A Series of Answers to Common Questions - By Sam Shamoun

A Series of Answers to Common Questions

Sam Shamoun Question 1: If Jesus is God, how can God die? Who was running the universe those three days that Jesus was dead? Answer:

Implicit in the question is the assumption that death implies non-existence, so to say Jesus died implies that God ceased to exist, which cannot happen. The problem is that the definition of death is wrong since according to the holy Scriptures death does not mean nonexistence, but rather refers to the separation that resulted from Adam's rebellion against God. The Scriptures tell us that as a result of the first man's sin, two types of separation occurred. The first is spiritual "death" where a person is severed from having fellowship with God, being separated from God's loving, intimate presence. Instead of God's love abiding upon an individual, it is the divine wrath that rests upon him: "The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.'" Genesis 2:15-17 After disobeying God by eating from the forbidden tree, the man and his wife were then banished from the presence of God in Eden: "And the LORD God said, 'The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.' So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Genesis 3:22-24

Scriptures continue to elaborate on this spiritual separation that has occurred as a result of sin: "For you are not a God who delights in wickedness; evil will not sojourn with you. The boastful will not stand before your eyes; you hate evildoers. You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful." Psalm 5:4-6 NRSV "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear." Psalm 66:18 "Rather, your iniquities have been barriers between you and your God , and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear." Isaiah 59:2 "Then they will cry to the LORD,but He will not hear them ; He will even hide His face from them at that time, because they have been evil in their deeds." Micah 3:4

"Your eyes are too pure to behold evil, and you cannot look on wrongdoing..." Habakkuk 1:13 "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed… But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil,there will be wrath and anger." Romans 2:5, 8 "As for you, you were DEAD in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to LIVE when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us ALIVE with Christ even when we were DEAD in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved." Ephesians 2:1-5 In this last passage, Paul speaks of believers being dead in sin prior to their regeneration and union with the Lord Jesus. Yet it is obvious that believers were still conscious and alive when they were dead in sin. Being dead in sin doesn't mean ceasing to exist, but refers to being separated from loving union with God, just as the passage itself states. The second type of "death" that the Holy Bible refers to is physical death. This is where the soul/spirit departs from the body and the body returns to the ground from which it came. And, as our sin-bearer, the Lord Jesus experienced both types of death, i.e. the loss of intimate communion with God and his soul departing from his body. We will have a lot more to say about this in response to the next question in our series. Yet, neither types of death results in non-existence or cessation of life. Note for example, the following citations: "But you have come to Mount Zion,to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel." Hebrews 12:2224 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:26 "When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They called out in a loud voice, "Howour long, Sovereign holy andwas true, untila you judge inhabitants thetoearth and avenge blood?" Then Lord, each of them given white robe,theand they wereoftold wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed." Revelation 6:9-11 Interestingly, not only is the questioner's definition of death unbiblical, it is also contrary to the Quran:

And say not of those slain in God's way, 'They are dead'; rather they are living, but you are not aware. S. 2:154 Count not those who were slain in God's way as dead, but rather living with their Lord, by Him provided, rejoicing in the bounty that God has given them, and joyful in those who remain behind and have not joined them, because no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow, S. 3:169-170 This echoes the words of the Lord Jesus Christ: "But in the account of the bush, even Moses showed that the dead rise, for he calls the Lord ‗the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.‘ He is not ethGod of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Luke 20:37-38 Christ, therefore, did not cease to live when he died on the cross since, as the Holy Bible teaches, the Lord's soul was still consciously alive during the three days his body lay in the tomb: "Jesus answered them, ‗Destroy this temple, AND I WILL RAISE IT AGAIN IN THREE DAYS.‘ The Jews 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 wasHIS 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." John 2:19-22 "The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life--only to take it up again. No one takesauthority it from me, but Iitlay downThis OF MY OWN ACCORD. I havemy authority lay it10:17-18 down and to take upitagain. command I received from Father."toJohn The only way that Christ could be able to raise himself from the dead is if Christ were still consciously alive. This establishes that Christ did not cease to exist for those three days that his body remained in the grave. Both Christ‘s divine nature and his human soul were still

conscious during that period of time. So in answer to the question, the one true God always exists as three distinct Persons even during the entombment of Christ‘s physical body. And, even as his body lay buried, Christ

was alive and sovereignly sustaining the universe along with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Question 2: If Jesus is God, then who was he praying to on the cross when he said, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me"? (cf. Mark 15:34; Matthew 27:46) Was he praying to himself? If so, was he complaining to himself about why he had forsaken himself? Answer:

The Holy Bible teaches that there are three distinct, yet inseparable Persons who exist as the one true God: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The three Persons of God, because they are personally distinct, have loving communion and dialog amongst themselves. Therefore,

the Lord Jesus wasn't praying to himself on the Cross, but was actually praying to the Person of the Father. Furthermore, the Holy Bible also teaches that Jesus became, and forever will remain, a true human being. It is, therefore, not surprising that Christ did what every God-fearing person is supposed to do, namely pray and worship God. Jesus is man as God intends all men to be, namely a perfect servant who perfectly submits and worships the true God. Now, as to why the Lord cried out to the Father that he had been forsaken by him, this was due to Christ being our sin-bearer. According to the Scriptures, the Lord Jesus came to die as our substitute in order to take upon himself the judgment and wrath of God which came as a result of sins: "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'" John 1:29 "God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26 "that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue TO DO everything written in the Book of the Law.' Clearly no one is justified before God by the law, because, 'The righteous will live by faith.' The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, 'The man who DOES THESE THINGS will live by them.' Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse FOR US, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.' He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit." Galatians 3:10-14 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:24 "For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit," 1 Peter 3:18 As we saw in response tothe first question, sin resulted in the loss of intimate communion with God and also brought on physical death, where the soul departs from the body and the body returns to the dust from which it srcinally came. God's wrath is poured out on sinners as a result of their rebellion and wickedness, because of their failure to do what God's Law requires (cf. Genesis 2:17, 3:19; Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalm 66:18; Habakkuk 1:13; Romans 1:1832).

Jesus' cry and the darkness which came upon the land at noon was an indication that God was punishing Christ in our place, that Jesus suffered the loss of God's intimate, loving fellowship in place of sinners: "From the sixth hour (noon) until the ninth hour (three o'clock) darkness came over all the land. About the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‗Eloi, Eloi,

lama sabachthani?‘ – which means, ‗My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?‘"

Matthew 27:45-46 Contrast this with the following OT citations: "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.' So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his placefor three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.'" Exodus 10:21-23 "'And on that day,' declares the Lord GOD, 'I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight . I will turn your feasts into mourning and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist and baldness on every head;I will make it like the mourning for AN ONLY SON and the end of it like a bitter day.'" Amos 8:9-10 Thus, Christ, because he is the sinners' substitute who came to die in the place of God's people, suffered the just punishment that all sinners deserve. Fourthly, the Scriptures say that Jesus is also the believers' High Priest who presents his sacrifice on our behalf before the Father, making intercession for us: "Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our confession;" Hebrews 3:1

"For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. And this is clearer still, if anotherpriest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, butaccording to the power of an indestructible life. For it is attested of Him, 'YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.'" Hebrews 7:14-17 "but Jesus, on the other hand,because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through since He always lives to make intercession for them Him, it wasand fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from. For sinners exalted above the heavens; who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever." Hebrews 7:24-28

Related to this point, the Holy Bible states that Jesus was crucified at the third hour where he then offered a prayer on behalf of those who were crucifying him and dividing his garments amongst themselves: "It was the third hour (nine o'clock) when they crucified him." Mark 15:25 "When they came to the place called the Skull, therethey crucified him, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left.Jesus said, 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.' And they divided up his clothes by casting lots." Luke 23:33-34 What is more, Christ's cry to the Father occurred at the ninth hour: "And at the ninth hour (three o'clock) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?' – which means, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'" Mark 15:34 The Lord Jesus' words just so happen to be the opening words of Psalm 22, part of a collection of Psalms which were sung at the Temple by worshipers: "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Far from my deliverance are the words of my groaning." Psalm 22:1 This indicates that Jesus was actually praying to God in the very words of this particular Psalm. What makes this so astonishing is that both the third and ninth hours were the times for Temple prayers and the daily sacrifices! "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Now there were staying in Jerusalem Godfearing Jews from every nation under heaven... Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: 'Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. These men are not drunk, as you suppose. It's only nine in the morning!'" Acts 2:1-5, 14-15 Peter's statement about it being nine in the morning is significant as we will see shortly. "One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer – at three in the afternoon." Acts 3:1 "One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, 'Cornelius!' ... Cornelius answered: 'Four days ago I was in my house praying at this hour, at three in the afternoon. Suddenly a man in shining clothes stood before me.'" Acts 10:3, 30 Bible expositor, John Gill, comments on Matthew 27:46, Mark 15:25 and Acts 2:14-15:

And about the ninth hour ...

Or three o'clock in the afternoon, which was about the time of the slaying and offering of the daily sacrifice, which was an eminent type of Christ. The Jews sayF9, that "every day the daily sacrifice was slain at eight and a half, and was offered up at nine and a half:" about which time also the passover was killed, which was another type of Christ; and as they say F11, "was offered first, and then the daily sacrifice." Though the account they elsewhere F12 give of these things, is this; "the daily sacrifice was slain at eight and a half, and was offered up at nine and a half; (that is, on all the common days of the year;) on the evenings of the passover, it was slain at seven and a half, and offered at eight and a half, whether on a common day, or on a sabbath day: the passover eve, that happened to be on the sabbath eve, it was slain at six and a half, and offered at seven and a half, and the passover after it." ... FOOTNOTES:

F9 T. Hieros. Pesachim, fol. 31. 3, 4. F11 lb. F12 Misn. Pesachim, c. 5. sect. 1.

(Source; underline emphasis ours)

And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.

The time of the daily sacrifice of the morning, at which the priests ought to have been; and the time when the sanhedrim usually began to sitF24; for "the grand sanhedrim sat from the daily sacrifice of the morning, to the daily sacrifice of the evening:" ... FOOTNOTES:

F24 Maimon. Hilch. Sanhedrin, c. 3, sect. 1.


seeing it is but the third hour of the day;

or nine of the clock in the morning: for till this time it was not usual with the Jews, if men of any sobriety or religion, so much as to taste anything: the rules are theseF8, "it is forbidden a man to taste anything, or do any work after break of day, until he has prayed the morning prayer." Now "the morning prayer, the precept concerning it is, that a man should begin to pray as soon as the sun shines out; and its time is until the end of the fourth hour, which is the third part of the day F9." So that a man might not taste anything, either of eatables or drinkables, until the fourth hour, or ten o'clock in the morning: hence it is saidF11, that "after they offered the daily sacrifice they ate bread, Nyev ( ebra Nmzb), 'at the time of four hours':" or on the fourth hour, and sooner than this it was not lawful to eat, even ever so little; and whoever did, was not reckoned fit to be conversed with. "Says R. Isaac F12, whoever eats a green or herb before the fourth hour, it is forbidden to converse with him; and the same says, it is unlawful to eat a raw herb before the fourth hour. Amemar, and Mar Zutra, and Rab Ashe were sitting, and they brought before them a raw

herb before the fourth hour. Amemar and Rab Ashe ate, and Mar Zutra did not eat: they said to him, what is thy meaning? (he replied) that R. Isaac said, whoever eats a herb before the fourth hour, it is forbidden to converse with him." The time for taking food by persons of different characters, is thus expressed by them: "the first hour is the time of eating for the Lydians, the second for thieves, the third for heirs, the fourth for labourers, the fifth for every man; is it not so? Saith R. Papa, the fourth is the time of repast for every man; but (the truth is) the fourth is the time of eating for every man, the fifth for labourers, and the sixth for the disciples of the wise men F13." Hence that advice F14, "‗at the fourth into aand cook's shop, (orinquire tavern,)about if thou seest ine, and holding the cuphour‘, in hisgo hands, slumbering, him, if hea man is onedrinking of thewwise

doctors..." The "gloss" upon it is, "at the fourth hour, for that is the time of eating, when all go into the shops (or taverns) to eat." Now whereas they that are drunken are drunken in the night, and not in the day, and much less so soon in the day, when it was not usual, at least with religious men, to have tasted anything by this time; and whereas the apostles, and their company, were sober and religious men, and had never done thing to forfeit their character, it was unreasonable to suppose anything of this kind in them. FOOTNOTES:

F8 Maimon. Hilch, Tophilla, c. 6. sect. 4. T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 28. 2. F9 lb. c. 3. sect. 1. Vid. T. Beracot, fol. 26. 2. F11 Targum in Eccl. x. 17. F12 T. Bab. Betacot, fol. 44. 2. F13 T. Bab. Sabbat, fol. 10. 1. F14 T. Bab. Bava Metzia, fol. 83. 2.


