Son of God or God Himself?

“But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”- Matthew 16:15-16

I never thought of this as a question. It seemed very clear to me. Jesus IS the son of God. I never questioned this UNTIL I attended Bible study and then I had to learn that not all Christians believed that Jesus is the son of God, but that he was God incarnate. Homoi- vs. Homo-ousius. Is he the same as God or similar to God? This thought process ranked up there with the time my minister told me that the flood did not really cover the entire earth during my confirmation class. I was able to comes to terms with this fact, because I realized that a flood that covered all of the Middle East would surely seem like the planet was engulfed to people of that time. The relationship of Jesus to God, however, was a much larger question and part of the core of my faith. Maybe I am just very simple, but, as I was taught the Bible and read the Bible myself, I never questioned this basic precept. I believed God created Jesus his son and had him birthed on this earth through Mary.

In fact this question, I learned was one of the basic premises that set to be resolved during the reign of Constantine at the Council of Nicea (more information on the Council). Apparently there was great discussion about how there could be a trinity within a monotheistic religion. I had never considered that Jesus not being God himself called this into question, but apparently it caused quite an argument during the council’s meeting. Resulting in Arius, who believed as I do that Jesus was begotten by God and not God himself, leaving the council, being exiled from the church, and having his works describing his position “consigned to flames” (Socrates Church History Chapter IX) . It also led to the creation of the Nicene Creed, which outlined the relationship of Jesus and God for all Christians to come.

It t is this meeting, where men came together to discuss the forming doctrine of Christianity, that is the foundation of my questioning of religion on earth. What is directly from God and what is man’s corruption of that message for his own desires? If something like this can be decided by vote, what other points were bent to meet people’s needs and desires. On the other hand, I have a friend who would argue that if God is all powerful, don’t you think that he can ensure that the Bible and the church would be formed as He wanted it. I guess I believe that God blessed us with free will. As we are people of free will and therefore a society made up of such people, we have the ability to follow God or not. How am I to determine where the men of the Council of Nicea were on this spectrum? As it is said that the idea of homoousius was actually a belief held by the minority, but ended up being voted in by the majority, it seems to me perhaps the majority were persuaded by man and not inspired by God.

I wonder whether others of you consider these issues? Do you think Jesus and God are one or Father and Son? How did you come to this belief? Do you think considering such issues is helpful in developing your beliefs or harmful?