Father is Greater than Jesus (JOHN 14:28)

MUSLIMS, members of the Iglesia ni Cristo sect use JOHN 14:28 to deny the divinity of the Lord Jesus.

JOHN 14:28 reads:
"You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I."

The pertinent text is "the FATHER is GREATER THAN I."

THIS DOES NOT DENY the DIVINITY of JESUS. It only HIGHLIGHTS the ROLES of the FIRST and SECOND PERSONS of GOD, the HOLY TRINITY.

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A. ROLE AS FATHER GREATER
In JOHN 14:28, Jesus DECLARED the "FATHER" as GREATER.

It is the ROLE of the "FATHER" that was HIGHLIGHTED—NOT HIS NATURE as GOD.

Like in the HUMAN FAMILY where the HUMAN FATHER is the HEAD, GOD the FATHER has the PRIMARY ROLE in the GODHEAD. And that is why HE is called the FIRST PERSON of the HOLY TRINITY.

Having the PRIMARY ROLE, the FATHER is the SENDER.

The SON—the SECOND PERSON—and the HOLY SPIRIT—the THIRD PERSON—are the ONES SENT.

Jesus says in JOHN 8:18, “I testify on my own behalf, and the FATHER WHO SENT ME testifies on my behalf.”

In JOHN 14:26, JESUS also SAYS that it is the FATHER who will SEND the HOLY SPIRIT.

This ROLE of the FATHER as the SENDER also MAKES HIM GREATER than the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT.

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B. A GREATER GOD?
The FATHER being GREATER DOES NOT MAKE HIM a “GREATER GOD” than JESUS or the HOLY SPIRIT. It also DOES NOT MAKE the FATHER “GOD” and the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT as “NOT GOD.”

The FATHER being “GREATER” in JOHN 14:28 has NOTHING to DO with the DIVINITY of the THREE PERSONS of the ONE TRUE GOD.

As the PERSONS of the TRINITY, the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT have ONE and the SAME GODLY NATURE.

Notice that even if it was the FATHER who SENT the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT, BOTH the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT CAME OUT FROM the FATHER and thus SHARE HIS DIVINE SUBSTANCE.

Imagine AIR that is COMING or FLOWING OUT of a BALLOON. The AIR that is FLOWING OUT is the ONE and the SAME AIR that is IN THE BALLOON.

Jesus Himself proclaimed that fact.

He said in JOHN 16:28, “I CAME OUT FROM THE FATHER and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and am going to the Father."

About the HOLY SPIRIT, Jesus said in JOHN 15:26, “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH who COMES OUT of the FATHER, he will testify on my behalf.”

Having COME OUT FROM the FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT POSSESS the SAME DIVINE SUBSTANCE which the FATHER POSSESSES.

That is why the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT are the SAME GOD as the FATHER.

The FATHER, the SON and the HOLY SPIRIT have DIFFERENT ROLES but the SAME DIVINE NATURE—the NATURE of the ONE TRUE GOD.

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C. JESUS, FATHER: ONE GOD
PROOF that JESUS is GOD came from JESUS HIMSELF.

In JOHN 10:30, JESUS declares that “I and the FATHER are ONE.”

JOHN 10:30
ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν.
Ego kai ho Pater en esmen.
I and the Father are one.

In Greek, the word translated as "one" is "hen."

"Hen" is neuter, which shows that Jesus was NOT CLAIMING that HE and the FATHER were ONE PERSON, but that THEY were of ONE ESSENCE or ONE NATURE.

The FATHER'S NATURE is that of GOD. So, the NATURE of JESUS is ALSO of GOD.

Therefore, JESUS is GOD.