hi!
I would like to ask, since this have been a controversy lately. Most of the ministers today in the Philippines believe that Jesus is only the physical body of God and that His Spirit is the Logos and therefore, His Spirit cannot be called Jesus. Is this true? What is your take on this?
I have read you article on the Godhead and it helps a lot. God bless.
Hi Ed,
Praise God that the article on the Godhead has help you.
To your question, the short answer is: NO, JESUS IS NOT ONLY THE PHYSICAL BODY OF GOD, THE SPIRIT OF JESUS, WHICH IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD, IS ALSO JESUS.
Here is the long answer and the Biblical explanation:
Some believers here in the Philippines, as propagated and taught by some ministers, believed that the Lord Jesus is only the physical Body of God and that His Spirit should not be called Jesus because Jesus is only the body. They are separating the Lord Jesus from His Spirit. For them, the BODY IS JESUS BUT THE SPIRIT ON THAT BODY IS NOT JESUS. They do not call the Spirit of the Lord as “Jesus”, only His Body.
This weird theology came from the faulty understanding of the Godhead. But if we will consult the Bible, you will automatically see that this is unbiblical. Take a look at this verse for example:
1 John 4:2 “This is how you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit who confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.”
If Jesus Christ is not the Spirit, then Who came in the flesh (body)? The Bible is clear, it was the Lord Jesus Who came in the body. And anyone who confess this is from God, but anyone who does not confess this is not from God.
Another verses are these:
John 2:19-21 “Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body.”
Who is talking here that He can raise His body in three days? It is clear, it is the Lord Jesus Who can raise His body. If we will take this belief that Jesus is only the body, and put it on a Word-test, then it will look like that the body here will be the one to raise up the destroyed body. It will look like this:
“Jesus (the Body) answered and said unto them, destroy this temple (the Body), and in three days I (the Body) will raise it up.”
Look how absurd is this! But our Lord Jesus is not like this. Our Lord Jesus is both His body and his Spirit. Just like Adam was both his body and his spirit. Adam was not only the body. Just like you and me. Your body is called Ed and your spirit is also called Ed.
Be careful on these kinds of teachings. Always consult the Bible. This teaching is also the reason why THESE BELIEVERS BELIEVE THAT OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST IS NOT GOD. For them, the Lord Jesus is only human because He is only the body.
Contrary to what they believe, the Lord Jesus Christ is not just a physical body of the Word, instead, He is the Word that became flesh (John 1:14). He is the Word with a body. He is not just a body.
All the best.