After you have finished pondering post #91, let us begin to look for the proper way to reason together.
Men having mingled their own mysteries into the mysteries of God within the fertile soil of our hearts, how do we now go about untangling them so that we might see men's inventions and eliminate them out of our hearts?
The importance of this subject is in the fact that men today cast hate at one another based on whether they believe Jesus is God as well as the Son of God, or just the Son of God. If we cannot resolve in our hearts which of those two choices he is, then at least resolve that hate. Many on both sides spew hateful words of condemnation toward their brothers, saying, "If you do not believe Jesus is God you will burn in hell", or saying, "Because you believe Jesus is God you will burn in hell". Of course some who do not believe in eternal torment by a literal hell fire simply say that the other will be condemned to eternal death. I cannot believe that our loving God looks well upon either side for this childish conduct.
Lets first seek to find what we are able to agree upon in scripture.
We can all agree that Jesus is referred to as himself directly saying he was "the Son of God". Matthew 27:43 "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God."
We can all agree that the tempter (Satan the devil) saw him as "the Son of God": Matthew 4:3 "And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." - Matthew 4:6 "And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone."
We can all agree that the demons saw Jesus as "the Son of God": Matthew 8:29 "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?"
We can all agree that Jesus disciples saw Jesus' ability to perform great miracles as being because he is "the Son of God": Matthew 14:33 "Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God."
We can all agree that the affect upon the Roman Centurions seeing the earthquake and other miraculous things while attending Jesus' death, concluded that it the stories they had heard about Jesus being "the Son of God" must be true: Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
We should all be able to agree (if we cast away our childishness) that whenever the scriptures tell us that, "If you do not believe you will die in your sins", it is referring to not believing the following: John 3:18 "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
We should also all be able to agree that Jesus himself said that the Jews persecuted him, not because he said he was God, but because he said he was "the Son of God"" John 10:36 "Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?"
And we should all understand that a good Son is equated even by us as equal to his father.
Ponder this much and tell me, have we established a base here upon which we can all agree?
I am not asking this of those that go beyond the Bible into the works of men touting it as proof. 2 Timothy 3:16- 17 'All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works."
To go beyond the Bible is only increases one's chances of being misled. We can use extraneous material to help understand parts of scripture but not in such a way that gives that extraneous material domination over the Bible.