If Jesus is God, why didn't he teach..

[Elijah John]

If Jesus is God, why didn't he teach anyone to pray to Jesus? If he had, do you think his apostles would have been able to take him seriously?

If the notion of praying to Jesus was ridiculous in his own day, then isn't the notion that Jesus is God also ridiculous?

[shnarkle]

OK, allow me to revise the OP just a bit. Even if Jesus is God, why did he direct our focus to the Father, and not to himself as the recipient of prayer?

Christ is God only insofar as one cannot objectively worship anything else. Here again, it is noteworthy to understand the distinction between an Icon and and Idol. Christ isn't suggesting or condoning idolatry in accepting worship. There is nothing to suggest the cult of Israel had any problem with worshipping the Icon of God. Christ simply points out that he is the Icon of God. On some level, we are all Icons of God. We are all created as Icons of God.

Especially, if Jesus is mediator. Isn't this evidence that Jesus taught direct, and not mediated access to the Father?

There can be no direct access to transcendence except through the Icon of God. Israel could not have direct access to God except within the temple in the Holy of Holies. God's presence was seen in the form or Icon of a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of smoke during the day.

[brianbbs67]

Why can you not worship that which you can't see but know is there?

The second point is a fabrication/misunderstanding of Israelites relationship to God perpetuated by most christian churches. God was prayed to and answered prophets, leaders, ordinary people. We all have direct access to God. He also offered forgiveness over and over, near ad nauseam, in the OT. The only condition was asking for it and giving up your evil ways.

[shnarkle]

Why can you not worship that which you can't see but know is there?

You've got it backwards. We can see the image of God in everyone we meet, but God is not "there" because God cannot be objectified in the first place. God is not part of the created world.

We all have direct access to God.

Here again I would only clarify that we have direct access FROM God as God is the origin of all that exists. The direct access is in, with, and through Christ who has pointed out that "apart from me you can do nothing". Paul echoes the same thing by pointing out that "Christ in you, your only hope of salvation". The problem is that one needs to be aware of this fact of our own existence to take advantage of it. Otherwise, we're just adhering to doctrines which we claim to believe. Belief requires action, and yet there are those who see, who are just as blessed because they take action based upon what they've seen. They see the validity of Christ's teaching.

[Jack]

[Replying to shnarkle]

Colossians 2:8-9 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.
Paul doesn't agree with you he also believes God is truly present in the man Jesus the Christ. True God and true man.
You are putting limitations on God. God can be truly present in creation, and if God chose to he could truly be born of a woman, and truly be with us. [/url]

[shnarkle]

[Replying to shnarkle]

Colossians 2:8-9 See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow deceptive philosophy which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather on Christ.
For in Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form.
Paul doesn't agree with you he also believes God is truly present in the man Jesus the Christ. True God and true man.
You are putting limitations on God. God can be truly present in creation, and if God chose to he could truly be born of a woman, and truly be with us. [/url]

Saying that God is present isn't the same thing as saying he's God. According to Paul and John, Christ is eternal being, while God is the origin of being. Big difference. I am not putting any limitations on God. Freedom with God is not license. God would never choose to do anything against his own will.

I never said God wasn't present in Christ. Jesus even points out that the father is in him. He also points out that his disciples are in him as well. Do you therefore believe that his discples are God as well? Christ referred to himself as "the way", and his disciples referred to themselves as "the way" as well. If we follow Christ are we not also "the way"?

If God is in Christ and we are also in Christ, are we not also God? This is what Christ prays for in John's gospel, e.g. that his followers will also be unified with the father and the son.

[Jack]

[Replying to shnarkle]

He states He is in the Father and the Father is in him. Making himself equal to God the Father. Jesus prayed that his disciples remain in Him and God the Father making himself again equal to God the Father and making his disciples belonging to both God the Father and God the Son.

[Jack]

[Replying to post 85 by shnarkle]

I agree John and Paul do point to Jesus being eternal,meaning Jesus has no beginning and no end.

[Jack]

[Replying to post 85 by shnarkle]

We are not God, but God the Holy Spirit is sent to us to guide us in holyness , the difference is we can refuse God the Spirit and Jesus couldn't because it was his true essence.

[shnarkle]

[Replying to post 85 by shnarkle]

I agree John and Paul do point to Jesus being eternal,meaning Jesus has no beginning and no end.

No, you're conflating being with a being. Jesus was a human being in the created world, but eternal being is contingent between transcendence and the created world. Jesus did not become Jesus. The word became Jesus.

[shnarkle]

[Replying to post 85 by shnarkle]

We are not God, but God the Holy Spirit is sent to us to guide us in holyness , the difference is we can refuse God the Spirit and Jesus couldn't because it was his true essence.

He was? Why do you speak of him in the past tense??? If Jesus couldn't refuse God, then he couldn't be tempted. That's not what the txts say though, so to say he couldn't refuse God is to contradict scripture. Christ even admits that he has a will that he has made subservient to the father. Nowhere does he say that he has done this unwillingly. It has nothing to do with his ability, but everything to do with his own will. He says he lays down his life of his own free will. He wasn't an automaton as your post suggests.