Must There Be A Jesus?

[Lord Philip]

[quote name='carrdero' post='1385324' date='Sep 14 2007, 05:08 AM'][color="#000080"]Gen 6:7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them." [/color]

It seems that the Lord is no stranger to regret. In the Old testament the Lord had unique ways to handle certain imperfections, I was just wondering why there would be a need to offer an only begotten son rather than just wipng the slate clean.
I remember that there were some religioins that taught that the aspect of the son was with God in the beginning but I do not think this aspect was named Jesus, but you are correct, I am referring to the physical incarnation.[/quote]

But as I said in my above post, God is not simply seeking to remove sin from us (a negative action), but to infuse us with his very life (a positive action). He wants us to be in communion with him. I am risking irreverence here, but God is not into long-distance relationships. He wants to communicate his very life to us.

The thing that makes this so amazing is that next to God we are nothing. There is a finite difference between a slug and a man, but there is an infinite difference between a man and God. So as you can see this is a complete act of charity on God's part. It is LOVE, and this love is the ingredient that I think you are not taking into account.

God bless,

Philip

P.S. The Lord "regretting" having made us is an anthropomorphism. While it is communicating an absolute truth, it must not be taken literally as meaning that God was sitting up in the clouds actually feeling regret in his heart.

[Mateo el Feo]

[quote name='carrdero' post='1385324' date='Sep 14 2007, 08:08 AM'][color="#000080"]Gen 6:7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them." [/color]

It seems that the Lord is no stranger to regret. In the Old testament the Lord had unique ways to handle certain imperfections, I was just wondering why there would be a need to offer an only begotten son rather than just wipng the slate clean.[/quote]Interestingly, this quote from Genesis is specifically addressed by St. Thomas Aquinas in the Summa Theologica:

[url="http://www.newadvent.org/summa/1019.htm#7"]Article 7. Whether the will of God is changeable?[/url]

The relevant text (clipped from the question):[quote][b]Objection 1.[/b] It seems that the Will of God is changeable. For the Lord says (Genesis 6:7): "It repenteth Me that I have made man." But whoever repents of what he has done, has a changeable will. Therefore God has a changeable will.

[b]Reply to Objection 1.[/b] These words of the Lord are to be understood metaphorically, and according to the likeness of our nature. For when we repent, we destroy what we have made; although we may even do so without change of will; as, when a man wills to make a thing, at the same time intending to destroy it later. Therefore God is said to have repented, by way of comparison with our mode of acting, in so far as by the deluge He destroyed from the face of the earth man whom He had made.[/quote]

[quote name='carrdero' post='1385324' date='Sep 14 2007, 08:08 AM']I remember that there were some religioins that taught that the aspect of the son was with God in the beginning but I do not think this aspect was named Jesus, but you are correct, I am referring to the physical incarnation.[/quote]I understand now, thanks for the clarification. I just didn't want to assume too much about what you were saying.

Technically, one could talk about the Second Person of the Trinity as the "Son of God" or the "Word of God."