What is God's highest priority?

[Trailblazer]

You also say in John 1 that verses 3 and 4 are not speaking of Jesus, yet the Apostle who wrote the Gospel of John, also wrote the Book of 1 John. Here in the scriptures and we find Life is indeed in the Son ( Jesus Christ)

1 John 5
10 The one who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has given concerning His Son.
11 And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
12 The one who has the Son has the life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.

Eternal life is in the Son ( Jesus Christ). I am not disputing that.

All the verses below refer to eternal life of the soul.

John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life.

John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.


So the following verse may well be referring to Jesus.
John 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

It is verse 3 that is not referring to Jesus. It is referring to God, the creator of all things.
John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

 

[Trailblazer]

The question that one should be asking is why is it so important that we acknowledge who Jesus Christ is, what he did for mankind, and why we need to accept HIM for salvation ( not the latest version of a so-called messiah that has claimed to appear)

Acts 4:
10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Apparently, what you do not understand is that Baha'u'llah did not come to bring salvation. Jesus already conferred salvation upon all of humanity, so that did not need to be conferred AGAIN. The mission of Baha'ullah was a different mission, to reveal what we will need to unite humanity and build a new world order.

Baha'is are absolutely required to believe in Jesus. A quote from the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith:

“As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Bahá’u’lláh as the “Spirit of God,” is proclaimed as the One Who “appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost,” and is even extolled as the “Essence of the Spirit.” His mother is described as “that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance,” and the station of her Son eulogized as a “station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth,” whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused “the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth.......”
The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 109-110

I ask you please tell me, if you agree that Jesus Christ came to be the sacrifice for the sins of the World, can one NOT believe in Jesus Christ and BE SAVED. There really is a reason Why we must be SAVED.

If so then why does Scripture Clearly say different?

Baha'u'llah wrote that Jesus was sent to be a sacrifice for the sins of the world, so I believe that.

“Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things...... Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 85-86

The question is -- saved from what?

What Baha’is believe regarding how Adam brought sin into the world and how Christ saved us from that sin is explained below:

Question.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these words?

Answer.—Know that there are two natures in man: the physical nature and the spiritual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited from the Reality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The physical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born from the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all imperfection; the second is the source of all perfection.

The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature and might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the union of all perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is the divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.

All sin comes from the demands of nature, and these demands, which arise from the physical qualities, are not sins with respect to the animals, while for man they are sin. The animal is the source of imperfections, such as anger, sensuality, jealousy, avarice, cruelty, pride: all these defects are found in animals but do not constitute sins. But in man they are sins.

Adam is the cause of man’s physical life; but the Reality of Christ—that is to say, the Word of God—is the cause of spiritual life. It is “a quickening spirit,” meaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements of the physical life of man are transformed into human perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore, Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.

Adam was the cause of physical life, and as the physical world of man is the world of imperfections, and imperfections are the equivalent of death, Paul compared the physical imperfections to death.

Some Answered Questions, pp. 118-120

Read more: 29: EXPLANATION OF VERSE TWENTY-TWO, CHAPTER FIFTEEN, OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS

 

[Trailblazer]

Obviously this is speaking of Someone other than the Father It is understood by Those in Judaism and Christianity that GOD IS SPIRIT. And as he said to Moses none can see him and Live. What is missed by those who still hold to Judaism and reject Jesus Christ is that God said thru the prophet Isaiah:

ISAIAH 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Baha'is believe in the virgin birth.

"First regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. In light of what Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá have stated concerning this subject it is evident that Jesus came into this world through the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, and that consequently His birth was quite miraculous. This is an established fact, and the friends need not feel at all surprised, as the belief in the possibility of miracles has never been rejected in the Teachings. Their importance, however, has been minimized."