These practices of offering morning and evening sacrifices and prayers were instituted by King David to be observed during the time the Temple would be standing: "These were the sons of Levi by their fathers' houses, the heads of fathers' houses as they were listed according to the number of the names of the individuals from twenty years old and upward who were to do the work for the service of the house of the LORD. For David said, 'The LORD, the God of Israel, has given rest to his people, and he dwells in Jerusalem forever. And so the Levites no longer need to carry the tabernacle or any of the things for its service.' For by the last words of David the sons of Levi were numbered from twenty years old and upward. For their duty was to assist the sons of Aaron for the service of the house of the LORD, having the care of the courts and the chambers, the cleansing of all that is holy, and any work for the service of the house of God. Their duty was also to assist with the showbread, the flour for the grain offering, the wafers of unleavened bread, the baked offering, the offering mixed with oil, and all measures of quantity or size. And they were to stand every morning, thanking and praising the LORD, and likewise at evening, and whenever burnt offerings were offered to the LORD on Sabbaths, new moons and feast days, according to the number required of them, regularly before the LORD." 1 Chronicles 23:2431 "Behold, I am about to build a house for the name of the LORD my God and dedicate it to him for the burning of incense of sweet spices before him, and for the regular arrangement of the showbread, and for burnt offerings morning and evening, on the Sabbaths and the new

moons and the appointed feasts of the LORD our God, as ordained forever for Israel." 2 Chronicles 2:4 "They offer to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and incense of sweet spices, set out the showbread on the table of pure gold, and care for the golden lampstand that its lamps may burn every evening. For we keep the charge of the LORD our God, but you have forsaken him." 2 Chronicles 13:11 Thus, it is not a coincidence that the Lord Jesus, who as our High Priest, prayed during the very hours that the Jews prayed in the Temple, right at the time when the sacrifices were offered!

Question for Muslims:

The Quran says that Allah prays: Upon them shall be prayers (salawatun) from their Lord and mercy, and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157 He it is who sends PRAYERS on you

(Arabic- yusallii alaykum), as do His angels ... S.

33:43 Allah and His angels PRAY for the Prophet (Arabic- yasalluuna alan-Nabiyy): O ye that

believe PRAY for him (salluu àlayhi), and salute him with all respect. S. 33:56 Allah prays for believers and Muhammad, as Muhammad prays for believers: Take alms of their wealth, wherewith thou mayst purify them and mayst make them grow, and pray for them (wa salli alayhim). Lo! thy prayer (salataka) is an assuagement for them. Allah is Hearer, Knower. S. 9:103 Pickthall Since these verses all clearly say that Allah literally prays, and since prayer requires an object, we must therefore ask to whom does Allah pray? Muslims claim that Allah is a singular entity, there being no plurality of persons within his Being, which means that Allah cannot be praying to himself. Or is he? Maybe Allah does in fact pray to himself. Some Muslims try to redefine words by saying that prayer here doesn't literally mean prayer, but actually means blessings, that Allah is sending down his blessings. The problem with this explanation is that there is an Arabic word for blessing,baraka, which does not appear in the above citations. Rather, the passages use the wordssalawatun, yusallii, yasalluuna and salluu, all of which are derivatives of the word salah. Muslim writer Moiz Amjad of "Understanding Islam" provides the lexical meaning of salah in response to a reader's question: Ibn Al-Atheer in his highly acknowledged dictionary of the Arabic language,'Al-Nihaayah fi Ghareeb al-Athar' has explained "Sala'h" as follows:

'Al-Sala'h' and 'Al-Salawaat': used for a particular kind of worship. Its literal srcin is supplication (prayer). Sometimes, 'Sala'h' is referred to by mentioning any one or more of its parts. It is also said thatthe literal srcin of the word is 'to glorify' and the particular worship is called 'Sala'h', because it entails the glorification of the Lord. (The Meaning of the Word "Sala'h", May 19, 2001; source; bold emphasis ours)

On this same site, a question was asked regarding the literal meaning of the word salah to which the writer responded: Question:

What is the English word that we can use for the word "Salah" ? Is it true that the word "Prayer" is not even close to the meaning of the word "Salah"? Please explain..... Answer:

) literally means one's calling upon one's God (in a respectful and humble way). It is very much the same as the word Du'a ( ). Salah (

In the Oxford dictionary we read: "Prayer: a request for help or expression of thanks addressed to God or another deity". Salah. One of I thinkargue the above cancontent be seenofasSalah a reasonable and literal translationfor of help the word might that the is not excluded to requesting or expression thanks and that other things like uttering God's attributes, glorifying God, etc...can also be included in the meaning of the wordSalah. I am, however, sure that this is also true in the case of the word "prayer." (Abdullah Rahim, The Meaning of the Word "Salah", May 18, 2005; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Noted Muslim commentator, Ibn Kathir, defines the word as: The Meaning of Salah

In the Arabic language, the basic meaning of Salah is supplication. In religious terminology, Salah is used to refer to the acts of bowing and prostration, the remaining specified acts associated with it, specified at certain times, with those known conditions, and the characteristics, and requirements that are well-known about it.(Source; underline emphasis ours) Muhammad's own first cousin, and renowned Muslim scholar, Ibn 'Abbas admitted that Allah prays: "The people of Israel said to Moses (peace be upon him): ‗Does your Lord pray?‘ His Lord (az wa gal) called him [saying]: O Moses, they asked thee if your Lord prays. Say [to them] ‗Yes, I do pray, and my angels [pray] upon my prophets and my messengers‘,and Allah (az wa gal) then sent down on his messenger (prayer and peace be upon him) : ‗Allah and His

angels pray ...‘" [quoted by Ibn Kathir on Surat Al-Ahzaab 33:56; translated from theArabic

online edition] [Az wa gal = exalted and majesty, a phrase of praise spoken after God was mentioned.] Hadith 216:

The Israelites said to Musa: Does your Lord pray? Musa said: Fear Allah, O Sons of Israel! Allah said: O Musa! What did your people say? Musa said: O my Lord, You already know? They said: Does your Lord pray? Allah said: Tell them My prayer for My servants is that My Mercy should precede My Anger. If it were not so, I would have destroyed them. [Ibn ‘Asakir] (Al-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah - Divine Narratives translated by Dr. Abdul Khaliq Kazi & Dr. Alan B. Day, Section 2: Al-Ithafat Al-Saniyya Bi‗l-Ahadith Al-Qudsiyyah by Shaikh Zain al-Din Abdul Ra‗uf b. Taj al-‗Arifin b. ‗Ali b. Zayn al-‗Abidin al-Munawi [Dar Al Kitab Arabi - USA, 1995], pp. 305-306) The following is a translation of an alleged prayer of Allah taken from Ibn Hisham‘sAl-Sirah Al-Halabiyya:

I [Muhammad] said, "O Gabriel, does your Lord pray?" He said, "Yes." I said, "What does he say?" "This is what he says. He says: ‘Glory, holy, Lord of the angels and the Spirit. My mercy overcomes my wrath.‘" (Source; translation, bold, underline and comments within brackets ours) Another Muslim scholar made the following comments about surah 33:56 and Allah praying: Allah makes the merit of His Prophet clear by first praying blessing on Himself, and then by the prayer of the angels, and then by commanding His slaves to pray blessing and peace on him as well. Abu Bakr ibn Furak related that one of the'ulama interpreted the words of the Prophet, "The coolness of my eye is in the prayer," as meaning Allah's prayer, that of the angels and that of his community in response to Allah's command until the Day of Rising. The prayer of angels and men is supplication for him and that of Allah is mercy. It is said that "they pray" means they invoke blessing baraka ( ). However, when the Prophet taught people the prayer on himself,he made a distinction between the word salat (prayer) and baraka (blessing). We will return to the meaning of the prayer on him later. (Muhammad Messenger of Allah (Ash-Shifa of Qadi 'Iyad), Qadi 'Iyad Musa al-Yahsubi, translated by Aisha Abdarrahman Bewley [Madinah Press, Inverness, Scotland, U.K. 1991; third reprint, paperback], p. 25; bold emphasis ours) And: The Prophet made a distinction betweensalat (prayer) and baraka (blessing) in the hadith in which he taught about making the prayer on him. This indicates that they have two separate meanings. (Ibid., p. 250; bold emphasis ours) Again:

Salama al-Kindi said: 'Ali used to teach us the prayer on the Prophet as follows: "O Allah, the One who spread out the flat expanses and created the heavens! Bestow YOUR NOBLE PRAYERS, Your increasing blessing and the compassion of Your tenderness upon Muhammad..." 'Ali also said about the prayer on the prophet in the ayat, Allah " and his angels pray on the Prophet" (33:56) "At your service and obedience, my Lord. The PRAYERS OF Allah, the good and Merciful, the near angels, the true ones, the martyrs, the salihun, and anything that glorifies You, O Lord of the worlds, be upon Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah..." (Ibid., p. 257; capital and underline emphasis ours) This next one is particularly interesting: Ibn Mas'ud used to say, "When you bless the Prophet, then make the prayer on him excellent. You do not know; perhaps it will be shown to him. Say, ‗O Allah, bestowYOUR PRAYERS, Your MERCY and Your BLESSING on the Master of the Messengers, the Imam of the Godfearing, the Leader of the Good and the Messenger of Mercy.‘" (Ibid., p. 258; underline and

capital emphasis ours) In Ibn Mas'ud‘s hadith right above, one clearly sees a distinction being made between Allah's

prayers, his mercy and blessings, showing that the word for pray does not have the same meaning as blessing. Finally: AnasTEN ibn Malik related that the Prophet said, "Whoever blesses me once, Allah blesses him with PRAYERS..." Anas said that the Prophet said, "Jibril called me and said, ‗Whoever prays one prayer on you, ALLAH PRAYS ON HIM TEN TIMES and raises him up by ten degrees.‘" ... (Ibid., p.

259; capital emphasis ours) Moreover, one of the texts which we cited above makes a clear distinction and differentiation between Allah‘s prayers and his mercy. Here it is again:

Upon them shall be prayers from their Lord and mercy (salawatun min rabbihim warahmatun), and they are the rightly directed. S. 2:157 This clearly indicates that the word for prayer does not have the same meaning as mercy or blessing but means exactly that, i.e. Allah does actually pray for people. And it seems that when English-speaking Muslims are not trying to cover up or conceal what Islam truly teaches they will have no qualms admitting that Allah actually prays. For instance, notice how Sunni Muslim author GF Haddad translated surah 33:56: Perfection of faith is dependent on love of the Prophet because Allah and His angels are constantly raising his honor, as is meant in the verse: "Allah and His angels ARE PRAYING ON the Prophet" (33:56) …

2. Allah Said: Invoke Blessings on the Prophet

We are encouraged to pray on the Prophet and to praise him, which is an obligation on us through Allah's order in the verse: "Allah and His angels ARE PRAYING ON (and praising) the Prophet; O believers! pray on (and praise) him and send him utmost greetings" (al-Ahzab 56) … (Love Of The Prophet And Following His Example; source; capital emphasis ours) Perhaps there is a Muslim out there who can explain to us how can Allah pray if he is a singularity-within-unity Deity? Postscript

It seems that Christianity and Islam are not the only religions which teach that God prays; so does Judaism! Rabbi Yohanan, quoting Rabbi Yose said: "How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be God, prays? Because scripture says, Even them will I bring to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7). Note, it is not said, [house of] their prayer, rather, My prayer; hence [we learn] that the Holy One, blessed be God, prays. What does God pray? Rabbi Zutra ben Tuviah quoted in the name of Rav:May " it be My will that My mercy suppress My anger, and that My mercy may prevail over My [other] attributes, that of I may deal with My justice children behalf, stopsoshort the limit of strict ." with the attribute of mercy and, on their

It has been taught, Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha said: "I once entered into the innermost part [of the Sanctuary - the Holy of Holies] to offer incense, and there I saw Akatriel Yah, Adonai Tzeva'ot - the God of Hosts - seated upon a high and lofty throne. He said to me, 'My son, bless Me!' I replied, 'May it be Your will that Your mercy may suppress Your anger and may Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes, so that You may deal with Your children according to the attribute of mercy, and thus, on their behalf, stop short of the strict limits of justice!' Then God nodded to me." Incidentally, from this we learn that the blessing of an ordinary person must not be taken lightly. (Babylonian Talmud, Zera'im I, Berakoth 7a; bold and underline emphasis ours) Thus, all three of the monotheistic religions teach that God actually prays with Christianity being the only one that makes sense out of God praying, i.e. three eternally distinct Persons of God praying to one another as opposed to a singular Monad praying to himself. Further Reading

http://inthenameofallah.org/God's%20Blessing%20and%20Peace%20be%20upon%20him.ht ml

