JESUS AND SATAN : Are They Spiritual Brothers?
By Bro. Nathan
We hear it everywhere and Anti-mormons always use it and misinterpret it. "naniniwala ang mga Mormons na magkapatid si Jesus Christ at si Satanas" pero this however ay isang example ng mga tao na hindi tinitingnan ang kabuuan ng picture. first, we must consider the fact na si Heavenly Father ay ang literal Father of Spirits (Heb. 12:9) and that makes us na mga spiritual brothers as well as Satan also na isang spiritual being at si Jehovah, ang pre-existent na Jesus Christ. we have these arguments ng Anti-mormons and we will provide the answers.
Argument #1. "si Jesus Christ ay God, at si Satan ay ginawa niya. pwede ba na magkapatid ang creator at ang creation? "
This comes mula sa many misinterpreted na text ng mga evangelicals which is ang Col. 1:15-20 which reads together with my comments last October 16, 2021 :
" He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross." (Col. 1:15-20) NRSV
In some situations ay inaargue ng mga Trinitarians na "kung magkapatid si Jesus and Satan, bakit sinabi sa Colossians 1:15-17 na ginawa ni Jesus Christ ang lahat ng mga bagay including ang mga angels at spirits? kapatid ba ni Jesus ang kanyang creations?" which is simply false at umaasa lang sa mali-maling understanding sa context ng verse at sa grammar nito sa greek. ang evangelicals also use this verse para ijustify ang kanilang Trinitarianism which is inconsistent dahil mayroong distinction between God and Christ sa context (vv. 15-19; cf Jn. 17:3; 20:17). ang mga evangelicals na ito often ay umaasa sa trinitarian-biased translations kagaya ng ilang bibles kagaya ng NASB (na great but biased at some points) which reads "by Him" instead of "in Him" or "through Him" kagaya sa NRSV. ang kanilang understanding sa verse ay mali and can be proven in several ways like the following. first, the greek reads :
ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε θρόνοι εἴτε κυριότητες εἴτε ἀρχαὶ εἴτε ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα δι᾽ αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἐκκλησίας· ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχή, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησεν πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι καὶ δι᾽ αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν, εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ, [δι᾽ αὐτοῦ] εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. (NA28)
Most trinitarian bibles ay trinatranslate ang preposition na ἐν (en - ἐν αὐτῷ for particular) as "by"/"by him" instead of "through him" or "in him". ang preposition na ito however ay causal na "in him" like ng "dahil sa kanya". kagaya ng sinabi ni Cleon L. Rogers at Cleon L Rogers III, ang ἐν αὐτῷ with the preposition "........Denotes Christ as the sphere within which the work of creation takes place [Bruce]. All the laws and purposes which guide the creation and government of the universe reside in Him [Lightfoot] The prep. Is possibly both instr. and local [Moule]. He is not in all things, but all things are in Him, a difference that is not insignificant [Fred B. Craddock, “’All Things in Him’: A Critical Note on Col. 1;15-20,” NTS 12 [1965]:78-80]." (The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Greek New Testament [Grand Rapids, Michigan.: Zondervan, 1998], 461).