(From a letter dated December 31, 1937 written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer)
Lights of Guidance/Christ - Bahaiworks, a library of works about the Bahá’í Faith

(Immanuel means GOD WITH US) This is entirely understood and accepted by ALL Christians, Jesus is God in the Flesh. Not a mere manifestation

God is spirit so God cannot be flesh.. Purely on that basis we know that Jesus was not God since Jesus was flesh.
Jesus was a manifestation of God in the flesh.

1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Being manifested in the flesh is not the same as being incarnated in the flesh. The excerpt below from a longer article explains the difference between a Manifestation of God and an incarnation of God.

“The Christian equivalent to the Bahá'í concept of Manifestation is the concept of incarnation. The word to incarnate means 'to embody in flesh or 'to assume, or exist in, a bodily (esp. a human) form (Oxford English Dictionary). From a Bahá'í point of view, the important question regarding the subject of incarnation is, what does Jesus incarnate? Bahá'ís can certainly say that Jesus incarnated Gods attributes, in the sense that in Jesus, Gods attributes were perfectly reflected and expressed.[4] The Bahá'í scriptures, however, reject the belief that the ineffable essence of the Divinity was ever perfectly and completely contained in a single human body, because the Bahá'í scriptures emphasize the omnipresence and transcendence of the essence of God…..

One can argue that Bahá'u'lláh is asserting that epistemologically the Manifestations are God, for they are the perfect embodiment of all we can know about God; but ontologically they are not God, for they are not identical with God's essence. Perhaps this is the meaning of the words attributed to Jesus in the gospel of John: 'If you had known me, you would have known my Father also' (John 14:7) and 'he who has seen me has seen the Father (John 14:9)…...”

Jesus Christ in the Bahá'í Writings

but as Philippians 2 says

Philippians 2: 5-​

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:​

​

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:​

in the form of God means that Jesus had the same character as God. It does not mean Jesus was God.

● having the shape, character, style etc of. dưới hình thức. He wrote a novel in the form of a diary.

IN THE FORM OF definition - Cambridge Dictionary

I know this is hard to understand, but I am sure you know that Christians believe GOD IS ONE. But yet our One True God is Father, Son, Holy Spirit.

I know all about the Christian belief in the Trinity. The Baha'i Faith also has a Trinity belief but it is different.

The detailed explanation is in this chapter: 27: THE TRINITY

The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in the sense that they are ‘one in Purpose.’ They work together, but they are separate, not ‘part of God.’

In brief, here is how the Baha’i version of the Trinity operates.

God is exalted above anything that can ever be perceived so God remains in His own high place, on His Throne.
God never descends to earth. God is One so God cannot be divided into parts.

God sent Jesus from heaven and Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit from the womb of Mary into a human body. Later, after Jesus reached a certain age, God sent the Holy Spirit to Him and it descended upon Him like a dove when Jesus was baptized. After Jesus received the Holy Spirit from God the Father, Jesus brought the Holy Spirit to believers and it dwelt in believers.

The Holy Spirit does not enter the body, but rather it has a direct connection to the body through the soul, which is associated with the mind. That is what the indwelling Holy Spirit means to a Baha'i.

 

[Saved by grace 2]

Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:

