Since Mel Gibson announced the imminent release of THE RESURRECTION OF THE CHRIST, a sequel to THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, much noise has been made about the Ethiopian Bible which is being referenced in the making of the film. I have followed as much as possible but I am yet to be alarmed. It is my belief that the canonized 66 books are sufficient for my Faith. Many claims are being made as to how the Catholic Church expunged aspects that disagreed with traditional religious worship from it. I do not have the singular authority to reject the remainder of the books, but I am yet to hear of anything that contradicts the basic tests of acceptable revelation.

‘So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.’ 1 Corinthians 12:3 NLT.

When the Spirit of God is in manifestation, He will never inspire a negative word against the Lord Jesus Christ. He had come to glorify Jesus (John 16:14). He cannot at the same time denigrate or desecrate Him. He can never declare Him cursed. The likes of the DAVINCI CODE and religious books that call Him an ordinary prophet, religious master or any other nomenclature that presents Him in less a form than who He is are definitely not inspired by the Holy Spirit.

No one can declare Jesus is Lord with conviction except by the Holy Spirit. This is an ascription of divinity to the Lord Jesus. ‘Lord’ here means supreme master, above whom there is no other. Such an appellation is only fit for the Almighty God and the revelation of Christ’s divinity is foundational to our Faith. Similar to the above was Peter’s declaration of Jesus as the Messiah (Christ), the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16). To be Son (Huios in Greek), which refers to a full grown mature Son means Jesus must be God. On this rock (the revelation of my divinity), I will build my church. Any spirit or documentation that does not accept the divinity of Jesus Christ is a liar.

“And who is a liar? Anyone who says that Jesus is not the Christ. Anyone who denies the Father and the Son is an antichrist. Anyone who denies the Son doesn’t have the Father, either. But anyone who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.” 1 John 2:22-23 NLT.

The inability of other ‘Faiths’ to accept Christ as the cornerstone of eternal salvation makes them unacceptable. Acceptable truth rests on accepting the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross of Calvary. He was the rejected stone who has now become the Chief Cornerstone. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He must be accepted as ‘the Christ’ which is ‘the Messiah’ in the Hebrew. He is the Saviour of His people. The Son must be accepted and so will it be concluded that the Father is accepted.

“This is how we know if they have the Spirit of God: If a person claiming to be a prophet acknowledges that Jesus Christ came in a real body, that person has the Spirit of God. But if someone claims to be a prophet and does not acknowledge the truth about Jesus, that person is not from God. Such a person has the spirit of the Antichrist, which you heard is coming into the world and indeed is already here.”
1 John 4:2-3 NLT.

The beginning of Christ’s function as our Redeemer is His incarnation. He is God in human flesh. God became a man (John 1:14). He is the eternal Word of God who became a human being. Any faith, creed, Bible, or teachings that agree with these basics are no problems for me. If the extra books of the Ethiopian Bible line up with the above standards of revelation, I am ready to enjoy the study.

Victor Adeyemi