Apostolic Friends Forum - A "Forward" Glimpse Into The Future?

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Originally Posted by Brother Strange (Post 109416)

Sin is a state of condition. Sin is in the heart. Unbelief is sin. He went to where the sinner was. Sinners sinned in their homes. He went to where sinners were. Sinners sinned the the synagogues. He went to where they were. The bible never stated where Jesus DID NOT GO.

I think we've exhausted this part of the discussion.

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Name of God speaks of his abundant quality. Reputation is only in the mind of the one that perceives that quality.

Does that mean that God didn't have a reputation when there was no one to perceive it? Seriously.

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On a larger scale, if you want to say that God wants to be know for who and what he is, that is a given. But to go about and seek and defend a reputation for himself in the sense that you say that Jesus did, I do not agree.

I admit I spoke incorrectly when you asked me, "Do you think the Lord went about building and protecting his sterling reputation". I don't think the Lord went about building a reputation for Himself or the Father. The Father already had a reputation, and the Lord certainly was not about "building" that up, for it was established from eternity. Nor did Jesus go around "kick[ing] tail and tak[ing] names" as another so ridiculously implied I claimed.

But, I do believe the Lord went about "defending" His Father's reputation. By reputation, I'm talking about His nature, His name, His attributes, etc. All that is wrapped up in a person and contributes to their reputation. Jesus Christ went about doing these things why? Was it not to show them the Father and reveal (dare I say) His reputation to the world?

Before Christ, the people that the Jews went up against certainly had heard of this God of Isreal, hadn't they? Couldn't we say that "His reputation preceeded Him"?

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No. Not in the sense that men go about trying to build a reputation for themselves and then seek to protect it.

Philippians 2
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God,
7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.
8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

To make Himself "of no reputation", wouldn't it be logical to believe that there was a reputation that had to be "placed aside"? And, how did He do that? He took the form of a bondservant and came in the likeness of man.

The man Jesus Christ emptied Himself (as I understand the Greek implies, v7) of reputation and came to earth, but does that mean that the reputation He had/has as the Eternal One goes away? I can't imagine it does.

Just as Israel was to show forth the glory of God, so was the Lord Jesus Christ and His Church. Does God NEED US to do that? Certainly not. But, He has chosen it to be that way. He chose His creation to uphold the reputation that is inherent in the nature of God Almighty.