There was a Muslim response to the above. Our discussion of their arguments is found in these articles: The Mystery of "PBUH" Revealed [Part 1], [Part 2]. Question 3: According to Hebrews 1:8-9 Jesus as God has a God over him. Some Christians claim that Hebrews 1:8-9 is referring to Jesus’ humanity, that as a man he has a God over him. The only problem with this position is that i t would imply that Jesus as a man is being called God, which means that his humanity is being deified. How do Christians get around all these problems? Answer:

Before we address these questions we need to first quote the verses within their entire context: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power . After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say, You ‗ are my Son, today I have begotten you’ to world, him a father, heall shall be to me a worship son’? And ? Or ‗I will when he God's angels himagain, brings theagain, firstborn intobethe he says,and ‗Let .‘ Of the angels he says, ‗He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.‘But of the Son he says, ‗Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.‘ And, ‗You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. Bt you are the same, and your years will have no end.‘ And to which of the angels has he ever said, Sit ‗ at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve

for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:1-14 From the foregoing we can see that the text is speaking of Jesus: 1. Before his Incarnation as the Agent of Creation. 2. Incarnationand when he became the Redeemer. 3. During After hishis resurrection exaltation into glory where he then began ruling on the Divine throne forever. In other words, the entire chapter is a reflection on Jesus‘ existence before he became a man, when he became a man, and after his resurrection and ascension into heaven. In light of the preceding, it is quite evident that the author of Hebrews was commenting on the whole Christ event, that he was looking at Jesus‘ entire career retrospectively. The author

wasn‘t focusing so much on the natures of Christ, i.e. did Christ have one or two natures, was

he God and man simultaneously etc., but on the various functions that he performed. The writer was speaking of the one eternal Person of Jesus from all his various activities, from his role as Creator, Sustainer, Redeemer, and eternal King. With the above in mind we can now address the specific objections. The first thing we need to realize is that Hebrews 1:8-9 is quoting Psalm 45:6-7, which is a Psalm composed in relation to the Davidic King‘s wedding ceremony. Here is the entire Psalm so that the readers

can see this for themselves: "My heart overflows with a pleasing theme;I address my verses to the king; my tongue is like the pen of a ready scribe. You are the most handsome of the sons of men; grace is poured upon your lips; therefore God has blessed you forever. Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your splendor and majesty! In your majesty ride out victoriously for the cause of truth and meekness and righteousness; let your right hand teach you awesome deeds! Your arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; the peoples fall under you. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions; your robes are all fragrant with myrrh and aloes

and cassia. From ivory palaces stringed instruments make you glad; daughters of kings are among your ladies of honor; at your right hand stands the queen in gold of Ophir . Hear, O daughter, and consider, and incline your ear: forget your people and your father's house, and the king will desire your beauty. Since he is your lord, bow to him . The people of Tyre will seek your favor with gifts, the richest of the people. All glorious is the princess in her chamber, with robes interwoven with gold. In many-colored robes she is led to the king, with her virgin companions following behind her . With joy and gladness they are led

along as they enter the palace of the king. In place of your fathers shall be your sons; you will make them princes in all the earth. I will cause your name to be remembered in all generations; therefore nations will praise you forever and ever." Psalm 45:1-17 The author of Hebrews applied this text in reference to Jesus‘ Messianic office, an office

which he received by virtue of becoming a human descendant of king David after the Incarnation: "And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And

behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end .‘" Luke 1:30-33

"concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God powerRomans according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our in Lord," 1:3-4 Putting it in another way, the writer applied Psalm 45:6-7 to Jesus in reference to his Messianic role, that as the Son of David he perfectly fulfills all the promises God made to David and his sons that theirs would be an eternal royal dynasty: "And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as

formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies. Moreover, the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name,and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son . When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you." 2 Samuel 7:10-15 As a side note, 2 Samuel 7:14 is applied to Jesus in Hebrews 1:5! But since the only way Jesus could have ever fulfilled these promises is by becoming a man from the line of David this implies that Hebrews 1:8-9 has Jesus‘ Incarnation and exaltation in view. After all, if Jesus hadn‘t taken on a human nature he would not have become a

descendant of David and could not therefore rule on the throne as his representative. Moreover, since Jesus became a true human being and will forever remain a man who sits on the throne as David‘s representative, the Father became and will forever remain his God. So

there is no problem with Jesus having a God over him. Now does this mean that Jesus‘ humanity is being deified, that the human nature of Christ is being called God, since we are claiming that this text has in mind Jesus‘ humanity which

accounts for his having a God over him? Not at all. At the Incarnation Jesus 1:8did 9not cease to be God, but simply added additional his Divine Person. Hebrews isn‘t necessarily referring to Jesus as an God or Jesus nature as man,tobut does have in mind the Incarnation and subsequent resurrection and exaltation. The text is speaking of the one Person who at this point in time was both God and man simultaneously. Putting it simply, since Hebrews 1:8-9 has Christ's post-resurrected exaltation in view Jesus can therefore be addressed as God in reference to his Divine nature and said to have a God over him in reference to his humanity. It isn‘t an either/or scenario, but a both/and situation. The Divine Father is praising his Divine Son for ruling forever on David‘s throne as the God man. Amen. May the risen and exalted Lord, the One who is the only God-man forever, Jesus Christ, also be praised by all his creation forever and ever. Amen.

Another similar text that is used to try and prove that Jesus is not equal to the Father either because he is not Deity or because he is a lesser god is Revelation 3:12: "The one who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God. Never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the nameof my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down frommy God out of heaven, and my own new name." As one overzealous writer puts it:

Christians have come up with the weak response that this was the man nature of Jesus speaking. For argument sake we will take this response as correct. So we are able to conclude that: 1- Jesus has 2 natures, one divine one human 2- The man nature eats, sleeps, prays and has a God 3- The divine nature does not sleep, pray, or has a God However so, it may come as a surprise to many people, but however so the supposed divine Jesus also said he has a God! So as you can see, the divine Jesus still says he has a God! This is not Jesus as man speaking anymore, but this is Jesus as divine speaking, so how can the divine Jesus say I have a God? This clearly proves that there is no such thing as a divine Jesus, and that Jesus is not God since he has a God, even when he is in his supposed divine state. So I would really love to see a response from the Christians on this. Why does the divine Jesus say I have a God?(Source) What this objection erroneously assumes is that Jesus, in Revelation, is no longer man now that he is in heaven. As we noted earlier, the Holy Scriptures explicitly affirm that Jesus hasn‘t ceased being human after hisresurrection. In fact, the resurrection presupposes that Christ remains a true human being, albeit a glorified human at that! Note what the following references all say regarding Jesus‘ condition after his resurrection to immortality:

"As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, ‗Peace to you!‘ But they were startled and frightenedand thought they saw a spirit. And he said to them, ‗Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have FLESH AND BONES AS YOU SEE THAT I HAVE .‘ And when he had said this,he showed them his hands and his feet. And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, ‗Have you anything here to eat?‘They gave him a piece of broiled fish, and he took it and ate before them. Then he said to them, ‗These are my words that I spoke to you

while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.‘ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‗Thus it is written, that the Christ shouldsuffer and on the third day rise from the dead,

and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." Luke 24:36-47 In his first appearance, Jesus shows his disciples that he has a body of flesh and bones and resurrection still eats food! "Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades,NOR DID HIS FLESH SEE CORRUPTION. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses." Acts 2:30-32

Peter in his first sermon preached that Jesus‘ flesh did not see decay, which implies that

Christ was raised physically from the dead. Basically, Peter was affirming that Christ was resurrected with an immortal, physical, glorified body, thereby showing that Jesus continues to live as a man even after being raised from the dead, a point reiterated by Paul: "‗The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to

repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousnessby A MAN whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all BY RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD.‘ Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some

mocked. But others said, ‗We will hear you again about this.‘" Acts 17:30-32 It is Jesus THE MAN who will judge the world, which means that Christ continues to exist with a human nature. "For there is one God, and there IS one mediator between God and men,THE MAN Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5 The mediator which believers have now IS (not was) THE MAN Christ Jesus! Finally: "And one of the elders said to me, ‗Weep no more; behold,the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and it s seven seals.‘"

Revelation 5:5 "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches.I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star." Revelation 22:16 The only way for Christ to be a descendant of David and from the tribe of Judah even after his resurrection and ascension into heaven is if he continues to remain a full human being. With the foregoing in mind, it should now be clear as to why Jesus in heaven could still refer to having a God. Since Christ will forever remain human his Father will forever remain his God. Moreover, it is neither the Divine (contrary to the erroneous claim of the Muslim) nor human Jesus who is speaking in Revelation 3:12, but rather the one Person of Christ who is both God and man that is speaking. Putting it simply, it is Christ the God-man who speaks in this text. For another response to this overzealous writer, we recommend the following article: http://answer-islam.org/god_has_god.html All scriptural quotations taken from the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Holy Bible.

Question 4: Some Christians believe that Jesus’ miracles prove that he is God. The problem with this claim is that almost every single miracle performed by Jesus finds a parallel within the OT. There are many OT prophets that performed the very same kinds of mi racles that Jesus did. If the miracles of Jesus make him God then why don’t the miracles of the other prophets prove that they are God/gods as well?

Answer:

Before responding to this question, we first would like to provide a few examples from the OT which Muslims often point to. In fact, we will simply quote from a Muslim article(*) which presents some examples for us: Bringing the dead back to life: "Then he cried out to the LORD , "O LORD my God, have you brought tragedy also upon this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?" Then he stretched himself out on the boy three times and cried to the LORD , "O LORD my God, let this boy's life return to him!" The LORD heard Elijah's cry, and the boy's life returned to him, and he lived. Elijah picked up the child and carried him down from the room into the house. He gave him to his mother and said, "Look, your son is alive!" (From the NIV Bible, 1 Kings 17:20-23)" "But the child's mother said, "As surely as the LORD lives and as you live, I will not leave you." So he got up and followed her. Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy's face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, "The boy has not awakened." When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the LORD. Then he got on the bed and lay upon the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out upon him, the boy's body grew warm. Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out upon him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, "CallBible, the Shunammite." And he did. When she came, he said, "Take your son." (From the NIV 2 Kings 4:30-36)" Jesus' dead body never caused for any dead to come back to life, but Elisha's did: "Elisha died and was buried. Now Moabite raiders used to enter the country every spring. Once while some Israelites were burying a man, suddenly they saw a band of raiders; so they threw the man's body into Elisha's tomb.When the body touched Elisha's bones, the man came to life and stood up on his feet. Hazael king of Aram oppressed Israel throughout the reign of Jehoahaz. (From the NIV Bible, 2 Kings 13:20-22)" Creating life: Jesus only restored life, but never actually created one from scratch. Moses, however, did create a live snake from a wooden stick: "Then the LORD said to him, "What is that in your hand?" "A staff," he replied. The LORD said, "Throw it on the ground." Moses threw it on the ground and it became a snake, and he ran from it. Then the LORD said to him, "Reach out your hand and take it by the tail." So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand. (From the NIV Bible, Exodus 4:2-4)"

Curing the blind: "When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD , open his eyes so hemay see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. As the enemy came down toward him, Elisha prayed to the LORD , "Strike these people with blindness." So he struck them with blindness,

Elisha told them, "This is not the road and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you are looking for." And he led them to Samaria. After they entered the city, Elisha said, "LORD , open the eyes of these men so they can see." Then the LORD opened their eyes and they looked, and there they were, inside Samaria. When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, "Shall I kill them, my father? Shall I kill them?" "Do not kill them," he answered. "Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Set food and water before them so that they may eat and drink and then go back to their master." So he prepared a great feast for them, and after they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away, and they returned to their master. So the bands from Aram stopped raiding Israel's territory. Some time later, Ben-Hadad king of Aram mobilized his entire army and marched up and laid siege to Samaria.(From the NIV Bible, 2 Kings 6:15-24)" as Elisha had asked.

Healing leprosy: "Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored andyou will be cleansed." But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage. Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!" So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him,and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. (From the NIV Bible, 2 Kings 5:10-14)" Feeding hundreds with few loafs of bread: twenty loaves of barley bread "A manfrom came Shalishah, the heads man ofofGod baked thefrom firstBaal ripe grain, alongbringing with some new grain. "Give it to the people to eat," Elisha said. "How can I set this before a hundred men?" his servant asked. But Elisha answered, "Give it to the people to eat. For this is what the LORD says: 'They will eat and have some left over.' " Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD. (From the NIV Bible, 2 Kings 4:42-44)"

The preceding examples are given in order to undermine Jesu s‘ uniqueness, supposedly refuting Christian claims that Christ is God‘s divine, unique Son.

With the foregoing in mind, we can now address the arguments. In the first place, it isn‘t so

much the miracles which make Jesus God, but the divine claims of Jesus which the miracles serve to validate. Jesus made certain statements that no other true prophet before him ever did, and then performed supernatural miracles to back up the truthfulness and validity of those claims: "‗My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE, and they will never perish, AND NO ONE WILL SNATCH THEM OUT OF MY HAND.

