In the realm of Christian denominations, Armstrongism stands out for its unique interpretation of Jesus Christ. Unlike traditional Christianity, which upholds the belief in Jesus as both fully God and fully human, Armstrongism asserts that Jesus voluntarily gave up his Godhood (i.e., relinquished his divinity) during his incarnation and emptied himself of his divine power and prerogatives to become entirely a human being. This radical departure from orthodox teachings raises profound questions about the nature of Christ, his ability to forgive sins, and ultimately, his role in human salvation.
At the core of Armstrongism's doctrine lies the notion that Jesus, being sinless, required the indwelling of the Holy Spirit from the moment of his conception. This spiritual infusion, they claim, transformed Jesus into Immanuel, the embodiment of God's presence on Earth. However, this interpretation contradicts the clear biblical testimony and traditional Christian understanding of the two natures of Christ.
The Bible consistently portrays Jesus as both fully God and fully human. He possessed divine attributes, performing miracles, forgiving sins, and even declaring his own divinity. Yet, he also exhibited human limitations, experiencing hunger, thirst, fatigue, and emotional distress. This harmonious coexistence of divine and human nature is the essence of orthodox Christology.
Armstrongism's rejection of this fundamental doctrine undermines the very foundation of Christian faith. Without the dual nature of Christ, his authority to forgive sins and his ability to redeem humanity from sin are jeopardized. Jesus, as a mere human, would lack the divine power necessary to reconcile humanity with God.
In this blog post, we embark on a journey to unravel the complexities of Armstrongism's Christology. We will examine the biblical passages they cite in support of their beliefs, exposing the inconsistencies and misinterpretations that fuel their doctrine. Our goal is to illuminate the truth about Jesus Christ, the cornerstone of the Christian faith, and expose the flaws in Armstrongism's portrayal of Jesus, a portrayal that ultimately renders him incapable of fulfilling his role as Savior.
Delving into Armstrongism's Christology:
These are just some of the Bible verses that Armstrongism uses to support the claim that Jesus "voluntarily gave up his Godhood" or gave up his "great glory and power" during his incarnation and emptied Himself of His divine power and prerogatives (i.e., relinquished His divinity) to become entirely a human being. They are:
Philippians 2:5-8, which says that Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and humbling himself to death on a cross.
John 14:28, which says that the Father is greater than Jesus.
Mark 13:32, which says that Jesus did not know the day or hour of his return, only the Father.
Hebrews 5:8, which says that Jesus learned obedience through what he suffered.
However, these verses do not prove that Jesus gave up his Godhood, his glory, his power, or that he was not divine. They only show that Jesus voluntarily submitted to the Father’s will and took on human nature in addition to his divine nature.
To refute the claim of Armstrongism, we can use the following arguments and verses:
The Bible clearly affirms the Godhood or deity of Jesus in many passages, such as John 1:1, 18; John 8:48-59; Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1:1-12; Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 1:1; Revelation 1:8, 17-18; and many others. These passages call Jesus God, the Word, the image of the invisible God, the heir of all things, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, the Radiance of God’s glory, the exact imprint of his nature, our great God and Savior, the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, and the living one who died and is alive forevermore.
The Bible also affirms the doctrine of the Trinity, which articulates that there is one God who exists in three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These persons are coequal and coeternal, sharing the same essence and attributes. Some of the passages that support the Trinity doctrine are Matthew 28:19; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Corinthians 13:14; 1 Peter 1:2; John 14:16-17, 26; 15:26; 16:13-15; and many others. These passages show that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are each called God, that they are involved in the creation and redemption of the world, that they have personal characteristics and relationships, and that they are distinguished from each other but not divided.
The Bible also affirms the incarnation, the doctrine that the eternal Son of God became a human being in the person of Jesus Christ, without ceasing to be God or losing any of his divine attributes (glory or power). Some of the passages that support the incarnation are John 1:14; Galatians 4:4-5; 1 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 2:14-18; and many others. These passages show that Jesus was born of a woman, under the law, in the flesh, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and that he shared in our humanity, temptations, sufferings, and death, so that he could redeem us from sin and death and make us children of God.
