Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's article "I Say: Ye Are Gods"

Rebuttal to Sam Shamoun's article

"I Say: Ye Are Gods"

An Examination of Jesus’ Use of Psalm 82:6 in Defense of his Deity

He Wrote

The Old Testament mentions some of the essential characteristics and abilities of Yahweh which demonstrate that he alone is God:

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39

"There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God ... The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up." 1 Samuel 2:2, 6

"‘All the nations gather together, and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. You are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?’" Isaiah 43:9-13

Unlike the other so-called gods (who are really no gods at all) Yahweh asserts that he can give life and prevent anyone from stopping him from accomplishing his sovereign purposes.

My Response

Yes, Yahweh can give God on his own, he is not given that power by someone else, thats why he is God. Yahweh is not given anything, Yahweh doesnt pray to anyone, Yahweh knows the future, Yahweh is not like a man. So it is good Shamoun shows this because it will end his argument.

He Wrote

In light of the foregoing, we should be astonished to find the Lord Jesus making the following claims about himself:

"‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one.’ Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‘I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?’ ‘We are not stoning you for any of these,’ replied the Jews, ‘but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.’" John 10:27-33

The Lord Jesus attributes to himself the very prerogatives of God, namely the ability to grant eternal life and the sovereign power to prevent anyone from stopping him from preserving his sheep. Jesus’ statement that the Father and he are one quite obviously refers to their being one in essence and power since Christ is able to do what only the Almighty God can do.

It is little wonder that the Jews correctly concluded that Jesus was claiming to be God. They obviously realized that Jesus was making claims which the OT scriptures show that only Yahweh could say and actually carry out.

My Response

To begin with, I find it funny Shamoun keeps bringing up the same arguments to show he has some point. What Shamoun ALWAYS conveniently forgets to mention is that Jesus was GIVEN this power, Jesus did not own it. Jesus could not grant people eternal life on his own, there would be a difference if he was able to grant it on his own, however this is not the case. Secondly Jesus says him and the Father are one in purpose, not one in being equal, to say Jesus is equal to the Father would be a lie. Jesus himself said the Father is greater than him, Jesus himself said the Father sent him and gave him EVERYTHING. So the fact is that the Father is greater than Jesus, and that Jesus is not God, Jesus was given everything, so therefore there is nuthing special. The fact that Jews wanted to kill him for claiming to be God is because they mis-understood him, Jesus said everything he has is from God! So if they understood him they wouldn’t accuse him of such a crime.

Secondly Jews killed several other prophets, this is the same case, the Jews would kill prophets that they didn’t agree with, and it can be said that they did accuse the prophets of claiming to be God. So the fact that Jews thought he was something means nuthing, the fact is Jesus himself denied being God. The fact is Jesus never claimed to be God nor did anything that qualified him to be God.

He Wrote

Unfortunately, not everyone is willing to accept the plain meaning of Jesus’ words. There are Anti-Trinitarian groups who are quick to point out what follows next in John 10 as an attempt of undermining the absolute Deity of Christ:

"Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, "I have said you are gods’? If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came - and the Scripture cannot be broken - what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, "I am God's Son"?’" John 10:34-36

Anti-Trinitarians view Jesus’ response as a denial of the charge that he made himself out to be God. Jesus’ reference to a class of gods is taken as Christ’s own understanding of his nature and position, i.e. that he considered himself to be on the same level of these so-called gods and not co-equal with the Father.

To truly understand what Jesus meant here, we need to examine the particular passage that Christ cited by looking at its context carefully. We must further examine whether the theology of the Holy Bible as a whole allows for the existence of other divine beings besides Yahweh God. Finally, we must look at the theological context of John’s Gospel and see whether Jesus is presented as the eternal Son of God, or as a creature that represents the true God.

My Response

Fortunately, not everyone is willing to make up lies about Jesus and his words by claiming he meant something he didn’t. Jesus did in fact deny being God in those verses which is exactly why he used it. Let us indeed examine whether John viewed Jesus as God and was able to back it up.

