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But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. (John 8:40)
But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this. (John 8:40)
John 8:40 along with 1 Timothy 2:5 are the favorite verses of the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) to deny Jesus Christ is God.
Jesus said:
  • “But now you are trying to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God; Abraham did not do this.” (Jn 8:40, New American Bible)
Paul said:
  • For there is one God. There is also one mediator between God and the human race, Christ Jesus, himself human, (1Tm 2:5, NAB)
According to the perverted teaching of the INC, Jesus Christ admitted he is only a man and not God in John 8:40 and that Paul preaches the same in 1Timothy 2:5.  But if you scrutinize the said verses, neither Jesus Christ nor Paul said Jesus Christ is not God.  They are simply stating the fact that Jesus Christ is a man during His brief stint on earth as a man, that is, in the form of a human being.
To the INC, the whole content of the Bible rests on John 8:40 and 1 Timothy 2:5 (the latter to be discussed in another article) so they can push their false teaching that Jesus Christ is not God but only a man.
Just because Jesus Christ was said to be a man in John 8:40 and in 1Timothy 2:5, the INC disregarded the rest of the Scriptures that says He is God in the flesh (See the numerous Biblical testimonies below that says Jesus Christ is truly God in the flesh).
Every Christians that do not belong to the Arian cults (INC, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, etc.) accepts and believes that Jesus Christ is indeed a man because He is the God who became Man according to John 1:1-14, in this wise:
  • Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God. He has always been alive and is himself God. He created everything there is—nothing exists that he didn’t make. Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.  His life is the light that shines through the darkness—and the darkness can never extinguish it.  God sent John the Baptist as a witness to the fact that Jesus Christ is the true Light.  John himself was not the Light; he was only a witness to identify it.  Later on, the one who is the true Light arrived to shine on everyone coming into the world.  But although he made the world, the world didn’t recognize him when he came.  Even in his own land and among his own people, the Jews, he was not accepted. Only a few would welcome and receive him. But to all who received him, he gave the right to become children of God. All they needed to do was to trust him to save them.   All those who believe this are reborn!—not a physical rebirth resulting from human passion or plan—but from the will of God.  And Christ became a human being and lived here on earth among us and was full of loving forgiveness and truth. And some of us have seen his glory—the glory of the only Son of the heavenly Father!  (Jn 1:1-14, The Living Bible)
With that passage alone, the false teaching of INC is flushed in the toilet bowl and straight into the septic tank where it belongs.
According to the Bible Jesus Christ is truly God in the flesh:
  1. Colossians 2:9 in different English Translations:
  • For in him dwells the whole fullness of the deity bodily, (NAB)
  • God lives fully in Christ. (Contemporary English Version)
  • I say this because all of God lives in Christ fully, even in his life on earth. (Easy-to-Read Version)
  • All of God lives fully in Christ [For in him all the fullness of deity dwells] in a human body [bodily; embodied], (Expanded Bible)
  • All of God lives in Christ’s body, (GOD’S WORD Translation)
  • For in Christ there is all of God in a human body; (The Living Bible)
  • All of God lives in Christ’s body, (Names of God Bible)
  • All of God lives fully in Christ (even when Christ was on earth), (New Century Version)
  • God’s whole nature is living in Christ in human form. (New International Reader’s Version)
  • For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. (New Life Version)
  • You see, all that is God, all His fullness, resides in His body. (The Voice)
  1. Philippians 2:6 in different English Translations:
  • Who, although being essentially one with God and in the form of God [possessing the fullness of the attributes which make God God], did not think this equality with God was a thing to be eagerly grasped or retained, (Amplified Bible)
  • Christ was truly God. But he did not try to remain equal with God. (Contemporary English Version)
  • He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. (Good News Translation)
  • For he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his prerogatives as God’s equal, (J.B. Phillips New Testament)
  • Who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, (The Living Bible)
  • In his very nature he was God. Jesus was equal with God. But Jesus didn’t take advantage of that fact. (New International Reader’s Version)
  • Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; (New International Version)
  • Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; (New International Version – UK)
  • Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. (New Life Version)
  • Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. (New Living Translation)
  1. Romans 9:5 in different English Translations:
  • Whose are the fathers, from among whom Christ appeared in the flesh, who is God over all, to whom are due praises and thanksgiving, for ever and ever. Amen. (Lamsa Trnaslation)
  • The Jewish ancestors are theirs, and the Christ descended from those ancestors. He is the one who rules over all things, who is God, and who is blessed forever. Amen. (Common English Bible)
  • They are the descendants of our great fathers, and they are the earthly family of the Messiah, who is God over all things. Praise him forever! Amen. (Easy-to-Read Version)
  • To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. (English Standard Version)
  • To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed for ever. Amen. (English Standard Version Anglicised)
  • They are the descendants of our great ancestors [They have the fathers/patriarchs], and they are the earthly family into which Christ was born [or from their descendants the Messiah came], who is God over all. Praise him forever [or May God, who is over all, be praised forever]! Amen. (Expanded Bible)
  • Of whom are the fathers, and of whom concerning the flesh, Christ came, who is God over all, blessed forever, Amen. (1599 Geneva Bible)
  • The Messiah is descended from their ancestors according to his human nature. The Messiah is God over everything, forever blessed. Amen. (GOD’S WORD Translation)
  • The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen. (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
  • To the Israelis belong the patriarchs, and from them, the Messiah descended, who is God over all, the one who is forever blessed. Amen. (International Standard Version)
