You will find this account in the 19th chapter of Matthew, verses 16-17."And behold, one came and said unto him: 'Good master, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?'
And he [Jesus] said unto him, 'Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is God:..."Now, please explain why Jesus just plainly stated that he is not God... No one has been able to come up with an explanation for that one. I have read those verses over and over, and it still says the same thing. I can find no way to twist that around (using proper Christian logic) and have Jesus remain God.
Jesus just said "Why are you calling ME good? There is only one who is good, and that's God."
To continue...
"but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.'
He saith unto him, 'which?'"Now, this is an important issue. Here is a child of God asking God what is necessary for him to do in order to inherit eternal life. And God (or maybe not god) replied directly to him: "Keep the commandments". And the child said to the Almighty: "Which?" Now, if there was ever an opportunity for the all-wise and kind Father to supply an inquiring mind with the necessary information upon that subject, here was the opportunity. "He said unto him, which?" And Jesus said: "Thou shalt do no murder; thou shalt not commit adultery; thou shalt not steal; thou shalt not bear false witness; honor thy father and mother; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."
Any human being, any Muslim, any Hindu, any atheist is fully capable of complying with ALL of those commandments. And I have. Does that mean I get into heaven now (providing that it exists)? Maybe there's a special area off to the side for we who have used our reason instead of blind faith.
But what is significant here is what Christ did not say. Jesus didn't say to him: "You must believe in me -- that I am the only begotten son of the living God." He did not say: "You must be baptized, and born again." He did not tell him: "You must believe the Bible." He did not say: "You must follow the Pope." He did not even say: "You must remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." He simply said: "Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness. Honor thy father and thy mother; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." These must have been the real, original commandments.
Is it possible that Christ failed to tell the young man ALL that was necessary for him to do? Is it possible that Jesus left out some important thing simply to mislead him? Would Jesus have intentionally told this young man something that will send him to Hell? Could Christ have made a mistake as to what it takes to get into Heaven, knowing that these words would be permanently recorded in the bible? Will some priest or preacher tell me why he thinks that Christ kept back the "scheme of salvation" from someone who asked him a direct question about it?
I ask you: What right did the church have to add other conditions to salvation many centuries later? Why did the church insert passages requiring belief as the only requirement to salvation? They should have been smart enough to erase the text in Matthew 19:16-17, which contradict the idea of "Salvation through grace" when they inserted their forgeries.
If Jesus was God, then why did Jesus say "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" How could he have uttered that sentence if he knew that it was His own plan to be sacrificed, and not sacrificing himself would provide Humankind with no possibility of salvation? Can some priest or preacher explain that to me?
More about Jesus not being God... What about when Jesus tried to weasel out of the crucifixion? He asked God (Himself) in the Garden of Gethsemane: "Father, if it be possible to let this cup pass from me..." If he was God, and he knew everything, this just does not make any sense. He knew that his crucifixion was a necessity for the salvation of Mankind. Didn't he care anymore about his children?
And he would also know that he was soon to be leaving this uncomfortable earth, entering back into his Kingdom of Heaven-- a perfect paradise where there is only bliss. Why wouldn't he wish to return? Is there any way to rationally reconcile his behavior here?
Yes, there is. If Jesus ever lived, it is clear that he was a man. Just a man; and that his followers who came after elevated his existence to that of a god, by writing such passages into the scriptures while they were in a mutable form. Yet they failed to erase biblical passages that indicate he was purely mortal.