He Wrote

The gods of Psalm 82

The Law which Jesus refers to in John 10:34 is actually a quote from Psalm 82, specifically verse 6. For the sake of properly understanding Jesus’ intent in using this particular text we quote the entire Psalm:

A Psalm of Asaph.

1God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:

2"How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah

3Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

4Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."

5They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.

6I said, "You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you;

7nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince."

8Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!

Psalm 82 is a petition beseeching God to judge the so-called gods for their failure to maintain justice and righteousness. It is clear from the context that the gods are the men whom God appointed to rule and judge the people.[1]

My Response

The god's are just like Jesus, they are all men and not actually A God. Jesus was a man, he was a prophet. He was not God, never claimed to be God, nor did he do anything that made him God.

He Wrote

The Psalmist provides support for viewing these gods as human beings since in v. 7 he says that they shall die like all other men. In fact, the following Psalm echoes the same theme of 82 and calls human judges gods:

"Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands. The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. They have venom like the venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear, So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells. O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O LORD. Let them flow away like water that runs off; When he aims his arrows, let them be as headless shafts. Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, Like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. Before your pots can feel the fire of thorns He will sweep them away with a whirlwind, the green and the burning alike. The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. And men will say, ‘Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely there is a God who judges on earth!’" Psalm 58:1-11 NASB

Now, in order to identify who exactly were these human rulers/judges we need to look at other passages of Scripture:

"At that time I said to you, ‘I am not able to bear you by myself. The LORD your God has multiplied you, and behold, you are today as numerous as the stars of heaven. May the LORD, the God of your fathers, make you a thousand times as many as you are and bless you, as he has promised you! How can I bear by myself the weight and burden of you and your strife? Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’ And you answered me, ‘The thing that you have spoken is good for us to do.’ So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and experienced men, and set them as heads over you, commanders of thousands, commanders of hundreds, commanders of fifties, commanders of tens, and officers, throughout your tribes. And I charged your judges at that time, ‘Hear the cases between your brothers, and judge righteously between a man and his brother or the alien who is with him. You shall not be partial in judgment. You shall hear the small and the great alike. You shall not be intimidated by anyone, for the judgment is God's. And the case that is too hard for you, you shall bring to me, and I will hear it.’ And I commanded you at that time all the things that you should do." Deuteronomy 1:9-17

"If any case arises requiring decision between one kind of homicide and another, one kind of legal right and another, or one kind of assault and another, any case within your towns that is too difficult for you, then you shall arise and go up to the place that the LORD your God will choose. And you shall come to the Levitical priests and to the judge who is in office in those days, and you shall consult them, and they shall declare to you the decision. Then you shall do according to what they declare to you from that place that the LORD will choose. And you shall be careful to do according to all that they direct you. According to the instructions that they give you, and according to the decision which they pronounce to you, you shall do. You shall not turn aside from the verdict that they declare to you, either to the right hand or to the left. The man who acts presumptuously by not obeying the priest who stands to minister there before the LORD your God, or the judge, that man shall die. So you shall purge the evil from Israel. And all the people shall hear and fear and not act presumptuously again." Deuteronomy 17:8-14

"Jehoshaphat lived at Jerusalem. And he went out again among the people, from Beersheba to the hill country of Ephraim, and brought them back to the LORD, the God of their fathers. He appointed judges in the land in all the fortified cities of Judah, city by city, and said to the judges, ‘Consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the LORD. He is with you in giving judgment. Now then, let the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for there is no injustice with the LORD our God, or partiality or taking bribes.’ Moreover, in Jerusalem Jehoshaphat appointed certain Levites and priests and heads of families of Israel, to give judgment for the LORD and to decide disputed cases. They had their seat at Jerusalem. And he charged them: ‘Thus you shall do in the fear of the LORD, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart: whenever a case comes to you from your brothers who live in their cities, concerning bloodshed, law or commandment, statutes or rules, then you shall warn them, that they may not incur guilt before the LORD and wrath may not come upon you and your brothers. Thus you shall do, and you will not incur guilt. And behold, Amariah the chief priest is over you in all matters of the LORD; and Zebadiah the son of Ishmael, the governor of the house of Judah, in all the king's matters, and the Levites will serve you as officers. Deal courageously, and may the LORD be with the upright!’" 2 Chronicles 19:4-11

