1. According to Jesus no has seen or heard the Father.
Right, because no one can. What they saw and heard were theophanies.
2. God does not share His name.
“Holy Father, keep them in
your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.”
Note Lord translates from YHWH.
It also translates from Adonai, adon and adoni.
Is 42:8 I am the Lord, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.
Did Jesus say those words?
Main argument: Genesis chapter 18 Note vs 1,13,17,22 and 33 “Lord” translates from “YHWH”. According to Moses YHWH appeared, ate, drank and conversed with Abraham by the terebinth trees of Mam’re. Who was it? Since reason will not dictate that the immutable essence of the Father be changed into human form, or that Moses would create such a story under the inspiration of God, who else could be described as appearing in human form but Jesus identified as YHWH.
Hosea wrote that Jacob met the Angel of the Lord who in fact was God.
Ho 12:3-5 He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God [Elohim]. 4 Yes, he struggled with the Angel and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us—5 That is, the Lord [YHWH] God of hosts. The Lord [YHWH] is His memorable name.
You really need to study what a theophany is…
Don't add to scripture. John did not write this. John wrote that Isaiah saw Jesus Glory when He {Isiah} wrote X. Did Isaiah write that he saw the glory of Jesus, no that he saw the glory of God.
Again with the ignoring of context.
When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: “
Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, “
He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them.”
Isaiah said
these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; for
they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God.
The glory that Isaiah saw was the glory that Jesus would receive from God because unlike the Pharisees, he did not seek the glory of men but rather he sought the glory that comes from God, his God, who is YHWH.
You are as blind as the those men who Isaiah prophesied about.
Phil 2:5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it [
b]robbery to be equal with God, 7 but [
c]made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant,
and coming in the likeness of men.
Note, Paul states in Phil 2 that Jesus did exist before the incarnation. Place close attention to “consider” in vs 6. Consider = think carefully about (something), typically before making a decision. Jesus would have to exist to be able to “consider’ anything. What was Jesus thinking carefully about? To make a decision you need to have more than one option to decide on, therefore He decided between considering it something to be grasped, and not to be grasped. Therefore to be able to consider between two options one would have to have the cognitive ability to freely choose, otherwise known as free will. And if free will then a cognitive thinking entity separate from the One He is considering equality with.
As the text reads Jesus “considered” between two options in vs 6 and executed His choice in vs 7, and dwelt amongst us vs 8. Based on the grammar it is in chronological orders; therefore vs 6 takes place before the incarnation.
The word form (morphe) literally means outward appearance so Jesus had the outward appearance of God. Jesus performed miracles, signs and wonders and he spoke the words of God as YHWH himself said his prophet would and this is what it means that he was in the form of God. But we know based from Acts 2:22 and other verses that it was actually God performing these miracles through Jesus not that Jesus actually possessed this power innately.
When it says he did not count equality with God something to be grasped it means that even though he spoke for God and could perform miracles he didn’t try and take advantage of it for personal gain.
Emptied himself means he made himself of no reputation, which supports that he was not trying to exalt himself to take advantage for personal gain as he was equal with God in authority/position. The Louw & Nida states that emptying means ‘to completely remove or eliminate elements of high status or rank by eliminating all privileges or prerogatives associated with such status or rank — ‘to divest oneself of position’
So clearly, Jesus being in the form of God is talking about position, he is the son of God, the King of Israel, the Messiah. His position is next to God as ruler over all yet he humbled himself and took on the form (position) of a servant. Though he was the king he lived as a lowly servant hence the appearance/likeness of a man.
Taking the form of a servant is also the outward appearance of a servant. It shows the contrast in how he lived his life, he performed miracles and people followed him by the thousands yet in contrast he refused to be crowned king, he had no place to lay his head and humbly served others.
This is the contrast Paul is making, not that he was God and became a human being, that’s what you erroneously read into the text.
Jesus humbled himself and did so even unto death and then in v. 9, God, because of this, highly exalted him. This is exactly what Jesus said in Matt. 23:12. No one has or can humble himself more than Christ and no can ever be exalted as high as Christ, to the right hand of God, the Most High, the Majesty on High. The only one who is above Jesus is YHWH, his God.
By being exalted over all creation he was given a name above all names and when we bow and confess him as Lord it’s all to the glory of God the Father.
It’s very simple, Jesus, the most important man in the world lived and died as a humble servant and was therefore exalted, he is our example to be humble and serve others and to regard them higher than ourselves.
Honesty is the best policy.
9 Some said, “This is he.” Others
said, [
c]“He is like him.” He said,
“I am he.”
How does this help your argument?
Seriously?
You must not know enough Greek or about Bible translations because if you did you’d know that in the Greek the blind man simply says εγώ ειμι “I am”.
You’d also know that the reason the word “he” is in italics is because that’s how certain translations like the NASB lets you know that word is not in the original Greek manuscript. E.g. “for unless you believe that I am
He, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24 NAS95
Let’s see if you will be honest and admit you were wrong here…