Jesus Christus/Bruder Satans

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Kritik

Kritiker behaupten, dass die HLT Jesus und Satan für "Brüder" halten, was sen Status Christi erniedrigen und Satan erhöhen würde. Manche gehen so weit zu sagen, dass die HLT tatsächlich Satan anbeten oder verehren, und sie deshalb keine wirklichen Christen wären. "Christians."

Quelle(n) der Kritik

• www.allaboutcults.org- Die HLT-Kirche sieht Jesus und Satan als spirituelle Brüder und Söhne Gottes... Die christliche Kirche lehre, Jesus Christus habe schon ewig existiert als Sohn Gottes, der zweiten Person der Trinität.

Erwiderung

HLT-Lehre billigt nicht die traditionelle Lehre des Trinitarismus. Das ist, weil HLT nicht an außerbiblische Lehren glauben, die viele christliche Vorstellungen von Gott umgeben, solche wie sie auf dem nicänischen Konzil beschlossen wurden. Besonders lehnen die HLT die Vorstellung ab, dass Gott der Vater, Jesus Christus und der Heilige Geist drei verschiedene Erscheinungen ein und desselben Wesens sind.

Statt dess sagt die Lehre der HLT, dass Gott der Vater persönlich und numerisch verschieden von Jesus Christus ist, Sein einzig gezeugter Sohn. Der Vater wird als der buchstäbliche Vater seiner geistigen Kinder verstanden.

HLT glauben, dass die Rolle Jesu Christi im Mittelpunkt des Plans unseres Himmlischen Vaters steht. LDS believe that Jesus Christ's role is central to our Heavenly Father's plan. Christ is unique in several respects from all other spirit children of God:

• Jesus war und ist vollkommen
• Jesus ist Gott; die anderen geistigen Kinder des Vaters jedoch nicht (siehe John 1:1-2, Hebr 1:6, 1 Nephi 11:16–26, D&C 76:13).
• Jesus isr der Schöpfer (Siehe Joh 1:3, Hebr 1:1 - 6, Mosiah 3:3, Helaman 14:12, Moses 2:1).
• Jesus gehorchte dem Vater in allen Dingen (Siehe 3 Nephi 11:11).
• Jesus war erwählt und vorherordiniert als Erlöser (Siehe Jsaiah 43:11, Mosiah 13:28:34, 3 Nephi 9:15, Moses 4:2).
• Jesus is the Mediator between God and humanity (See John 14:6, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 8:5, 2 Nephi 2:28, D&C 76:69).
• Jesus was "the Only Begotten"—only He, of all God's children, had a physical inheritance in His body from God the Father. All other mortals have two mortal parents, and Satan and his followers never receive physical bodies at all. (See John 1:14, John 3:16, John 14:3, Jacob 4:11, Alma 12:33–34).

God the Father also had many other spirit children, created in His image and that of His Only Begotten. These children include all humans born on the earth. Some of God's children rebelled against Him, and contested the choice of Jesus as Savior. (See D&C 76:25–27). The leader of these children was Lucifer, or Satan. Those spirit children of God who followed Satan in his rebellion against Christ are sometimes referred to as "demons," or "devils." (See Moses 4:1–4, Abraham 3:24–28).

Thus, it is technically true to say that Jesus and Satan are "brothers," in the sense that both have the same spiritual parent, God the Father.

However, critics do not provide the context for this doctrine. Cain and Abel were also brothers, and yet no Bible reader believes that they are spiritual equals or equally admirable.

Finally, while it is true that all mortals share a spiritual parent with Jesus (and Satan, and every other spiritual child of God), we now have a different, more important relationship with Jesus. All of God's children, save Jesus, have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). In sinning, they abandon and betray their divine heritage and inheritance. Only through Jesus can any mortal return home to God the Father. This return becomes possible when a sinner is born again, and adopted by Christ, who becomes the spiritual father to those whom He redeems. (See Romans 8:14–39.)

Cautionary Note to Members

Elder M. Russell Ballard cautioned members of the Church:

We occasionally hear some members refer to Jesus as our Elder Brother, which is a true concept based on our understanding of the premortal life with our Father in Heaven. But like many points of gospel doctrine, that simple truth doesn't go far enough in terms of describing the Savior's role in our present lives and His great position as a member of the Godhead. Thus, some non-LDS Christians are uncomfortable with what they perceive as a secondary role for Christ in our theology. They feel that we view Jesus as a spiritual peer. They believe that we view Christ as an implementor for God, if you will, but that we don't view Him as God to us and to all mankind, which, of course, is counter to biblical testimony about Christ's divinity…

