a god?

[MissKate13]

If the Word was “a god” in John 1:1 because the definite article does not precede the word God, then do JW’s and others also believe that John 1:6, 1:12, 1:13 and 1:18 should also be translated as “a god” since there is no definite article preceding the word God? Shouldn’t the same rule apply in every case?

John 1:6
There was a man sent from God (a god), whose name was John. (Emphasis mine)

John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God (a god), even to them that believe on his name: (Emphasis mine)

John 1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (a god). (Emphasis mine)

John 1:18
No man hath seen God (a god) at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. . (Emphasis mine)

[Ross]

Excellent point MissKate.
The JW's use the inclusion of the definite article and its subsequent absence in John 1:1 in an attempt to defend their unfaithful translation.
They miss the point completely that "The God" is later explained to be the Father in the same prologue, and that "God " in John 1:1 without the definite article is a noun referencing the title, being, substance, matter or makeup of The Word.

John was explaining by leaving out the definite article that the Word was also "God," not that he was an inferior god.

Had the definite article been used in John 1:1 c, it would have meant that the Word was the Father.

[MissKate13]

Excellent point MissKate.
The JW's use the inclusion of the definite article and its subsequent absence in John 1:1 in an attempt to defend their unfaithful translation.
They miss the point completely that "The God" is later explained to be the Father in the same prologue, and that "God " in John 1:1 without the definite article is a noun referencing the title, being, substance, matter or makeup of The Word.

John was explaining by leaving out the definite article that the Word was also "God," not that he was an inferior god.

Had the definite article been used in John 1:1 c, it would have meant that the Word was the Father.

Great information, Ross. Thanks for sharing!

[Eddie Ramos]

If the Word was “a god” in John 1:1 because the definite article does not precede the word God, then do JW’s and others also believe that John 1:6, 1:12, 1:13 and 1:18 should also be translated as “a god” since there is no definite article preceding the word God? Shouldn’t the same rule apply in every case?

John 1:6
There was a man sent from God (a god), whose name was John. (Emphasis mine)

John 1:12
But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God (a god), even to them that believe on his name: (Emphasis mine)

John 1:13
Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (a god). (Emphasis mine)

John 1:18
No man hath seen God (a god) at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. . (Emphasis mine)

Not to mention that God doesn't recognize any other god besides himself with an ability to do anything.

Isaiah 44:6–8 (KJV 1900)

6  Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel,
And his redeemer the LORD of hosts;
I am the first, and I am the last;
And beside me there is no God.
7  And who, as I, shall call,
And shall declare it, and set it in order for me,
Since I appointed the ancient people?
And the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
8  Fear ye not, neither be afraid:
Have not I told thee from that time,
And have declared it? ye are even my witnesses.
Is there a God beside me?
Yea, there is no God; I know not any.

How then can Jesus be "a god"? Not only that, but how can Jesus identify himself the same way as GOD?

Revelation 22:13 (KJV 1900)
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

The only answer the Bible will allow is that they are one God. This is the benefit and privilege that any faithful student of the Bible has, that they can examine anything put forth by anyone claiming to have the truth and see if these things are so. And harmony (biblical agreement) is the only way to be sure we have arrived at any truth in our doctrines.

[Ross]

And there is:

Isaiah 42:8

"I am Yahweh, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images.

John 17:5

"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began."

[MissKate13]

[Replying to Ross in post #5]

And this

Isaiah 43:10-11

10 “You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD,
“and My servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may consider and believe Me
and understand that I am He.
Before Me no god was formed,
and after Me none will come.
11 I, yes I, am the LORD,
and there is no Savior but Me.
12 I alone decreed and saved and proclaimed—

[William]

[Replying to Eddie Ramos in post #4]

Not to mention that God doesn't recognize any other god besides himself with an ability to do anything.

I think The Source Creator does indeed recognize all other Gods as being created by the Source Creator.

There is a definitive example of this in Genesis 1 when referring to "Us" "Let us make humans in our image" and furthermore making them to be gods over the other critters of the earth...

[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So your words are clearly "false news."

[Eddie Ramos]

[Replying to Eddie Ramos in post #4]

Not to mention that God doesn't recognize any other god besides himself with an ability to do anything.

I think The Source Creator does indeed recognize all other Gods as being created by the Source Creator.

