Author: james bruce mcnaughton

The more I have invested in a way of thinking, the more it takes to change my thinking about it. I believed I was not a sinner. It took 10 years of horrific psychic pain to change my mind. Now I know my own depravity, the evil I am capable of.

I once did not believe Jesus is God. Is there enough evidence for me to change my mind?

Jesus predicted his own death and resurrection, and he did it!

Jesus told the religious leaders exactly when they would know Jesus is God (When he is “lifted up.”)

When Thomas holds Jesus, after Jesus’ resurrection, Thomas refers to Jesus as God, and Jesus does not stop him; Jesus accepts Thomas’ worship of Himself as God.

The blind man, whose eyes were opened, worshipped Jesus and Jesus accepted the worship as God.

Jesus used God’s own name of God (I AM) for Jesus:
John 8:58 NASB95
58 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.”
Jesus is using God’s name for God to refer to himself as God. “I am” or “εἰμί” in Greek is found in Exodus 3:14 as “ehyeh” the Hebrew equivalent. Jesus is saying of himself, in my opinion, “I AM WHO I AM” or “I am the Father.”

Jesus also said, “I and the Father are one” or “one essence.” John 10:30 NASB95.

Jesus claims to have existed before he himself was born.

The “Word” (Logos or Jesus) was God. John 1:1. John calls Jesus God.

All that was created came through Him. John 1:3 Obviously, He did not create himself.  Therefore, he could not have been created.

That’s all I can think of right now. I invite you to contribute.
Please help me out by giving me more examples in the Comments.

Also, is there anything in the Bible that says Jesus is not God? Please let me know that too, in the Comments.

Thank you!

Jesus’ perspective on being the head
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English Standard Version Chapter 20
25 But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, 28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Connecting how Jesus is the head of the Church;
And how He wants the husband to be the head of his wife

The Bible says that the husband is the “head” of the wife (the “first” in the two-party relationship) just as Christ is the head of the Church. The Bible says that wives are to “submit” to their husbands “as to the Lord.”

Some read this as husbands are to be in charge; the husband calls the shots and his wife should sit there quietly and look pretty. Let’s examine what the Bible REALLY says about this by the husband as head doing what Jesus as head is doing.

• Jesus clearly says that “lording it over his wife” (25) is not to be done among followers of Him (26).
• The husband who wants to fulfill the role of being the head – the first in the relationship – “must be his wife’s slave” (27).
• Just as Jesus came to serve and not be served so the husband must serve his wife; giving up his wants, his needs, his life, in order to serve the best interest of his wife (28).

The husband’s authority begins and ends in serving the best interest of his wife. She definitely does not have to submit to abuse, or be treated as second-class or inferior. God made THEM male and female, equally in the image of God. The current use of the Bible, by some, to subjugate wives, is proving you do not understand Jesus or the Bible.

The wife’s responsibility is to respect her husband, not because he deserves it, but because he NEEDS it to function the way God designed him. Her submission to her husband is, in fact, her submitting to him giving her what is in her best interest. And if there is a track record of the husband sacrificially serving his wife’s best interest, she most likely will gladly submit.

The first part of this essay is at:

https://i-m-4-u.com/2018/06/01/is-jesus-a-feminist/

Ephesians 5:21-33

Mutual Submission

21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

Wife’s Submission

22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Husband’s submission

23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her

28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;

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New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Eph 5:21, 22, 23, 25, 28). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

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A superficial reading of the above verses may lead some people to think Jesus is against women. The Feminists may read the above to mean Jesus is for male domination.  The average guy may just think God is telling him that husbands make the rules.

None of this is true.

Verse 21 says that we are all to submit to one another.  Some Bibles separate this verse from the marriage instructions that follow.  This is misleading.

Since structural divisions of the text are made by man and not by God, I feel I can suggest a change.  I think that this verse belongs with the verses below it, talking about submission. Not only that, but I think it is a headline and a summary of what follows about submission.

In verse 22 the words “be subject to” do not appear in the oldest texts. The words “be subject to” are “borrowed” from verse 21 according to The Commentary Critical and Explanatory of the Whole Bible. This fact implies the connection of verse 21 to the following “submission” verses.

In verse 23 what does the husband’s “headship” over his wife look like?
The husband as the head leads his wife in their mutual serving of each other by serving her highest good above his own.  He is an example of giving up his desires to meet her needs. A wife will many times gladly submit to someone who truly demonstrates by consistent actions that his top priority is her highest good.

Compare this view to the superficial understanding of “wives submit to your husbands” which the Feminists rightfully reject.  If in verse 25 a husband is giving up his life for his wife, where does male domination come in?  It is actually just the opposite of male domination. The wife’s needs are the driving force and the husband gives up his rights in order to serve those needs with everything he is.

So how did Jesus demonstrate his headship?  Jesus never dominated the church.  He never said, “God made me in charge over you, so you have to do what I say.”  He relinquished all his rights: to justice, to fairness and even to life and he did what we the church needed most.  He died an excruciating and humiliating death to give us life forever with him. And when he gave up all his rights, he entrusted himself to his Father’s care.  And the Father raised him from the dead. And gave Jesus a Name above all names.

So how do husbands and wives serve each other’s needs?

33 Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to love his own wife even as himself, and the wife must see to it that she respects her husband.

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New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Eph 5:33). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.a

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Dr. Emerson Eggerichs’ book, Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, the Respect He Desperately Needs is based on verse 33.  My quick synopsis of the book is: Men need first unconditional respect, women need first unconditional love.  If what is needed first is missing the “Crazy Cycle” is born.  Women usually recognize that they deserve “unconditional love.”  They might not understand however, that men need “unconditional respect.”  A woman who gives her husband “unconditional respect” will see him flourish. Otherwise, he will wither. A husband who gives his wife “unconditional love” will see her flourish.  Otherwise, he will see her wither.

The Crazy Cycle – When either spouse does not get what they need (either love or respect) they respond in a way to the other that the other interprets negatively as not meeting their needs. And on and on it goes.

So “is Jesus a Feminist?”

Jesus is just as concerned as Feminists that women aren’t dominated by men. In fact, Jesus ONLY gives husbands the authority to serve the best interests of his wife, not to dominate her.

Note:  Wives submit to their husbands “as to the Lord.”  The Lord never abuses, and wives are not to submit to abuse.  Seek shelter and get healing.  Only if you are healthy can you help anyone else.

Click below for Part 2 of this essay:

https://i-m-4-u.com/2018/06/24/is-jesus-a-feminist-part-2/