Jesus is exact visible representation of the Father, Not merely a mirror, The Father is Spirit, the Son who also was before the universe began, took on Human form, therefore we humans are now able to see the Father in the son. This is where you and others don't comprehend, Jesus took on flesh and was and is the Last Adam, the NEW Adam for all that believe in him. Our (mankind) first Adam failed to bring forth the image of God for which we were created for, and we ALL by being descendents of the first Adam are born into this world like Adam and Eve became. Sunful in nature, knowing Good and Evil. God promised Adam he would die on the day he ate from the tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil.
WHAT DIED? we need to ask and answer this because physicallly he didnt die, and I mean on that very day God promised would happen if he disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. So what died?? God's likeness, his image in which God created him to be and do. Anything done outside or opposite of God's commands is by definition evil, wicked, that which is directly opposed to God and his likeness.
Jesus (in his humanity, according to scripture, left eternity and took on the form of a man) and lived a perfect obedient life, and was the perfect example of what we are supposed to be. And then by the hands of evil men and YES also by the will of the Father Jesus became the Perfect sacrifice for our sins. By doing so he alone makes a way for us to be forgiven, redeemed, sins removed, and restored, back to fellowship with God, so that we can become what we were first created for. If you remember when they sineed God removed them from the Garden where God said needed to be done lest they eat from the Tree of Life and live forever, signifying mankind would also physically die. And God did what, he put two Angels at the east side of the Garden to Guard the way into the Garden....
The entrance into the (presence, fellowship, relationship of God) that was lost with our first parents has been restored!!!
And this why Jesus said I AM THE WAY, not a way, THE TRUTH, not a truth, THE LIFE, not merely a life! And NOONE will ever be restored, brought back into the Garden, Paradise, The Kingdom, and relationship with the Father except thru Him.

You see Jesus is the Spiritual Tree of Life! Which man was banned from eating (physically) in the garden until the promise God made when he pronounced judgement on the devil would come to pass per Genesis 3:15 Jesus is this seed prophesied in the Garden

The one that when we eat his body and drink his Blood, (BELIEVE IN HIM) we are Born Again and then become sons and daughters of the 2nd man, the Last Adam (Jesus Christ)

John 6:48-57
48 I am that bread of life.

49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.

52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?

53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND: There never was nor will there ever be no other Son (Begotten) which by the way means Unique, One of a kind.

We by believing in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins, being BORN AGAIN become mirrors, reflections of the Father and the Son thru the power of the Holy Spirit now dwelling in us. We become that which was lost in the Garden, thru the First Adam. 1 Corinthians 15:45 So also it is written, The first man Adam became a living soul. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
Now being born from above the indwelling of the 3rd person of the Godhead ismade possible thru the one Time sacrifice of Jesus Christ the ONLY (BEGOTTEN< UNIQUE< God the Son.

BELOW ARE SOME of the scriptures of who JEsus Christ AND NO OTHER is:

What did Thomas proclaim when Jesus, after having been crucified, then risen and then appeared in a physical body before the disciples?

John 21:27-29
27. Then Jesus said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Stop doubting and believe.” 28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Because you have seen Me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”…
Jesus is God


Hebrews 1:8-11
But to the Son He says: "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your Kingdom.9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."10 And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands.11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment;
Jesus again shown and proclaimed to be the creator of all things


1 John 1:1-3
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life—
Jesus is the Word of Life, just like it is said in John chapter 1

John 11:
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies. 26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
Jesus is the one whom when believed in, per his own Words, promises Eternal Life. I CHOOSE TO BELIEVE HIM and I have been Born Again! I would lying to say anything else.

Mark 2: 5-7
Seeing their faith, Jesus told the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”6 But some of the scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves:7 “Why does He speak like this? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus forgives Sins, only God can do that.

And I could go, He spoke and the seas became still, he healed the sick, raised the dead, he feeds thousands with 5 loaves of bread, and 2 fish, He boldly proclaims HE and the Father are One, and I finish with these scriptures which are still only part of who he proclaimed himself to be.

John 5:19-24
So Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father[e] does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. 21 For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.

 

[Trailblazer]

Jesus is exact visible representation of the Father, Not merely a mirror, The Father is Spirit, the Son who also was before the universe began, took on Human form, therefore we humans are now able to see the Father in the son. This is where you and others don't comprehend,

According to my beliefs...
The Father is in the Son because Jesus was like a clear mirror, and God became visible in the mirror. This is why Jesus said, “The Father is in the Son” (John 14:11, John 17:21), meaning that God is visible and manifest in Jesus.

John 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.

John 17:21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

“I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) means that whatever pertains to Jesus, all His acts and doings, are identical with the Will of the Father. Jesus and God also share the same Holy Spirit, so in that sense they are one. Jesus also shares some (but not all) the Attributes of God so in that sense they are one.