At dito ay may makikita tayo na voices na kung saan ay machachange ang meaning ng word kung iba ang voice. ang trinitarians ay ina-alter ang greek word na ito to suit their Christology. ang greek word dito na nagpapakita which is translated as "created" ay ἐκτίσθη (ektisthe) na kung saan ito ay nasa isang passive voice. what we meant to say na passive voice ay na ang verb ay acted upon to someone at hindi acted by someone. e.g "sinampal si Juan Dela Cruz" which shows na ang verb na sinampal ay hindi ginawa ni Juan Dela Cruz (active voice) but ginawa kay Juan Dela Cruz (passive voice; cf Ps. 32:6; 33 Lxx). we have it the same sa Col. 1:15-20 na kung saan ang greek word na ἐκτίσθη ay ang indicative aorist passive ng κτίζω (ktizō). while ἔκτισται (ektistai) is an indicative perfect passive. at ano naman ang significance nito sa teachings ng church about kay Jesus Christ? sinabi ni Bruce R. McConkie :
"16-17. Christ created the universe and all things that in it are, but in doing so he acted in the power, might, and omnipotence of the Father. 'Worlds without number have I created,' is God's language, 'and by the Son I created them, which is mine Only Begotten.' (Moses 1:33.) 'By him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God.' (D. & C. 76:24; John 1:1-3; Heb. 1:2.)" (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary Vol. 3)
N.T Wright also said :
"ll that God made, he made by means of him. Paul actually says 'in him,' and though the word εν can mean 'by' as well as 'in,' it is better to retain the literal translation than to paraphrase as NIV has done. Not only is there an intended parallel with verse 19, which would otherwise be lost: the passive 'were created' indicates, in a typically Jewish fashion, the activity of God the Father, working in the Son. To say 'by,' here and at the end of verse 16, could imply, not that Christ is the Father's agent, but that he was alone responsible for creation." (N.T Wright Commentary On Col. 1:15-20)
Regarding sa kanilang issue sa relationship ni Jesus at Satan sa Latter Day Saint theology, one should note sa mga "created things" sa Col. 1:15-20 ay hindi dito kasama ang mga spirits. sa v. 21 reads :
"And you [και υμας] who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds," (Col. 1:21) NRSV
Na kung saan sa verse na ito ay may contrast na nagyayari between sa creations sa v. 15-20 na kung saan ang mga creations on heaven and earth sa v. 15-20 ay ni-reconcile ni Jesus Christ unto Himself which excludes Satan and demons (cf. v. 23). reading in context ay na ang thrones, principalities, and power (na kung saan ay hierarchy ng angels ang tinutukoy sa context - cf. Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21; 1 Pt. 3:22) —ay ginawa through Jesus Christ.
in conclusion, ang passage na ito sa epistle ni Paul does not have anything against Latter Day Saint theology but instead, it supports it.
Argument #2. "Si Jesus Christ ay God samantalang si Satan ay ang Devil. paano ba sila magiging magkapatid kung opposite sila?".
First of all, it ignores the fact na in every sibling ay may magkaibang ugali. kung mabait ang isa at may kapatid siya na pasaway, would that make yung anak na mabait na pasaway din? this is a complete na hasty generalization mula sa mga Anti-mormons with such unfair na arguments. furthermore ay may mga examples tayo ng mga magkapatid sa Bible na may opposite na ugali, e.g si Cain at Abel (Gen. 4:1-26; Heb. 11:4; 1 Jn. 3:12), si Jacob at Esau (Gen. 25:19-24), si Joseph at ang kanyang mga siblings (Gen. 37:1-11), at ang prodigal son at ang son na nagstay sa kanyang ama sa parable ni Jesus Christ (Lk. 15:11-32). bakit ba hindi nila iapply ang standard na ito sa mga siblings na ito sa Bible instead of using double standards?
Furthermore Evidences
Job 1:6 reads together with the Hebrew :
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." (Job 1:6) NKJV
וַ יְהִ֣י הַ יֹּ֔ום וַ יָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָ אֱלֹהִ֔ים לְ הִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל־יְהוָ֑ה וַ יָּבֹ֥וא גַֽם־הַ שָּׂטָ֖ן בְּ תֹוכָֽם׃ (BHS)
First, sinasabi dito na si Satan (השטן) came among the "sons of God" (בני האלהים). ang verb dito na יצב which is rendered as "to take their stand/position" which is according sa grammar ng verse, siya ay na kalagitnaan nila at may same ranking siya sa mga "sons of God" na nasa passage. may nakafollow dito na preposition na בְּ which is rendered as "in among at תָּוֶך. taking it into consideration sa ibang verses sa sa Hebrew bible ay it always means na siya ay belong sa group of people. (Ex. 28:33; Lev. 17:8-13; Num. 1:47; 5:3; 15:26-29).ang word na תָּוֶךְ ay nangangahulugan na isa siyang member ng group at hindi independent sa group (cf. Gen. 23:10; 40:20; 2 Kgs. 4:13). parallels sa usage ng mga terms na ito sa Hebrew Bible is as follows :