There is a definitive example of this in Genesis 1 when referring to "Us" "Let us make humans in our image" and furthermore making them to be gods over the other critters of the earth...

[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So your words are clearly "false news."

The reason you think this is because you're not taking the whole of the scriptures into consideration. Not to mention the scriptures that have already been posted in this thread.

Isaiah 43:10 (KJV 1900)
Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD,
And my servant whom I have chosen:
That ye may know and believe me,
And understand that I am he:
Before me there was no God formed,
Neither shall there be after me.

If by "source creator" you mean GOD, then Isaiah 43:10 should help with your misunderstanding that God created other gods. It is man who has created other gods to be the kind of god they wish to worship rather than the true God of the Bible. These man-made gods are dead gods, false gods, with no ability of any kind.

Psalm 115:1–8 (KJV 1900)

1  Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us,
But unto thy name give glory,
For thy mercy, and for thy truth’s sake.
2  Wherefore should the heathen say,
Where is now their God?

3  But our God is in the heavens:
He hath done whatsoever he hath pleased.
4  Their idols are silver and gold,
The work of men’s hands.
5  They have mouths, but they speak not:
Eyes have they, but they see not:
6  They have ears, but they hear not:
Noses have they, but they smell not:
7  They have hands, but they handle not:
Feet have they, but they walk not:
Neither speak they through their throat.
8  They that make them are like unto them;
So is every one that trusteth in them.


And Genesis 1:1 is not God speaking to gods, but God speaking to himself in the form of the Father, the Son (in whose image we were made), and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God as the scriptures declare. Furthermore, God created mankind to bear his image on the earth, and as such to rule it. So he created man in the image of himself, and only in the aspect of bearing his image, he refers to them as gods.

[William]

[Replying to Eddie Ramos in post #8]

So he created man in the image of himself, and only in the aspect of bearing his image, he refers to them as gods.

Therein is the contradiction apparent. On the one hand we have a claim that the biblical God said "Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me." and on the other hand we have biblical writ claiming the God also refers to humans as "gods".

The contradiction natural leads to differences among Christians and other competing religions and subsequent in-house fighting so the best course of action re the apparent contradictions would be to accept that The Source Creator does indeed create gods and for reasons which assist in the continuing unfolding of the creation.

And Genesis 1:1 is not God speaking to gods, but God speaking to himself in the form of the Father, the Son (in whose image we were made), and the Holy Spirit.

Nope. Making the Source Creator appear to be "talking to himself" doesn't solve the apparent contradiction.
The recognition The Source Creator gives to the gods which are created, can however allow us to understand that when The Source Creator talks to the individual - The Source Creator is talking to aspects of Itself - regardless of whatever the form is that individual inhabits.

In that sense The One can be - The Many, and naturally enough.

Problems only arise when the individual personality is unaware of or unaccepting of that process.

[MissKate13]

[Replying to Eddie Ramos in post #8]

So he created man in the image of himself, and only in the aspect of bearing his image, he refers to them as gods.

Therein is the contradiction apparent. On the one hand we have a claim that the biblical God said "Before me there was no God formed, Neither shall there be after me." and on the other hand we have biblical writ claiming the God also refers to humans as "gods".

The contradiction natural leads to differences among Christians and other competing religions and subsequent in-house fighting so the best course of action re the apparent contradictions would be to accept that The Source Creator does indeed create gods and for reasons which assist in the continuing unfolding of the creation.

And Genesis 1:1 is not God speaking to gods, but God speaking to himself in the form of the Father, the Son (in whose image we were made), and the Holy Spirit.

Nope. Making the Source Creator appear to be "talking to himself" doesn't solve the apparent contradiction.
The recognition The Source Creator gives to the gods which are created, can however allow us to understand that when The Source Creator talks to the individual - The Source Creator is talking to aspects of Itself - regardless of whatever the form is that individual inhabits.

In that sense The One can be - The Many, and naturally enough.

Problems only arise when the individual personality is unaware of or unaccepting of that process.

There are no contradictions in God’s word other than in the minds of skeptics. The problem as I see it is that the Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and not a one of us here is a Hebrew language expert. We have to rely on lexicons to understand what’s being said, and even then we can still get it wrong.

When God said, “ Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.,” the no God formed is El, THE chief deity of all gods. There was never another like Him, nor will there ever be. Sure, there are gods in the Bible, but none equate to Yahweh.