Jesus was a Messenger of God but Jesus was also a Servant of God, and that is why Jesus said to the Jews:

John 10:25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.

John 10:37-38 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Jesus took on flesh and was and is the Last Adam, the NEW Adam for all that believe in him. Our (mankind) first Adam failed to bring forth the image of God for which we were created for, and we ALL by being descendents of the first Adam are born into this world like Adam and Eve became. Sunful in nature, knowing Good and Evil. God promised Adam he would die on the day he ate from the tree of KNOWLEDGE of good and evil.
WHAT DIED? we need to ask and answer this because physicallly he didnt die, and I mean on that very day God promised would happen if he disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. So what died?? God's likeness, his image in which God created him to be and do. Anything done outside or opposite of God's commands is by definition evil, wicked, that which is directly opposed to God and his likeness.
Jesus (in his humanity, according to scripture, left eternity and took on the form of a man) and lived a perfect obedient life, and was the perfect example of what we are supposed to be. And then by the hands of evil men and YES also by the will of the Father Jesus became the Perfect sacrifice for our sins. By doing so he alone makes a way for us to be forgiven, redeemed, sins removed, and restored, back to fellowship with God, so that we can become what we were first created for. If you remember when they sineed God removed them from the Garden where God said needed to be done lest they eat from the Tree of Life and live forever, signifying mankind would also physically die. And God did what, he put two Angels at the east side of the Garden to Guard the way into the Garden....
The entrance into the (presence, fellowship, relationship of God) that was lost with our first parents has been restored!!!

As a Baha'i, I do not believe that the story of Adam and Eve is literally true, I believe it was metaphorical, but I agree with everything else you said.

I believe there was a man called Adam, but I believe he was the first Prophet in the Adamic Cycle of religion.
That is explained in this chapter: 30: ADAM AND EVE

I believe that Jesus existed in the spiritual world before He was born in this world.

The Prophets, unlike us, are pre-existent. The soul of Christ existed in the spiritual world before His birth in this world. We cannot imagine what that world is like, so words are inadequate to picture His state of being.
(Shoghi Effendi: High Endeavors, Page: 71)

The soul of Jesus left the spiritual world and took on the form of a man and lived a perfect obedient life, and was the perfect example of what we are supposed to be.

And this why Jesus said I AM THE WAY, not a way, THE TRUTH, not a truth, THE LIFE, not merely a life! And NOONE will ever be restored, brought back into the Garden, Paradise, The Kingdom, and relationship with the Father except thru Him.

I never claimed that anyone can be restored without Jesus.
According to my beliefs the way Jesus restored humanity and brought them back to the Father is as follows:

Question.—In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” What is the meaning of these words?

Answer.—Know that there are two natures in man: the physical nature and the spiritual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the spiritual nature is inherited from the Reality of the Word of God, which is the spirituality of Christ. The physical nature is born of Adam, but the spiritual nature is born from the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first is the source of all imperfection; the second is the source of all perfection.

The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the imperfections of the physical nature and might become possessed of the virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the union of all perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is the divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of Reality.

All sin comes from the demands of nature, and these demands, which arise from the physical qualities, are not sins with respect to the animals, while for man they are sin. The animal is the source of imperfections, such as anger, sensuality, jealousy, avarice, cruelty, pride: all these defects are found in animals but do not constitute sins. But in man they are sins.

