Muslims have to follow rituals created by man. Are these instructions in the Quran?
Bow like this, prostrate this way, recite this, repeat that over and over again, sit like this, fold your arms like that…. Careful, if you miss out anything, allah will reject you.
Are you sure you’re facing the right direction? Forgot to wash your nostrils correctly? Start all over again! Ooops did you fart? Allah does not like that. He also hates people yawning. Make sure you don’t look up while you pray or he will take your eyes away and make you go blind.
Dont you think Allah is acting like a slave master waiting to catch you the minute you want to come to pray or worship him? In an instant he can throw you into his jahannam. Did you know that even though Muhammad promised paradise to Abu Bakr, his father-in-law and best friend, said that even if he had one foot in paradise, Allah can cast him into hell.
I have GOOD NEWS. The true God is a LOVING FATHER. The minute you decide to come to Him, His arms are open wide to receive and welcome you. You dont have to wash your hands or your feet or take a specific posture before Father God. The only posture He looks for is humility in your heart.
I can stand or sit or kneel or bow or fall face down prostrating on the ground, He accepts me. I can pray and worship my Father whether I’m driving or jogging or working or taking a shower. I can face any direction and He doesn’t mind. He doesn’t turn me away even if I fart. Why? Because He is a Father to His children. Does your human father reject you when you fart or yawn? No, because he is good and he loves you.
Isn’t Allah even as good as your weak human fathers? Doesn’t he even have half the genuine love that your father has for you?
God my Heavenly Father loves me. He loves you too and longs for you to accept Him as your Father too.
If you say NO, then Allah is not all-powerful; he is a weak and inferior god, lacking the ability of even the angels he created.
If you say, YES, then you have a problem.
Since Allah is a singular, ‘one god’, unitarian deity, becoming visible would mean taking a physical form that humans can see. It has to be a complete transformation from invisible to visible.
This means, even if Allah takes the visible physical form of, let’s say, a man for one minute, he will no longer exist outside of time and space as god! For that one minute, he has confined himself inside time and space on earth. He is no longer eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. For that one minute, there is no god in the universe!
This is the Muslim understanding of, Tawheed, the oneness of Allah.
The God of the Bible has no such problems. Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob is ONE God and exists in tri-unity.
[Simple analogy: The universe is made up of space, time and matter. Yet it is ONE universe not THREE universes! (UNI itself means ONE). And there can be no universe without any one of these three.]
Yahweh is ONE GOD ~ God the Father, God the Son (Word of God) & God the Holy Spirit. ONE God in three.
The eternal and invisible Word of God became a physical human being and walked on the earth that He Himself created. And in this way the invisible was manifested as visible!
God the Father did not become visible. He remained as the eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God while His Word incarnated as Jesus on the earth as a physical human being for 33 years before He returned to heaven from where He came from.
Allah cannot do this. No wonder Muslims cannot understand the incarnation.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)
I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. (John 3:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. (John 14:6)
God is Spirit. He is eternal, infinite and unlimited. He is not bound within the confines of time and space like you and me.
He created time and space but He exists beyond it. He encompasses everything over and above the dimension of His creatures. He is beyond every dimension we humans can perceive and He is beyond past, present and future. he is not limited by time. He is eternal. He is not limited by space, He is omnipresent.
The question is: Can such an omnipotent, omnipresent God, cause Himself, by His Word and His Spirit, to be incarnated as a limited HUMAN BEING to walk and talk among humans on earth?
Nothing is impossible for God. If anyone says God cannot do this, then you are limiting the Creator’s ability.
Christians believe He can and He HAS! Through Jesus Christ.
Remember that while He incarnated on earth, coming from outside time and space into human time and space in the form of finite human being in , the infinite God, who is eternal Spirit still exists, as He always has, outside of time and space! The eternal and infinite Father depositing His own essence as a finite Son in a human body on earth. He didn’t transform into a human being.
How this can happen is, essentially, the eternal God, added HUMANITY to His DIVINITY. In this way, He is limiting the very essence of who He is within a human body and within the confines of time and space and become and do all that a human being can do, EXCEPT sin, since He is perfectly holy and sinless.
A God who can do this is more awesome and superior and powerful compared to a god who cannot or will not step into his own creation in this manner.
Only a God of absolute love would go to such an extent to reveal Himself in such a way to His own creation so they would know Him in a way that is impossible in any other way.
Yes, any “god” can send prophets and holy men to teach his words to man, but which deity would come personally Himself for you and me? Not one who is too lofty or proud but only One who loves unconditionally.
Let me give you an illustration. Any of you watched the movie, Ant-Man? In it, a man is shrunk to the size of an ant and able to interact with ants, to walk with them and communicate with them.
Interesting story but it’s only fiction. Man does not have the ability to do this.
But please imagine with me for a moment though. What if I did have the POWER to do this? To take the essence of my being, and add the DNA of an ant to it? I could incarnate as an ant and be planted into an ant colony and be part of their community!
Note that I did not transform into an ant. I exist as a human being, even watching the ant colony from the outside, as myself! My tiny incarnation though, is right in the midst of the ants and communicating with them, as one of them.
Is there two of me? Not really. I am still me. Still one. Taking on the form of an ant is an extension of who I AM but existing in the very limited world of the ants.
