not that I want merely to be called a Christian, but actually to be one”

-Ignatius (To the Romans 3:2)

Are you hated by the world? If you are a Christian, and the world does not hate you, I believe if I may, sadly inform you that you are not a Christian. You are merely called a Christian, but you are actually not one. Being a Christian, “a follower of the anointed one”, is not only professing to the truthfulness of Christianity but also a lifestyle that imitates Christ Jesus.

Apostle John records Jesus saying: “The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.”(John 7:7). The context to which this Jesus’ saying is coming out, is that of his half brothers, who the Apostle remarked did not even believed in Jesus, pose him to go to Judea and twitter himself publicly at the Jews Feast of Booths, which is celebration of the feast of ingathering observed at the end of the year (Exod. 23:16; Exod. 34:22)

Jesus answered his skeptical half-brothers with a reply  like this: The world loves those who speak what it longs and dearly wants to hear: it’s O.K., it’s O.K.! You are fine! Everything is going to be fine! The world loves those who “claim” to be Christians yet appraise and approve its immoral actions and behavior and hates those who testify about its evil.

If you are a Christian, and the world listens to you, then examine yourself to see whether you are truly what you claim to be. In First Epistle of John, a letter that was generally written to congregations across Asia Minor (now Turkey), John warned Christian that there are “Christian” who are not “ Christian”: “They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us.”(1 John 4:5-6)

Christ Jesus was hated for speaking against the evilness of the world. As a true follower of Christ, practicing his teaching and lives a life-style that reflects that you are in Christ, being hated by the world is guarantied. You ought to be hated. You must be hated.

In all this, take courage in these words of warning from the one who loves you: “ If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you”(John 15:18–19)

Be a Christian, “Keep on praying”for others too, for there is a chance of their being converted and getting to God. Let them, then, learn from you at least by your actions. Return their bad temper with gentleness; their boasts with humility; their abuse with prayer. In the face of their error, be “steadfast in the faith.” Return their violence with mildness and do not be intent on getting your own back. By our patience let us show we are their brothers, intent on imitating the Lord, seeing which of us can be the more wronged, robbed, and despised. Thus no devil’s weed will be found among you; but thoroughly pure and self-controlled, you will remain body and soul united to Jesus Christ.”(Ignatius’ To the Ephesians 10:1-3)

Go out Christians and be hated! Speak the truth with love and gentleness. Go out, Go be hated.

Quote: The Greatness of Christianity

“The greatness of Christianity lies in its being hated by the world, not in its being convincing to it”

 Ignatius

Epistle To the Romans ca. 105-115 A.D.