"Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner." (John 5:19)
Before His incarnation, Jesus the Son of God was in a position to see and know what our Father God wills and does, and what He saw his Father do Jesus "does in like manner".
And what was that?
“He will SAVE His people from their sins”.
Christian and Muslim apologists would contend that only those who join their particular group are “His people”, thus creating division among humanity.
“He will SAVE His people from their sins”.
Christian and Muslim apologists would contend that only those who join their particular group are “His people”, thus creating division among humanity.
However, God intends to "save His people from their sins"…and humans are "His people" as Paul tells the Athenians….
“He made from one man every nation of humanity to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said for we also are His children. Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of humanity. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to humanity that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:26-29)
So what is God calling every man to "repent" from?
“He made from one man every nation of humanity to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said for we also are His children. Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of humanity. Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to humanity that all people everywhere should repent…” (Acts 17:26-29)
So what is God calling every man to "repent" from?
Humanity needs to repent from thinking that the god "formed by the art and thought of humanity" is the true God. The gods of religion have one thing in common, they warn that those who refuse to worship them will be eternally lost and/or punished for all eternity.
Paul told the Athenians to "REPENT" of that characterization because the true GOD is not like that, only the made up gods of humanity. The real God is the FATHER of humanity and does what any good Father does - occasionally disciplines them…
“…have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, My son, do not regard lightly the DISCIPLINE of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives…God deals with you as with sons and what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:5-7)
The final discipline will be applied to humanity at the judgment seat of Christ before the Great White Throne where we must all appear...
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
It seems clear to me that the real God will not reward anyone for believing in and worshiping a false god that was "formed by the art and THOUGHT of man", even if those people call themselves the people of God.
“…have you forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, My son, do not regard lightly the DISCIPLINE of the Lord, nor faint when you are reproved by Him; for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives…God deals with you as with sons and what son is there whom his father does not discipline?” (Hebrews 12:5-7)
The final discipline will be applied to humanity at the judgment seat of Christ before the Great White Throne where we must all appear...
“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” (2 Corinthians 5:10)
It seems clear to me that the real God will not reward anyone for believing in and worshiping a false god that was "formed by the art and THOUGHT of man", even if those people call themselves the people of God.