Matthew 1:23
"Behold, a virgin shall be
with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel,
which being interpreted is, God with us."
Problem:
Since
Matthew refers to Jesus as "God with us", this passage is quoted to prove that
Jesus is God.
Solution:
1.The word Emmanuel is a Hebrew name,
and its interpretation means “God with us”. The Hebrews often named their
children with names that made reference to God and His attributes. For example,
Elijah's name means "God is Yahweh", and Samuel's name means "his name is God".
2.Just because God was with Jesus, and hence Jesus was among us,
does not make Jesus into Yahweh. When Jesus raised back to life the widow’s son,
the people who saw the miracle “glorified God, saying, That a great prophet is
risen up among us; and, That God hath visited his people.” (Luke 7:16). Note
that the people who witnessed this miracle did not believe that Jesus was God,
for there is no indication that they bowed down and worshipped Jesus. The people
referred to Jesus as "a prophet", and not a god. Rather, they understood that
God used Jesus to perform the miracle. In this sense “God hath visited his
people”. In this sense God was with us (or them, in this case). God was working
THROUGH Jesus, and this is how Jesus can be “God with us” without Jesus being
confused as God the Almighty.
Ron Abel
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