Jehovah's Witnesses: Why does Thomas exclaim "my Lord and my God" to Jesus?

The answer from Terry does not follow any reading logic. The question was why does Thomas exclaim "my Lord and my God" TO Jesus? Even the NWT reads in verse 28... In answer Thomas said to him: “My Lord and my God!” This is Thomas' answer as he said directly to Jesus, with a colon before the quote, and even the words Lord and God were capitalized! This does not compare to someone exclaiming "My God" in front of someone who is doing something amazing, because the one who is exclaiming "My God!" is not exclaiming it directly to the one who is doing something amazing! Also, a person may exclaim "My God!" when something amazing happens and no-one else is around, so who is he talking to??? Obviously he was talking to himself! So every time I do something amazing in front of someone who says "My God!", I suddenly become his God??? No, I will never accept that, and I hope Terry will never accept that either! However, Thomas DID exclaim it directly towards Jesus as the verse clearly stated, and Jesus clearly accepted Thomas' statement saying this is because he believed! Doubting Thomas suddenly became Believing Thomas right at that moment, Jesus confirmed it! Unfortunately, the JWs don't share the same belief as Thomas and the Apostles as I do...Jesus is my Lord and my God!

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Bar's answer is a quote from Reasoning of the Scriptures, which only addresses the issue of calling Jesus 'God', while avoiding the issue of calling Him 'My God!' or in the Greek "The God of me!"

Ask them if they ever considered Jesus as "My God", and hear them smooth-talk sideways around this issue! Not ONE JW answer in this question has considered Jesus as their God so far, so they do NOT share the same belief as Thomas as well as the Apostles and the mainstream Christians up to today!

Recognizing the Scriptural indisputable fact that Jesus is “a god” or “mighty one,” Jehovah’s Witnesses should not disturbed via John 20:28, the place it's recorded that the apostle Thomas exclaimed to Jesus: “My Lord and my God!” For one thing, Thomas might had been using the word “God” like Manoah of old. (Judges 13:20-22) however even supposing this used to be now not the case, there can be no confusion, for Jesus had recently despatched a message to the apostles, mentioning: “i am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17; examine 2 Corinthians 1:3.) And John says he wrote down these details (together with Thomas’ exclamation) “that you may think that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God.”—John 20:31. Jehovah’s Witnesses don't suppose that Jesus was once “God incarnate,” a “God-man,” consistent with the philosophical Incarnation theory of the “two natures,” human and divine. In step with the Bible, they suppose “the phrase grew to become flesh.” (John 1:14) So doing, “he emptied himself” of his prior religious existence and grew to become a man, “slash than angels,” with the intention to present himself as “a corresponding ransom for all.” (Philippians 2:7, eight; Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:6) The Trinitarian inspiration that “the redemption of man from sin and loss of life is simplest then guaranteed if Christ is total God and complete man” is unscriptural philosophy. To redeem what Adam misplaced for mankind, Jesus needed to sacrifice a excellent human existence, no extra, no much less. (Exodus 21:23; 1 Corinthians 15:22, 45, 47; Romans 5:18, 19, RS, Catholic and Protestant variations; Matthew 20:28) This by myself offers the deceive the Incarnation and Trinity dogmas. Why did Thomas exclaim when seeing the resurrected Jesus, “My Lord and my God!”? As already noted, Jesus is a god within the experience of being divine, however he isn't the daddy. Jesus had simply instructed Mary Magdalene: “i'm ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.” recall, too, why John wrote his Gospel. Three verses after the account about Thomas, John defined that he wrote so that people “may just feel that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God”—no longer that he is God.—John 20:17, 28, 31. Evidently, there are numerous gods. Some, as we have obvious, are named in the Bible. But, persons who saw Jehovah’s vigour lengthy in the past exclaimed: “Jehovah is the authentic God! Jehovah is the true God!” (1 Kings 18:39) a further god, nevertheless, also has power. The Bible says: “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe no longer.”—2 Corinthians 4:four, King James variation.

My God sonny I like your bald head. Are you a God?. There are many Gods, but only 1 rue God. Get a grip your causing others to show their lack of reasoning and shows their ability to cause false sayings. It's not a hard concept Thomas calling Jesus God. Jesus is not the true Supreme God.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that Jesus is not ALMIGHTY GOD, making that distinction because humans, angels (including Satan), false gods are called God (elohim'), and Jesus is also, but only Jehovah is the Almighty God.

With this scripture as well as with all others, you have to read context, not just take a scripture out and interpret it according to your feelings.

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But what about the apostle Thomas’ saying, “My Lord and my God!” to Jesus at John 20:28? To Thomas, Jesus was like “a god,” especially in the miraculous circumstances that prompted his exclamation.

Some scholars suggest that Thomas may simply have made an emotional exclamation of astonishment, spoken to Jesus but directed to God.

In either case, Thomas did not think that Jesus was Almighty God, for he and all the other apostles knew that Jesus never claimed to be God but taught that Jehovah alone is “the only true God.”—John 17:3.

