Which is risker?

[Elijah John]

Which approach is riskier?

a) To worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is not?

b) Or to not worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is?

Why?

[ttruscott]

Which approach is riskier?

a) To worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is not?

b) Or to not worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is?

Why?

All sin except blasphemy against the holy Spirit (whatever that means) is forgiven. Therefore unless the choice you make is driven by a spirit of blasphemy, not just a mistake, there is no extra risk.

[brianbbs67]

Blasphemy is just making less and diminishing something true. It is the one unforgivable sin...... And applies to the Holy Spirit, which is God. Yeshua, Yehoshua , Jesus , Iesos, Christ never asked for our prayer. He deferred to the Father, as we all should. The Lord, alone, should be addressed as Lord.(OT reference). So, no intercessory prayer either. YHVH wants all directed to Him.

So, B is the best course. Then no blasphemy is undertaken.

[Elijah John]

Blasphemy is just making less and diminishing something true. It is the one unforgivable sin...... And applies to the Holy Spirit, which is God. Yeshua, Yehoshua , Jesus , Iesos, Christ never asked for our prayer. He deferred to the Father, as we all should. The Lord, alone, should be addressed as Lord.(OT reference). So, no intercessory prayer either. YHVH wants all directed to Him.

So, B is the best course. Then no blasphemy is undertaken.

I don't think is a question of blasphemy so much as a question of idolatry, Even if Jesus is God, where in the NT are we directed to worship him, or acknowledge him as such? Does our salvation ever depend on believing that "Jesus is God"? If so, what chapter, what verse?

Questions directed to all, because I think we are pretty much in agreement on this one, Brian.

On the other hand, if Jesus is NOT God, and people insist on worshiping him as such, how serious an idolatry? Seems that would be a violation of the first commandment. But why risk it? Unless one is absolutely certain that Jesus is God. If not, do people count on God's mercy to overlook the error?

[StuartJ]

Staying strictly with the two choices given (there may be more at any particular level of imagination, but, you know, for the sake of debate ...)

Choice a) definitely puts the robe and crown at greater risk.

If you worship Jesus as "God" and it turns out he was just another Jewish wannabe who got himself strung up by the Romans for trying to summon the armies of angels - then Yahweh is going to be really ticked, and off to the flames of Hell you go.

But if it turns out that Jesus IS God, and you didn't part with the first tenth of your income, then it's not going to be so serious, because he's only one third of the Yahweh/Jesus/Holy Ghost combo deal.

And when it's your turn to front the throne of the Day of Judgement, you can simply argue the whole Mystery of the Trinity business.

Popes in Rome and pastors in mega-churches can't give a clear answer to it, and neither Yahweh nor Jesus or even the Holy Ghost inspired anyone to give a clear position, so what hope has a poor sinner like you got ...?

I'd go with Yahweh. He flooded the whole planet once. Wouldn't want to get him pissed again ....

As far as we know, if there was a real Jesus, he didn't drown anyone.

However, he is going to burst through the clouds at any moment to exterminate Hindus and homosexuals and smart-mouth Atheists and such with fire and hail mixed with blood ... so, you know ... it's all a risk.

[The Tanager]

Which approach is riskier?

a) To worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is not?

b) Or to not worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is?

Why?

I have at least two questions before I could answer that, maybe more. What is the result of the Jesus-worshiping believer in (a)? What do you mean by 'worship'?

[Elijah John]

Which approach is riskier?

a) To worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is not?

b) Or to not worship Jesus as God, and it turns out that he is?

Why?

I have at least two questions before I could answer that, maybe more. What is the result of the Jesus-worshiping believer in (a)? What do you mean by 'worship'?

The consequence is something the OP is attempting to understand. If it turns out that Jesus is not God, and people worship him as such, then that is clearly a violation of the fist commandment.

But how serious an idolatry would that be? After all, "Jesus-worship" is not Baal worship.

And regarding your second question, worship is worship. Praying to, asking Jesus into one' s life, accepting Jesus Christ as one's "Lord and Savior", praising Jesus, singing hymns to Jesus, etc, etc.

Think of it this way, substitute the name "Moses" for Jesus and you will see patterns of worship.

"Praise Moses", "Moses help me", "share the love of Moses", "Moses come into my life, I make you my Lord and Savior" etc.

[William]

Any being claiming to be GOD and demanding worship, won't be GOD and his demands needn't be followed.

[The Tanager]

The consequence is something the OP is attempting to understand. If it turns out that Jesus is not God, and people worship him as such, then that is clearly a violation of the fist commandment.

But how serious an idolatry would that be? After all, "Jesus-worship" is not Baal worship.

I was assuming that your position was (a), that Jesus is not God. You were putting that up against the opposite view (which is also my own), where Jesus really is God. The consequences depend on the bigger worldview, so I needed more of your worldview to answer it against my own version of (b).

If I am wrong and Jesus is not God, the riskiness will depend on what this God is like. Is universalism true? Then my current belief in Jesus is not that risky at all, even if it is a universalism that takes more lives to play out. Does this non-Jesus God send people to hell for having a false belief? Then my current belief is risky.

[Elijah John]

If I am wrong and Jesus is not God, the riskiness will depend on what this God is like. Is universalism true? Then my current belief in Jesus is not that risky at all, even if it is a universalism that takes more lives to play out. Does this non-Jesus God send people to hell for having a false belief? Then my current belief is risky.

Let's asssume for this OP that we risk the displeasure of God by getting it wrong. Whatever that means exactly, annihilation, hell, purgatory or some other punishment (even if that punishment is "only" corrective and temporary in the afterlife) is a secondary question.