The most common question Christians get from Muslims, usually originating from apologists Ahmed Deedat and Zakir Naik, is 'Where did Jesus say I am God, Worship Me?', but this is clearly an exponent of the exact word criterion. To get past this, you can respond by asking where Jesus says he is a 'plain warner', like Muhammad in Surah 6:37, 7:184, 10:20, 11:12, 13:7, 13:27, 15:89, 17:59, 20:133, 21:5, 22:49, 26:115, 27:92, 29:50, 34:46, 35:23, 38:65, 38:70, 46:9, 51:50, 79:435 and 88:21, or where he says 'I am only a prophet, don't worship me'.
It is clear that between the Qur'an, Old Testament and New Testament Jesus claims to be God, in a Trinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, although explaining the Trinity and Tawhid from an Islamic perspective can wait for another post. Interestingly, scholars such as Nadir Ahmad claim Muhammad worked miracles, contradicting the perfect word of Allah, but that can also wait for another post. Surah 57:3 refers to Allah as the 'first and last', also two of Allah's ninety-nine names and God also does in the Old Testament in Isaiah 44:6. In Revelation 1:17-18, Jesus proclaims; 'I am the First and the Last'; this is clearly a title only God can claim. In both Surah 3:135 and Psalm 51:4, only Allah and God can offer true forgiveness. In Mark 2:5-12, Jesus offers true forgiveness. In Surah 22:56-57, Allah is the final judge. This is also a title in both Joel 3:12 and Psalm 9:7-8. Jesus, the Son of Man, is the final judge in Matthew 25:31-32. Another name of Allah and God, 'the Truth', is prescribed to Jesus. Surah 22:6 and Psalm 31:5 proclaim God as 'the Truth', while Jesus also assumes that title in John 14:6; 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.' It is established in both Surah 22:7 and 1 Samuel 2:6 that only God can raise the dead. Jesus claims this in John 5:25-29, where he says; 'Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man. Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned.' In Surah 57:1, Isaiah 42:8 and John 17:5, shared glory is expressed as impossible yet Jesus shares his glory. He sees Abraham (John 8:39-58), proves he is Lord of the prophet David (Matthew 22:41-45), has a unique relationship with the Father (Matthew 11:27), can answer prayers (Matthew 14:13-14), is present wherever his followers are (Matthew 18:20), is all authority in Heaven and Earth (Matthew 28:18), all God's things are his (John 16:15), you must honour the Son as the Father (John 5:21-23) and Jesus was worshiped in Matthew 2:11, Matthew 14:33, John 9:38, Matthew 28:17 and Luke 24:52. When we look at the Bible more broadly, we see Jesus is explicitly called God in many verses. Among them are John 20:28; ‘And Thomas answered and said unto him, My LORD and my God’, Titus 2:13; ‘while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,’ and Romans 9:5; ‘Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen’. In John 2:19-22, Jesus says he will resurrect himself; ‘Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” But the temple he had spoken of was his body. After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.’ Jesus was condemned for claiming to be God and it is clearly stated as such in John 10:29-33; ‘My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” In John 1:1-3, we read; 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.' John 1:14 says; 'And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.' and the Word, who is God, becomes flesh as the only begotten from the Father, told again in Isaiah 9:6-10 among other verses. We can also see in Mark 1:10-11 that the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus and the Father calls to the Son; 'Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."' In John 8:16-18, the Father sent the Son and bears witness; 'But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me. In your own Law it is written that the testimony of two witnesses is true. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me."' In John 15:26-27, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; '"When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.' Through verses like these, we can also prove the Trinity. In Surah 7:147, Jesus is Allah's word in the same manner, cast down to Mary. Allah cannot have ever been without his word, so the Word is uncreated, and this Word was cast out, so it must be a divine agent. This verse also calls Allah’s word Jesus; ‘Surely the Christ ‘Isā, son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah and his word, which he cast to Mary, and a spirit from him.’ This verse has huge implications and alongside Surah 3:45, in which Allah proclaims ‘When the angels said, “O Mary, surely Allah gives you the good news with a word from him. His name is the Christ, ‘Isā, son of Mary, exalted in this world and in the hereafter, and of the nearer’. Jesus is clearly claiming to be God and proven by the Bible and Qur'an to be God, not just a prophet.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Links To My Work
Thanks to Robert Spencer, the founder of Jihad Watch, I have the opportunity to write some articles for his esteemed website. All articles on Jihad Watch will be linked on the blog of this website. Visit Jihad Watch via this link. See my articles on Jihad Watch via this link. |