Again, the context helps us to understand this. A few days earlier the resurrected Jesus had told Mary Magdalene to tell the disciples: “I am ascending to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God.” (John 20:17)

Even though Jesus was already resurrected as a mighty spirit, Jehovah was still his God. And Jesus continued to refer to Him as such even in the last book of the Bible, after he was glorified.—Revelation 1:5, 6; 3:2, 12.

Just three verses after Thomas’ exclamation, at John 20:31, the Bible further clarifies the matter by stating: “These have been written down that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God,” not that he was Almighty God. And it meant “Son” in a literal way, as with a natural father and son, not as some mysterious part of a Trinity Godhead.

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Jesus is God... He said so.....

JW's

Do you realize how foolish you look standing here on earth, a speck in the universe, telling Jesus, He isn’t who He says He is? In fact telling God He is a liar. Quoting from a book that has been changed from the Bible because you didn’t like what God had to say.

You will have your chance to straighten God out at the Judgment. Unfortunately, for you, you will not be able to change your mind. It will be to late. And God will not change His mind either. He will remain God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all one God. And you will be on your way to Hell. There is still time. Repent and be Saved from Eternal Damnation!

Was Jesus Thomas' God? Not according to Jesus, who said to Thomas and the other faithful apostles through a message delivered by Mary: "I am ascending to my God and your God." (John 20:17) So, Jesus' God was also Thomas' God.

When Thomas exclaimed: "My Lord and my God," he wasn't addressing Jesus, but Almighty God, Jehovah, for restoring Jesus to life. As fellow apostle, Luke, said at Acts 2:32: "This Jesus God resurrected, of which fact we are all witnesses." So, Thomas and the other faithful apostles knew that Jesus and God were two different persons.

"I think you missed the verse immediately after the "my Lord and my God" where Jesus says, "Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." This would have been the perfect place for Jesus to correct Thomas and tell him that Jesus is not Jehovah and to only worship the one true God. But he doesn't, and nobody else does either. Isn't that strange?"

FYI, Jesus DID correct Thomas. Before Jesus appeared to Thomas, Thomas had doubted the testimony of his fellow apostles that Jesus had been resurrected from the grave. So, when Jesus later appeared to Thomas, he rebuked Thomas for his faithless "seeing-is-believing" attitude, saying: "Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29)

"Why didn't Jesus correct him and say something like "cool your jets, Tom, I'm a fellowservant of Jehovah just like you."

Jesus didn't have to do that since Thomas and the rest of the apostles knew that Jesus was a fellow servant of Jehovah. That should be clear by what Peter said to a crowd of people at Acts 3:13. There, he said: "The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our forefathers, has glorified his Servant, Jesus, whom you, for your part, delivered up and disowned before Pilate’s face, when he had decided to release him." Did you notice that Peter called Jesus God's glorified Servant? Thomas knew that too.

Shortly before Jesus’ death, Thomas had heard Jesus’ prayer in which he addressed his Father as “the only true God.” (John 17:3, RS) After Jesus’ resurrection Jesus had sent a message to his apostles, including Thomas, in which he had said: “I am ascending . . . to my God and your God.” (John 20:17, RS) After recording what Thomas said when he actually saw and touched the resurrected Christ, the apostle John stated: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” (John 20:31, RS) So, if anyone has concluded from Thomas’ exclamation that Jesus is himself “the only true God” or that Jesus is a Trinitarian “God the Son,” he needs to look again at what Jesus himself said (vs. 17) and at the conclusion that is clearly stated by the apostle John (vs. 31).

I once saw someone do an amazing thing and a person watching then exclaimed, "My God" was the person that made the exclamation saying that the person that did the amazing thing was God ?

Think about it !!!!

Jesus in Praying to HIS FATHER said: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. John 17: 3. So listen to what the son says when he calls his father THE ONLY TRUE GOD!

Here are a few more things to think about, , "

The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." (John 13:16) Jesus said on numerous occasions that, "the Father… hath sent me." (John 5:37,6:37)

Jesus prays to God. (John 17:1-3)

Jesus has faith in God. (Hebrews 2:17,18, Hebrews 3:2)

Jesus is a servant of God. (Acts 3:13)

Jesus does not know things God knows. (Mark 13:32, Revelation 1:1)

Jesus worships God. (John 4:22)

Jesus has one who is God to him. (Revelation 3:12)

Jesus is in subjection to God. (1 Corinthians 15:28)

Jesus' head is God. (1 Corinthians 11:1)

Jesus has reverent submission, fear, of God. (Hebrews 5:7)

Jesus is given lordship by God. (Acts 2:36)

Jesus is exalted by God.(Acts 5:31)

Jesus is made high priest by God. (Hebrews 5:10)

Jesus is given authority by God. (Philippians 2:9)

Jesus is given kingship by God. (Luke 1:32,33)

Jesus is given judgment by God. (Acts 10:42)

"God raised [Jesus] from the dead". (Acts 2:24, Romans 10:9, 1 Corinthians 15:15)

Jesus is at the right hand of God. (Mark 16:19, Luke 22:69, Acts 2:33, Romans 8:34)

Jesus is the one human mediator between the one God and man. (1 Timothy 2:5)

No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:12)

God put everything, except Himself, under Jesus. (1 Corinthians 15:24-28)

Jesus did not think being "equal with God" was graspable. (Philippians 2:6)

"Around the ninth hour, Jesus shouted in a loud voice, saying "Eli Eli lama sabachthani?" which is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"" (Matthew 27:46)

I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." Rev 14: 14-15 Here is Jesus is taking orders from another angel ! Can we beleive that an angel who orders Christ to harvest the earth is giving orders to God Himself! Or that he would have to tell the omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing) Most High "God the Son" when and how to do anything?

