Pastor Mace (the preacher in the video) here. That is a great observation, and it certainly appears to be a contradiction. I think the key is context. I would love to discuss this in a more personal setting. Please email me at [email protected] to set up a time to chat!

Thank you for interacting with our content! You bring up some important issues to think through, some of which we have already addressed in previous lessons and some we will address in future lessons. If you have any questions or comments about the moral argument in particular, as discussed in this lesson, we would love to hear them!

@JamesRichardWiley, thanks for engaging with our content! That point is addressed in the lesson.

What about Mark 2 where Jesus says that only God has the authority to forgive sins and then proves that he, Jesus, has authority to forgive sins by healing the paralytic?

@@TheJourney_Houston First, you betray your sincerity by responding without actually quoting Mark. Second, it is clear you're no Biblical scholar: "One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases." Luke 9:1. Were his disciples "God" because they could cast out demons and heal all diseases? I do not dispute what is contained in John. What I'm asking is that you be more serious in your journey to discover what Jesus actually taught, and John is the least reliable on that score of the four Gospels.

@@ancil57, here is the text from Mark 2 for reference: Mark 2:5-12 [5] And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” [6] Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, [7] “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” [8] And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? [9] Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’? [10] But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”-he said to the paralytic-[11] “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” [12] And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” (ESV) Pastor Mace would be happy to discuss this matter further, as two people serious about their study of the Scriptures and what they have to teach about the person, words, and works of Jesus, in a more personal setting. Please email him at [email protected] to set that up.

@@TheJourney_Houston Jesus did not teach his disciplines to pray, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven ... forgive us our trespasses (or debts) as we forgive those who trespass against us (or debtors) ... For thine is the kingdom ...." if he was referring to himself in the first person. Jesus does not say on the cross, according to Matthew's Gospel, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" if he was God. Finally, his most common methods of self-reference were as the "Son of God" and the "Son of Man," and one is not both Father and Son. The writer of John decided to take it up a notch and I'm not rejecting him as false. It is logically inconsistent to compare Jesus's manner of referring to himself in Mark, Matthew, and Luke with that in John. That is all I'm saying. Peace be with you.

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