Finally:

"Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions;" Psalm 45:6-7

In context, the preceding Psalm is addressed to the King of Israel. The Psalmist applies the term God (Hebrew- Elohim) to Israel’s King.[2]

My Response

Shamoun states:

The Psalmist provides support for viewing these gods as human beings since in v. 7 he says that they shall die like all other men

This also applies to Jesus, just like all other men he to died to . God is not like all other men to die, God is not even LIKE a man, he is above that. Jesus was not above that and he was a man, and he was not God, and he never did anything that made him God. I would like Christians to bring me the verse where Jesus said I AM GOD, in the OT God claims to be God several times, why not once by Jesus in the NT? Coincidence? I think not.

He Wrote

An essential function of the King was to rule the nation in accordance with the Law of God:

"And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests. And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel." Deuteronomy 17:18-20

The foregoing shows that these rulers were men chosen from amongst the children of Israel, and in most cases they were the Levitical priests. In other places of the Bible the Levites are condemned for failing to uphold the Law and administering justice:

"And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts, and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction." Malachi 2:1-9

With the foregoing in mind, we can now appreciate the Psalmist’s cry to God. The Levites and those assigned to rule and judge according to the Law acted as God’s representatives, and in that case functioned as gods to the people. Something similar is said of Moses’ relationship to Pharaoh and Aaron:

"He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him." Exodus 4:16

"And the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.’" Exodus 7:1

The Levites and the rulers failed to live in conformity to God’s Law and perverted justice. The Psalmist, in his anguish, cries out to God to bring judgment on the rulers for perverting His ways and for acting corruptly towards God’s covenant people.

Yet it is clear that neither the Levites nor Israel’s rulers were actual gods. The theology of the Psalms makes it abundantly evident that the gods of Psalm 82 could not have been some lesser divine beings that exist alongside Yahweh. The Psalms quite explicitly affirm the absolute uniqueness of Yahweh as the only true God:

"that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth." Psalm 83:18

"There is none like you among the gods, O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and do wondrous things; you ALONE are God." Psalm 86:8-10

"For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him? O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?" Psalm 89:6-8

My Response

Just like the gods of psalms who weren’t God, the same applies to Jesus, he was not God neither.

He Wrote

Astonishingly, the NT teaches that the Lord Jesus is exactly like his Father, and has the ability to do everything that his Father does:

"The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‘My Father is working until now, and I am working.’ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. 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 does, that the Son does likewise. 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. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 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. 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. Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of Man. Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear HIS VOICE and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment. John 5:15-29

"but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and THE EXACT IMPRINT OF HIS NATURE, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Hebrews 1:2-3

The words of the Psalmists inevitably lead to Jesus being the only true God. Otherwise, if Christ isn’t Yahweh then he couldn’t be exactly like his Father nor could he perform the very same kinds of works that his Father performs.

My Response

Lots of points to discuss, so therefore I will posy each relevant part of the verses that Shamoun posted:

Now in what way is that something special? All Jesus says is that the Father is working, and Jesus to is working. How does that make Jesus God? The fact is that Jesus saying he is working also doesnt make him God. He indeed was working, he was a prophet, so he had to convey the message of God and bring people to God. So the fact is this doesnt show Jesus is God. God is working right now, so is millions of other humans around the world. Does that make those humans God? God works on the sabbath day to, so do millions of other people, does that make them Gods? Using Shamoun's logic yes it does.