TRUE Christians do not accept the pagan trinity teaching!

Greetings,

Sonny, you should know better than to misrepresent what Witnesses teach! Resorting to misrepresenting our beliefs only shows that you know how weak your position is!

Witnesses have no problem with Jesus being called "God," because it does not contradict our belief at all.

Their book "Reasoning from the Scriptures" says: "There is no objection to referring to Jesus as ‘God,'... Such would be in harmony with Jesus' own quotation from the Psalms in which powerful men, judges, were addressed as "gods." (Jn 10:34, 35; Ps. 82:1-6)."

What we do have a problem with is if someone claims that "because Jesus is called God, therefore he must be Almighty God." This is obviously a faulty interpretation because it would also mean that Satan, Moses, the whole nation of Israel and angels were also Almighty God. THEOS is not a unique title for the "Most High," so obviously, the very foundation of your logic is proven false.

Jesus did not have to correct Thomas because he knew Thomas was not calling him "Almighty God" but was just using the title "God" as the Bible consistently had used it of God's representatives.

An absolute rule of exegesis is that we cannot interpret an author in a way which would cause a contradiction with his explicit statements. And John's explicit statements ALWAYS present Jesus as separate and inferior to Almighty God. For example, just a couple of sentences before Thomas' words John quotes Jesus as saying that he was "going to his God and his Father" (20:17). Could Almighty God have a "God"? Then just a few sentences later John says that the purpose of his gospel was to prove that Jesus was "the SON of The God", not to make us believe that Jesus was The God (Jn. 20:31). These statements of John would be absurd if Thomas had actually identified Jesus as the Almighty God by his words. Obviously, John did not interpret Thomas' words as Trinitarians do.

Also the greater context makes this clear. The Bible speaks of a God over Jesus over 20 times! William Barclay states: "Time and time again the Fourth Gospel speaks of God sending Jesus into the world. Time and time again we see Jesus praying to God....Nowhere does the New Testament identify Jesus with God."—A Spiritual Autobiography

Next, this phrase was in common usage at the time of Christ and applied to men but never with the understanding that they were equal to Almighty God. For example: "Domitian required officials to speak of him in their documents as 'Our Lord and God'."—Durant; Caesar and Christ; 292, cf. Erdmans Handbook to the History of Christianity and also E. Mould; Essentials of Bible History

The book "Aspects of Monotheism" states: "God" is an allegorical equivalent for "king." At seeing the risen Christ Thomas recognized that Jesus was now the divine king and so the designation "My God and my Lord" was entirely appropriate. Yet, this in no way meant Thomas thought Jesus was Jehovah God any more than Israel's human kings were Jehovah just because they were also addressed as "God."

Today, when we use the word "God" we are usually referring to the one true almighty God. This was not the case in Bible times. In the Bible this title was used of humans and angels (Ex. 4:16; 7:1; Ps. 8:5/Heb. 2:8; Ps. 82:1,6; Jn.10:34). So while humans and angels are correctly called "god," they still have Jehovah God over them. The term "god" simply means someone who is over others in some capacity.

So, Thomas would know that in the Scriptures kings and angels were properly called God without according them the status of Almighty God. He would certainly be aware that the Messiah was to be called "mighty God" as the greatest "servant" and representative for Jehovah (Isa.9:6; 52:13; 53:11; Ac.3:13; 3:26).

In his addressing Christ as "my God" Thomas simply addressed Jesus as God's divine Representative.

"The adoring exclamation of St. Thomas "my Lord and my God": is still not quite the same as an address to Christ as being without qualification God."—John Martin Creed, The Divinity of Jesus Christ

Therefore, the argument that Jesus must be equal to Almighty God because he was called "The God" by Thomas is faulty because it demands an ignorance of Greek grammar, syntax and usage. The Trinitarian interpretation also ignores the way the term "God" was used in Bible times and it contradicts every explicit scripture which shows that Jesus was less than Almighty God at every point of his existence (Jn. 14:28; 20:17; Mk.13:32; 1Cor.15:27,28; Rev.3:2,12). At the highest position he will ever attain, Jesus is still "subject" to *GOD* the same way we are "subject" to him.

Anyone who says that Jesus was equal to God, simply does not know what his disciples knew nor do they accept what the Bible clearly states.

Yours,

BAR-ANERGES