The Bible also affirms the physical resurrection of Jesus, the doctrine that Jesus rose from the dead in the same body that was crucified, with the marks of the nails and the spear, but glorified and immortal. Some of the passages that support the physical resurrection are Luke 24:36-43; John 20:24-29; Acts 2:24-32; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, 20-23; and many others. These passages show that Jesus appeared to his disciples and others after his death, that he showed them his hands and his side, that he ate and drank with them, that he was seen by over five hundred witnesses, that he was the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep, and that he is the guarantee of our future resurrection.
Jesus’ Capacity to Forgive Sins:
According to Mark 2:7 and other biblical verses, the authority to forgive sins is attributed to God alone. In light of Armstrongism's stance that, during the incarnation, Jesus ceased to be God and only became fully man, a theological question arises regarding Jesus' capacity to forgive sins.
Mark 2:7 underscores that only God possesses the authority to forgive sins. If, according to Armstrongism, Jesus ceased to be God ( i.e., gave up his Godhood, glory, or power - which equals to him giving up his divinity) and became solely human during the incarnation, it raises the question of how Jesus, in a purely human form, could retain the divine prerogative to forgive sins. This apparent inconsistency challenges the theological coherence of Armstrongism's position, as it seems to suggest that Jesus, in this framework, would lack the essential divine attribute necessary for forgiving sins.
This perspective emphasizes the importance of maintaining the dual nature of Christ—fully divine and fully human—in order to reconcile the biblical assertion of God's exclusive authority to forgive sins with the theological framework presented in Armstrongism.
To get around this though, Armstrongism teaches that Jesus Christ—who had no sins of which to repent—received the indwelling Holy Spirit from the moment of His conception. This is how they explain that He was Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh, and thus able to forgive sins. But is this explanation supported by the Holy Scriptures?
Challenging Armstrongism's Claim of Jesus' Human Nature:
The Holy Bible does not explicitly state that Jesus Christ received the indwelling Holy Spirit from the moment of His conception. The only reference to the Holy Spirit in relation to the conception of Jesus is in Luke 1:35, where the angel Gabriel tells Mary, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God." This verse does not imply that the Holy Spirit indwelt Jesus from that moment, but rather that the Holy Spirit was the agent of the miraculous conception of Jesus, who was born of a virgin by the power of God. The Holy Spirit was not the source of Jesus’ divine nature, but the means by which His human nature was formed in Mary’s womb. The Holy Spirit did not make Jesus God, but made Him man.
The Holy Bible does not support Armstrongism’s claim that Jesus Christ received the indwelling Holy Spirit from the moment of His conception, nor that this is how He was Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh. Armstrongism misunderstands the meaning of the name Immanuel, which is a prophetic name given to Jesus in Isaiah 7:14 and quoted in Matthew 1:23. The name Immanuel means “God with us”, not “God in us”. It does not refer to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, but to the incarnation of the Son of God. Jesus was Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh—because He was the Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us, as John 1:14 says. Jesus was Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh—because He was the Son of God, who was in the beginning with God, and who was God, as John 1:13 says. Jesus was Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh—because He was the exact representation of God’s being, the radiance of God’s glory, and the heir of all things, as Hebrews 1:1-3 says. Jesus did not need to receive the indwelling Holy Spirit to be Immanuel—God with us, God in the flesh—because He already was God by nature, and He became man by grace.
In summary, the biblical text does not explicitly support the claim that Jesus received the indwelling Holy Spirit from the moment of His conception. Instead, traditional Christian doctrine emphasizes the dual nature of Jesus as fully divine and fully human. It's crucial to interpret biblical passages in context and consider the broader teachings of the Bible when discussing theological concepts.
Affirming the Biblical Doctrine of Jesus' Dual Nature - Biblical Support for the Traditional Christian Doctrine:
The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is the eternal Word of God who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1, 14). He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, the Head of the church, and the fullness of God in bodily form (Colossians 1:15-202). He is the radiance of God’s glory, the exact representation of His being, and the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:1-33). He is the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End, who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty (Revelation 1:8, 17-184). He is the Lord of lords and King of kings, who has a name that is above every name, and at whose name every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Revelation 17:145; Philippians 2:9-11). He is the Son of God, who has the same nature and essence as the Father, and who is equal to the Father in power and glory (John 5:18; 10:30; 14:9).
