christian@topaz.UUCP (03/11/87)
Here is a basic question that is not fully understood by those outside of Christianity. For the Christian community; is the usage of "Jesus Christ" and "God" 100% interchangeable? Does a Christian evoke the name of Jesus Christ as "God", and just as easly talk about God with Jesus Christ in mind? Dave Hatcher [Obviously a full answer to this would involve a complete exposition of the doctrine of the Incarnation. Others may wish to comment on how they see terms used, but in brief I'd say that the terms "God" and "Jesus Christ", although obviously very closely connected, are not in practice used interchangably. In effect "God" is more general. It refers to the entire Trinity. "Jesus Christ" refers specifically to the incarnation of the Son in Jesus. On the one hand it is more specific than "God", in that it points specifically to the second person of the Trinity. On the other, Christ is fully human as well as fully God, and this term also brings to mind Christ's human existence. This is probably more a matter of connotation than denotation, since of course in the final analysis a complete understanding of God everything covered by the term Christ, and a complete understanding of Christ involves the entire Trinity. If you don't know what the terms Trinity and Incarnation mean, you may want to widen the scope of your question. --clh]
cavender@drivax.uucp (Steve Cavender) (03/17/87)
[Dave Hatcher asked whether the terms "Jesus Christ" and "God" are
interchangable. --clh]
While there are a good many books on this subject, I would like to recommend
"The Man Who Was God" by Dr. Edward Heppenstall.
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Steve Cavender ...!amdahl!drivax!cavender
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"And don't try engaging my enthusiasm, 'cause I haven't got one."
- Marvinjchale@houtz.uucp (03/20/87)
Regarding the interchangeability of "God" and "Christ," there is a wonderful section of Scripture that shows the unity of the three Persons of the Trinity: God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This unity is precisely shown by interchanging the names of the Persons of the Trinity within this paragraph. Romans 8:9-11 In the following paragraph, Paul illustrates the uniqueness of each Person of the Trinity: Romans 8:15-17 In Christ, Jeff Hale AT&T Bell Labs, Holmdel NJ . . .!houtz!\2E\2E\