Jesus Christ Had No Faith: Get Over It

Jesus Christ did not have faith so get over it! The below position paper was my response to the theological non-sense saying "Jesus held onto His faith."

As you will see, however, it is edited for general, non-scholarly consumption in many parts.

I. Jesus is God and Dependent on no Other

II. God Performs Natural Healing

III. Faith as a Matter of Need

IV. Faith is Only Required for Fallen Beings

Jesus is God and Dependent on No Other

Jesus is God and as such represents theistic primacy and dependent on nothing less than Himself. The prima facia case against eternal sovereignty being subjected to a form of powerlessness is worthy of rebuttal.

The Bible says: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). If a sovereign being, with the power and omniscience to define existence is dependent upon anything less, then sovereignty is illusive. Religious Faith, by need of existence, is based on dependent subordination. The need of the lessor creates this subordinate relationship.

It is, in effect. a relationship of un-equals. If Jesus is God in the flesh, an unequal relationship exists between He and His fallen creation. However, God cannot be subordinate to God. The reality of Jesus’ flesh-based excursion into spatial time doesn’t create such inequality either. It is a manifestation of His omnipresence. Faith demonstrates hope, and need demonstrates lack, and lack demonstrates dependence.

A universal sovereign can either suffer lack or be dependent upon another source for supply. Using such words as lack, dependent, and hope are demonstrative of a form of powerlessness requiring one more powerful to affirm or requite. An omniscient being defines such terminology and thus a rule setter cannot be subject to the authority of those rules.

Jesus said: “Father, all of them you have given me, have I not lost one, except He was bound to be lost (John 18:9). If Jesus is God in the flesh, He, in effect, was under His own sovereign authority.

This also answers the question of who Jesus was praying to in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-56). Bigger yet, it is a logical conclusion to why He said: “I lay down my life, and I take it up" (John 10:18).

He could only die and raise Himself from death if His control of natural laws were absolute. We must consider natural laws and their outcomes within the faith model as well. Since an omniscient being wrote natural law, violating them would simply be a matter of adjusting or changing the rules as necessary. This is defined as “miracles.”

God Performs Natural Healing

Jesus healed a blind man with nothing more than a mud pack (John 9:1-6). Blindness, as is every other human frailty, resulted from original sin. Sin is defined as “anti-righteousness.”

The blind man, healed by Jesus, should’ve remained blind for the duration of life. However, Jesus adjusted this rule through a miraculous act.

In this, He demonstrated both the supernatural ability to adjust the rules, as well as incorporation of natural methods of healing.

The Book of Genesis indicates man was created from dust or clay, depending on translation (Genesis 2:1-6). Either way, Jesus’s use of natural elements to resolve blindness should be understood within natural law.

He used dirt and spit to form mud. If man was formed from dirt or one of its derivatives, it makes sense “dirt” can be used in physical healing. Of course, we cannot discount the supernatural element in this example.

However, it is beyond doubt rules were violated because Jesus was not subject to them.

In another biblical instance, and absent any visible interaction with the recipient, Jesus healed the servant of a man of authority (Luke 7:1-10) Unlike the blind man, Jesus was not present to touch the sick person, yet healing occurred.

The first instance of healing required Jesus’s presence, while the second did not. In both examples, sin sickness was healed through violation of natural law.

This is crucial because faith only became necessary when humankind spiritually egressed from the presence of God.

Faith, itself, can be viewed as miraculous. It resulted because humankind violated God’s rules, should’ve been erased, yet God showed grace through covering Adam and Eve’s nakedness.8 Faith comes only through “grace.”

Therefore, if Jesus is the creator of, and distributor of such grace received through faith, the idea of the “distributor” being subject to the same rules as the “receiver” is absurd prima facia.

Faith as a Matter of Need

The posit Jesus either has or requires faith, is unsatisfying for three (3) reasons. First, the biblical definition of faith predicates acquisition of something one did not previously possess [Ibd]. Universal sovereignty precludes lack in all forms.

Next, faith assigns righteousness where none previously existed as with Abraham (Genesis 15:6). If non-righteousness exists, sin is present and thereby pollutes creation.

Jesus’ qualification as the sacrificial lamb precludes sin nature/presence (John 1:29). Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:1-3).

Therefore, He has both seen and been in God’s presence [Ibd]. Two biblical confirmations of this was, first, Jesus’ testimony of “being sent down from Heaven” (Revelations 5:6).

Next, in the Book of Revelations, Jesus stood: “before He who sat on the throne" (Revelations 7:9). Both standing in front of the throne, as well as existing as the Lamb at the Throne, is explainable through sovereign omnipresence.

Therefore, to argue a sentient being has never been in its own presence, or at least minutely aware of its consciousness is non-sensical.

Faith is Only Required for Fallen Beings

The origins for a faith requirement must be identified as: “the moment created beings egressed from the presence of God.”

It is inappropriate to speak on a faith-based existence before understanding its origin point of “need.”

Three packages of biblical texts highlight, if not the need for creation, the process whereby it occurred. Religious faith, as a matter of practicality, could not exist without disconnection from a source.

Isaiah chapter 14 fits the need on this point. The prophet Isaiah records that Lucifer, an angel, violated eternal order by rejecting all that God had given him (Isaiah 14:12-16).

Lucifer rejected God’s sovereignty through an unrighteous free will act. He decided to no longer be what he was created for (Ezekiel 28:12-19).

He was cast down, and next appears either as a physical serpent, or a seductive spirit inhabiting a serpent in the Garden of Eden. Although the Genesis narrative doesn’t identify either Lucifer or his later form, Ha Shatan, as this serpent, other texts affirm identity.

First, the Book of Revelations refers to him as: “that old serpent, the devil, who was cast out into the Earth.”19 Ha Shatan is affirmatively identified for another commonly missed reason.

Lucifer, in Isaiah 14, made the statement: “I will be like God.” When this is packaged with Genesis chapter 3, the identity of the serpent becomes clear. The serpent encouraged Eve on the same wise: “you shall be like God..” (Genesis 3:1-5).

Adam and Eve’s acquiescence resulted in God’s created likeness egressing from His presence (Genesis 3:7-24). The Gospel of John completes this trio of biblical texts demonstrating creation of the “faith need" [Ibd].

First, Lucifer chose to separate himself from God[Ibd]. Next, Adam and Eve chose to separate themselves by making a like choice{Ibd].

Third, Jesus, who created all things, is identified as He who Adam, Eve, and angelic Lucifer separated themselves from [Ibd].

This garden separation resulted in God becoming “unseen” because imperfection cannot look up perfection (Genesis 3:22-24).

In the next article, we learn there were two Gardens of Eden and why they were so crucial to my "Jesus had no faith" posit.