This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God

So if Jesus calls God his Father, this makes Jesus God? There are several Christians around the world who call God their Father! They don’t mean it literally but they still call God their Father, so does this mean they are making themselves equal with God! It amazes to how silly Shamoun's argument can be sometimes. Secondly the Jews once again assumed wrong, they assumed Jesus was making himself equal to God when in fact the facts show Jesus never tried to make himself equal with God. Here is some proof that Jesus didn’t make himself equal with God:

1- Jesus claimed the Father was greater than him

2- Jesus claimed that the Father gave him EVERYTHING

3- Jesus claimed that he was not good in the same way that God is good, meaning perfect

4- Jesus never once claimed to be God, he never said I AM GOD, in the OT God says he is God several times

5- Jesus claims he was sent by the God, the one being sent is not equal with the one who sent him

For more proof that Jesus is not God and not equal with God visit these rebuttals:

http://answering-christianity.com/rebuttaltosamshamoun24.htm

http://answering-christianity.com/rebuttaltosamshamoun4.htm

http://answering-christianity.com/rebuttaltosamshamoun5_1.htm

Here is a rebuttal showing that Jesus' miracles were not unique and the fact he did great things doesn’t make him God:

https://www.answering-christianity.com/rebuttal_to_sam_shamoun_3.htm.

And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.

Yes and? This is simple stuff, the Father had the authority and power, he GAVE Jesus this authority and power, therefore there is nuthing special when Jesus says he can give life to whom he wills. God GAVE him the power. Jesus did not give life to people on his own, he did not own this right, there is a difference between owning the right and being given it. Yahweh owns this right, it belongs to him, he is not given it, Jesus was given it and did not own it, therefore Jesus is not Yahweh.

The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father

Yes and? If you honor Jesus, then you certainly honor God because it is God who tells you to believe in Jesus, so therefore you are honoring his command and will. You honor Jesus by believing in him, the same by honoring God. There is nuthing special about this verse. When you honor Jesus just like the Father, you don’t insult Jesus, or mock him or dis trust him etc etc.

Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself

Once again, the Father has GRANTED the son to have life, so again nuthing special, Jesus is given the right, he doesn’t own it. Secondly those who hear Jesus and believe in him, indeed they shall live, they will be rewarded with heaven because they have believed in the prophet of God as they are commanded to.

for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear HIS VOICE and come out

The same thing, those who hear the voice of Jesus shall live, as for all who are in the tombs and will hear Jesus, I believe this could be refering to his own people, the people he was specifically sent to, not all of mankind.

As for Hebrews, Paul can say whatever he wants to say, Paul refuted himself in Hebrews when he claimed that Jesus prayed to be saved and was saved. Hebrews 5:7

He Wrote

The monotheism of the Psalms is in perfect conformity and basically reiterates the theology of the Pentateuch:

"To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him .. know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God IN HEAVEN above and ON THE EARTH beneath; THERE IS NO OTHER." Deuteronomy 4:35, 39

The preceding citations lead us to conclude that the only way for anyone besides Yahweh to be called God or a god is in a functional or representational sense.

With the foregoing in mind, we are now in a better position to more fully appreciate Jesus’ intent in citing Psalm 82:6 to defend his divine claims.

My Response

Yup we are, Jesus used it because he wasnt God, and was using it to deny that he was God. The verses you posted to show Jesus is God did not prove he is God, therefore you have much work to do.

He Wrote

The first thing to note is that John’s theology is thoroughly consistent with the OT that there is only one God:

"How can you believe, when you receive glory from one another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God?" John 5:44

"When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed.’" John 17:1-5

John quotes the words of the Lord Jesus to show that there are no other gods besides the one true God. For Christ to then acknowledge the existence of other gods would be a clear contradiction, which shows that Jesus was obviously not suggesting that these were actual gods at all. He simply used them as an example to prove a specific point. More on this below.

Second, the context shows that Jesus wasn’t placing himself on the level of the other so-called gods. We know this because of the following reasons:

A-We already saw that in John 10:28 Jesus claimed the very prerogatives of Yahweh God.