Adam is the cause of man’s physical life; but the Reality of Christ—that is to say, the Word of God—is the cause of spiritual life. It is “a quickening spirit,” meaning that all the imperfections which come from the requirements of the physical life of man are transformed into human perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore, Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.
Some Answered Questions, pp. 118-120

Read more: 29: EXPLANATION OF VERSE TWENTY-TWO, CHAPTER FIFTEEN, OF THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS

You see Jesus is the Spiritual Tree of Life! Which man was banned from eating (physically) in the garden until the promise God made when he pronounced judgement on the devil would come to pass per Genesis 3:15 Jesus is this seed prophesied in the Garden

I agree that Jesus was the Spiritual Tree of Life, but that is not what most Christians believe. Most Christians believe as follows:

“In Eden, the tree appears to have been a source of ongoing physical life. The presence of the tree of life suggests a supernatural provision of life as Adam and Eve ate the fruit their Creator provided. Adam and Eve were designed to live forever, but to do so they likely needed to eat from the tree of life. Once they sinned, they were banned from the Garden, separated from the tree, and subject to physical death, just as they had experienced spiritual death. Since Eden, death has reigned throughout history. But on the New Earth, our access to the tree of life is forever restored. (Notice that there’s no mention of a tree of the knowledge of good and evil to test us. The redeemed have already known sin and its devastation; they will desire it no more.)”
What is the Tree of Life?

By contrast to the Christian belief, Baha’is believe that the tree of life is symbolic for the Word of God (Jesus) which bestows eternal life. Through the appearance of Jesus in the world this tree was planted and adorned with everlasting fruits. Eternal life is a quality of life, of being near to God; it is not physical life, but spiritual life, and we get near to God through Jesus. That is why Jesus said He was the way, the truth and the life.

God never created the physical body to live forever, as some Christians believe. Once the physical body dies, the soul leaves the body and ascends to the spiritual world where it takes on a new form comprised of spiritual elements that exist in the heavenly realm.

 

[Saved by grace 2]

I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) means that whatever pertains to Jesus, all His acts and doings, are identical with the Will of the Father. Jesus and God also share the same Holy Spirit, so in that sense they are one. Jesus also shares some (but not all) the Attributes of God so in that sense they are one.

The scriptures say in hebrews 1:3. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

He is not partially but exactly, this is the Word of God. And it says Jesus is sustaining ALL THINGS by the Power of his Word, this makes him more than one of the many prophets, far greater

 

[Trailblazer]

The scriptures say in hebrews 1:3. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

He is not partially but exactly, this is the Word of God.

That is what I said before. Jesus was a mirror image of His Father, an exact representation.
That is why Jesus said that anyone who had seen Him had seen the Father.

John 14:
8 Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
9 Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

And it says Jesus is sustaining ALL THINGS by the Power of his Word, this makes him more than one of the many prophets, far greater

Indeed, Jesus was far greater than any of the other Prophets, but Baha'u'llah was also greater than the other Prophets.

“Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God, Christ, and the Greatest Name, Bahá’u’lláh, are manifestations and evidences which are beyond imagination, for They possess all the perfections of the former Manifestations; and more than that, They possess some perfections which make the other Manifestations dependent upon Them. So all the Prophets of Israel were centers of inspiration; Christ also was a receiver of inspiration, but what a difference between the inspiration of the Word of God and the revelations of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Elijah!”
Some Answered Questions, pp. 149-150

 

[Saved by grace 2]

Trailblazer said:
"Moses and Jesus were Messengers of God but I don't believe that God is communicating through Moses or Jesus anymore.
The Mosaic and Christian dispensations are over, long since gone."

So let's go back to what you said at the beginning of this discussion. You said Christianity was over, long since gone. How with everything you have said that you believe about Jesus Christ being the Sacrifice for men........

Then Trailblazer said:
"I never claimed that anyone can be restored without Jesus"

Why and how does one take part in this restoration, this Spiritual life without recognizing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord?

Jesus Christ is quoted and the Word of God said without Him and what he did for us we are still in our sins, and only in Jesus are we restored!

I have provided so many scriptures that all very directly state that very truth! But I will give you more.

Ephesians 1:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

John 6:27-29
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.


Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Can someone fail or refuse to recognize, believe and accept Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and the New Birth, and be accepted by God into the Family of God?

