I saw on YouTube a video of Pastor Obed Obeng-Addae (President of Christ Cosmopolitan Incorporated) teaching his church about Jesus Christ. In this, he said some things that are not biblically founded. Indeed, he was blatantly wrong concerning the doctrine of Christ.
This is very important because when our Christology (the biblical doctrine of Christ) is faulty, it affects our whole ministry and our way of living.
Let’s look at the teaching of Pastor Obed and then crosscheck with the Scriptures.
Pastor Obed noted empathetically: “Christ is not the source. No, that is the biggest mistake a lot of Christians make. Jesus Christ did not create anything…He is how the creation came. He didn’t create. Christ is not a creator. Your definition of God is your problem…There is the glorious God and the gracious God. They are not the same. The gracious God speaks of equality. The glorious God speaks of equity. Is Christ Jesus God? Yes, He is God by grace. Is He equal with God? He is not God; He is the son of God in glory. He is God in grace. He is not God in glory.”
Seriously, I wonder how this preacher got here with this confusing teaching. I will take time to unpack some of the broad issues stated above and set forth what the Bible teaches. It is significant for us to note that our ministry as believers is in two-fold: first, we proclaim the truth, and second, we refute false teaching. Jude 3-4 teaches that we must earnestly contend for the faith given to us. We must boldly point out falsehood and teach the truth for believers to mature in Christ.
CREATOR: Is Jesus the Creator?
The first error we read in the statement is that Jesus is neither source nor creator.
Pastor Obed said: “Christ is not the source. No, that is the biggest mistake a lot of Christians make. Jesus Christ did not create anything…He is how the creation came. He didn’t create. Christ is not a creator. Your definition of God is your problem.”
Is this consistent with what the Bible teaches? Obviously not! The Bible teaches clearly that Jesus Christ is the creator of all things, and He is the source of all things.
Let’s investigate the Scriptures for evidence: John 1:1-4 (NKJV) states that “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.”
From John 1, we learn the following:
- Christ pre-existed everything created. And note that there is nowhere in Scripture that says Christ was created by God. He existed before all things just as the Father. This is the same attribute we ascribe to God. In Revelations 1:8, Christ described Himself to John as the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning, and the End.
- Christ is the source of life and created all things. John says that without Him, nothing was made. Colossians 1:15-17 says that everything was made by Him and through Him.
Therefore, we can confidently conclude that Jesus Christ is the creator of all things and the source of all things. In fact, the writer of Hebrews says He sustains everything by the word of His power (Hebrews 1:3). So, it is an error to teach that Jesus Christ did not create all things.
DIVINITY: Is Jesus Christ God?
The second error we can spot in the teaching of Pastor Obed is that Christ is not God. In a confusing manner, he says that Christ is God in grace. I have no idea what that means.
On whether Jesus is God, the Pastor noted: “There is the glorious God and the gracious God. They are not the same. The gracious God speaks of equality. The glorious God speaks of equity. Is Christ Jesus God? Yes, He is God by grace. Is He equal with God? He is not God; He is the son of God in glory. He is God in grace. He is not God in glory.”
If the Bible says in John 1:16 that through Christ we have grace, how on earth can He be God by grace? I don’t get it! We learn from the Old and New Testaments that God is gracious, and the apostles consistently wrote in the epistles asking for the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ for the church. 1 Corinthians 1:3 says that “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
I am just wondering how someone can read the Old Testament prophecies about Christ and further be exposed to the New Testament work of Christ and still conclude that He is not God.
Here are a few Scriptures to help us align our thinking with what the Bible teaches. Critically look at the attributes of Christ compared with God:
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us, a Son is given, And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6 NKJV)
“And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshipped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (Matthew 2:11 NKJV)
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NKJV)
From the biblical records above, Jesus possesses the same attributes as His Father. He referred to Him as Almighty God, the wise men worshipped Him, and He told John that He is the Almighty confirming what Isaiah said. These and many more are unquestionable facts from the Bible that Jesus is God. Let me say again that if we don’t get our Christology right, we shall create another Jesus in our own minds and relate to a fake Jesus.
I pray that we will be like the Bereans to search the Scriptures whether what we hear is Biblical or not (Acts 17:11). When it comes to the Bible, there is nothing like a ‘big preacher’. We all drink from the same soup. May we spot falsehood and flee from it and embrace truth and proclaim it.
Do you have anything to share on this matter? Feel free to say it.
