The Master's writings seem to deal most clearly with the manifestation questions Tom asks, but I'm wondering if anyone would like to add some comments before I respond to Tom.
Thanks for any comments, (Tom's questions follow) Jerry
Tom wrote:
Thanks for agreeing to do this Jerry!
It is a pleasure to talk with someone of the Baha'i faith.
Websters dictionary defines the verb form of manifest as "to make evident or certain by showing or displaying." I realize that dictionaries do not always define theological terms correctly. Do you agree with this definition? If not, then please let me know.
As I understand, what you are saying is this: God was perfectly manifested in Jesus. Now I have a couple questions and observations. I asume that by adding the word "perfect" you are implying that God does indeed manifest himself in other people, just not perfectly (leaving aside Moses, Mohammud, etc..), correct?
Does this mean that Jesus perfectly manifested God (As opposed to God manifesting himself in Jesus)? In other words. Was it the result of Jesus' works that God was manifested in him, or did God essentially choose him, so that it was God doing all of the work? Basically, is there any other difference between God manifesting himself pefectly in Jesus and God manifesting himself in some regular devout believer, aside from the fact that the latter is not "perfect"? This question is important because, as a Christian, I beleive that, Jesus as a human, did, so to speak, obey the law perfectly and did earn his way into heaven (i.e. manifested God. Also see Isaiah 63:5) whereas all other Christians do not earn their way into heaven (i.e. God manfests himself in them). So is there an essential difference to how God is manifested in Jesus and how He is manifested in other believers, aside from the fact that one is a perfect manifestation and the other is not?
By saying that Jesus was a perfect manifestation of God, do you mean that only his actions and beliefs were perfect, or that every single aspect of Jesus was and always was a perfect manifestation. There is more to someone than just their actions, like their humanity for example. I suppose my question is this, was God perfectly manifested in Jesus' human nature or just through his actions and beliefs?
Finally, you have said in the past that it is correct to address Jesus as "God". When you call him God, do you mean that He is God in the same way that the Father is God? Is it appropriete to worship and pray to Jesus?
I hope you will also allow me to ask some questions about the Baha'i faith in the future, as it interests me greatly. But for now I'd like to stick to the "God and Jesus" issue. Thank you for your time.
Tom **
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