My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.‘ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‘I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?‘ The Jews answered him, ‗It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.‘ Jesus answered them, ‗Is it not written in your Law, "Isaid, you are gods"? If he called them

gods to whom the word of God came--and Scripture cannot be broken-- do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, "You are blaspheming," because I said, "I am the Son of God"? If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.‘ Again they sought to arrest him,

but he escaped from their hands." John 10:25-39 "Jesus said to him, ‗Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority,but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.‘" John 14:9-11 "If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father." John 15:24 "concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the fleshand was declared to be the Son of God IN POWER according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3-4 Thus, the miracles do not make Jesus God, but rather it is Jesus‘ own claims which

demonstrate that he at least believed he is God. The miracles only served the purpose of providing divine validation for Christ‘s claims.

Here, now, are some specific miracles which Jesus performed to prove that he has specific divine attributes and abilities: Miracles Proving that Jesus Forgives Sins

"‗And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,My ‗ son, your sins are forgiven.‘ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‗Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?‘ And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, ‗Why

do you question these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Rise, take up your bed and walk"? But that you may know that

the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ --he said to the paralytic—‗I say to

you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.‘ And he rose and immediately picked up his bed

and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, "We never saw anything like this!" Mark 2:5-12 Miracles Proving that Jesus is Sovereign over both the Spiritual and Physical Realms

"And he told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, lest they crush him, for he had healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed around him to touch him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‗You are the Son of God.‘" Mark 3:9-11 "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‗It is a ghost!‘ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‗Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid.‘ And Peter answered him, ‗Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.‘ He said, ‗Come.‘ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‗Lord, save me.‘ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‗O you of little faith, why did you doubt?‘ And when they got into the boat,the wind ceased. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‗Truly you are the Son of God.‘" Matthew 14:22-33

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, L ‗ ord, even the demons are subject to us IN YOUR NAME!‘ And he said to them, ‗I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits -20 are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘" Luke 10:17 Miracles Proving that Jesus is the Sustainer and the Source of Life

"Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‗Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?‘ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, ‗Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.‘ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ‗There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?‘ Jesus said, ‗Have the people sit down.‘ Now there was much

grass in the place. So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples,

‗Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.‘ So they gathered them up and

filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten. When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‗Thissiindeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!‘ Perceiving then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself… Jesus answered them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, you are seeking me,not because you saw signs, but because you

ate your fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that

endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you. For on him God the Father has set his seal.‘ Then they said to him, ‗What must we do, to be doing the works of God?‘ Jesus answered them, ‗This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.‘ So they said to him, ‗Then what sign do you do, that we may see and believe you? What work do you

perform? Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat."‘ Jesus then said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses

who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world .‘ They said to him, ‗Sir, give us this bread always.‘ Jesus said to them,I‗AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; whoever comes TO ME shall not hunger, and whoever believes IN ME shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me,and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. FOR I HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me,THAT I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING OF ALL that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of my Father, THAT EVERYONE WHO LOOKS ON THE SON and believes in him should have eternal life, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP ON THE LAST DAY .‘ So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‗I am the bread that came down from heaven.‘ They said, ‗Is not this Jesus, the son of

Joseph, whose father and mother we know?How does HE NOW SAY, 'I have come down from heaven"?‘ … ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die.I AM THE LIVING BREAD THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.‘ The Jews then

disputed among themselves, saying, ‗How can this man give us his flesh to eat?‘ So Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink

his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP ON THE LAST DAY. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my bloodabides in me, and I IN HIM. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father,so whoever feeds on me, he also will live BECAUSE OF ME . This is the bread that came down from heaven, not -15, 26as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.‘" John 6:5 42, 47-59 "Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‗Lord, he whom you love is ill.‘ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‗This illness does not lead to death. It is for the gloryf oGod, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it .‘ … Jesus said to her, ‗Your brother will rise again.‘ Martha said to him, ‗I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.‘ Jesus said to her, ‗I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. Whoever believes in

me, die, yet shallShe he said live,toand everyone whoI believe lives and believes meChrist, shall never , ‘Yes, Lord; that you areinthe the die. though Do you he believe this?‘ him Son of God, who is coming into the world .‘ … Then Jesus, deeply moved again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. Jesus said, ‗Take away the stone.‘ Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, ‗Lord, by this time there will be an odor, for he has been dead four days.‘ Jesus said to her, ‗Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?‘ So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‗Father, I

thank you that you have heard me.I knew that YOU ALWAYS HEAR ME, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.‘ When he had

said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‗Lazarus, come out.‘ The man who had died

came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‗Unbind him, and let him go.‘" John 11:1-3, 23-27, 38-43 Miracles Proving that Jesus is co-equal to the Father

"Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‗Do you want to be healed?‘ The sick man answered him, ‗Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.‘Jesus said to him, ‗Get up, take up your bed, and walk.‘ And at once the man was healed, andehtook up his

bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, ‗It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.‘ But he answered them, ‗The man who healed me, that man said to me, "Take up your bed, and walk."‘ … And

this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, My ‗ Father is working until now, and I am working.‘ This

was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father,making himself equal with God. So ing of his own accord, but Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do noth only what he sees the Father doing.For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will… Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here,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 … Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear HIS VOICE and come out , those who have done good to the

resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment… But the testimony that I have is greater than that of John.For the works that the Father has given me to accomplish, the very works that I am doing, bear witness about me that the Father has sent me." John 5:2-10, 16-21, 25-26, 28-29

No prophet or apostle ever made the claims that the Lord Jesus made, and none of their miracles were done to validate their claims of being Deity. The prophets went out of their to show that they were nothing more than fallible human beings whom God empowered to carry out his specific purpose and will. This is quite unlike the Lord Jesus. Secondly, Jesus has authority to grant others the ability to perform miracles. The NT is replete with examples of people performing miracles in Jesus‘ name: "And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two,and gave them authority over the unclean spirits… And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them." Mark 6:7, 13 "John said to him, ‗Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons IN YOUR NAME, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.‘ But Jesus said, ‗Do not stop him, for no

one who does a mighty work IN MY NAME will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Mark 9:38-39

"Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, ‗Look at us.‘ And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‗Ihave no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!‘ And he took him by the right

hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him… ‗The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.And his name--by faith in his name--has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.‘"

Acts 3:1-10, 13-16 "And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, By ‗ what power or by what name did you do this?‘ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, ‗Rulers of the people

and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by him this man is standing before you well. This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.‘" Acts 4:7-12 "There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, Aeneas, ' JESUS CHRIST HEALS YOU; rise and make your bed.' And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord." Acts 9:33-35 "As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, ‗These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaimto you the way of salvation.‘ And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.‘

And it came out that very hour." Acts 16:16-18 Again, there is not a single instance in the entire Holy Bible where persons performed miracles in the name of prophets, apostles and/or saints. Third, even though it is true that specific prophets performed some of the same kinds of miracles that Jesus performed, no single prophet performed all of the miracles that Jesus did. Nor did any one individual prophet perform as many miracles as Christ performed.

Finally, Muhammad wasn‘t able to perform any of the miracles that the Lord Jesus and the

other true prophets of God did. The Quran mentions many of the miracles of the prophets but fails to record a single miracle of Muhammad. In fact, may passages of the Quran explicitly deny that Muhammad could perform any sign or wonder. Here are a couple of verses: But (now), when the Truth has come to them from Ourselves, they say , "Why are not (Signs) sent to him, like those which were sent to Moses?" Do they not then reject (the Signs) which were formerly sent to Moses? They say: "Two kinds of sorcery, each assisting

the other!" And they say: "For us, we reject all (such things)!" S. 28:48 Nay; rather it is signs, clear signs in the breasts of those who have been given knowledge; and none denies Our signs but the evildoers. They say, 'Why have signs not been sent down upon him from his Lord?' Say: 'The signs are only with God, and I am only a plain warner. What, is it not SUFFICIENT FOR THEM that We have sent down upon thee the Book that is recited to them? Surely in that is a mercy, and a reminder to a people who believe. S. 29:49-

51 A.J. Arberry The last passage expressly states that the Quran is sufficient as a sign, which means that no other sign or miracle was necessary. Thus, this surah poses huge problems for Muslims since if Muhammad did perform miracles then this means that the Quran is not sufficient, thereby falsifying the claims of the Quran! It is true that the hadith literature ascribe miracles to Muhammad, but these sources were compiled over one hundred years (if not later) after Muhammad‘s death. They were not

written by eyewitnesses, but by overzealous Muslims seeking to make Muhammad more like Christ and the other miracle-working prophets. Besides, these narrations expressly contradict the Quran‘s clear testimony that Muhammad

performed no miracles. Christian philosopher Norman Geisler and co-author Abdul Saleeb provide some strong reasons why the miracle stories of the hadith are spurious: "There are many reasons for questioning the authenticity of these stories. Critics have observed the following. First, none of them are recorded in the Qur'an. In fact, they are in general contrary to the whole spirit of the Muhammad of the Qur'an, who repeatedly refused to do these very kinds of things for unbelievers who challenged him (3:181-84; 4:153; 6:8-9). Second, these alleged miracles follow the same pattern as the apocryphal miracles of Christ from a century or two after his death. They are a legendary embellishment of people removed from the srcinal events. They do not come from contemporary eye-witnesses of the events. Third, even among Muslims there is no generally agreed upon list of miracles from the hadith. Indeed, the vast majority of stories from the hadiths are rejected by most Muslim

scholars as not being authentic. Different groups accept different collections of them. Fourth, the collections of thehadith that are generally accepted by most Muslims are far removed from the srcinal events by several generations. Indeed, most of those who collected miracle stories lived one to two hundred years after the time of the events-plenty of time for legends to develop. They relied on stories that had been passed on orally for many

generations with ample embellishment. Even the stories accepted by Muslims as authentic, as determined by the isnad (chain of storytellers), lack credibility. For even these stories are not based on eye-witnesses but rely on many generations of storytellers, often involving hundreds of years. Joseph Horowitz questioned the reliability of theisnad: The question as to who first circulated these miracle tales would be very easy to answer if we could still look upon theisnad, or chain of witnesses, as unquestionably as we are apparently expected to do. It is especially seductive when one and the same report appears in various essentially similar versions... In general the technique of theisnad does not make it possible for us to decide where it is a case of taking over oral account and where copying from the lecture of books of teachers. Fifth, Bukhari, considered to be the most reliable collector, admitted that of the 300,000 hadith he collected, he considered only 100,000 might be true. He then narrowed this number

down to 7,275, many of which are repetitions so that the total number is in fact 3,000. That means that even he admitted there were errors in over 295,000 of them! Sixth, there is no one canon of authenticity for these stories accepted by all Muslims. Most Muslims rank their credibility in descending order as follows: theSahih of Al Bukhari (d. 256 A.H. [after Hijrah Al Sahih of Muslim (d. 261 A.H.); the Sunan of Abu Da'ud (d. 275 A.H.); the Jami of Al-Tirmidhi (d. 279 A.H.); the Suand [sic] of Al Nasa (d. 303 A.H.); and the Sunan of Ibn Majda (d. 283 A.H.). Along with these hadith there were important biographers who related miracle stories. The most important ones are Ibn S'ad (d. 123 A.H.), Ibn Ishaq (d. 151 A.H.), and Ibn Hisham (d. 218 A.H.). The above six categories are rejected by Shia Islam. Yet they, along with other Muslims, accept the Qur'an as it is. Finally, what is of crucial significance here is that none of these miracle stories fit the nine criteria accepted by Muslims for a miracle that can confirm a prophet's claimmudjiza ( ). Hence, by their own standard, none of them have any apologetic value in demonstrating the truth of Islam. Finally, the srcin of the miracle claims of Islam is suspect. It is common knowledge that Islam borrowed many of its beliefs and practices from other religions. This has also been documented by many scholars. It is not surprising that Muslim miracle claims arise, then, as a result of Christian apologists demonstrating the superiority of Jesus to that of Muhammad by way of Jesus' miracles. It was only after two Christian bishops (Abu Qurra from Edessa and Arethas from Ceasaria) had pointed this out that the Islamic miracle stories began to appear. As Sahas notes, 'The implication [of the bishop's challenge] is quite clear: Muhammad's teaching is one that might have merit; but this is not enough to qualify him as a prophet, without supernatural signs. If such signs could be shown one could possibly accept him as a prophet.' Thus, the task for Muslims was clear. If they could invent miracles they could respond to the Christian challenge. was soon after this Muhammad's miracle stories) claims began Sahas notes that 'it isItquite interesting thatthat several of these (miracle sound to as appear. if they are being offered as responses to Christians as Abu Qurra, and they bear an amazing resemblance to miracles of Jesus found in the Gospels.' Likewise, it was during this polemic that Muslims began to interpret certain events in the Qur'an as miracles. All of this points toward one conclusion: the Muhammad miracle stories lack credibility." (Geisler & Saleeb, Answering Islam - The Crescent in the Light of the Cross [Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI; updated and revision edition, 2002], pp. 169-170; see also pp. 171-174)

