Many have twisted the truth, but the truth itself remains—though obscured by these distortions. The name of the Lord Jesus Christ carries real power, a power at work within the very fabric of Nature. It strengthens and sustains all created things: the budding of trees, the courses of the planets, and the harmonies of life itself. This is the active agency of the Creator, of God Himself, operating through the name and person of His chosen one, Jesus the Messiah.
Yet when some say “Jesus is God,” the saying is easily misunderstood or misused—either by the naive or the unscrupulous. The truth is close to this expression, but not identical with how it is often taken. Consider an analogy: the electricity flowing from a socket is the energy of the power station, but not the station itself. To say that the electricity isthe power station would be true only in a limited and careful sense, one that must not be taken too literally. The power flows continuously from the station; the socket and the device work in unity with it.
So it is with Jesus. His divine power, his light, his creative agency all proceed from the Father. The Father constantly gives him this divine authority. In this way, Jesus truly participates in the work of creation and redemption; he is divine, yet his divinity is derived from and sustained by the Father, who alone is truly God.
This understanding also clarifies the meaning of Jesus’ words in John 8, which are often distorted. When Jesus says “Before Abraham was, I am,” many take this as a direct claim to be YHWH, the One who spoke to Moses from the burning bush. But this is a misunderstanding of his intent. Jesus is not declaring himself to be YHWH, but affirming his preeminence and divine commission—that he, as the light sent from God, existed in God’s purpose and plan before Abraham, and that his life and mission are bound up with the eternal will of the Father.
Jesus’ teaching throughout John 8 makes his meaning plain. He calls himself the light of the world, sent by the Father. He tells the people that unless they believe he is this light from God—the true light shining from the Creator into the world—they will remain in darkness. If they cannot receive him as the one sent from God, they will not hold to his word with faith, and so will not truly be his disciples. And if they are not his disciples, he cannot save them from their sins; they will die still burdened by them.
Thus, to believe in Jesus rightly is not to mistake him for the Father, but to recognize in him the radiance of the Father’s glory, the divine light shining through him by the Father’s will. In this light, the creation is upheld and humanity finds salvation. Jesus is the agency of the Creator, the power of God revealed—not God the Father Himself, but the Son through whom the Father works.
(By Stephen D Green: Using AI for improved clarity)
