“But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect …” (1 Peter 3:15)
Question: In the Bible, how can Jesus be God’s son but also be the “same”? How is Jesus, “God” if Jesus is the son of God?
Answer (10/24/21)
Think office vs function/role.
As an example, parenthood is a form of government made up of a father and a mother; two distinct personalities united for the common goal of parenting. No mom can claim to be her husband and vice versa, but both comfortably refer to themselves and to one another as parents, and rightly so. The persons are distinct but share the same “office” as parents.
Similarly, the Godhead is a system of government akin to that of the U.S., as it comprises three arms – the Executive, Legislative & Judiciary. I think of the Judiciary arm as God the Father, the Legislative as God the Son (Jesus), and the Executive as God the Holy Spirit.
Throughout the Bible, all three of these personalities are referred to as God but are clearly distinguished by name and function. During creation in Genesis 1, the term “let Us” is repeatedly mentioned as an indicator of their unity, collaboration and co-creative activities.
Jesus made no bones about being God (the legislative arm of God’s government – please see John 1:17; 1:1-5) AND the Son of God (in His role as God sent to humanity in the flesh, born into the human race to save humanity from sin and sin’s devastating effects, but not OF the human race, hence His distinction as the Son of God vs the son of someone else, conceivably Joseph {pardon the pun!} see Luke 19:10; John 3:16-17).
The best illustration I can think of to communicate this concept of being God AND the Son of God is a family business run by the three men of the family (example only, God far supersedes any concept of gender but that is beyond the scope of this discussion). The three men are all equal partners and principals in the company structure, but for the purpose of function, productivity & profitability, they all have clearly delineated roles. In this context, God the Father is the CEO (Chief Executive Officer), God the Son (Jesus) is the COO (Chief Operating Officer), and God the Holy Spirit has the multifaceted functions (and more I won’t mention here for times’ sake, hence His governmental delineation as the Executive arm of the God-government) of being the CIO, CSO, & CPO (Chief Information/Investment Officer, Chief Strategy Officer & Chief People Officer {i.e. Chief of HR}. Please research these roles and their functions on your own to get a clearer picture of each (most systems & structures on earth simulate spiritual systems & structures, and Jesus often alluded to this by His frequent use of parables).
In His role as COO, Jesus had to physically come into the company cosmos to fix a major systems error and get the people and overall company plan & vision back on track. Once done, He went back to HQ to virtually continue His oversight and advocacy for the best working & living conditions for His workers i.e., siblings & partners (many who work in “God & Co. Global & TransUniverse Enterprises” are adopted into God’s family as an immediate & automatic fringe-benefit once they apply, and these individuals gain equal earnings, shares & other investment potential, hence the use of the terms “siblings & partners.” Those that don’t voluntarily work for the company are still players in the company’s cosmos, but don’t enjoy any family privileges or company benefits). The Holy Spirit in His multifaceted roles now represents Jesus physically within this cosmos and is easily accessible to anyone who needs help, information or any other kind of assistance.
I hope this helps. If you need specific scriptures to corroborate these concepts, I’d happy to share – they abound in no small measure!😊
Question: Plato was typed as INFJ. Much of the biblical teachings were taken from Plato’s texts, almost a complete copy. Is this why Jesus (assuming he was a created character) was also typed as an INFJ?
Answer (05/06/23)
While some of Plato’s philosophical views are considered to have set the stage for the early church (early Christianity was based on a confluence of Jewish and Hellenistic Grecian concepts), the Gospel itself (as communicated by Jesus) was completely unaffected by Greek philosophy.
That platonism helped to shape Christian theology is definitely true; indeed several of the more notable early church fathers (e.g. Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, etc.) and more recent literary scholars like apologist & author C.S. Lewis had things to say about how his (Plato’s) writings had helped pave the way to understanding the teachings of Christ. That said, an assertion that Biblical teachings were taken from Plato’s texts is quite a stretch. Would you mind sharing your evidence-based source(s) for this assertion?
As a side-bar, Jesus is not a “created character.” There are numerous historical and archeological pieces of evidence that corroborate his actual existence and life on earth. History universally concedes to this – it utilize His life as a major demarcation of historical timelines, eras & empires (B.C. & A.D.). He (Jesus) takes it a step further to assert that He is God the Son and the only way to the One true God, leaving the reader to come to his or her own conclusions as to the validity of those claims … by searching out the evidence for themselves and responding accordingly. Neutrality, passivity, vacillation, inertia, indolence and all other forms of dilly-dallying naturally become non-viable options.
To your original question, yes, Jesus is almost always typed as an INFJ, largely because of His unique world-view (considered by some to be idealistic and unusual), visionary and inspirational leadership, revolutionary concepts and impetus, strong sense of personal integrity, morality, compassion, self-sacrifice for the salvation of humanity, small circle of close-bonded friends (disciples), creative, artistic & healing proclivities, and contradictory personality (e.g. warm, sincere and inviting – as seen by the magnetic attraction He wielded over children and “down-and-outers” while exhibiting harsh and principled reprimands to hypocritical religious leaders, His avid love for people/crowds/humanity as a whole, while frequently requiring time alone in personal prayer, etc.), to name a few.
I’ve never researched Plato’s projected personality type, but if he’s also considered an INFJ, it is likely purely coincidental and unrelated to conformity or comparison on Christ’s part.
For Your Countering & Listening Pleasure
You Are God Alone (William McDowell)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=f_eRfL_NME8&feature=share
Not Just Stories (Maryanne J. George/Aaron Moses/TRIBL)
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=pBNlG_Jkhoc&feature=share
Too Good To Not Believe (Brandon Lake/Cody Carnes)