My presence and existence, as an ant, in the colony is limited to what my ant body can do physically. I eat like them. I walk like them. I look like them. I function as an ant, although in essence I know who I AM really and where I came from. The world outside! Would I crawl around boasting to all the other ants “I am really a human being. Worship me!”
Who is in control while I’m in the ant colony? I AM. I didn’t completely transform into an ant. I am still me, existing on the outside watching everything.
As the ant, I could say to the other ants that “I and that human being out there are ONE.” I could also say, “That human being is greater than I.” Would this be confusing? Yes, I suppose so, but only to those who don’t understand what I have done to come to be among them. Many of them might even laugh at me and call delusional.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14
No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. John 3:13
He said to them, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. John 8:23
There are actually numerous references in the Bible of Jesus showing Himself to be divine. If you would like to read one example for yourself right now, go to John 8. Please read the whole chapter to see and understand it in context.
Anyone who claims that Jesus never claimed to be God has never read the Bible nor understood it’s message. Does Jesus have to say it in those exact words, “I am God?” Think about this. Would anyone really take seriously the words of a man who comes in the desert and say , “I am God.”? People would call him a lunatic.
Jesus may not have said those exact words but He showed it and proved it in many way. If I point to a woman standing next to me and say, “This is my wife”, would you say, “You never said, ‘I am married.’ If you don’t say it in those exact words, it doesn’t count.”
Now if you’re ready to take a more detailed look at Jesus’ claims to be God, let’s explore further. First of all, Did Jesus THINK He Is God?
Whenever any of the prophets in the past spoke they always said: “This is what the Lord God says…” or “Thus says the Lord…”, etc. They knew they that they only ought to speak what God told them to. But whenever Jesus spoke, He said, “I say to you…” or “I tell you the truth….. ”
Never once did Jesus say, “This is what God says…” like all the prophets before Jesus.
In Matthew 7:28-29 – “When Jesus had finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.”
We get a clue to Jesus’ thinking, by how He referred to Himself. The most common titles He acknowledged for Himself are:
i. Son of Man
ii. Son of God.
Notice I said these were TITLES. Some mistakenly imagine that “Son of God” is a biological description. That is wrong. “SON OF MAN” and “SON OF GOD” are titles for Jesus, describing His spiritual position.
If we go down to the very basics, Son of Man means “man” and Son of God means “God”; meaning Jesus was fully man and fully God. In other words, He is God that had come in the form of a man.
The gospel tells us that our Creator has become our Redeemer. Because this conviction is the central theme of Christianity, denying the deity of Jesus Christ places a dagger into the heart of the Christian message.
– J. I. Packer
Jesus acknowledged being the “Son of God.” Again, this title does not mean Jesus is God’s biological Son. The title “Son of God” refers to likeness, or having the same divine essence and characteristics. Jesus was asserting His deity and His equality with God.
Question: But there were others who were referred to as sons of God. e.g. David, Adam, etc. Was David and Adam also God?
Answer: No. Clearly, David never thought he was God, neither did Adam. SON means a spiritual relationship. As a believer and a follower of Jesus, I too am a son of God. That does not make me God. I know and understand that sonship is a position of special relationship with God, my Father.
Jesus came to reveal to us what that SONSHIP really means in relation to the Father. Jesus called God, “Father” and taught His followers to do the same.
If God is my heavenly Father, what does that make me? A son! This is not a physical or biological position but a spiritual position in terms of relationship with my God and Father.
Question: So how is Jesus being the ‘Son of God’ different from someone else being a ‘son of God’?
Answer: The original Greek word used to describe Jesus’ sonship is “μονογενῆ” (or monogenes) which means “unique” (or one and only; or the only one of it’s kind; a less accurate translation is ‘begotten’). Meaning, there is no other Son like Him. There are many “sons of God” but only one “Son of God”, i.e. Jesus.
All other ‘sons’ are created. Jesus, being the Son of God means, God manifesting Himself in human form on earth and doing and speaking the things only God can do and speak. I’m a son of God but I don’t work miracles as Jesus the Son of God did, nor do I make other claims that Jesus made.
When applied to Jesus, ‘Son of God’ and ‘Son of Man’ are divine titles. And Jesus was clearly aware of this.
Question: But didn’t Jesus say that the Father is greater than Him?
Answer: Jesus’ statement here does not imply inferiority. Let me give you an example. I share my father’s DNA and characteristics. If I say my father is greater than I, does that mean he is more of a human being than I am? Although we’re different, we’re both equal as human beings and as men. In nature and essence we’re equal but in position and rank, my father is greater than I. This is the meaning of the word “meizon” (greater) than is used in the original language. The Father is greater than the Son in position. In essence and in being, Jesus is co-equal with God.
Question: I can understand Son of God possibly being a divine title but how is Son of Man a divine title?
Answer: When Jesus referred to Himself as Son of Man, He had in mind a prophecy written by Daniel more than 500 years earlier.
Daniel 7:13-14: “……Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven. …….. He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language worship Him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.
Also in Mark 14:62, when the high priest asks Jesus if he was the Son of the Blessed One. Jesus said, “I Am. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Does this Son of Man sound like any ordinary man or prophet? It is made clear in these verses that the Son of Man was One who has all authority and power; He will come from heaven. He will rule eternally; everyone will worship Him. Seated with God means He was in a position that was equal with God! This is not any ordinary man or prophet. Son of Man, therefore, is a divine title.
