Double Standards in the Standard Theology

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
Philippians 2:6-9

This is about Jesus Christ: how he was exalted by God because he descended to the level of human and submitted to death – because he did not think it was wrong to be equal with God. Obviously it wasn’t wrong because God rewarded him.

NOW

What is commonly accepted and rarely questioned is the idea that some rebellious angel (Satan, Lucifer, WHATEVER) went through the same process, basically, yet was punished by God and condemned (it would seem) by all of mankind forever and ever….

And the usual answer given in regard to what was this rebellious one’s crime, so heinous as to warrant eternal damnation is: he wanted to be equal with God!

But yet Jesus didn’t think there was anything wrong with it…and even taught others to do the same:

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

Why is there such a double standard coming from a God who is purported not to be a respecter of persons?

What's the diff?

The goal of a christian is to be like God, yes. To be God on earth. This means doing godly works etc. People ask where is God. He exists on earth in the form of the holy spirit, showing itself in his people when they choose to emit its influence. He works through his followers.

Jesus is God on earth, he is literally the being of God. He was born from holy seed, without corruption of the original sin. Lucifer was influenced by pride to be like God, Jesus was God made man... by God in his likeness. I like to think he is how natural man was before the split.

God wants his followers to strive to be like him. Jesus put God into word and precept, he was the middle man that conveyed him to a people that could not even fully behold him. Lucifer didn't have a mission from God like Jesus. He just wanted power. Jesus had a mission and he had total faith, which translates to, whatever you ask in Gods name, it will be given.

Originally posted by depth om
Lucifer was influenced by pride to be like God,

BUT where in the bible does it say that?

Jesus was God made man... by God in his likeness.

BUT so were Adam and Eve!

Lucifer didn't have a mission from God like Jesus. He just wanted power.

Again, biblical reference, please?

I will come out of my silence to mention this; one believes in being God-like through knowing good and evil, right or wrong. The other believes in achieving God-hood through not seeing the difference in right and wrong, thus the forgiveness of all sin.

Originally posted by ben91069
I will come out of my silence to mention this; one believes in being God-like through knowing good and evil, right or wrong. The other believes in achieving God-hood through not seeing the difference in right and wrong, thus the forgiveness of all sin.

Ben, does your avatar... hold the secrets of the universe?

Originally posted by ben91069
I will come out of my silence to mention this; one believes in being God-like through knowing good and evil, right or wrong. The other believes in achieving God-hood through not seeing the difference in right and wrong, thus the forgiveness of all sin.

Ben, that is brilliant – a totally new perspective to my view! Thanks for coming out of silence for this discussion!

What you point out is so thought-provoking to me that it’s had me ruminating for the last 48 hours or so.

Here is what my thinking brought me to:

First of all, Hebrews, chapter 5.
link to full chapter

But the last 2 verses are my focus:

For every one that uses milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongs to them that are of full age, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
Hebrews 5:13-14

To be able to discern both good and evil, it seems, one must have ample encounters and experiences with both good AND evil (and various combinations thereof).

Which, of course is ‘all about THE TREE.’

And Paul is speaking directly of Christ Jesus in Hebrews 5: part of his superb qualification for being our high-priest for all time is that he has literal empathy for our situation(s) in life regarding the human condition (which, by default, includes the consequences of eating the fruit of THE TREE).

And, recalling an encounter with the Pharisees during his mortal lifetime, Jesus forgave sins and the Sanhedrin was appalled – only God can forgive sins, they said! Well, of course we know Jesus had that authority – obviously, then (according to your statement) Jesus had already achieved God-hood at that point and therefore was acting within the will of our Father.

So, Jesus somehow had achieved God-hood – through one of the two methods you describe. It cannot, logically, be via the second means, since THAT is what his Christ-hood granted to us – the blessing of NOT having to know the difference between good and evil and having all our sins forgiven….

So – Jesus, then, had to have gone the route of experience, for two reasons:

#1 Because that is the only other method you described

#2 Because from what Paul writes in Hebrews, teachers (Rabbis) must be skillful in the word and are of full age (of those to whom strong meat belongs)…and Jesus, of course, was called ‘Rabbi’ by his disciples and also referred to himself in this manner:

But be not called Rabbi: for one is your Master, Christ; and all you are brethren.
Matthew 23:8

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, even acknowledged this about our Savior:

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him.
John 3:1-2

Having all said all this, it seems to me that Christ Jesus humbled himself in order to go the first route you mentioned, in order to grant us the grace of being able to go the second route.

Does that make sense? And if so, where does it leave us?

Disclaimer:
I should probably also comment that having one's senses exercised by use in order to discern good from evil does NOT necessarily mean, at all, that one has been either: good or evil...(for only God is good and Jesus certainly was not evil - being selfless all the way to the cross )

reply to post by queenannie38


If you go off people's perception of Lucifer,he did things without God's blessing.Jesus on the other hand had God's full support!


In the Book of Enoch,the Angels are damned for sharing secrets with mankind.But several pages later you find God sharing the same things with the humans who prospered after his act of Divine Genocide.(sorry,i can't find the quotes to show what i mean.computer is acting up.)
So it seems the Angels were punished because they did it without asking God 1st!!

Originally posted by jakyll
If you go off people's perception of Lucifer, he did things without God's blessing. Jesus on the other hand had God's full support!

True. But I don't go off people's perception; mainly because it is flawed by religious doctrines. My purpose is rehabilitation of the strong delusion - the time has come.

Lucifer's spirit is one of the 7 rewards given by Jesus in the 2nd and 3rd chapters of Revelation; the morning star!

The seven rewards are collectively the royal anointing for the second Messiah.

So it seems the Angels were punished because they did it without asking God 1st!!

Actually the main problem was that Azazel taught men war. All guilt was laid upon Azazel. The other issue was the voracious appetites of the offspring of the sons of GOD and the daughters of men.

There are two 'morning stars' - Venus and Mars.
Love and War.
The Prince of Peace/the LORD of Hosts.

True. But I don't go off people's perception; mainly because it is flawed by religious doctrines. My purpose is rehabilitation of the strong delusion - the time has come.

Well,i didn't mean you personally hello btw!

I suppose its natural for humans to put a "face" to such things.
But to personify a feeling,an emotion will always be a flawed way of going about things.They take on a life of their own and it soon becomes hard to tell fact from fiction.

And although Azazel taught them the arts of war,the teachings would mean nothing to them if they didn't already know about hate/discord/righteousness,etc.Was that Azazel too,i can't remember?

Originally posted by queenannie38
Why is there such a double standard coming from a God who is purported not to be a respecter of persons?

Because the God of the Bible is non-sensical and in all likelyhood was merley made up.

Kudos to you for finding yet another logical inconsitency within the Bible.