The Bible also teaches that Jesus Christ is fully human, who was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, suffered and died on the cross, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven (Matthew 1:18-25; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 2:21-24; 1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Acts 1:9-11). He is the Son of Man, who came to seek and save the lost, to serve and give his life as a ransom for many, and to judge the living and the dead (Luke 19:10; Mark 10:45; John 5:27). He is the second Adam, who is the representative and head of a new humanity, who fulfilled the law and the prophets, and who brought grace and truth to the world (Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22; Matthew 5:17; John 1:17).
The Bible affirms that Jesus Christ is one person with two natures, divine and human, without confusion, change, division, or separation (John 1:141; Colossians 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:5). He is the God-man, who is the perfect mediator between God and man, the only way, the truth, and the life (1 Timothy 2:5; John 14:6). He is the Savior, who died for our sins, rose for our justification, and intercedes for us at the right hand of God (1 Corinthians 15:3; Romans 4:25; Hebrews 7:25).
The Bible declares that Jesus Christ has the authority to forgive sins because He is God, and He paid the price for our sins on the cross. Only God can forgive sins because sin is ultimately an offense against God and His holy law (Psalm 51:4; Isaiah 43:25; Mark 2:7). Jesus demonstrated His divine authority to forgive sins by healing a paralyzed man, who was brought to Him by four friends.
And Jesus, seeing their faith, said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” But some of the scribes were sitting there and thinking it over in their hearts, “Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins except God alone?” Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were thinking that way within themselves, said to them, “Why are you thinking about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’; or to say, ‘Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralyzed man, “I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet, and go home.” And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12 NASB; Luke 5:17-26).
Jesus proved that he had the authority to forgive sins by performing a miracle that only God could do, healing a man who was paralyzed. He also claimed to be the Son of Man, a title that refers to his humanity and his Messianic role, but also to his divine identity as the one who will come with the clouds of heaven and receive dominion, glory, and a kingdom from the Ancient of Days (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus forgave sins not only by his words, but also by his deeds, by dying on the cross as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). He said, “For this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:28). He also said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34). He also said to the repentant thief on the cross, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:43). Jesus has the authority to forgive sins, because He is the Son of God, who loved us and gave Himself for us (Galatians 2:20).
Embracing the True Jesus: A Call to Orthodox Christology
Navigating the complexities of Armstrongism's Christology demands a nuanced approach that delves into the depths of biblical passages while adhering to the principles of historical Christian orthodoxy. It is crucial to recognize the Bible as a unified whole, interpreting individual verses in harmony with the overarching teachings about the nature of Christ.
The Holy Bible unequivocally affirms the Christian doctrine that Jesus, being the Son of God and the second person of the Godhead, embodies both divinity and humanity in perfect union. Scripture consistently portrays Jesus as the eternal Son of God, sharing the same divine nature and essence as the Father and the Holy Spirit, and possessing equal power and glory. Simultaneously, the Bible chronicles Jesus' earthly existence, his birth from a virgin, his sinless life, his sacrificial death on the cross, his triumphant resurrection, and his ascension to heaven. This harmonious coexistence of divine and human nature is the cornerstone of orthodox Christology.
Armstrongism's rejection of this fundamental doctrine undermines the testimony of Scripture and the very essence of Christian faith. Without acknowledging the dual nature of Christ, his authority to forgive sins and his ability to redeem humanity from sin are rendered null and void. Jesus, as a mere human, would lack the divine power necessary to bridge the chasm between humanity and God.
In contrast, the Holy Bible clearly states that Jesus received the Holy Spirit at his baptism, not at his conception. This divine anointing empowered him to fulfill his Messianic mission, a mission that culminated in his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection. Furthermore, the Bible teaches that Jesus bestowed the Holy Spirit upon his disciples after his resurrection, a gift that continues to be poured out upon all who believe in him.
The path to truth demands a return to the orthodox understanding of Christ, as revealed in the Holy Scripture. Armstrongism's flawed interpretation, by denying Jesus' dual nature, ultimately renders him incapable of fulfilling his role as Savior. Only by embracing the true Jesus, as portrayed in the Bible, can we experience the transformative power of his love and redemption.
Sources:
Ogwyn, John H. "Is God really a Trinity? | Bible Study" Living Church of God. https://www.lcg.org/bible-studies/god-really-trinity