Has any prophet ever dared to claim such a position for himself?
Where Did Jesus SAY He Is God?
First of all, we need to understand what Jesus’ words meant to his Jewish listeners and see how they reacted to his claims. We have to remember that the Jewish people understood their scriptures very well.
John 8
If you had read John 8, as I had recommended at the start of this post, you would have come across this verse:
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I AM!” – John 8:58
Perhaps you did not catch the significance of this saying.
“I AM” is the very name of God! Revealed to Moses in the Torah, Exodus 3:14 and the Jews were well aware of this in their scriptures. Jesus had used the same sacred name, I AM, “ἐγὼ εἰμί” (ego eimi).
The name, I AM means, God has always existed and will always exist ~ i.e. ever existing, ever living God. Right here,, we have Jesus claiming this holy and divine Name for Himself. He’s actually saying that He existed before Abraham; therefore claiming to be ever existing, ever living, and therefore eternal and divine!
In the Aramaic Bible in Plain English, the verse sounds like this:
“Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM The Living God.” John 8:58
This is how it would have sounded like in Aramaic.
Question: Isn’t this blasphemy for a “man” to claim to be God? Punishable by stoning?
Answer: Well, that is exactly what the Jews decided when they heard Jesus saying this statement!
In the very next verse we see: “Therefore they picked up stones to throw at Him”. John 8:59
Why? Because the Jews who heard Him knew exactly what He was saying and exactly WHO He was claiming to be! He was claiming to be God! That is why they were ready to stone Jesus!
Still in John 8, Jesus also said, “You are from below; I am from above. You belong to this world; I do not. That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” John 8:23-24
There’s the “I AM” again! Jesus was saying unless you believe that “I AM HE”, you will DIE in your sins!
Are these the words of just another prophet? Can a mere prophet make such preposterous claims? “I am from above!” Jesus was saying He came from heaven. Aren’t all human beings, even prophets, born on earth?
And listen to this: “You will die in your sins unless you believe who I AM!” You will die in your sins, meaning you will go to hell as sinners, UNLESS you believe who He claims to be! Who does He claim to be? We really have to find out if we do not want to die as sinners!
This is a shocking thing to say, isn’t it? Did Adam or Abraham or Moses or David or any other prophet ever say such controversial things?
In case you missed it, let’s look at this verse in the Aramaic Bible in Plain English to enhance our understanding.
“I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins.” John 8:24
This is how it would have sounded like in Aramaic.
According to Jesus, if you want to escape hell, you need to know and believe who He really is! Do you?
John 10
On another occasion, in John 10:30-38, we see this conversation taking place between Jesus and His Jewish listeners…..
Jesus: The Father and I are one.
(Once again the people picked up stones to kill him.) Jesus: I have done many good works. For which one are you going to stone me? Jews: We’re stoning you not for any good work, but for blasphemy! You, a mere man, claim to be God.
It it is. very clear. Jesus was claiming to be God and the Jews were angry with Him. If Jesus was not God, why didn’t He correct them and say, “Look guys, you have misunderstood what I said. I never claimed to be God.”
He never changed His original statement but rather, listen to what He says next in this conversation…..
Jesus: Why do you call it blasphemy when I say, ‘I am the Son of God’….believe in the evidence of the miraculous works I have done, even if you don’t believe me. Then you will know and understand that the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.”
Do you follow what is going on here? Jesus is saying: “It is NOT blasphemy for Me to claim to be God.” He’s saying: “If you find my claims hard to believe then, at least, believe because of My miracles.” Believe what? Believe that ‘the Father is in me, and I am in the Father.’
By claiming to be the Son of God, Jesus is claiming to be God. And the Jews clearly understood it as seen by their reaction.
My question to you is: Has any prophet or man of God ever dared to say these things? Did Muhammad ever say, “I and Allah are one. Allah is in me and I am in Allah”. What else can such statements by Jesus that “I and the Father are one” and “The Father is in Me and I am in the Father” mean? Except that He was clearly claiming Himself to be equal with God! The Jews clearly understood it. This would be blasphemy worthy of being stoned to death!
John 5
In another verse John 5:18 – “So the Jewish leaders tried all the harder to find a way to kill Him. For He not only broke the Sabbath, He called God His Father, thereby making Himself equal with God.”
John 14
Another time, Philip, one of Jesus’ disciples, asks Jesus to let them see the Father.
Jesus replies: “You still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you? (John 14:9)
Tell me please. Did Abraham ever say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen God”? Did Moses? David? Or any other prophet? What about in the Quran? Would Muhammad ever dare to say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen Allah”.
Anyone who reads these words of Jesus would have no doubts that Jesus was saying that seeing Him is the same as seeing God! Jesus was essentially saying to the disciples then and to us today, “If you want to see God, look at Me.”
Did Jesus’ Closest Followers THINK & SAY He Was God?
If Jesus said He was God, obviously this message would have caught the attention of His disciples whom He spent three years with. Skeptics claim that the deity of Jesus was an invention by Paul, years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and that even Jesus’ closest disciples never claimed that their Master Jesus, was God. Once again, these are claims by people who have never read or understood the Bible.