For more on Muhammad failing to perform any miracles we recommend the following sources: http://answering-islam.org/Books/Pfander/Balance/p306.htm http://answering-islam.org/Campbell/s6c1.html http://answering-islam.org/Books/Tisdall/Objections/p136.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Naik/quranclaims1.htm#part6 http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Azmy/mhd_miracles.htm And for more on the relationship between Jesus‘ divine claimsand his miracles, as well as

how these contrast with the purpose of the miracles of the OT prophets, we recommend that our readers review our rebuttal to Dr. Jamal Badawi: http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/badawi-jesus.htm

Question 5: Jesus says that the Father is greater than he is, proving that he is not God. There is no one who is greater than God. Answer:

Here is the passage in question: "You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you ' If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I go to the Father,for the Father is greater (meizon) than I." John 14:28 Since the questioner (a Muslim) assumes Unitarianism (that God is one in beingand in Person), it obviously doesn't make sense for God to speak of someone being greater than himself. Yet, if God is a Trinity, a Trinitarian Being (i.e. one eternal God existing in three distinct, yet inseparable Persons), then it is quite possible for one member or Person of the Godhead to be greater in some sense than the other members. It would be true that nothing outside of the Holy Trinity's own existence could ever be greater, but this doesn't necessarily imply that there cannot be some type of authority structure or ranking within the internal life and relationships of the Trinity itself. Lord Jesus permitting, we will develop this point more in a future article. For now, let us deal with what Jesus intended to convey to his disciples that the Father was greater than he. In the first place, the term for "greater" (Greek - meizon) does not necessarily imply one who is greater in nature or essence. It can refer to someone or something being greater in position and/or authority, just as the following passages show: "I tell you the truth: Among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater (meizon) than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven isgreater than he." Matthew 11:11

John being greater than all those born of women does not imply that the rest were less human than John, or that they were inferior to John in nature. Here, the term must mean that John was greater in position and rank. "Truly, truly, I say to you, a slave is not greater (meizon) than his master, nor is one who is sent greater (meizon) than the one who sent him." John 13:16 Both the slave and the one sent are just as human as the master and the sender, having the same human essence and nature that the master and sender have. Thus, greater here must mean in position and authority, not in essence and nature. "I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater (meizona) things than these, because I am going to the Father." John 14:12 Jesus' disciples did not performbetter works, but performed a greater number of works than Christ since they reached far more people than Jesus did while he was on earth. Hence, the term "greater" refers to quantity, the amount of works, as opposed to quality since the disciples performed the same type of works but in far greater number. The preceding data shows that the wordmeizon can either mean, depending upon the context, greater in nature, position, or even both. Thus, the only way we can know for certain what Jesus meant by saying that the Father was greater than him is by reading his statement in its immediate context. A careful look at the entire chapter of 14 shows the Lord Jesus claiming to have all of God's omni-attributes: "And I WILL DOask whatever ask INinMY so that the Son to the Father. You may ME foryou anything myNAME, name, AND I WILL DOmay IT."bring Johnglory 14:13-14 Christ is capable of personally answering all prayers that are directed to him or are addressed in his name. The only way that Christ can both hear and answer all these prayers is if he is both omniscient and omnipotent! "On that day you will realize that I am in my Father,and you are in me, AND I AM IN YOU. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love himand show myself to him ." John 14:20-21 Christ says that he is IN all the disciples, an impossible claim if he was only a man, or even an angel. But since Jesus is God, and since God is omnipresent, it therefore makes perfect sense for Christ to say he is able to dwell in all the believers at the same time. Finally: hing. My Father will love him,and "Jesus replied, ‗If anyone loves me, he will obey my teac WE will come to him and make OUR home with him.‘" John 14:23 Both the Father and the Son make their home with all true believers! Christ is clearly claiming co-equality with the Father since he is present with every believer in the same way that the Father is!

In fact, even those who heard Jesus knew that he was claiming to be equal to his Father: "And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‗My Father is working still, AND I AM WORKING.‘ This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbathbut also called God his Father, making himself equal (ison) with God." John 5:16-18

The reason why the Jews thought that Jesus was claiming equality with God is because of his bold assertion that he has the same divine right to work on the Sabbath as his Father does, being his Son. Jesus was pretty much saying that, as God‘s Son, he could do things which

were considered unlawful on this sacred day since he is not bound by the laws and regulations of the Sabbath in the same way that God isn‘t bound by them.

The following is another example of Jesus claiming to be equal with the Father: ―‗My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and the y follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish;no one can snatch them out of my hand. 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 the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‗I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?‘ ‗We are not stoning you for any of these,‘ replied the Jews,but ‗ for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.‘‖ John 10:27-33

Christ ascribes to himself the very exclusive prerogatives of Deity: I bring to life, ―See that I myself am heal, He! and There no can god deliver besidesout me.ofI my put hand to death I havenow wounded and I will noisone .‖ and Deuteronomy 32:39

―Yes, and from ancient days I am he.No one can deliver out of my hand. When I act, who can reverse it?‖ Isaiah 43:13

As if this weren‘t astonishing enough, Jesus says that he is one with the Father right after

stating that the latter is greater than all, which in the context refers to those who would try to pluck believers from the Father‘s all-powerful hand. To more fully appreciate the implications of these statements, keep in mind that Jesus‘ point

is that there is no person who can prevent God from protecting his flock since there is no being that is as powerful as God who can thereby thwart his purposes in saving his sheep. Yet the Lord Jesus places himself in a unique position and category since he actually believes that he is his Father‘s equal, being one with him in ability and power which is completely unlike anyone else! No wonder the Jews thought that Jesus was blaspheming. They could clearly see that Christ was claiming to be God for believing that he could do things which only Yahweh could do and for actually thinking that he was just as powerful as the Father! In light of the foregoing, it is quite clear what the Lord Jesus meant that the Father was greater than him. The Scriptures teach that when Christ became a man, he assumed the role and position of a slave/servant:

"For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves." Luke 22:27 "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, do you wash my feet?' Jesus

answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.' Peter said to him, 'You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, 'If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.' Simon Peter said to him, 'Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!' Jesus said to him, 'The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.' For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, 'Not all of you are clean.' When he had washed their f eet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place , he said to them, 'Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you .'" John 13:3-15

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men . And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8 Thus, as long as Christ remained on earth in the form and position of a humble slave, enduring persecution, insults, injury, and subsequently the shame of the cross, the Father would be greater in position and honor. Once Christ returns to heaven to be seated alongside his Father, he would no longer be in that state of humiliation. He would share, once again, that same divine glory and sovereign authority that he had with the Father before he had come to the earth as a man: "Now, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was... Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Mebefore the foundation of the world." John 17:5, 24 Thus, the Father was greater in position and rank, not in essence and nature. The questioner is, therefore, committing a categorical fallacy. He/she is confusing the category of position and rank with the category of essence and nature, erroneously assuming that if one is greater in way, In i.e.light position andclear authority, than he/she must be greater andone nature. of these biblical truths, such is not the caseinatevery all. way, i.e. essence

Question 6: It is reported in Matthew's Gospel that Jesus said that all authority was given to him in heaven and earth (cf. Mat. 28:18), which means that someone else gave it to him. That

someone else must be greater than Jesus, which means that Jesus cannot be God. After all, how can God be given all authority when he already has it to begin with? Answer:

Much like in one of the previous questions, the problem here is that the person is already assuming that God is a uni-personal deity, that there is only one Person (or center of consciousness) within God's eternal Being. Now, it is possible, of course, that the questioner is correct, that God does exist as one Person, or that there is only center of consciousness within God's Being. But one must first prove this assertion before assuming it. The questioner must show that the Holy Bible teaches that the God revealed within its inspired pages is unipersonal, and then deal with all those passages which teach that the Father, the Son (the Lord Jesus), and the Holy Spirit are all God, even though they are personally distinct from one another. It is true that no one outside of God can give God anything, since God is the One who owns everything and gives his creatures all that they have: "Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify against you; I am God, your God. I do not reprove you for your sacrifices, And your burnt offerings are continually before Me. I shall take no young bull out of your house Nor male goats out of your folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, The cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird of the mountains, And everything that moves in the field is Mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, For the world is Mine, and all it contains. Shall I eat the flesh of bulls Or drink the blood of male goats?" Psalm 50:7-13 "The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and exist, as even some of your own poets have said, 'For we also are His children.' Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man." Acts 17:24-29 "Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 'For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?' 'Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?' For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36 But this says absolutely nothing about God's own inner life and internal communion. For instance, let us assume for the moment that God is a Triune Being, that there are three distinct Persons who exist as one Being. Then passages where Jesus is said to have received something from someone really pose no problem for Trinitarianism since you can have one of the divine Persons granting authority to another, or for one member of the Godhead to be in subjection to another (or to the others). After all, Christ is called God's Son for a reason, since this relationship implies a subjection of some kind on the part of the Son to the Father. Yet,

much like earthly fathers can be greater in authority than their sons without this implying that the sons are inferior beings, the divine Father giving authority to his divine Son in no way implies that the latter is not God or is an inferior Being. Having greater authority doesn't necessarily mean that the person is greater in essence, or that the one who is in subjection to another is inferior in nature to the other. To assume otherwise is to make a categorical mistake, a category fallacy, treating two distinct categories (nature and authority) as if they were one and same. The following citation helps to put this in perspective: "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after DESTROYING every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.For ‗God has put all things in subjection under his feet.‘ But when it says, ‗all things are put in subjection,‘it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all." 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Here is a classic example of how one member of the Godhead can give to another member something without this implying that one of them isn't God. Note that the Father subjected all things to the Son, and that the Son gives to the Father the kingdom. Christ's sovereignty and supremacy is clearly seen in this passage since he has the ability to destroy all other powers and authorities, bringing them into complete subjection to the Father. Thus, the Son receiving authority to rule no more disproves that he is God then the Father receiving the kingdom from his Son disproves that he is God also. Another thing to keep in mind is that, according to the Scriptures, Christ voluntarily came down from heaven in order to assume the role of a slave, a servant. While on earth, the Lord Jesus subjected himself to the authority of the Father, doing nothing of his own initiative, but only doing the very thing that the Father commanded and desired: "And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, 'You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among youmust be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'" Matthew 20:24-28 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." John 6:38 "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8 In response to Christ voluntarily humbling himself and becoming a slave, the Father exalted him:

"Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 One must therefore understand the Lord Jesus' words in Mat. 28:18 in light of this backdrop, that Christ humbled himself for a season with the Father then exalting him as a result. In other words, Christ didn't seek to exalt himself after perfectly completing the mission he was sent to do, but humbly waited to be exalted by his Father. After all, the Lord was perfectly doing what he told his disciples to do: "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12 With all this behind us, we now turn to Mat. 28:18, taking a look at its immediate and surrounding context, to see if whether the passage supports the Orthodox Christian view of Christ or not: "And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, to the end of the age.'" Matthew 28:17-20 In the biblical worldview, name signifies a person's nature, essence and/or characteristics: "The LORD said to Moses, ‗I will also do this thing of which you have spoken; for you have found favor in My sight and I have known you by name.‘ Then Moses said, ‗I pray You, show me Your glory!‘ And He said, ‗I Myself will make all My goodness pass before you,

and will proclaim the name of the LORD before you; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion on whom I will showcompassion.‘ But He said, ‗You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!‘ Then the LORD said, ‗Behold, there is

a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.‘" Exodus 33:17-23 "The LORD descended in the cloud and stood there with him as he called upon the name of the LORD. Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will leave thetoguilty unpunished, the iniquity of 34:5-7 fathers on the children and by on no themeans grandchildren the third and fourthvisiting generations.'" Exodus Moses asks to see God's glory, with God stating that he would proclaim his name to his servant. God proceeds to proclaim his name by enumerating some of his attributes and characteristics. God also says that he knows Moses by name, which basically means that God knew Moses personally. In other words, knowing a person's name is to know the person himself, name being synonymous with person/personality or characteristics:

"You shall make an altar of earth for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen; in every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you." Exodus 20:24 Remembering God's name means to remember God. But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them ever sing for joy, and spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may exult in you." Psalm 5:11 "I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High." Psalm 7:17 Loving and praising God's name is another way of saying that one loves and praises God. And: "Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." Psalm 124:8 Compare: "My help comes from the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." Psalm 121:2 Note how these two passages speak of help coming from God and his name, since name is being used as a synonym for God's presence, power, being etc. Name can also refer to a person's inherent or delegated authority: "Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.'" 1 Samuel 17:45 "I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, you will receive him." John 5:43 Just as the late, renowned NT Greek grammarian and scholar, A.T. Robertson noted in his comments on Matt. 28:19: ... The use of name (onoma) here is a common one in the Septuagint and the papyri for power or authority... (Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament; online source; underline emphasis ours) In light of this background, when Jesus refers to the one name (not names) of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, this basically implies that the three Persons share the same nature, essence, characteristics, and/or authority. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit have one name because they have the same nature and share the same eternal Being, being equal in dignity and majesty. At the same time, they are personally distinct. This understanding of Jesus' use of name is consistent with the immediate context where Christ is worshiped and promises to be with all of his followers to the end of the age, a claim of omnipresence which is a divine attribute. Jesus affirms his omnipresence elsewhere in Matthew:

