Creator or creation? That’s the basic question that the various
sects of Christianity must answer about Jesus Christ. A “sect” is defined as “a religious or political group that is
connected to a larger group but that has beliefs that differ greatly from those
of the main group” and this definition would include Mormons, Jehovah’s
Witnesses, and Muslims, among others.
These groups have different traditions and practices just like the
different denominations within Christianity, but nothing can be so huge a
difference as the basic identity of Jesus.
That’s why, as I talked with a young Mormon named Nate, I focused not on
the different religious practices of Mormonism, but the importance of the difference
between Jesus the Son of God and co-Creator along with the Father and Holy
Spirit, or Jesus as a created being, like a great religious teacher or an
angelic being of some sort that Mormons believe Him to be. Nate explained away this difference by saying
that Jesus’ death was basically an example of humility for us to follow. But the difference between Creator and
creation has huge implications that can only be touched on here. If Jesus is only a finite, created being,
brought into existence at some point in history by God, then He would have no
more ability to pay the just penalty of our sins than other created beings like
a sheep or a goat. It would also mean
that God is a tyrannical judge and an unloving father who unfairly takes out
his anger on innocent victims. But if
God Himself, in the person of the Son, took the punishment for our sins in our
place, then He is both a loving Father and a righteous judge. “He forgave us all our sins, having canceled
the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us;
he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.”
(Col. 2) Amen!
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