Did Jesus ever use divine power for His own benefit?

Anchorite said:

You may be correct, but I cannot find any scripture that says every time Jesus did something supernatural, He was not using His own divine power, but was operating in the power of the Holy Spirit.

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Jesus had the power to perform miracles, but He did nothing without His Father's authority -

John 5:19
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.

John 5:30
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.

John 8:28
So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

Wrangler said:

I think your question exposes what I've come to realize is commonplace in Christendom, IDOLATRY. He was a controversial figure in his lifetime. We shouldn't pretend everything he said was recieved as divine revelation from God because it wasn't received that way.

He called a women a dog. He demanded cannibalism. Advocated for violence in plucking your eye out and cutting off your arm and told off the priesthood to their faces when it could - and did - cost him his life. I know we disagree about him lying but it seems we agree he acted for his own benefit, his own glory. Frankly, as we all do this.

Getting back to lying; deception is an important tool in war. And make no mistake, God is at war with sin and evil. Can you imagine the forces Herod and Satan would have thrown at the manger in Bethleham had they known the son of God was to be born that night? Not very prudent and the lesson of history is God's word is an unfolding of divine revelation in good time.

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Hi, Wrangler.

When did Jesus lie? I believe the commandment is about bearing false witness against another, like in court, or to damage someone's reputation. What do you think? What if someone asks you a personal question about yourself that is none of their business and you don't tell them the truth? Do we have to tell them? I think I'm going to make a post and ask everyone. But I'd still like you to comment here about Jesus. Thanks.

1stCenturyLady said:

When did Jesus lie? I believe the commandment is about bearing false witness against another, like in court, or to damage someone's reputation. What do you think?

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Yes, the commandment is a prohibition against perjury. If you read the 6 things God hates, lying and false witness are separately identified.

Jesus lied multiple times: the girl was not sleeping and he wasn’t talking about rebuilding Solomon’s temple in 3 days even though that’s what ‘the temple’ referred to 400 times in Scripture before that.

1stCenturyLady said:

What if someone asks you a personal question about yourself that is none of their business and you don't tell them the truth? Do we have to tell them? I think I'm going to make a post and ask everyone. But I'd still like you to comment here about Jesus.

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This implies you recognize Jesus lied by omission on multiple occasions - to the Pharisees and to Caesar.

• Tell us plainly, Are you the Messiah? I already told you.
• Are you the king of the Jews? You have said it.

Wrangler said:

• Tell us plainly, Are you the Messiah? I already told you.
• Are you the king of the Jews? You have said it.

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Those were good things about Himself. Mine is more like Peter's denying Christ, but it was about me, not Christ. And it wasn't good.

shepherdsword said:

If Jesus did it...it was not sin.

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Agreed. The midwives in Moses time lied to save Hebrew babies as did Rahab to protect the Hebrews spies. Both were honored BECAUSE of their lies.

Did Jesus ever use divine power for His own benefit?​

If Jesus used his own divine power for the time of his earthly walk before going to the Cross?
It would have disqualified him to die as a man in our place.
For he died as a man for all men.

Here where some mess up in their thinking.

Was Moses using his own divine power when the Red Sea parted?
Was Sampson using his own divine power when he pulled down the pillars of the pagan temple,
killing himself and the enemies of God?

No! For God was providing the needed divine power for Moses and Sampson.
It was not Moses' power.
It was not Sampson's power.
Likewise, for when Jesus walked on water!

That is not to say Jesus is not both man and God.
But to be as one of us he volunteered not to utilize his own divine power.
If He had? It would have made it impossible for us to be imitators of Christ!

God the Father withheld no power to Jesus as needed.
Jesus did not will the power into being manifested by means of his own Deity.
It always came from the Father.


To author our faith?
The faith we are to walk in?
Jesus had to remain living and functioning as a man.
A highly unusual man. But, man just the same.
So what he perfected could be handed over to men to walk in!

If Jesus at any time used his own divine power while pioneering our faith that we are to live by?
It would mean?
To follow his plan for our lives?
That we too would need our own divine power!
Power where some allege he used his own divine power.
All divine power was willed by the Father for the benefit of Jesus as a man.

God wills that we will be granted His divine power, and not be from ourselves.
That power? Is called the grace of God.

Power which God the Holy Spirit provides for us just as God provided for Jesus divine power.
But, in our case? Not necessarily as spectacular and amazing as what Jesus, Moses, and Goliath experienced in their walk.
And, not to mention all the signs and wonders that began with the church age.

God's grace is God's Divine power we need just to live a normal happy Christian life.
A happy life in a world that would cause us otherwise to be miserable without it.


grace and peace ......