 

[Saved by grace 2]

Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God, Christ, and the Greatest Name, Bahá’u’lláh,

What has Baha u llah done for mankind, what miracles has he done? I have been serving Christ Jesus for over 30 years, I have never heard of Baha u llah, so what am I missing by not knowing or believing him to be this prophet?

And according to what you posted, is Baha u llah now greater than Jesus Christ?

 

[Trailblazer]

What has Baha u llah done for mankind, what miracles has he done?

I am going to respond to this post first since it is shorter.

What Baha''u'llah did for mankind was to reveal in writing what will be needed for humans to build the kingdom of God on earth, the new world order.
Baha'u'llah performed miracles but He minimized their importance.

"Bahá’u’lláh forbade His followers to attribute miracles to Him because this would have amounted to the degradation of His exalted station. Nevertheless, there are many accounts left to posterity by His disciples, describing the circumstances in which He either healed incurables or raised the dead.

None of these supernatural acts were considered by His followers to be a proof of the truth of His Cause, since they are only convincing to a limited number of people and they are not decisive proofs even for those who see them."

From: Famous Miracles in the Baha’i Faith

I have been serving Christ Jesus for over 30 years, I have never heard of Baha u llah, so what am I missing by not knowing or believing him to be this prophet?

One thing you are missing is the return of Christ.
The other thing you are missing is what He wrote, which amounts to 100 volumes.

And according to what you posted, is Baha u llah now greater than Jesus Christ?

No, Baha'u'llah was not greater than Christ. The Greatest Name is just a title He was given, just as Jesus is the Word of God.

Jesus was the Herald of the Kingdom of God on earth and He laid the foundation, without which that kingdom would have been impossible to build.

“Jesus created a power of perceiving God which was new, and in order that it might operate clearly, had to cleanse the spirit of man from all worldly encumbrances. Virtue becomes detachment from the world, sin attachment to it. Jesus demanded this sacrifice — losing the life of the world for the life of the spirit, but He made God so attractive, so joyous, loving, powerful, that the Christian was ready to abandon all for Him, and for Christ Who revealed Him.

Thus the tremendous and fearsome Deity of the Old Testament wins men's hearts in the New. We read of the poor sparrow whose fall was watched by a loving Father, of the flower of the field and the bird of the air, and the tenderest stories that ever have won men's hearts — the prodigal son and the good Samaritan.

A new quality of love now characterizes the Kingdom, a love which united the believers not only with God, but with each other, and even extended to enemies and "them that hate you." "That ye love one another" became the test of Christian discipleship.

The supreme ideal of this love was, as shown in John, the relationship between Christ and the Father, and though revealed in the most simple language and the plainest words, stands as the highest expression of Divine love in scripture.

The result was that Jesus' teachings let loose upon the soul and heart of man a spiritual power such as never had been known in the world before. Historians have said that Jesus' teaching has done more to elevate human nature and civilization than all the laws of legislators and the disquisitions of philosophers combined. By releasing religious energies measured to the needs of the hour and the people, He opened the way to the Kingdom of God in men's hearts. New affections and aspirations, hopes and loyalties were brought into being and the whole moral world was carried into a state of flux.”

From: Christ and Baha'u'llah, Jesus Christ, Herald of the Kingdom

 

[Trailblazer]

Trailblazer said:
"Moses and Jesus were Messengers of God but I don't believe that God is communicating through Moses or Jesus anymore.
The Mosaic and Christian dispensations are over, long since gone."

So let's go back to what you said at the beginning of this discussion. You said Christianity was over, long since gone. How with everything you have said that you believe about Jesus Christ being the Sacrifice for men........

Then Trailblazer said:
"I never claimed that anyone can be restored without Jesus"

Why and how does one take part in this restoration, this Spiritual life without recognizing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord?

Jesus Christ is quoted and the Word of God said without Him and what he did for us we are still in our sins, and only in Jesus are we restored!

I have provided so many scriptures that all very directly state that very truth! But I will give you more.