Now we can understand why some Latter-day Saints have tended to focus on Christ's Sonship as opposed to His Godhood. As members of earthly families, we can relate to Him as a child, as a Son, and as a Brother because we know how that feels. We can personalize that relationship because we ourselves are children, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. For some it may be more difficult to relate to Him as a God. And so in an attempt to draw closer to Christ and to cultivate warm and personal feelings toward Him, some tend to humanize Him, sometimes at the expense of acknowledging His Divinity. So let us be very clear on this point: it is true that Jesus was our Elder Brother in the premortal life, but we believe that in this life it is crucial that we become "born again" as His sons and daughters in the gospel covenant.^[1]

Early Christian Evidence

The early pre-nicene Church father Lactantius wrote:

Since God was possessed of the greatest foresight for planning, and of the greatest skill for carrying out in action, before He commenced this business of the world,--inasmuch as there was in Him, and always is, the fountain of full and most complete goodness,--in order that goodness might spring as a stream from Him, and might flow forth afar, He produced a Spirit like to Himself, who might be endowed with the perfections of God the Father... Then He made another being, in whom the disposition of the divine origin did not remain. Therefore he was infected with his own envy as with poison, and passed from good to evil; and at his own will, which had been given to him by God unfettered, he acquired for himself a contrary name. From which it appears that the source of all evils is envy. For he envied his predecessor, who through his steadfastness is acceptable and dear to God the Father. This being, who from good became evil by his own act, is called by the Greeks diabolus: we call him accuser, because he reports to God the faults to which he himself entices us. God, therefore, when He began the fabric of the world, set over the whole work that first and greatest Son, and used Him at the same time as a counselor and artificer, in planning, arranging, and accomplishing, since He is complete both in knowledge, and judgment, and power... ^[2]

Many things he here taught are not considered "orthodox" by today's standards. However, Lactantius was definitely orthodox during his lifetime. Amazingly, many things here correspond to LDS doctrine precisely in those areas that are "unorthodox." For example,

1. "He produced a Spirit like to Himself," namely Christ. Christ, in this sense, is not the "co-equal," "eternally begotten," "same substance" "persona" of the later creeds.
2. "Then he made another being, in whom the disposition of the divine origin did not remain." God made another spirit who rebelled and who fell from his exalted status. He is the diabolus.
3. Christ is the "first and greatest Son." Not the "only" son.
4. Lastly, since the diabolus and Christ are both spirit sons of God, they are spirit brothers.

Conclusion

Jesus, Satan, and all humanity share God the Father as their spiritual sire. However, moral agency led Jesus to obey God the Father perfectly and share fully in the Father's divine nature and power. The same agency led Satan to renounce God, fight Jesus, and doom himself to eternal damnation. The remainder of God's children—all of us—have the choice to follow the route chosen by Satan, or the path to which Christ invites us and shows the way.

Divine parenthood gives all children of God potential; Christ maximized that potential, and Satan squandered it.

To choose the gospel of Jesus Christ and the grace that attends it will lead us home again. If we choose to follow Satan's example, and refuse to accept the gift of God's Only Begotten Son, our spiritual parentage cannot help us, just as it cannot help dignify or enoble Satan.

Endnotes

1. [back] www.allaboutcults.org "What do Mormons believe - Doctrinal Differences," (accessed 7 November 2007).
2. [back] M. Russell Ballard, "Building Bridges of Understanding," Ensign (June 1998): 62. Link
3. [back] Lactantius, Divine Institutes 2.9. in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds. The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. (1885; reprint, Peabody: Hendrickson, 2004), 1:52–53.

Further reading

FAIR web site

• Michael Reed, Lucifer, the Brother of Jesus?, FAIR Brochure.

External links

• Vorlage:1min
• Jess L. Christensen, "How can Jesus and Lucifer be spirit brothers when their characters and purposes are so utterly opposed?," Ensign (June 1986): 25–26. Link
• Wer ist Jesus Christus? Kirchenwebsite Link
• G. Todd Christopherson, „Ein Zeuge Christi werden” lds.org Link
• Gordon B. Hinckley, „An diese drei glaube ich,” Ensign (Juli 2006), 3 Link
• Der einzige wahre Gott und Jesus Christus, den er gesandt hat von Elder Jeffrey R. Holland lds.org Link
  • Videoreihe dazu Link
• Das Sühnopfer Jesu Christi - Jeffrey R. Holland lds.org Link
• Zeugnisse von Ihm lds.org Link
• Verschiedene Apostel, „Er lebt,” lds.org Link
• Die göttliche Natur Jesu Christi von Elder Orson F. Whitney lds.org Link
• Enzyklopädie des Mormonismus - Jesus Christus Namen und Titel Link
• Enzyklopädie des Mormonismus - das Kreuz Link

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