"For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst." Matthew 18:20 To summarize the data from the closing comments of Matthew's Gospel, we learned that: 1. Jesus is worshiped. 2. Jesus has universal sovereignty. 3. Jesus has the same divine name, authority, essence, nature, characteristics, etc., that the Father and the Holy Spirit have. 4. Jesus is omnipresent, and promised that his sovereign, all-powerful presence will remain with all believers till the end of the age. These points make it clear that Jesus' words cannot be misconstrued so as to imply that he was denying his Deity. His comments simply mean that, after humbling himself and setting aside his divine privileges for a season in order to fulfill God's will, Christ receives from the very One to whom he subjected himself the authority that is his by divine right. Furthermore, because he perfectly accomplished his Father's will while a man, Christ earned the right to share in God's sovereign rule as a true human being, not just because he happens to be the divine Son. And in so doing, the Lord Jesus gives believers the right to also share in this rule. What this essentially means is that Christ restored the dignity that humanity had before Adam's fall, giving them the right to once again rule over the physical creation (as well as angels) which was lost in the Garden: "A dispute also arose among them, as to which of them was to be regarded as the greatest. And he said to them them,are 'The kingsbenefactors. of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, andgreatest those in authority over called But not so with you. Rather, let the among you become as the youngest, and the leader as one who serves. For who is the greater, one who reclines at table or one who serves? Is it not the one who reclines at table? But I am among you as the one who serves. You are those who have stayed with me in my trials, and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:24-30 "Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world." John 17:24 "For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!' The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:14-17 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died--more than that, who was raised--who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us." Romans 8:31-34

"Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!" 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 "Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" Hebrews 1:14 "Now it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. It has been testified somewhere, 'What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, putting everything in subjection under his feet.' Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:5-9 "The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron, as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I myself have received authority from my Father. And I will give him the morning star." Revelation 2:26-28 "The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne." Revelation 3:21 "And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals,for you were slain, and byand your bloodand youyou ransomed people for aGod from every tribe and language and people nation, have made them kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.'" Revelation 5:9-10 "Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years." Revelation 20:4-6 Thus, Christ as the glorified Son of man, the head of the new creation, the srcinator of a glorified human race, earned the right for all believers to rule along with him over the entire creation of God! Praise you Lord Jesus! You are eternally worthy to be loved, praised, and to rule forever and ever! Amen.

Question 7: Jesus himself admitted that the Father is the only true God. Since Trinitarians believe that the Father and the Son are distinct Persons, that they are not the same Person, wouldn’t this prove that Jesus denied that he was God? Answer:

The person who raises this question is obviously assuming Unitarianism, that there is only one Person who is God (namely the Father), and then imposes this assumption onto the reading of the text. The only thing one has to do in order to understand Jesus‘ point here is to

simply read the entire context:

"After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‗Father, the time hasome. c Glorify YOUR SON, that YOUR SON may glorify you . For you granted him authority over all people THAT HE MIGHT GIVE ETERNAL LIFE TO ALL THOSE YOU HAVE GIVEN HIM. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God,

and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I HAD WITH YOU BEFORE THE WORLD BEGAN … For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certaintythat I came from you, and they believed that you sent me … All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come TO ME through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the

world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name - the name you gave me - so that they may be one as we are one… My prayer is not for them alone.beI one, pray Father, also forjust those will in Ime all US of them may as who you ar e inbelieve me and amthrough in you. their Maymessage, they alsothat be IN so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I IN THEM and you in me . May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me BECAUSE YOU LOVED ME BEFORE THE CREATION OF THE WORLD. Righteous Father, though the world

does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them AND THAT I MYSELF MAY BE IN THEM .‘" John 17:1-5, 8, 10-11, 20-26 We note from the foregoing that: 1. Jesus is God‘s Son. 2. Jesus gives eternal life to all that God gives him, which is a claim to being absolute since only God can life. before the world was created. 3. Deity Jesus existed in glory withgive the eternal Father even 4. Jesus demands to be glorified by God, something which no mere creature could ever demand. 5. Jesus states that everything that the Father has belongs to him, which makes him the heir of everything that exists. 6. Jesus indwells all the believers, an indication that Christ is omnipresent and therefore God since God alone is omnipresent. 7. Jesus is the object of the Father‘s love even before the creation of the world.

Thus, the context makes it clear that Jesus‘ statement about the Father being the only true God in no way was meant to deny that Christ is God as well, since he goes on to make claims that only God could make. Jesus is simply addressing the Father for being the only true God since this is what he truly is, and yet we know from the same Bible that the only true God exists as more than one Person. The Holy Scriptures plainly show that both the Son and the Holy Spirit are also truly God. Therefore, since the one true God exists as a Trinity this means that the three Persons can be addressed as the only true God both individually and collectively. Putting it another way:   

The Trinity is the only true God. Each specific member of the Trinity is the only true God. Therefore, the members of the Trinity are the only true God, whether individually or collectively.

This is why Jesus can speak of one member of the Trinity as the only true God without this implying that the other members are not God. To make this point more clear, notice what the inspired book of Hebrews says: "But about the Son he says, ‗Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and

righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.‘ He also says, ‗In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the

earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:8 -12

The Father praises his Son by calling him God, Lord, eternal King and for being the Creator and Sustainer of all creation! The same Scriptures teach that Jesus is the only sovereign Master and Lord: "For admission has been secretly gained by some who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly persons who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ." Jude 1:4 Now does this mean that the Father is not God, sovereign Master, Lord, and the Creator of the heavens and the earth? The answer is obvious. The Father, according to the Holy Bible, is just as much God, Master, Lord, and just as responsible for creating and sustaining the universe as the Son is. In a similar way, the Son glorifying his Father as the only true God doesn‘t mean that Christ was denying that he is full Deity as well. In fact, a careful reading of John 17:3 helps to further confirm that Jesus wasn‘t denying his

absolute Deity:

"And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God,AND (kai) Jesus Christ whom you have sent." The Lord Jesus, by using the Greek conjunctionkai in his prayer, makes himself the necessary object of the knowledge that leads to eternal life. In other words, Jesus basically

made himself a coequal partner with God by claiming that eternal life is dependent on knowing both the Father and the Son. As one commentary noted: and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent--This is the only place where our

Lord gives Himself this compound name, afterwards so current in apostolic preaching and writing. Here the terms are used in their strict signification—"JESUS," because He "saves His people from their sins"; "CHRIST," as anointed with the measureless fulness of the Holy Ghost for the exercise of His saving offices "WHOM THOU HAST SENT," in the plenitude of Divine Authority and Power, to save. "The very juxtaposition here of Jesus Christ with the Father is a proof, by implication, of our Lord's Godhead. The knowledge of God and a creature could not be eternal life, and such an association of the one with the otherwould be inconceivable" [ALFORD]. (Jamieson & Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; online source; bold and underline emphasis ours) The late renowned Bible expositor John Gill stated: … The Arians and Unitarians urge this text, against the true and proper deity of our Lord

Jesus, and his equality with the Father, but without success; since the Father is called the only true God, in opposition to the many false gods of the Heathens, but not to the exclusion of the Son or Spirit; for Christ is also styled the one Lord, and only Lord God, but not to the exclusion of the Father; yea the true God and eternal life; was he not, he would never, as here, join himself with the only true God; and besides, eternal life is made t o depend as much upon the knowledge of him, as of the Father . The reason of this different mode of

expression, is owing to the character of Christ as Mediator, who is said to be sent by the only true God, about the business of man's salvation. Nor is it of any moment what the Jew objects, that Jesus here confesses, that the true God is only one God; nor does he call himself God, only the Messiah sent by God; and that the Apostle Paul also asserts the unity of God, (1 Timothy 1:17); and therefore Jesus cannot be God: for Christ and his Father, the only true God, are one; and that he is the one true God with his Father, he tacitly suggests here by joining himself with him; and what the Apostle Paul says of the one and only wise God, may as well be understood of Christ, the Son of God, as of the Father; since all the characters in the text agree with him, and of him he had been speaking in the context.(Source; bold emphasis ours) The grouping of the Father and the Lord Jesus as the necessary objects of salvation makes perfect sense in light of the Gospel‘s teaching that Christ is God the Son and the Savior of the

world: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men… He was in

the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us , full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father… No one has ever seen God;the only Son, God (monogenes theos), who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." John 1:1-4, 10, 14, 18 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not

condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God." John 3:16-18 "They said to the woman, ‗It is no longer because of your words thatwe believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.‘" John 4:42

"This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh ." John 6:50-51 "If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world." John 12:47 "Thomas said to him, ‘My Lord and my God!‘ Jesus said to him, ‗Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.‘ Now Jesus

did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God,and that believing you may have life in his name." John 20:28-31 "And we have seen and testify that the Father has senthis Son as the Savior of the world." 1 John 4:14 As it stands, John 17:3 does not refute the plain teaching of the Gospel of John, or the entire message of the Holy Bible, that the Lord Jesus is fully God in essence. Recommended Reading

http://forananswer.org/John/Jn17_3.htm http://abrahamic-faith.com/shamoun/heinz-rebuttal.html

Question 8: Isaiah 44:24 says that Yahweh was alone when he created the heavens and the earth. Matthew 12:18 quotes Isaiah 42:1 which says t hat Yahweh will send his servant, who is Jesus. Now if Yahweh was the one true God (Exodus 20:2-3) who alone created the heavens and the earth and he was the one who was to send his servant (Jesus), then that means that Jesus is not Yahweh. Why then do Christians contradict what their own Bible teaches? (*) Answer:

In the first place, the question assumes Unitarianism, that Yahweh is uni-Personal as opposed to being Tri-Personal. It is because of this assumption that the questioner thinks that Jesus cannot be Yahweh God if Yahweh is said to have sent him.

Yet if Yahweh is indeed a Triune Being, just as the Holy Bible teaches, then there is no problem for one of the Divine members to send another Divine member to be his servant in order to accomplish a specific task or function. Furthermore, all Trinitarians agree wholeheartedly that Yahweh ALONE created all things. Yet the God who created all things is not a monad, is not a Unitarian Deity. The Holy Bible clearly teaches that Yahweh used his Spirit, his Power, his Word and his very Wisdom to create all things: "By his Spirit (ruach) the heavens were made fair; his hand pierced the fleeing serpent." Job 26:13 "The Spirit of God has made me , and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4 "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all their hostby the Spirit (ruach) of his mouth." Psalm 33:6 "How many are your works, O LORD! In wisdom you made them all; the earth is full of your creatures… When you send forthyour Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the ground." Psalm 104:24, 30 "By wisdom the LORD laid the earth’s foundations, by understanding he set the heavens in place; by his knowledge the deeps were divided, and the clouds let drop the dew." Proverbs 3:19-20 "For the dens palace populous city of deserted; the hill the is watchtower become forwill ever,bea forsaken, joy of wildtheasses, a pasture flocks; until theand Spirit poured will upon us from on high, and the wilderness becomes a fruitful field, and the fruitful field is deemed a forest ." Isaiah 32:14-15

"But God made the earth by his power; he founded the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heavens by his understanding." Jeremiah 10:12 The NT states that Jesus is God‘s Word, Wisdom and Power:

"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 1:1-3 "but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks,Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 1 Corinthians 1:24 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of Life. The Life was made manifest , and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to you the Eternal Life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us -- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3

"He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,and his name is the Word of God ." Revelation 19:13 This is why the NT authors could speak of Christ in such highly exalted terms without compromising monotheism. The Judaism of Jesus‘ day knew that God‘s Word, Wisdom and Power were not separate beings but intrinsic aspects of God‘s very own Being. Thus, for the NT to describe Jesus as God‘s eternal Word, Wisdom and Power meant that Christ was intrinsic to the very identity of the one true God. In other words, Jesus isn‘t someone who is other than God, but one who is fully God in essence. At the same time, Christ isn‘t the only

Person who is God, since the Father and his Spirit are God as well. Furthermore, as far as Jesus being the Servant of Isaiah 42:1 is concerned, this assertion fails to consider the fact that Isaiah himself identified the Servant as the very Arm of Yahweh, and therefore Yahweh himself: "The LORD has bared his holy arm before the eyes of all the nations, and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God." Isaiah 52:10 "Who has believed what they heard from us?And to whom has THE ARM OF THE LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for are our healed iniquities; himsheep was the chastisement that us peace, his own stripes we . Allupon we like have gone astray; webrought have turned everyand onewith to his way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth . By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation,who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities . Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-13