  • Just think what the Israelites have had given to them. The privilege of being adopted as sons of God, the experience of seeing something of the glory of God, the receiving of the agreements made with God, the gift of the Law, true ways of worship, God’s own promises—all these are theirs, and so too, as far as human descent goes, is Christ himself, Christ who is God over all, blessed for ever. (Rom 9:4-5, J.B. Phillips New Testament)
  • whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh is the Christ, who is God over all things, blessed for all the ages. Amen. (Jubilee Bible 2000)
  • to whom belong the patriarchs, and from whom is the Christ according to human descent, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen. (Lexham English Bible)
  • At the same time, you need to know that I carry with me at all times a huge sorrow. It’s an enormous pain deep within me, and I’m never free of it. I’m not exaggerating—Christ and the Holy Spirit are my witnesses. It’s the Israelites . . . If there were any way I could be cursed by the Messiah so they could be blessed by him, I’d do it in a minute. They’re my family. I grew up with them. They had everything going for them—family, glory, covenants, revelation, worship, promises, to say nothing of being the race that produced the Messiah, the Christ, who is God over everything, always. Oh, yes! (Rom 9:1-5, The Message)
  • To them belong the patriarchs, and from them by human descents came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed for all time. Amen. (Mounce Reverse-Interlinear New Testament)
  • The Messiah is descended from their ancestors according to his human nature. The Messiah is God over everything, forever blessed. Amen. (Names of God Bible)
  • They are the descendants of our great ancestors, and they are the earthly family into which Christ was born, who is God over all. Praise him forever! Amen. (New Century Version)
  • To them belong the patriarchs, and from them, by human descent, came the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever! Amen. (New English Translation)
  • The founders of our nation belong to them. The Messiah comes from their family line. He is God over all. May he always be praised! Amen. (New International Reader’s Version)
  • Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen. (New International Version)
  • Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, for ever praised! Amen. (New International Version –UK)
  • of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen. (New King James Version)
  • Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen. (New Living Translation)
  • to them belong the patriarchs, and of their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed for ever. Amen. (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition)
  • whose be the fathers, and of which is Christ after the flesh, that is God above all things, blessed into worlds. Amen. (Wycliffe Bible)
  1. 1Timothy 3:16 in different English Translations:
[Note that God and Jesus Christ are interchangeable because God is Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ is God, as they are one (cf Jn 1:1, 10:30).]
  • And beyond controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (21st Century King James Version)
  • And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory. (Amplified Bible)
  • Here is the great mystery of our religion: Christ came as a human. The Spirit proved that he pleased God, and he was seen by angels. Christ was preached to the nations.  People in this world put their faith in him, and he was taken up to glory.  (Contemporary English Version)
  • And confessedly the mystery of piety is great. God has been manifested in flesh, has been justified in [the] Spirit, has appeared to angels, has been preached among [the] nations, has been believed on in [the] world, has been received up in glory. (Darby Translation)
  • God Was Revealed In The Flesh, But Some Will Depart From The Faith And Good Teaching: And the mystery of godliness is confessedly great: Who was revealed in the flesh, was declared-righteous in the spirit; was seen by messengers, was proclaimed among the nations; was believed in the world, was taken-up in glory. (Disciples’ Literal New Testament)
  • Without a doubt, the secret of our life of worship is great: Christ was shown to us in human form; the Spirit proved that he was right; he was seen by angels. The message about him was told to the nations; people in the world believed in him; he was taken up to heaven in glory. (Easy-to-Read Version)
  • And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness, which is, God is manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of Angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. (1599 Geneva Bible)
  • And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (Jubilee Bible 2000)
  • And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (King James Version)
  • And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory. (Authorized (King James) Version)
  • It is quite true that the way to live a godly life is not an easy matter. But the answer lies in Christ, who came to earth as a man, was proved spotless and pure in his Spirit, was served by angels, was preached among the nations, was accepted by men everywhere, and was received up again to his glory in heaven. The Living Bible)
  • Without question, great is the mystery of godliness: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached to the Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up into glory. (Modern English Version)
  • The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He appeared in his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in glory. (Names of God Bible)
  • There is no doubt that true godliness comes from this great mystery. Jesus came as a human being. The Holy Spirit proved that he was the Son of God.  He was seen by angels.  He was preached among the nations.  People in the world believed in him.  He was taken up to heaven in glory.  (New International Reader’s Version)
  • And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory. (New King James Version)
  • It is important to know the secret of God-like living, which is: Christ came to earth as a Man. He was pure in His Spirit. He was seen by angels. The nations heard about Him. Men everywhere put their trust in Him. He was taken up into heaven. (New Life Version)
  • Without question, this is the great mystery of our faith: Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.  (New Living Translation)
  • Without controversy, the mystery of godliness is great: God was revealed in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, and received up in glory. (World English Bible)
  • God’s plan is very great as we all know. Here it is: we saw God as a man; God’s Spirit proved he was right; angels saw him; the nations were told about him; people of the world believed in him; God took him up into heaven. (Worldwide English (New Testament))
  • and, confessedly, great is the secret of piety — God was manifested in flesh, declared righteous in spirit, seen by messengers, preached among nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory! (Young’s Literal Translation)
Source: splendorofthechurch.com.ph