Ephesians 1:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He [a]made us accepted in the Beloved. 7 In Him (Jesus Christ) we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

John 6:27-29
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.

28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.


Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved;

Can someone fail or refuse to recognize, believe and accept Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins and the New Birth, and be accepted by God into the Family of God?

 

[Trailblazer]

Why and how does one take part in this restoration, this Spiritual life without recognizing and receiving Jesus Christ as Lord?

Jesus Christ is quoted and the Word of God said without Him and what he did for us we are still in our sins, and only in Jesus are we restored!

I have provided so many scriptures that all very directly state that very truth! But I will give you more.

I never said that we do not have to believe in Jesus. I said we do have to believe in Jesus. What Baha'is believe about Jesus is not exactly what Christians believe, but Baha'is have the same reverence for Jesus as Christians. One cannot even be a Baha'i unless they believe in Jesus, including believing that Jesus died for our sins and restored our relationship with God.

I cannot remember if I posted this to you before since I am posting to a lot of other Christians lately.
This was written by the Guardian of the Baha'i Faith so it is considered authoritative.

“As to the position of Christianity, let it be stated without any hesitation or equivocation that its divine origin is unconditionally acknowledged, that the Sonship and Divinity of Jesus Christ are fearlessly asserted, that the divine inspiration of the Gospel is fully recognized, that the reality of the mystery of the Immaculacy of the Virgin Mary is confessed, and the primacy of Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, is upheld and defended. The Founder of the Christian Faith is designated by Bahá’u’lláh as the “Spirit of God,” is proclaimed as the One Who “appeared out of the breath of the Holy Ghost,” and is even extolled as the “Essence of the Spirit.” His mother is described as “that veiled and immortal, that most beauteous, countenance,” and the station of her Son eulogized as a “station which hath been exalted above the imaginings of all that dwell on earth,” whilst Peter is recognized as one whom God has caused “the mysteries of wisdom and of utterance to flow out of his mouth.” “Know thou,” Bahá’u’lláh has moreover testified, “that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive and resplendent Spirit. We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened and the soul of the sinner sanctified…. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.”

The Promised Day Is Come, pp. 109-110

 

[Unfettered]

I would like to pose a question for theists, namely: what is God's top priority? I cannot prove that no god exists, but there are many types of gods that I can prove do not exist.


I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing rape and murder cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing childhood cancer cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing starvation cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is preventing the extinction of 99% of the species he created cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having a personal relationship with all of his human creations cannot exist.
I know that an omnipotent god whose top priority is having all humans believe in him cannot exist.


I could give many other examples, but I think the point has been made. If God exists, and he is omnipotent, his top priority cannot be any of the above things. So what is God's top priority? Since it seems like one of the items I listed above would be the top priority of the god of classical theism, it almost seems that if God does exist, then his top priority is to make it look like he doesn't exist.

"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

(Pearl of Great Price | Moses 1:39)

 

[Saved by grace 2]

I never said that we do not have to believe in Jesus. I said we do have to believe in Jesus. What Baha'is believe about Jesus is not exactly what Christians believe, but Baha'is have the same reverence for Jesus as Christians. One cannot even be a Baha'i unless they believe in Jesus, including believing that Jesus died for our sins and restored our relationship with God.

Baha belief is that all religions are legitimate and from God one way or another...........i.e. Judaism, Muslim, Buddist, etc.,

Is this not a correct statement concerning the Baha religion?

 

[Trailblazer]

Baha belief is that all religions are legitimate and from God one way or another...........i.e. Judaism, Muslim, Buddist, etc.,

Is this not a correct statement concerning the Baha religion?

That is correct, but it is also correct to say that the older religions have been corrupted by man over time.

 

[Saved by grace 2]

Indeed, Jesus was far greater than any of the other Prophets, but Baha'u'llah was also greater than the other Prophets.