The above passages picture Yahweh‘s Servant as the visible manifestation of God‘s own power sent to redeem God‘s people by his death on their behalf. By calling the Servant the Arm of Yahweh, Isaiah indicates that the Servant isn‘t only a human being but is also an intrinsic part of God‘s very own eternal Being! In other words, Isaiah was basically echoing

the inspired words of the Apostle Paul when the latter identified the Lord Jesus as the very power of God in 1 Corinthians 1:24! And since God‘s power is eternal and divine:

"Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely,his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse;" Romans 1:20 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," 2 Peter 1:3 This means that Jesus must therefore be eternal and divine as well! Moreover, Isaiah also stated that the Servant is exalted to the very position and status of Yahweh: "Behold, my servant shall act wisely;he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted . As many were astonished at you --his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind -- so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand." Isaiah 52:13-15 Elsewhere, Isaiah says that Yahweh alone is exalted and lifted on high: "The haughty looks of man shall be brought low, and the lofty pride of men shall be humbled, and the LORD ALONE will be exalted in that day ." Isaiah 2:11, 17

"The LORD is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness… ‗Now I will arise,‘ says the LORD, now ‗ I will lift myself up; now I will be exalted." Isaiah 33:5, 10

"For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: ‗I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.‘" Isaiah 57:15 In this last passage the inspired prophet pictured Yahweh as both exalted and as also dwelling with the lowly in spirit. This is precisely the picture we find of Jesus, that as the Servant he is the perfect expression of God‘s humbleness and willingness to associate with the lowly and

broken hearted! The fact that the Servant is exalted to a status that belongs to Yahweh alone provides further evidence of him being an extension, a manifestation, of Yahweh himself. Note how this plays out logically: 1. Yahweh alone is exalted and lifted on high. 2. The Servant is exalted and lifted on high. 3. Therefore, the Servant is Yahweh God. Thus, instead of refuting the Deity of Christ, a careful examination of both Isaiah and the other inspired biblical books actually prove that Jesus is Yahweh God in the flesh. For more on this topic we suggest the following article:The Deity of the Messiah in Isaiah and in light of New Testament Exegesis.

* This particular argument is adapted from this Muslim article (*), and that "article" is also rebutted here.

Question 9:

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:28 that Christ will be subject to God forever: When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.

In light of this eternal subjection how can any Christian believe that Jesus is God? Response:

This question is similar to the following ones which we have already addressed: http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_authority_given.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_father_greater.htm It will help the readers to have read these articles beforehand since we will not be repeating points already addressed there except for summarizing the main point. In this paper we will be building upon what we have already established previously. In the first place, when we examine this statement in light of the overall teaching of Scripture, especially from the perspective of Paul‘s Christology, this text in no way shows that the Lord

Jesus Christ is inferior to God in terms of his Divine nature and essence, that Christ is an inferior Divine Being, a lesser god of sorts. It only shows that Christ, by virtue of his being the Divine Son of God, is subject or subordinate to the Fatherin rank and position. Yet there is a sense in which Christ is inferior in essence to the Father. The Holy Bible teaches that the Lord Jesus, in his prehuman existence, was and is forever God, and therefore fully equal to the Father in relation to his Deity. He then became a man at some point in time from the virgin Mary through the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 1:18-23; Luke 1:26-35; John 1:14, 14). Thus, Christ‘s subjection to the Father is also due in one sense to his having a nature

which is inferior since Jesus is also fully human to the core, albeit a glorified human at that. Putting it another way, Christ was subject to God even before he became a man since he was God‘s Son, and sons are subject to their fathers, while being equal in the Divine essence and

attributes. And since he is God the Son, Christ had sovereign authority and rule over all creation along with both the Father and the Holy Spirit. When Christ then became a man he not only added to his own Divine Person a nature which is vastly inferior to Deity, but he also ended up setting aside his Divine authority for a season since he assumed the role of a slave. After his resurrection and ascension into glory, Christ received his authority where he once more began ruling as God‘s Son. He also started ruling as the head of a new creation of

glorified human beings, being the first one to rise with a glorified physical body.

What Paul is saying in 1 Corinthians 15:28 is that Christ will become subject to the Father once again at the end of the age. Paul‘s statement seems to imply that the Lord, after his

ascension, received more than just the authority that he had voluntarily set aside when he became a man. The text seems to suggest that Christ is currently enjoying a position of honor in which he is not functioning as the Father‘s subordinate, but as one holding equal aut hority with the Father. It is only at the end of the age that Christ will then assume his role of subordination, a role which was his even before he became man by virtue of his being a Son. After all, sons are equal in essence and nature with their fathers, but subject to them in rank and authority. Likewise, Jesus as God‘s Son is equal to him in essence and nature but subject

to him in rank and authority. In fact, the word translated here as made subject ( hupotageesetai) is used in contexts where the meaning can only be position and rank, not essence or nature, i.e., that a person is subject to the authority of another without this making that one inferior in essence. For instance, the Greek word stems from the verb hupotasso, which is used quite often in the Holy Scripture as in the following examples: "Then he (Jesus) went down to Nazareth with them (Joseph and Mary) and was obedient (hupotassomenos) to them. Luke 2:51

Christ made himself subject to his parents by virtue of his being their Son. He obviously wasn‘t inferior in nature to them in any way, since he is the Divine Savior who had come to

save them and others from their sin (cf. Matthew 1:21). Thus, the subjection is purely one of authority and position. "Everyone must submit (hypotassesthoo) himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established." Romans 13:1 Christians are commanded to submit to the governing authorities, to human rulers. This again shows that the verb relates to a subordination of authority or rank, not of essence or nature. Christians are also commanded to submit to one another: "Submit (hupotassomenoi) to one another out of reverence for Christ." Ephesians 5:21 Obviously, no one will claim that Christians are inferior in value and essence simply because they are commanded to submit to each other. It becomes clear from the foregoing that the term "submit" or "subject" does not necessarily imply that the person that is submitting is inferior in nature and essence to the other. It can simply refer to a person being in a lesser position of authority including a voluntary submission to somebody who has no natural or enforceable position of authority, like one Christian to another. Moreover, the context of 1 Corinthians 15:28 indicates that the Greek passivehupotageesetai should be taken as a middle voice. This would mean that the Son is not being made subject, or that someone is forcing him to submit. Rather, the middle voice suggests that the Lord Jesus is voluntarily subjecting himself to the Father. As Greek NT scholar Spiros Zodhiates noted:

The translation of the verb as "the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One" is very misleading. It is taken as a passive, whereas the exegesis demands that it should be taken as a middle voice which means that the Lord Jesus Christ at the completion of His mediatorial work subjects Himself to the One who had subjected all things unto Him. It is a voluntary act and not a compulsory subjugation of one person of the Trinity to the other. This is not something which took place while the Lord Jesus was the God-Man on earth, but it is something that will take place in the future when all people will be made subject unto Christ, and then He will finally subject Himself with the finished work of redemption before God the Father. One of the greatest difficulties of the translation of the N.T. lies in discerning when the passive form should be taken with the passive meaning or the middle voice meaning, as, for instance, Jesus Christ "is made subject" or He "subjects Himself." (Spiros Zodhiates, New American Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible [AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN, 1990], p. 1530) In light of this, note how the following translations render the verse in question: then the Son Himself will also subject Himself to [the Father] Who put all things under Him. Amplified Bible

the Son will present himself to God. NLT the Son will put himself under God's authority.GOD's Word then he himself, the Son,will place himself under God. The Good News Translation then he will put himself under God. New Century Version Thus, Christ‘s submission is a voluntary act intended to bring perfect unity and peace

between God and all creation, the very point Paul was making in context: "Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he ‗has put everything under his feet.‘ Now when it says that ‗everything‘ has been put under him, it is clear that this

does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son will subject himself to him who put everything under him,so that God may be all in all." 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 Christ destroying every other and opposing rule so as to make all things subject to God shows that the Lord Jesus‘ subjection is done for the purpose of bringing everything into perfect

harmonious fellowship with God as the Sovereign head of creation. But even here we need to be careful since Christ subjecting himself doesn‘t mean he ceases to

rule. Paul and the other NT writers clearly teach that Christ rules forever: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peacethere will be no end. He will reign on David‘s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and

righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7 "In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces. The great God has shown the king what will take place in the future. The dream is true and the interpretation is trustworthy." Daniel 2:44-45 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 "He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:32-33 "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given,not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. Ephesians 1:19-23 "and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:11

"The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: ‗The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lordand of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.‘" Revelation 11:15

Therefore, 1 Corinthians 15:28 simply means that Christ, even though he rules forever, will do so under the authority and headship of his Father. The following biblical example should help to further illustrate this point: "So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‗Since God has shown you all this, there is none so discreet and

wise as you are; you shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only as regards the throne will I be greater than you.‘ And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‗Behold, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.‘ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from

his hand and put it on Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in garments of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; and he made him to ride in his second chariot; and they cried before him, ‗Bow the knee!‘ Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‗I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no man shall lift up hand or foot in -pane‘ah; and he gave all the land of Egypt.‘ And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaph‘enath him in marriage As‘enath, the daughter of Poti‘phera priest of On. So Joseph went out over

the land of Egypt. Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of

Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went through all the land of bread; and Egypt… When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‗Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.‘" Genesis 41:39 46, 55 "Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground." Genesis 42:6 "So it was not you who sent me here, but God; and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Make haste and go up to my father and say to him, ‗Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry;‘" Genesis 45:8-9 "When he summoned a famine on the land, and broke every staff of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters, his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass the word of the LORD tested him. The king sent and released him, the ruler of the peoples set him free; he made him lord of his house, and ruler of all his possessions, to instruct his princes at his pleasure, and to teach his elders wisdom." Psalm 105:16-22 Joseph was lord over all of Egypt and was second only to the pharaoh. Thus, both pharaoh and Joseph ruled over Egypt and the world, with one of them being subject to the other. What‘s more, both were equal in essence and nature since both were fully humans!

Theseand biblical facts bear In in light of the clear NT teaching theDeity Lord isJesus is fully essentially God,repeating: submission reference to Christ in so farthat as his concerned can only be viewed in terms of authority, that Christ is subordinate to the Father by virtue of his being a Son. It does not show that the Son is inferior to the Father as far as Christ‘s

Divine nature and essence is concerned, or that he cannot therefore be God also. Furthermore, Christ is also subordinate by virtue of his having the nature of a creature, humanity, a nature which is vastly inferior to God‘s eternal, uncreated essence.

In the words of the Athanasian Creed: 29. Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. 30. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. 31. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world. 32. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. 33. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood.

34. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. 35. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God. 36. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. 37. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;(Source; bold and italic emphasis ours) We conclude with Edmund J. Fortman's summation of Paul's Christology since he does a wonderful job of piecing it together: At times Paul writes as if Christ is 'subordinate' to the Father. For he tells us that 'God sent forth his Son to redeem' (Gal 4.4) and 'did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all' (Rom 8:32). And in a notable passage he declares that 'when all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one' (1 Cor 15.28). Taken by themselves these passages might warrant the conclusion that Paul held a merely subordinationist view of Christ and did not place Him on the same divine level with the Father. But if they are taken together with the passages cited above in which Paul does put Christ on the same divine level as the Father by presenting Him as the creator of all things and the 'image of the invisible God' who was 'in the form of God' and equal to God, it becomes clear that Paul views Christ both as subordinate and equal to God the Father. Possibly he thus means merely to subordinate Christ in His humanity to the Father. But more probably he wishes to indicate that while Christ is truly divine andpriority on the same divine level with yetHe there must be assigned to and the Father a certain and superiority over thethe SonFather, because is the Father of the Son sends the Son to redeem men, and there must be ascribed to the Son a certain subordination because He is the Son of the Father and is sent by the Father. Nowhere, however, does Paul say or imply that the Son is a creature, as the Arians subordinationists will say later on. On the contrary, he makes it clear that the Son is not on the side of the creature but of the Creator and that through the Son all things are created ... (Fortman, The Triune God — A Historical Study of the Doctrine of the Trinity [Wipf and Stock Publishers: Eugene, Oregon, February 1999], p. 18)

Question 10: Jesus says he can do nothing by himself, but can only do and judge according to what God commands (cf. John 5:19, 30). How can Jesus be God when he denies being allpowerful? Answer:

