“God begets God and then God is murdered by Jewish monotheists.”
Eternal Generation and the Trinity:
The phrase "God begets God" misrepresents the doctrine of the eternal generation of the Son. Christian theology teaches that God the Father eternally begets the Son, meaning that the Son’s existence is derived from the Father but without a beginning in time (John 1:1-3, Colossians 1:15-17).
This does not imply two separate "gods," as the Trinity is one God in three persons-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-sharing the same divine essence. Therefore, the Son is not a separate "second god" but is consubstantial
(homoousios) with the Father.
2. The Incarnation and Death of Christ:
The statement "God is murdered" misunderstands the Christian teaching of the Incarnation. Jesus, fully God and fully man, willingly took on human nature to redeem humanity (Philippians 2:6-8). His human nature, not His divine essence, experienced death on the cross. The divine nature cannot die or cease to exist, as God is eternal and unchanging (Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8).
Jesus’ death is understood as a sacrificial act to atone for the sins of humanity (1 Peter 2:24). It is not a tragedy inflicted on God unwillingly but a purposeful and redemptive act carried out within God’s sovereign plan.
3. Jewish Monotheists and the Crucifixion:
While Jewish leaders played a role in the trial of Jesus, the crucifixion was ultimately carried out by Roman authorities under Pontius Pilate (John 19:16).
To frame the event as “murder by Jewish monotheists” is both theologically and historically misleading.
The New Testament emphasizes that Jesus’ death was part of God’s redemptive plan for humanity and that all humanity shares responsibility for sin (Acts 2:23, Romans 3:23), which necessitated the sacrifice. Blame cannot be narrowly assigned to one group.
4. Voluntary Sacrifice, Not Victimhood:
Jesus Himself stated, "No one takes it [My life] from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord" (John 10:18). This highlights that His death was a voluntary act of divine love and grace, not a passive victimization.
The crucifixion is central to Christian theology because it demonstrates God’s justice and mercy, reconciling sinners to Himself through Christ’s atoning sacrifice (2 Corinthians 5:18-19).
5. Conclusion:
The statement distorts Christian theology by ignoring the voluntary and redemptive nature of Christ’s sacrifice, mischaracterizing the Trinity, and oversimplifying the historical and theological context of the crucifixion. A proper understanding reveals the depth and coherence of these doctrines, rooted in God’s eternal plan of salvation and the mystery of the Incarnation.
A. AS THE ETERNAL WORD, JESUS IS FULLY GOD.
We saw this clearly in verse 1. John asserts that Jesus is eternal. He does not say,
“In the beginning, God created the Word as the first and greatest created being.” But rather, “In the beginning was the Word.” The sense of the verb is that He was already existing at the beginning of time because He has no beginning. He is one in essence with the Father (John 10:30) and the triune God is the only eternal being.
Bereshis (in the Beginning) was the Dvar Hashem [YESHAYAH 55:11; BERESHIS 1:1], and the Dvar Hashem was agav (along with) Hashem [MISHLE 8:30; 30:4], and the Dvar Hashem was nothing less, by nature, than Elohim! [Psa 56:11(10); Yn 17:5; Rev. 19:13]
Joh 1:2 Bereshis (in the Beginning) this Dvar Hashem was with Hashem [Prov 8:30].
Joh 1:3 All things through him came to be, and without him came to be not one thing which came into being. [Ps 33:6,9; Prov 30:4]
Of course, Satan hates the truth of the deity of Jesus Christ, because it spells his doom. And so he has always attacked it.
One of the most substantial attacks on the deity of Christ came from the heretic Arius in the early fourth century. He taught that the Word was the first and greatest created being. He gained a large following, but was refuted at the Councils of Nicea (325 A.D.), Constantinople (381 A.D.), and Chalcedon (451 A. D.). The latter two councils also clarified the relationship of the two natures of Christ to correct several other heresies that had sprung up. But the attacks on Christ’s deity have continued through the Unitarians, liberal theologians, and the modern cults, such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses and Mormons.
But the New Testament clearly affirms the deity of Jesus Christ. He Himself claimed to be God. In John 5:23, He said that the Father had given all judgment to the Son “so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” In John 8:58, He asserted His eternal existence when He claimed, “Before Abraham was born, I am.” (The Jews would have recognized “I am” as a reference to God’s name as revealed to Moses in Exodus 3:14.) In John 10:30 He asserted, “I and the Father are one.” In John 14:9 He told Philip, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”
Also, Scripture directly states that Jesus is God. There are several such references (John 1:1; 20:28; Rom. 9:5; Titus 2:13; 1 John 5:20), but I think the clearest is Hebrews 1:8, which applies Psalm 45:6 to Jesus: “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever….” Also, many titles that apply only to God are applied to Jesus. “Lord” is the same as Yahweh of the Old Testament (Isa. 40:3 with John 1:23; Jer. 23:5, 6; Joel 2:32 with Acts 2:21; 4:12; Rom. 10:9-10, 13). He is “the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). In Revelation 1:8 God says, “‘I am the Alpha and the Omega,’ says the Lord God, ‘who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.’” Then just a few verses later (Rev. 1:17), Jesus proclaims, “I am the first and the last.” In Revelation 22:13 (in case we missed it) he reaffirms, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (See Isa. 41:4.)
Also, Jesus displayed many of the incommunicable attributes of God: He is eternal (John 1:1); omnipresent (Matt. 28:20); omnipotent (Phil. 3:21); immutable (Heb. 1:10-12; 13:8); glorious (John 1:14; 1 Cor. 2:8; Rev. 1:13-16); and sovereign (Phil. 2:10). Paul put it (Col. 2:9), “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Plus, Jesus did works that only God can do, such as creating all that is (John 1:3, 10; Heb. 1:2); raising the dead (John 5:25-26); overpowering Satan and all spiritual forces (Eph. 1:21); judging all people (John 5:22-23, 27); forgiving sins (Mark 2:5-7); and receiving worship (John 9:38; 20:28).
You cannot believe the New Testament and deny the full deity of Jesus Christ.
J.