Let’s see what Peter, John and others said or wrote about Jesus. I have purposely not included any statements written by Paul.
Peter: The justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior. (2 Peter 1:1)
John: The Word (Jesus) was God….and became flesh (human). (John 1)
Matthew: They will call Him Immanuel” (which means “God with us“). (Matt 1:23)
Luke: Be shepherds of the church of God, which He bought with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)
Thomas: “My Lord and My God”. (John 20:28)
Thomas said to Jesus: “My Lord and my God!”
If Jesus is not God, He certainly would have reprimanded Thomas immediately and corrected him. Jesus did not do that. In fact, Jesus commended Thomas, saying: “You believe because you have seen Me. Blessed are those who haven’t seen me and believe anyway.” (John 20:29)
Evidently, Jesus’ closest disciples were preaching and teaching that Jesus is God, even before Paul became a follower of Jesus. Paul taught what the disciples already believed, taught and preached. Also, remember that Paul lived in the time of the disciples. If he had preached something that was wrong and contrary to the disciples of Jesus, don’t you think all the disciples of Jesus would have come against him, denounced him and called him a liar. Rather they welcomed him and approved of him. (see 2 Peter 3:15; Galatians 2:9)
We can go back to 700 BC, even before Jesus was incarnated as a human and find the Prophet Isaiah saying: “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
(In case you have trouble with chronology and history, 700 BC is many centuries BEFORE Paul or any of the disciples were even born; Isaiah had prophesied that Jesus would be Mighty God .) So the disciples and Paul were not teaching or preaching anything that contradicted scriptures.
Other Evidence That Show Us Jesus is God
1. We all know that only God is to be worshipped.
One of the worst sins for a Jew is to worship something/someone besides God. Ever worse for someone who takes worship for themselves. However, many times in the gospels, we see that Jesus received worship. If Jesus is not God, why would He accept worship that is meant for God alone?
Refer to Matthew 14:33; 28:9, 17; Luke 24:52; John 9:38.; Hebrews 1:6. Not once did Jesus rebuke anyone or stopped them from worshipping Him.
If Jesus was just a good teacher, shouldn’t He have taught them to do what is right? If Jesus was just a prophet, why didn’t He command them to direct their worship only to God and not to Him?
2. We all know that only God can forgive sins.
No prophet in all of history has ever claimed the right or authority of God to forgive sins.
In Mark 2:5, we see Jesus saying to a paralyzed man, “Son your sins are forgiven.” The teachers of the law were understandably shocked, “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
See Jesus’ response in verse 10. “I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.”
And we have already seen this other verse earlier: Jesus said, “Unless you believe that I Am who I claim to be, you will die in your sins.” John 8:24; meaning that if you believe who Jesus really is you will not die in your sins.
3. We all know that on judgment day God will raise the dead, judge the world and grant eternal life
In John 6:40: Jesus said, “I will raise them up at the Last Day.”
In John 5:21-23: Jesus said that He has absolute authority to judge.
In John 10:27: Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me.”
4. We all know that miracles can only be done in the Name of God
However, we see that whenever Jesus healed the sick or cast out demons or did a miracle like calming a storm, He did it in His own Name (authority). He usually said, “I command…” or “Be healed…”. Never once did He say, “My God commands…” or “God willing, He will heal…”
In Luke 10: Jesus sends His disciples to preach the gospel and to heal the sick. And they did so in the Name of Jesus.
In Mark 9:38: When the disciples told Jesus that a stranger was casting out demons using the Name of Jesus, He answered them and said, “Don’t stop him.” if the man was doing something wrong, wouldn’t Jesus have corrected him?
In Acts 3:6: Peter and John heal a lame man in the Name of Jesus Christ. (this was after Jesus had resurrected and ascended to heaven.)
5. We all know that only God has all the glory and no one can share His glory
In John 17:5, Jesus says to the Father: “And now, Father, glorify Me in Your own presence with the glory that I had with You before the world existed.”
Jesus was claiming He shared the same glory with the Father! Even before the world was created! How could Jesus have existed eternally with the Father unless He and his Father shared the same divine essence? Jesus existed as the Word of God before being incarnated as a man on the earth He created.
6. We all know that we should only pray to God.
John 14:14 Jesus said we can ask Him in prayer, in His Name.
Acts 7:55-60: Steven, the first martyr prayed to Jesus
1 Corinthians 1:2: The Church in Corinth is taught to call on Jesus in prayer
Other verses: Disciples prayed to Jesus (Acts 1:24-25); Jews and Gentiles praying to Jesus (Rom. 10:12-13); Paul prays to Jesus (2 Cor. 12:8-10) ; 2 Thess. 2:16-17; etc.
7. We all know that we should only have faith in God.
John 14:1 Jesus said, “Believe in Me.”
John 3:16: Whoever believes in Jesus will have eternal life
Before Jesus left the earth and ascended to heaven, He told his apostles to “baptize new disciples all over the world, in the NAME of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 28:19). By doing this, Jesus was putting both the Holy Spirit and Himself on the same level as the Father, signifying that they are equal. Did you also notice Jesus said NAME not NAMES, signifying oneness between Father, Son & Holy Spirit.
8. We all know that God alone is eternal, the Beginning and End.
The prophet Isaiah records in Isaiah 44:6 ~ “This is what the Lord says, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
Yet, in Revelation 1:17, Jesus says: “I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.”
