Ordinary Man?

Question:
     I HEARD THAT the Iglesia ni Cristo teaches that Jesus Christ is not God.  Is this true?  If Jesus Christ is not God, then who is He?  Is He ordinary man?

Answer:

     We uphold the biblical truth that the Lord Jesus Christ is not God. He is the Son of God (Mt.3:17) but not God the Son as others believe. Christ Himself said that He is man:

     “But now you seek to kill me, a man who was told you the truth which I heard from God.” (Jn. 8:40, Revised Standard Version)

     This proves that He is not God since God is spirit and has no flesh and bones unlike man (Jn.4:24; Lk. 24:39). Moreover, God is not man and man is not God (Hos. 11:9; Ezek. 28:2).

     The Church of Christ, however, does not teach that Christ is an ordinary man. In fact, we teach that He is a very special man (Acts 2:22, Easy-to-Read New Testament) endowed by the Almighty God with qualities not found in ordinary man.

     The Lord Jesus is the only man who did not sin:

     “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. ‘He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth’.” (I Pt. 2:21-22, New International Version)

     Furthermore, He was exalted by God and commanded to be worshipped for God’s glory:

     “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philip. 2:9-11, New King James Version)

     Aside from these, God gave Christ all authority in heaven and on earth (Mt. 28:18) and made Him Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36; 5:31) and the only mediator between God and man (I Tim. 2:5).

     Thus, we hold the Lord Jesus Christ in high esteem and worship Him for God’s glory in consonance with the teachings of the Father in heaven.

source:PASUGO, December 2000, p.2