B-In John 10:34-36 Jesus implicitly places himself on the level of the Word of God that was directed against the so-called "gods."

My Response

John 10:28 doesnt prove your case, I already adressed this in a previous rebuttal, therefore I will simply quote from it:

SHAMOUN: With the foregoing in mind, we can now address the arguments. In the first place, it isn’t so much the miracles which make Jesus God, but the divine claims of Jesus which the miracles serve to validate. Jesus made certain statements that no other true prophet before him ever did, and then performed supernatural miracles to back up the truthfulness and validity of those claims:

"‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE, and they will never perish, AND NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.’ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?’ The Jews answered him, ‘It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.’ Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, "I said, you are gods"? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came--and Scripture cannot be broken-- do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming," because I said, "I am the Son of God"? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." John 10:25-39

"Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.’" John 14:9-11

"If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father." John 15:24

"concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God IN POWER according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3-4

Thus, the miracles do not make Jesus God, but rather it is Jesus’ own claims which demonstrate that he at least believed he is God. The miracles only served the purpose of providing divine validation for Christ’s claims.

My response:

None of what Shamoun posted prove Jesus is God. Let us first start off with the first verses he posted which were John 10: 25-39:

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. 26 But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: 28 And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one. 31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? 33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? 37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. 38 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.

39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

To start off lets go over the point where Jesus says I shall give them eternal life. In no way does that prove Jesus is God. It is made very clear in the Bible by Jesus himself that he is a man, sent by God, and everything he says he hears, everything he teaches such as the doctrine is not his, and everything he does such as miracles is from God. Those verses John 10:25-39 also demonstrate that fact when Jesus himself says Many good works have I shewed you from my Father.

So it is very clear from Jesus himself the good works (miracles) he has shown to the people are from the FATHER. In other words they do not belong to him! Once again that exactly shows and proves he is a prophet, and not a God! Back to the point, indeed Jesus gives eternal life! Jesus is a prophet sent by God, to teach the people, and to bring them closer to God, bring them out of sin, and bring them to justice and to follow God, and indeed any man who will follow this WILL HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. Any man who follows the law of God and his prophet that he has sent shall inherit eternal life. That is common sense, so Jesus making that claim is not something very special, nothing special at all. However, if the Christians want to be stubborn about it then I would quote this for them from John 17:2

"Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

This shows that the Father GAVE Jesus authority to give eternal life.

Back to the verses John 10:25-39, if anything should be noticed, it must be that once again we see Jesus is clearly a man, a prophet, it is very clear from Jesus’ argument, lets look at it closely. John 10:33-36:

33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?

\Jesus is flat out denying any claims that he is God, or making any such claims as we clearly see him stating to the Jews: Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came

Jesus flat out is denying he is God by saying that! He is reasoning with the Jews, he is trying to make them understand, he is trying to make them see that he is not claiming to be God, it is crystal clear that Jesus is arguing he is a man, a prophet! A prophet who is innocent of the claims they make against him, that he is blaspheming and claiming to be God. If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came , that’s the situation with Jesus, the word of God came unto him, the Gospel. Those verses prove Jesus is not God! The rest of the verses he provided don’t prove Jesus is God, God gave him power to perform miracles, a fact stated in the bible by Jesus.

(END REBUTTAL) taken from: https://www.answering-christianity.com/rebuttal_to_sam_shamoun_3.htm

So basically John 10:28 doesnt prove anything. You must try much harder. Niether does any of John 10.

He Wrote

Please note the comparison:

... he called them gods to whom the word of God came ...

... say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world ...

My Response

Yes and? Jesus being sent by the Father is something special? God sent every prophet into the world, what would be special is that if Jesus sent himself, sadly he did not, therefore there is nuthing unique.