Rev 1:8 : “I am the Alpha and the Omega—the beginning and the end,” says the Lord God. “I am the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come—the Almighty One.”
You tell me who this PERSON is?
Referred to as “the Alpha and Omega,” “the beginning and end”, “the Lord God,” “the Almighty One”, “the living one”, “the who died but alive forever and ever”?
John prophecies about the second coming of this PERSON in Revelation 1:7 ~ “Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see Him – even those who pierced Him. And all the nations of the world will mourn.
You tell me who was pierced on the cross?
Then John sees this PERSON on a throne, judging people from every nation. “And I saw a great white throne, and I saw the One who was sitting on it. . . . And the one sitting on the throne said . . . ’I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End.’” (Revelation 20:11; 21:6)
You tell me who is this JUDGE?
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who reigns from the great white throne. As shown earlier, Jesus had already told his disciples that He would be the final judge of the whole world.
Rev 21:6-7, John writes ~
He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.
Numerous Other Times In Scripture Where Jesus Claimed To Be God (from the Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
In all these verse, Jesus was claiming the name of God, I AM, for Himself. Would anyone else dare to this?
But Yeshua immediately spoke with them and he said, “Take heart; I AM THE LIVING GOD. Do not be afraid.” Matthew 14:27
“For they all saw him and they were afraid and immediately he spoke with them and he said to them, “Take heart, I AM THE LIVING GOD; do not be afraid.” Mark 6:50
“But Yeshua said to him, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, and you shall behold The Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of Heaven.” Mark 14:62
“But all of them were saying, “You are therefore the Son of God?” Yeshua said to them, “You are saying that I AM THE LIVING GOD.” Luke 22:70
“Yeshua said to her, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, I who am speaking with you.” John 4:26
“But Yeshua said to them, “I AM THE LIVING GOD, do not be afraid.” John 6:20
“I said to you that you shall die in your sins, for unless you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD, you shall die in your sins.” John 8:24
“Yeshua said to them: “Timeless truth I speak to you: Before Abraham would exist, I AM THE LIVING GOD.” John 8:58
“Now I am telling you before it happens, that when it has occurred, you shall believe that I AM THE LIVING GOD.” John 13:19
“They were saying to him, “Yeshua the Nazarene.” Yeshua said to them, “I AM THE LIVING GOD.” But Yehuda the traitor was also standing with them. And when Yeshua said to them, “I AM THE LIVING GOD”, they went backward and fell to the ground.” John 18:5-6
Jesus also used “I AM” for himself on other occasions.
“I AM the light of the world” (John 8:12)
“I AM the way, the truth and the life” (John 14:6)
“I AM the only way to the Father” (John 14:6)
“I AM the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
“I AM the Good Shepherd” (John 10:11)
“I AM the door” (John 10:9)
“I AM the living bread” (John 6:51)
“I AM the true vine” (John 15:1)
“I AM the Alpha and Omega” Rev.1:7,8)
Want More? Consider These Scriptures.
Isaiah 44:6 – (God is the Redeemer)
2 Peter 1:1 (Jesus is the Redeemer) – “To those who have obtained like precious faith with us by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ”
Isaiah 44:24 – (God created the world by His self alone)
John 1:3; Colossians 1:16 – (Jesus created all things)
John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… 1:14 – And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
John 5:23 – that all should honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.
Acts 4:12 – “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
Acts 20:28 – (God purchased us with His own blood)
Revelation 1:5,6; Revelation 5:8-9 – (Jesus’ blood purchased us)
Philippians 2:5-7 – Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond-servant, and coming in the likeness of men.
1 Timothy 3:16 – And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.
Titus 2:13 – looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ
Hebrews 1:8,9 – But to the Son He (God) says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
2 John 1:7 – For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
The real question you should be asking is not “Did Jesus ever claim to be God” but “Why Did God Become A Man?”
When you discover the answer to this, it will change your life. I guarantee you that!
Muslims are disgusted at the thought of God having a Son. Sadly, Muslims think this is what Christians believe ~ that Jesus was born because God was the Father and Mary was the mother. This is blasphemy, they cry.
Actually, it is we Christians who are disgusted that Muslims would even think or suggest this!
Muslims fail to understand that “Son of God” is a title, just like “Messiah” is a title. Son-ship does not mean a biological relationship but a spiritual one. Son of God means ‘of the same essence’ or ‘of the same nature’ as God.
If I say, I am a son of my country, does it mean my country had sex and gave birth to me? If we say, Gandhi was the father of India, does it mean Gandhi had to have sex with someone to produce India? In Ephesians, there is the phrase “sons of disobedience” referring to those who are allied with satan. ‘Sons of disobedience’ simply means they are of the nature of disobedience.
Why are Muslims confused with the understanding of the word “Son”? There are two words in Arabic for “son”. One is “Ibn” ﺍﺑﻦ and the other is Walad ﻮﻟﺪ
‘Walad’ means a ‘physical son’ in the literal sense of the word, as in the biological product of a sexual union between a man and a woman.
“Ibn” can also mean son, but it can carry a more spiritual or metaphorical meaning.
So I could say. I’m a son (walad) of my dad and I’m a son (ibn) of my country. There would be no confusion about what I mean. Unfortunately, in English, there is only one word for son, while there are two in Arabic. Yet, it is the Muslims who are confused when reading the Bible and Quran.