"וְעָשִׂיתָ עַל־שׁוְּלָיו רִמֹּנֵי תְּכֵלֶת וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתֹולַעַת שָׁנִי עַל־שׁוְּלָיו סָבִיב וְּפַעֲמֹנֵי זָהָב בְּתֹוכָם סָבִיב" (שמות 28:33) BHS
"וַאֲלֵהֶם תֹּאמַר אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְּמִנ־ הַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר־ יָגוְּר בְּתֹוכָם אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲלֶה עֹלָה אֹו־ זָבַח וְאֶל־פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מֹועֵד לֹא יְבִיאֶנּוְּ לַעֲשֹׂות אֹתֹו לַיהוָה וְנִכְרַת הָאִישׁ הַהוְּא מֵעַמָּיו וְאִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל וְּמִנ־הַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתֹוכָם אֲשֶׁר יֹאכַל כָּל־דָּם וְנָתַתִּי פָנַי בַּנֶּפֶשׁ הָאֹכֶלֶת אֶת־הַדָּם וְהִכְרַתִּי אֹתָהּ מִקֶּרֶב עַמָּהּ כִּי נֶפֶשׁ הַבָּשָׂר בַּדָּם הִוא וַאֲנִי נְתַתִּיו לָכֶם עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּחַ לְכַפֵּר עַל־נַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶם כִּי־הַדָּם הוְּא בַּנֶּפֶשׁ יְכַפֵּר עַל־כֵּן אָמַרְתִּי לִבְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל־נֶפֶשׁ מִכֶּם לֹא־תֹאכַל דָּם וְהַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתֹוכְכֶם לֹא־יֹאכַל דָּם וְאִישׁ אִישׁ מִבְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְּמִנ־הַגֵּר הַגָּר בְּתֹוכָם אֲשֶׁר יָצוְּד צֵיד חַיָּה אֹו־עֹוף אֲשֶׁר יֵאָכֵל וְשָׁפַךְ אֶת־דָּמֹו וְכִסָּהוְּ בֶּעָפָר" (ויק' 17:8-13) BHS
"וְהַלְוִיִּם לְמַטֵּה אֲבֹתָם לֹא הָתְפָּקְדוְּ בְּתֹוכָם" (במד' 1:47) BHS
Another passage, Psalms 109:6 reads followed by the Hebrew :
" Appoint a wicked man over him, and let an accuser (שָׂטָן) stand at his right hand." (Ps. 109:6) NASB
הַפְקֵ֣ד עָלָ֣יו רָשָׁ֑ע וְ֝ שָׂטָ֗ן יַעֲמֹ֥ד עַל ־יְמִינֹֽו :(BHS)
Kirsten Nielsen comments kay Satan as a member ng Sons of God sa Job 1:6, he said :
The scene in heaven concerns jealousy between brothers and its consequences. The father in the Book of Job is not an earthly father but Yahweh himself. We are told that one day his sons came and stood before the patriarch in heaven, and among them came Satan also. In Job 1:6 the sons are called sons of God. But this is often not interpreted as a figurative expression representing a father-son relationship between Yahweh and sons of God; the use of the word ben is understood in the same way as that in which ben may refer to a single individual within a species in the context of other nouns . . . In his commentary on the dialogue between Yahweh and Satan, a lone scholar, Francis I. Andersen (F.I. Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary [TOTC; Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1976], p. 85), has drawn attention to the very free-and-easy tone that Satan uses towards Yahweh. There are no formalities, no court etiquette using ‘my Lord!’ and ‘your servant’, but a straightforward, intimate relationship. Andersen concludes from this observation that we again have evidence that Satan does not belong to the circle of Yahweh’s respectful servants. But he is wrong here, because if it is not the heavenly council that meets in the prologue to the Book of Job but a rather and his sons, then the familiar form of speech is not offensive but a natural part of the relationship between a father and his eldest son. (Kirsten Nielsen, Satan the Prodigal Son? A Family Problem in the Bible [The Biblical Seminar 50; Sheffield: Sheffield Academic Press, 1998], 83, 88)
Commenting on this verse and theology thereof, Mitchell Dahood wrote:
the Evil one . . . Satan. The identification of rāšā’ and śāṭān is a long-standing puzzler, but a measure of coherence can be won if vss. 6-7 are seen as referring to judgment after death and vss. 8-19 as invoking terrestrial misfortunes upon the unprincipled judge. In three biblical texts Satan appears as a superhuman celestial figure whose role is that of prosecutor. 1 Chron xxi 1 states, wayya’amōd śāṭān ‘al yiśrā’ēl, “and let Satan stand at his right hand.” In Zech iii 1-2, the celestial being who challenges the fitness of Joshua ben Jozadeak to function as the high priest is called “the Satan,” and is described as weśāṭān ya’amōd ‘al yemīnō, “standing on his right hand to accuse him,” language similar to the psalmist’s. In the prose monologue to the Book of Job (i-ii), Satan is depicted as one of the benē ‘ēlīm, a member of the divine entourage, who impugns the integrity of Job. These descriptions warrant, then, the interpretation of the Evil One and Satan as one personage who will serve as the prosecutor at the trial of the psalmist’s adversary before the divine judge after death.
