WORSHIPPING ONLY GOD

Who is Jesus? Only a prophet? Only a man? A creature of God?

Understanding the concept of the trinity is difficult just as maybe the concept of God is. But it is necessarily truth. Unlike Islam's teaching, the world is in a state of sin. The condition of things are not like it was at creation: for then it was "very good" (Genesis 1:31). But Adam and Eve were promised conquest over the power theft of the serpent and the shape he left it in. It had to be through a child (seed) of Eve (Genesis 3:15). Yet. it could not be just a human baby; utterwise, the death of any innocent child throughout history would have sufficed (2 Samuel 12:23). Obviously, this is not the case. It had to be by the sacrifice of our Creator Himself.

Certain religions claim to respect Jesus as a person such as Islam and some "Christian" denominations but in reality do not respect Him as to who He really is. Islam denies His deity. The denomination I am familiar with says He is but an arch-angel contrary to the assertion of Hebrews 1:5, “For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son?”

Daniel prophesied that one like the "Son of man" would come and sit on the throne and along with God would be "served" by people of the world (pel-akh' H6399 in Hebrew worship service; Daniel 7:13,14). And "His kingdom (reign) shall not be destroyed." The expression "Son of man" is significant because God promised Adam and Eve in the garden deliverance by one born of Eve. No one except sinless Jesus, Son of man and Son of God, qualifies as this Deliverer.

Jesus Himself repeated the Law from God: we can only "serve" God: Matthew 4:10, “Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve (worship “serve”, Greek latreuo G3000).”

Jesus is declared to be "God's Only Begotten Son" and "God's FIRSTBORN." The term firstborn in the Old Testament has two main meanings. The first is literal, referring to the fact that this son is the first son to be born of his father. The second meaning refers to the rights and authority granted a person. This birthright was generally given to the oldest.

Jesus is our Creator. Colossians 1:16, “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:“

In John 1:15, 30, John the Baptist affirmed that Jesus was pre-existent:

“ John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.”    "This is He of whom I said, After me cometh a man (aner) which is preferred before me: for he was before me.”

"BEFORE" (protos): "first." John was older, born in the flesh before Jesus, his kin, and was therefore senior to Jesus. But Jesus, John the Baptizer affirmed, was before John. Not only was Jesus "first before John" but He was preferred ("existed before; in front of": ginomai emprosthen G1096 G1715). Fausset's Bible Dictionary interprets this as that Jesus was "long before me [John]" and "begotten long before every creature."

"BEGOTTEN": "only-begotten in respect of peculiar generation, unique" (Mounce's Greek); "single of its kind; only" (Thayer's Greek). Since Jesus is "long before every creature", He cannot be a creature Himself but as the apostle John declared, the Creator Himself (John 1:3). As the first begotten, originating the natural creation, He is the firstborn (Greek, proototokos, "first begotten", Revelation 1:5, from "out of" the "dead", and the "Beginning" (Colossians 1:18) of the "church of the firstborn" (Hebrews 12:23), the originting Agent of our new creation. (Fausset).

FIRSTBORN THEN HAS MORE TO DO WITH PREEMINENCE, and not His fleshly birth. Jesus was Mary's first born child but this word exceeds that application.

Romans 8:29 "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." Undoubtedly, the "Firstborn" or "first-begotten" marks at once His eternal priority and His condescending to brotherhood with us since God determined that we should be into Jesus' image for He is our predecessor as the firstborn in His Kingdom, His church (Acts 2:30, 31, 47; "the church of the firstborn", Hebrews 12:23).

Colossians 1:15, "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature." It is made plain down in verse 18 that "firstborn" means preeminence and not a fleshly birth, "And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” This is great hope for the faithful brothers and sisters in the church who are to follow the Lord Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 1:6, " And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith , And let all the angels of God worship him ." This passage is understood to have been quoted from an original version of Psalm 97:7, "angels" being preferred instead of the Masorete Hebrew "gods." All are subject to Jesus. Daniel 7:27, “... and all dominions shall serve and obey him .”

Even as the angel in Revelation said, we should " Only worship God " (Revelation 22:9).   Obviously, Jesus is to be worshpped. He is then epitomized as God, one of the Godhead (Colossians 2: 9).