In Matthew 16:16, Peter says to Jesus: “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” This same Bible verse in Arabic is: فَأجابَ سِمعانُ بُطرُسُ: «أنتَ هُوَ المَسِيحُ، ابْنُ اللهِ الحَيِّ.
What is the word used for Son here? it’s “Ibn” ﺍﺑﻦ . Not walad.
Let’s look at another one.
1 John 4:15: “If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God.”
What is the word used for Son here again? “Ibn” ﺍﺑﻦ
Whenever a reference is made to Jesus as the Son of God, it is always in this sense. Nothing else.
Read your Bibles in Arabic, and I challenge you to show me any reference where Jesus is said to be “walad” (biological son) of God. It’s always “ibn”. In other words, Jesus is Ibnu’llah, not Walad’ullah.
This is what Christians have always believed. This is what the Bible teaches. No Christian has ever thought or imagined that Jesus was the biological son of God, the result of some divine-human sexual intercourse.
But this is exactly what Muslims have tried to force on Christians insisting that this is what we believe! No, we don’t! Muslims have created their own straw man and have been attacking it for ages! And they don’t even realize it! This is a logical fallacy.
God is Spirit. A human is a physical being. God does not relate to humans the way a man and a woman do with each other in a sexual union.
In fact, the Bible says in Isaiah, 700 years before Mary was even born: “A virgin shall conceive and bear a child”. It says VIRGIN. When Mary conceived, she was a virgin. When she bore the child, she was still a virgin.
Nothing happened. So, please get your minds out of the gutter!
So where does a Muslim get this idea from, that Jesus is the biological son of God, if it is not from Christians and not from the Bible?
Let’s take a look at the Quran and see if we can get some help.
Turn to Surah 6:101:
To Him is due the primal origin of the heavens and the earth: How can He have a son when He hath no consort? He created all things, and He hath full knowledge of all things.
بديع السماوات والأرض أنى يكون له ولد ولم تكن له صاحبة وخلق كل شيء وهو بكل شيء عليم
هو { بديع السماوات والأرض } مبدعهما من غير مثال سبق { أنَّى } كيف { يكون له ولد ولم تكن له صاحبة } زوجة { وخلق كلَّ شيء } من شأنه أن يخلق { وهو بكل شيء عليمٌ } .
Do you see what word is used for son? It’s WALAD! In other words, this verse is talking about a physical biological “son”.
Another one: Surah 39:4
Had Allah wished to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He doth create: but Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is Allah, the One, the Irresistible.
لو أراد الله أن يتخذ ولدا لاصطفى مما يخلق ما يشاء سبحانه هو الله الواحد القهار
Transliteration
Law arada Allahu an yattakhithawaladan lastafa mimma yakhluqu mayashao subhanahu huwa Allahu alwahidualqahhar
Again, did you notice which word is used for son? WALAD! Not IBN!
No wonder Muslims think that when we talk about God’s Son, it must means a biological son of God because that is the word that the Quran uses! But that’s never in the Bible!
The Quran is basically saying that God does not have or take a son as a result of any sexual union. AND WE CHRISTIANS AGREE 100%.
Here are more Quranic verses that uses the word “walad” when speaking about son.
Surah 19:35
It is not befitting to (the majesty of) Allah that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! when He determines a matter, He only says to it, “Be”, and it is.
ما كان لله أن يتخذ من ولد سبحانه إذا قضى أمرا فإنما يقول له كن فيكون
Ma kana lillahi anyattakhitha min waladin subhanahu itha qadaamran fa-innama yaqoolu lahu kun fayakoon
Surah 43:81
Say: “If (Allah) Most Gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship.”
قل إن كان للرحمن ولد فأنا أول العابدين
قل إن كان للرحمن ولد } فرضاً { فأنا أول العابدين } للولد لكن ثبت أن لا ولد له تعالى فانتفت عبادته .
Qul in kana lirrahmaniwaladun faana awwalu alAAabideen
Surah 19:91
That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son.
أن دعوا للرحمن ولدا
An daAAaw lirrahmaniwalada
My question is: Who has ever attributed a ‘WALAD’ to God? Not Christians. Whoever said or wrote this verse was unaware that Christianity does not say that God has a ‘WALAD’. So why are there such verses in the Quran?
What does all this mean?
If we look at all these verses in the Quran, and based on these verses, we can come to a few simple conclusions:
1. Allah does not have a son (walad; a physical, biological son)
2. If Allah wished to have a son (walad), he could. It is a possibility IF he wanted to. (43:81).
3. But if Allah wanted to have a son (walad), he would need a wife/consort. (6:101)
4. Since Allah does not have a wife/consort, therefore Allah does not have a son (walad). (6:101)
5. If Allah did have a wife or a consort, then allah would have sex with his wife/consort and produce a son (walad).
(Note: Am I being crude and vulgar? I don’t think so. We are talking about what Allah himself is saying when he refers to wife/consort & son (walad). How else is a son (walad) produced if it is not by sex? Is this the way an omnipotent creator thinks? The idea sound very man-made to me. It is obviously the thinking of a man’s mind that is spelled out in these verses. A God who is real and all-powerful and all-knowing would not be discussing the need for a wife to produce a son.