If this analysis proves correct, the widely held view that the designation of Satan as the Evil One is a development of the intertestamental period will need to be reexamined. (Mitchell Dahood, The Psalms 101-150 [AB 17A; Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1970], 101-2, emphasis in bold added)
Si Elder Russell M. Ballard ng quorum of the twelve apostles cautioned the members of the church patungkol sa mali maling interpretation ng mga critics about sa relationship ni Jesus Christ at ni Satan :
" We occasionally hear some members refer to Jesus as our Elder Brother, which is a true concept based on our understanding of the premortal life with our Father in Heaven. But like many points of gospel doctrine, that simple truth doesn't go far enough in terms of describing the Savior's role in our present lives and His great position as a member of the Godhead. Thus, some non-LDS Christians are uncomfortable with what they perceive as a secondary role for Christ in our theology. They feel that we view Jesus as a spiritual peer. They believe that we view Christ as an implementor for God, if you will, but that we don't view Him as God to us and to all mankind, which, of course, is counter to biblical testimony about Christ's divinity…
Now we can understand why some Latter-day Saints have tended to focus on Christ's Sonship as opposed to His Godhood. As members of earthly families, we can relate to Him as a child, as a Son, and as a Brother because we know how that feels. We can personalize that relationship because we ourselves are children, sons and daughters, brothers and sisters. For some it may be more difficult to relate to Him as a God. And so in an attempt to draw closer to Christ and to cultivate warm and personal feelings toward Him, some tend to humanize Him, sometimes at the expense of acknowledging His Divinity. So let us be very clear on this point: it is true that Jesus was our Elder Brother in the premortal life, but we believe that in this life it is crucial that we become "born again" as His sons and daughters in the gospel covenant." (M. Russell Ballard, "Building Bridges of Understanding," Ensign [June 1998] 62.)
Furthermore, early Christian evidences show na present din ito sa early church. Anti Nicene church Father Lactantius (240 A.D to 320 A.D) shows some doctrines na against sa Trinity like ng si Jesus Christ ay hindi co-eternal, co-equal, at consubstantial with the Father at na si Jesus Christ ay ang "first and greatest Son" at hindi ang "only Son" in the sense na siya lang ang spiritual child ni Heavenly Father (not to be confused with the only begotten Son in the flesh). Lactantius wrote :
" Since God was possessed of the greatest foresight for planning, and of the greatest skill for carrying out in action, before He commenced this business of the world,--inasmuch as there was in Him, and always is, the fountain of full and most complete goodness,--in order that goodness might spring as a stream from Him, and might flow forth afar, He produced a Spirit like to Himself, who might be endowed with the perfections of God the Father... Then He made another being, in whom the disposition of the divine origin did not remain. Therefore he was infected with his own envy as with poison, and passed from good to evil; and at his own will, which had been given to him by God unfettered, he acquired for himself a contrary name. From which it appears that the source of all evils is envy. For he envied his predecessor, who through his steadfastness is acceptable and dear to God the Father. This being, who from good became evil by his own act, is called by the Greeks diabolus: we call him accuser, because he reports to God the faults to which he himself entices us. God, therefore, when He began the fabric of the world, set over the whole work that first and greatest Son, and used Him at the same time as a counselor and artificer, in planning, arranging, and accomplishing, since He is complete both in knowledge, and judgment, and power..."(Lactantius, Divine Institutes 2.9. in Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, eds. The Ante-Nicene Fathers, 10 vols. [1885; reprint, Peabody: Hendrickson, 2004], 7:52–53.)
And that concludes na biblical ang teaching na spiritual siblings si Jesus Christ at si Satan.