He Wrote

Just as the Word spoken against the judges came from God, the Lord Jesus also came from God to the people of Israel. Jesus, like the spoken and inscripturated Word, originates from God and entered the world with the specific purpose of perfectly revealing God’s will to man. In fact, John identifies Jesus as the eternal Word of God who became flesh:

"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 was not any thing made that was made ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth ... No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." John 1:1-3, 14, 18

My Response

To start off, John 1:1 in english translations is not the true translation, visit this link for more information:

https://www.answering-christianity.com/john1_1.htm

All things were made through Jesus? As in meaning Jesus made all things? I find that funny when Jesus never had anything of his own while he came to earth, you would hope to find some of these strenghts, yet you find non of it. The fact is Jesus is not God. The facts are obvious.

He Wrote

It is little wonder that throughout the Gospel of John the Lord constantly emphasizes his preexistence:

"Jesus said to them, ‘If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but He sent me.’" John 8:42

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God," John 13:3

"for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father." John 16:27-28

Jesus clearly doesn’t place himself on the same level of being with the gods of Psalm 82:6, but on a much higher and exalted level. How much higher? Taking his words in context, Jesus explicitly states that he originates from the Father in heaven and is co-equal to the Father, being able to do what God alone can do.

My Response

Actually, Shamoun is playing around now and trying to trick the readers. The fact is that EVERYONE came from God, God sent us all into this planet. Secondly the fact that Jesus want sent from God, proves he is not God, because just like all other prophets, Jesus was sent by God. If Jesus was indeed God, he would come to earth on his own accord, on his own will, by himself. The fact that he didnt shows he isnt God.

He Wrote

The reader maybe wondering as to why then did Jesus mention the gods in the first place if he wasn’t placing himself on their level? It is really quite simple. Jesus’ point here is to show that since the Scriptures apply the term "gods" to individuals who represent God without this being blasphemous then the Jews cannot charge Jesus with blasphemy for calling or making himself God; especially when Jesus does works to prove that he is God’s eternal Son, precisely the point Jesus makes in the conclusion of the chapter:

"‘If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.’ Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." John 10:37-39

Note that the Jews tried all the more to kill Christ since they knew from his words that he didn’t deny their accusation. They correctly concluded that Jesus’ comments only reinforced their charge that he was claiming to be God.[3]

To summarize the data, we discover that:

The Holy Bible affirms that there is only one God.

Jesus claims the very prerogatives of the one God.

Jesus, like the oral and written Word, originates from God since he is the eternal Word made flesh.

Much like the Word that came in judgment against the so-called gods was on a higher plane than they were, Jesus likewise is on a higher level than the rest of the so-called gods.

The so-called gods only represented the true God, whereas Jesus not only represents God but he is fully God in essence and nature.

Since Scripture could apply the term gods to God’s representatives without this being considered blasphemy, then Jesus claiming to be God cannot be considered blasphemous especially when he performs divine works to prove that he is essentially incarnate Deity.

My Response

So the fact is, by the end of his article, Shamoun has nuthing, he failed to show that Jesus was infact denying being God, the proof still stands that Jesus was denying to be God which is exactly why he used it.

To summarize the data we discover that:

Jesus denied being God

Jesus claims he has everything from God therefore he isnt God

Everyone comes from God, including Jesus, Jesus was sent like every other prophet.

Jesus was higher than the gods on the fact that he was a prophet.

Jesus represents God, and he not God at all. He fails in everyway to be God.

Jesus used the Psalms against the Jews to show them he was not God, and that they were called gods, so why do they accuse of him of something to which they were called?

He Wrote

Recommended Reading

For those interested in reading slightly different views, but which essentially agree with our position that Christ wasn’t claiming to be on the same level of the rest of the gods, we recommend the following articles:

<http://forananswer.org/John/Jn10_30.htm>
<http://forananswer.org/John/Jn10_34.htm>
http://./BibleCom/jn10-34-36.html <../BibleCom/jn10-34-36.html>
<http://www.iclnet.org/pub/resources/text/cri/cri-jrnl/web/crj0018a.html>

My Response

Yes, hopefully the recommended articles can have a better explanation that you gave.