The Quran denies that Allah has a “walad”. Fair enough. However, where does the Quran deny the possibility of an “Ibn”. No where does the Quran say that Allah cannot have an “Ibn.”
In Surah 19:35, Allah says that he does not have son (walad) from sex because it is not befitting of his majesty. All he needs to say is “Be” and it is so. (Arabic: kun fayakun)
This verse is significant because it is said to be related to the birth of Jesus. (see also Sura 19:21). Is it true that God just said “kun fayakun” and Jesus was conceived and born?
That’s not what the Quran reports. Here’s what really went down that night.
The angel Jibreel came to Mary in the form of a human male. Sura 19:17
(side note: An angel takes the form of man. Can Allah do what an gel has the capability of doing? )
Back to our story. So the angel, who has taken the form of a man, now blows into the vagina of Mary. Yes, I said vagina. The arabic word used is “farj”. But the Quran’s translators, have toned it down using the word ‘garment/sleeves’ to “cover up”. The same story is repeated in Sura 66:12 and unmistakably, the word used is “nafakhna feehy” which means very clearly that ‘we blew into her organ/private parts/genitals’.
So that is how Jesus was conceived according, to the Quran. It was more than just “kun fayakun” as claimed. How shocking and embarrassing it must have been for poor Mary. This young virgin who had never been with a man before and suddenly she’s confronted by a strange man. (The quran describes him as ‘well proportioned.) and he’s in front of her blowing into her!
Now we know why Muslims get so confused when we say Son of God.
Jesus did not become the Son of God when he was born of the virgin Mary. He was already the Son of God from the beginning, existing as the Word of God, before creation and before that Word became human. God is not Father because He produced a Son. He was already Father from the beginning, before creation.
So what does it mean when the Bible says Jesus is the Son of God? Ask a Christian and listen to them.
Sura 10:94 So if you are in doubt, [O Muhammad], about that which We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Scripture before you.
The Bible teaches that Jesus is fully man and fully God.
How can this be possible?
How can we understand the relationship between God the Father and Jesus?
I want to share a simple illustration that I hope would help us to understand this. (even though no analogy is perfect or sufficient.)
Let’s say, the ocean represents God, vast and infinite.
Now what if I take a glass and fill it to the brim with the water of the ocean? What do we have? Do we have TWO oceans? No.
There is only one ocean. But we can have a representation of the ocean itself in the glass. The exact same substance, the exact likeness, the exact same nature as the ocean. The glass holds as much of the ocean that it possibly can, within it’s tiny frame.
While the ocean represents God, that glass represents Jesus! God and Jesus are not two gods, as some mistakenly think.
Jesus is the exact representation of God on earth. In Jesus, the fullness of God dwells in BODILY form. (Colossians 2:9). In theology, this is called the “Hypostatic Union”.
Jesus was not a man who suddenly became God at birth. Jesus, who is The Word of God, already in existence from the beginning, before creation, took on the form of a man. And therefore, He could come to earth in a visible form of the invisible God. When Philip, Jesus’ disciple, asked Him to show them God, Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen God.”
This is why Jesus could say, “I and the Father are one.” Why? Because the nature and the essence of the substance in the glass is the same as the nature and essence of substance of the ocean.
And yet, Jesus also said, “The Father is greater than I.” How is this explained? Well, isn’t the ocean greater than the ocean in the glass?
There is no contradiction!
There’s more. Let’s take the analogy further.
The glass, like the human body of Jesus, is fragile. The body of Jesus is the same as an earthly human body. It can break. It can bleed. It can die. Jesus, who is God, limited Himself to such an extent within a human body that He emptied Himself of all His majesty and power and glory and authority that was His from the beginning. But the very presence of God was in Him. That is who Jesus is.
In this way, Jesus is fully man and fully God. God dwelling in human flesh.
Just like the image of that glass of ocean, the glass is 100% glass. And the substance in it, is 100% the same nature as the ocean.
As a man, Jesus can get hungry and He can eat and He can walk and do everything that a human can. Except that He was sinless. This is what many people fail to understand. They question how can God eat and drink? And how God can feel pain and suffer? The answer is simple. Because Jesus’ body is human.
With this simple illustration in mind, many so-called “contradictions” become clear. He was one with God, yet walked as a Man on earth, able to communicate with the God in heaven.
Jesus was a man. And Jesus was also God. As God, Jesus could forgive sins. As God, Jesus accepted worship directed to Him. As God, He did and said many things which no one else has ever said or done.
As God, He resurrected His dead human body. As God, He will return one day to judge mankind. And as God, He lives forever. No man or messenger dares to say this, but Jesus said: “No one has ever gone into heaven except the One who came from heaven—the Son of Man.” (John 3:13)
The prophet Isaiah records that God said: “I am the First and the Last.” (Isaiah 48:12).
In the Quran, Allah said: “I am the First and the Last” (Sura 57:3)
No human or angel or prophet or demon would dare to claim this title for himself, but Jesus did.
Jesus said: “I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever!” (Revelation 1:17-18)
First of all, the Bible clearly teaches that God is One. (e.g. Deuteronomy 6:4), and that there is only ONE God. No Christian believes in 3 gods.
So what is the trinity all about? Isn’t the trinity evidence that Christians have 3 gods?