“Know that the attributes of perfection, the splendor of the divine bounties, and the lights of inspiration are visible and evident in all the Holy Manifestations; but the glorious Word of God, Christ, and the Greatest Name, Bahá’u’lláh, are manifestations and evidences which are beyond imagination, for They possess all the perfections of the former Manifestations; and more than that,

Am I to understand you are saying Jesus is Greater than the PAST prophets, but that Baha u llah is Greater than Jesus Christ?

 

[Saved by grace 2]

That is correct, but it is also correct to say that the older religions have been corrupted by man over time.

This is a broad and I believe an unsubstantiated statement.
Please give me an example for instance of the (teaching) of Islam, where Muhamad embraced Jesus as the Son of God, and that he believed Jesus died for his sins?
What original writings show to be from Mohamad that he believes differently from what is quoted as him saying today about Jesus, other than Jesus simply being a minor prophet, a teacher, thus rejecting him as Savior, and denying his Divinity.

 

[Trailblazer]

Am I to understand you are saying Jesus is Greater than the PAST prophets, but that Baha u llah is Greater than Jesus Christ?

No, that is not a correct understanding. Baha'u'llah was not greater than Jesus Christ.
The Greatest Name was only a name that was given to Baha'u'llah, just as The Word was a name given to Jesus.

 

[Trailblazer]

This is a broad and I believe an unsubstantiated statement.

I said: That is correct, but it is also correct to say that the older religions have been corrupted by man over time.

That is a broad statement but it is not unsubstantiated.

Please give me an example for instance of the (teaching) of Islam, where Muhamad embraced Jesus as the Son of God, and that he believed Jesus died for his sins?

Why would that be in the teachings of Islam? Islam is a different religion that came from Muhammad, not from Jesus.

What original writings show to be from Mohamad that he believes differently from what is quoted as him saying today about Jesus, other than Jesus simply being a minor prophet, a teacher, thus rejecting him as Savior, and denying his Divinity.

What do you think that Muhammad said about Jesus in the Qur'an?
Where did Muhammad reject Jesus as Savior or deny His Divinity?

As far as I know, Muslims believe that Jesus was a very great Messenger of God, but not God incarnate.

 

[Truthseeker]

This is a broad and I believe an unsubstantiated statement.
Please give me an example for instance of the (teaching) of Islam, where Muhamad embraced Jesus as the Son of God, and that he believed Jesus died for his sins?
What original writings show to be from Mohamad that he believes differently from what is quoted as him saying today about Jesus, other than Jesus simply being a minor prophet, a teacher, thus rejecting him as Savior, and denying his Divinity.

The Qur'an says:

2:87. We gave Moses the Book
And followed him up
With a succession of Apostles;
We gave Jesus the son of Mary
Clear (Signs) and strengthened him
With the holy spirit.
Muhammad , The Holy Qur-an,

No, you will not find the statements you are looking for. The Qur'an said that God had no sons. Here's what our Guardian, Shoghi Effendi said about this:

"As regards to your questions concerning the station of Jesus Christ, and His return as explained in the Gospel. It is true that Jesus referred to Himself as the Son of God, but this, as explained by Bahá'u'lláh in the 'Íqán, does not indicate any Physical relationship whatever. Its meaning is entirely spiritual and points to the close relationship existing between Him and the Almighty God. Nor does it necessarily indicate any inherent superiority in the station of Jesus over other Prophets and Messengers. As far as their spiritual nature is concerned all Prophets can be regarded as Sons of God, as they all reflect His light, though not in an equal measure, and this difference in reflection is due to the conditions and circumstances under which they appear."
(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 29, 1937)
(Lights of Guidance, p. 491)

So Our understanding is that when in the Qur'an it is said God had no son, that is meant in a literal sense.

I don't know of a statement where the Qur'an said Jesus died for our sins, but it didn't He didn't either, whereas Baha'u'llah said this:

Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit.

We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.
(Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 85)