Here is the truth. I’m going to explain using simple human illustrations to help clarify the truth. (No analogy is perfect. After all, we cannot completely understand the fullness of God’s greatness with our human minds.)
You are free to question or comment but please, first read this whole article carefully from start to end…
First of all, trinity simply comes from the word tri-unity. Tri-unity is not THREE. Tri-unity is ONE. There are many examples of tri-unity.
TIME consists of Past, Present & Future. Yet, it is not three “TIMES”! Past is TIME. Present is TIME. Future is TIME. Is Past, Present & Future 3 TIMES?
SPACE is Height, Width & Depth. Yet, it is not three “SPACES”! It still only makes up the single dimension of SPACE.
FIRE is Flame, Light & Heat. How many FIRES are there? Do the Flame of the FIRE, the Light of the FIRE, and the Heat of the FIRE make up THREE FIRES or just ONE FIRE?
Many people miss the fact that even we human beings are tri-unity beings! What do I mean?
We are made up of 3 distinct and unique substances.
1. You are a spirit. 2. You have a soul. 3. You have a body. Just because you are spirit, soul and body, are you three beings?
Only when you have all 3, you are a real human being.
So if you have 1 spirit + 1 soul + 1 body, are you 3 human beings or one?
A common accusation is that Christians worship 1+1+1=3 gods. Well, your spirit, your soul and your body are 1+1+1= 3, yet you are one not three!
Your spirit, soul and body are different, yet they exist as one in unity to make you a human being. The 3 are unique and they function differently but work perfectly as one. You exist as spirit, soul and body but still you are one human being not 3 separate beings.
No analogy can perfectly capture and illustrate the trinity. The Bible teaches that God exists as The Father, the Word of God (Jesus), and the Spirit of God in perfect unity as ONE God. This is what triune or tri-unity or trinity means. It is not 3 separate beings.
SOME COMMON RELATED QUESTIONS
1.Is Jesus 33% God?
This is a silly question. Is your spirit only 33% you? Is the PAST 33% of TIME? Is HEAT 33% of the FIRE? Of course your body is 100% you! Your soul is 100% you. Your spirit is 100% you. In the same way, the Bible says that the Father is God, The Word of God (Jesus) is God, The Spirit is God.
This is why Jesus could say, “I and my Father are One.” You could say that about yourself too – my body and my spirit and my soul are one. And you would be perfectly right! You are not 3 separate beings, are you?
2. Then why did Jesus say, “The Father is greater than I.”?
Well, think about this. Is your body greater than your spirit or is your spirit greater than your body?
Do you know your spirit is eternal? Your body is not; it will grow old and die one day. Would I be right if I said, my spirit is greater than my body! Of course.
The Word of God (Jesus), existed before creation, but stepped into His own creation, as a human being on earth. As a human, He was submitted to the Father.
As God, Jesus is equal with the Father. As a human man, the Father is greater than Jesus.
Another analogy: you can say that your boss is GREATER than you (in rank/position) but both of you are EQUAL – as human beings!
All these verses and many others have clear explanations. There is no contradictions unless one does not understand the nature of God.
3. Then why did Jesus pray to the Father when He was on earth?
As a human being, Jesus was dependent on the Father. There is perfect communication between the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit from eternity, so Jesus could talk to the Father while on earth in the form of prayer. As our role-model, Jesus was also showing us how we too should be dependent on God and pray to Him.
4. When Jesus died on the cross, did God die and cease to exist?
Let me ask you. When you die, what really dies? Your spirit, your soul or your body? Or all 3? Actually, it is only your body that dies. Your spirit lives forever, either in heaven or hell.
When Jesus died on the cross, the Father didn’t die, the Holy Spirit didn’t die. Only Jesus died; that is, He died as a human being; but as God, He he had the power to rise again to life. No mere human being or prophet or messenger can do this!
In John 20:28, when the disciple, Thomas saw Jesus after His resurrection, Thomas says to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” In fact throughout His life on earth, Jesus received worship from many people.
Not once did Jesus stop them or rebuke them saying it was wrong. (See Matthew 1:2, Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33, Matthew 15:25, Matthew 28:17, John 9:38, Luke 24:52, etc). Would a mere man, prophet or messenger dare to receive worship that is reserved for God alone?
Are there any reference in the Bible that teaches the concept of the trinity? There are several. Here’s one example. In Mark 1:10-11, when Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from Heaven (the Father) says to Jesus, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Here we can clearly see that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each distinctly acting in different roles at the same time.
If a religion has three gods, then they’re known as a TRIAD, not TRINITY. The Mormons have a triad of gods. Triad is polytheistic. Trinity is monotheistic. One God.
If you turn to the very first page of the Bible in Genesis 1, you will see the evidence of the trinity, “In the beginning God (Father) created the heavens and the earth…..And the Spirit of God (Holy Spirit) was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said (The Word of God), ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”
In another passage of the Bible, God the Father speaks to Jesus and addresses Him as God! See Hebrews 1:8-12 “But to the Son (Jesus), He (God the Father) says, “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else. He also says to the Son, “In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands….you remain forever…you are always the same; you will live forever.”
In fact even the entire universe that God created reflects His nature. The universe is one but composed mainly of normal matter, dark matter and dark energy. If you take away any of these three, there can be no universe.