The above question ignores the immediate context of the statements and misunderstands the doctrine of the Trinity. According to Trinitarian teaching the three eternal, Divine Persons of God do nothing independently, but work in perfect unity. Statements like the above only reinforce the historic Trinitarian belief that the one blessed and holy God exists as three

distinct Persons who always work in perfect accord, never acting independently from one another. A careful analysis of the context of John 5 actually supports this position and shows that the Lord Jesus wasn‘t denying his perfect Deity. Christ was simply stating the obvious reality of

the Trinity, that the Persons of the Godhead cannot act apart from one another. They can only and always work in perfect accord with each other. We provide an exegesis of the chapter in order to highlight this biblical truth. "Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Aramaic called Bethesda, which has five roofed colonnades. In these lay a multitude of invalids--blind, lame, and paralyzed. One man was there who had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had already been there a long time, he said to him, ‗Do you want to be healed?‘ The sick man answered him, ‗Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.‘ Jesus said to him, ‗Get up, take up your bed, and walk.‘ And at once the man was healed, and he took up his

bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who had been healed, ‗It is the Sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to take up your bed.‘ But he answered them, ‗The man who healed me, that man said to me, 'Take up your bed, and walk."‘ They asked him, ‗Who is the man who said to you, "Take up your bed and walk"?‘ Now the man

who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd l! Sin in the place. Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, ‗See, you are wel no more, that nothing worse may happen to you.‘ The man went away and told the Jews that

it was Jesus who had healed him. And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because MY Father is working he was doing these things on the Sabbath. answered them,seeking ‗ until now, AND I AM WORKING .‘ This But wasJesus why the Jews were all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:1-18

The Jews complain that Jesus was violating the Sabbath by healing a man on that day. Christ justifies his working on this particular day by pointing to the fact that God his Father doesn‘t cease to work on the Sabbath, and since he is God‘s Son he too has the righto twork on that

same day. In other words, Jesus is claiming to have the same divine right, the same divine prerogative, to work on the Sabbath like God does since he is his Son. Basically, Jesus is claiming to be equal to God by arguing that just as God is not bound to keep the Sabbath restrictions neither is the Son under any obligation to do so. The Son has the same sovereign right to work on the Sabbath day that his Father has. After all, Christ did call himself the very Lord, the Sovereign, of the Sabbath: "I tell you, something greater than the temple is here. And if you had known what this For means, ‗I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,‘ you would not have condemned the guiltless. the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Matthew 12:6-8

We continue: "So Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For WHATEVER the Father does, THAT THE SON DOES LIKEWISE. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.For as the

Father raises the dead and gives them life, SO ALSO THE SON GIVES LIFE TO WHOM HE WILL.‘" John 5:19-21

Here, Jesus explains what he means that he can do nothing on his own initiative. He cannot act independently from the Father since he is in perfect union with him. Yet because Jesus is God in essence he is capable of doing everything that the Father himself does, such as give life to whomever desires. Since the Father does what God alone can do, for Christ to say he can do everything that the Father does means that Jesus is (or at least is claiming to be) God Almighty! Even the claim that he can do nothing on his own is an astonishing statement in itself. Finite, imperfect creatures can never make such a claim since it is rather obvious that we humans do a lot of things that God wouldn‘t do nor desires for us to do, i.e. lying, stealing, murder etc.

Nor can any creature say he can only do whatever God does. "Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here,when the dead will hear THE VOICE OF THE SON OF GOD, and those who hear will l ive. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted THE SON ALSO TO HAVE LIFE IN HIMSELF." John 5:25-26 "Do not marvel at this,for an hour is coming when all who are in the graves will hear HIS VOICE and come out , those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment." John 5:28-29 In these passages Jesus reiterates the point which he made earlier, namely that he is able to do whatever the Father can do. Jesus states that has the to voice resurrect dead both spiritually and physically. Theexpressly dead, according to he Jesus, willpower hear his andthe come out of their graves, something which the Holy Scriptures say God alone can and does perform: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I killand I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39 "The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol (the grave) and raises up." 1 Samuel 2:6 "On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wine, of rich food full of marrow, of aged wine well refined. And he will swallow up on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over all nations. He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken. It will be said on that day, ‗Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he

might save us. This is the LORD; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.‘" Isaiah 25:6-9

"Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and

I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD." Ezekiel 37:12-14 Christ also asserts that he is self-existent, that he has life within himself, which implies that he needs nothing outside of his own Being to sustain him, much like the Father. Again, Jesus claims something that no creature, no finite mortal can ever say. "The Father judges no one,but has given all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, JUST AS they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." John 5:22-23 "And he has given him authority to execute judgment,because he is the Son of Man." John 5:27 The Lord Jesus refers to himself as both the Son of Man and Judge of all. Christ is obviously identifying himself as that Son of Man whom the prophet Daniel had seen by revelation: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 Thus, Jesus is the Son of Man who rules over all creation in an eternal kingdom, and is the One who determines the eternal destiny of all creatures on the Day of Judgment. Yet according to the Hebrew Bible it is Yahweh who judges the nations: "For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat (literally, "Yahweh judges"). And I will enter into judgment with them there, on behalf of my people and my heritage Israel , because they have scattered them

among the nations and have divided up my land, and have cast lots for my people, and have traded a boy for a prostitute, and have sold a girl for wine and have drunk it… Hasten and

come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down your warriors, O LORD. Let the nations stir themselves up and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat;for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations." Joel 3:1-3, 11-12 Jesus does what the OT prophets say Yahweh will do, which shows that Jesus is identifying himself as Yahweh God! The Lord Jesus claims that the reason why all judgment has been given to him is so that everyone may honor him just as they honor the Father, a truly remarkable claim. The implication of Jesus‘ words is that all must worship him as God since the way in which true believers honor the Father is by giving him the worship which God alone deserves: "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is Spirit, and those who worship himmust worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24

Pay careful attention to Jesus‘ words since he does not say to honor him as a prophet, or to

give him the honor that one would give to parents etc. He says that men must give him the very same honor that they give to the Father, an honor which God alone deserves and which no creature can ever receive. Christ again makes a rather explicit claim to Deity, that since he is the Divine Son he is deserving of the very same worship and reverence that God alone receives. We turn to the final text that we wish to discuss: "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears MY WORD and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life ." John 5:24 The Lord assures all those who hear his words that whoever accepts them and believes that the Father sent him shall never be condemned but shall have eternal life, a point which Jesus repeats quite often: "Jesus said to them, ‗I am the bread of life; whoever comes TO ME shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst . But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me,and whoever comes to me I WILL NEVER CAST OUT. FOR I HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not t o do my own will but the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, THAT I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING OF ALL THAT HE HAS GIVEN ME, but RAISE IT UP on the last day . For this is the will of my Father,that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, AND I WILL RAISE HIM UP on the last day.‘" John 6:35-40

Jesus gives a personal guarantee to everyone coming to him in true faith that he will never cast him or her away but will give him or her eternal life. The Lord Jesus says he has the power to sustain and raise up all true believers on the last day, another explicit claim to Deity. To summarize our analysis of the context, the Lord Jesus quite clearly and explicitly affirms his absolute Deity and that he is coequal to the Father in essence. His statements that he does nothing on his own initiative simply mean, within the immediate context, that Christ does nothing independently from God. As a member of the glorious and blessed Triune Godhead, Christ always and only works in perfect union with the other Divine Persons, something that Jesus says is also the case with the Holy Spirit: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak , and he will declare to you the things that are to come." John 16:13 Hence, far from disproving the Deity of Christ, both John 5:19 and 30 actually reinforce the historic Christian view that the three blessed and Divine Persons of God exist in perfect, inseparable unity. Amen. We exalt, praise, love, adore and worship you, O most blessed and glorious Trinity! You alone are God and you alone do we worship forever and ever. Amen.

Question 11: According to the Holy Bible Jesus manifested human traits not befitting God. For instance Jesus wept (cf. John 11:35), slept (cf. Mark 4:35), hungered and thirsted (cf. John 4:6-7). God doesn’t tire, doesn’t sleep, doesn’t thirst and doesn’t get hungry (cf. Psalm 50:7-13, 121:3-4; Isaiah 40:28). How then can Jesus be God? Answer:

The above question and statements misunderstand or distort what the Holy Bible and historic Christianity teach about the Person of the Lord Jesus. According to the God-breathed Scriptures Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word who is God in nature. The Bible also teaches that the eternal Word became flesh and took on a real human nature (cf. John 1:1-3, 14; 1 John 1:1-3; Matthew 1:18-23). What this basically means is that Christ is both God and man, having all the attributes belonging to both Deity and humanity at the very same time. Jesus is truly God in every way, and is also a real human being in every sense with the exception of sin. The things he experienced as man did not affect the integrity of his Deity, and yet at the same time his Divine abilities and qualities were not part of his human nature. He had (and continues to have) two distinct natures, two distinct sets of attributes simultaneously without either of them fusing in or mixing with the other. Thus, since Jesus became a real human being he truly hungered and thirsted like all men. Yet since he is also truly God he is the Bread of Life and the Living Water: "Jesus answered her, ‗If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is sayingo tyou, "Give me a drink," you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.‘ … Jesus said to her, ‗Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks

of the water that I WILL GIVE HIM will never be thirsty forever. The water that I WILL GIVE HIM will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.‘" John 4:10, 13 14 "Jesus then said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread

from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God IS HE WHO COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN and gives life to the world.‘ They said to him, ‗Sir, give us this bread always.‘Jesus said to them, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not to do my own will but the willof him who sent me.‘" John 6:35-38 I am "‗This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will givefor the life of the world is my flesh.‘ The Jews then

disputed among themselves, saying, ‗How can this man give us his flesh to eat?‘ So Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink

his blood, you have no life in you.Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I WILL RAISE HIM UP on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and

my blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, AND I IN HIM. As the living Father sent me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me . This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. Whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.‘" John 6:50-58 "On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‗If anyone thirsts, let him come TO ME and drink.

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, "Out of his

heart will flow rivers of living water."‘ Now this he said abou t the Spirit, whom those who

believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified." John 7:37-39 And being a real human Jesus got tired and slept. Yet since he is also truly God, he is the very Rest and Comfort of all those who are weary: "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30 That is why the Holy Bible has no problem portraying the Lord Jesus as truly human and also as true Deity, as the very Sovereign Sustainer of all creation: "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and IN HIM all things hold together . And he is the head of the body, the church. He isinthe the firstborn dead,tothat in everything he might preeminent. For himbeginning, all the fullness of Godfrom was the pleased dwell, and through him tobereconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds,he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death , in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him," Colossians 1:15-22 "For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form," Colossians 2:9 "but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world . He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature,and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Hebrews 1:2-3 Now about Jesus weeping, Christ is only visibly expressing as a man what God himself feels over the plight of sin and human pain: "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and itgrieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, ‗I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I hav e made them.‘" Genesis 6:5-7

"How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness andgrieved him in the desert!" Psalm 78:40 "Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will (C)loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations." Ezekiel 6:9 "My people are bent on turning away from me, and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all. How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim? My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender. I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath." Hosea 11:8-9 Jesus is basically giving a human expression to God‘s emotions, visibly revealing the very heart and deep compassions of God for the plight of fallen humanity. To conclude, Jesus became a true human being and in so doing experienced the weaknesses, limitations, and temptations that are common to humanity with one sole exception; Jesus was absolutely sinless and perfect. Thus, the statements that speak of Jesus‘ human limitations do

absolutely nothing to refute the clear Biblical witness that Jesus was also God. The Holy Bible teaches that Jesus is God and man. It is not that Jesus has to either be God or man but that he is both God and man at the same time. What was true of his humanity didn‘t apply to

his Deity and vice-versa, i.e. as man he tired but as God his energy and power are infinite and inexhaustible. The testimony of the Holy Bible is clear. It states both, that Jesus is the eternal Son of God (one of the Persons of the eternal Triune God), and that this eternal Word of God, who was involved in all of creation, by whom everything was created, and who sustains all of creation to this day, himself entered creation by becoming a human being. 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. …The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1-3, 14 Does the Muslim objector really want to say:God is not able to become man? God cannot take on human nature? According to the Bible God is able to do more than many Muslims would want to give him permission for.

Question 12: Christians believe that Jesus has always been the Son of God, even in his prehuman existence, and that this is a point in which all the Gospels agree. However, Luke 1:35 shows that at least one Gospel writer didn’t believe in Jesus’ eternal Sonship. This

writer actually believes that Jesus became the Son of God as a result of the virgin birth, a position held by many biblical scholars such as the late NT scholar Raymond E. Brown. Answer:

The Lukan text specifically states that: "And the angel said to her, ‗ The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.‘"

According to the objection, the phrase "therefore" is causative implying that the virgin birth resulted in Jesus being the Son of God, which means that he wasn‘t God‘s Son until that

moment in time. Before we begin addressing the objection we need to first to quote the entire context in order to get a more complete picture: "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‗Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!‘ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found

favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall andhouse the call his name will great, oand be called Son thereign Mostover High; Lord God willJesus. give toHe him thebethrone f hiswill father David,the and heof will the of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.‘ And Mary said to the angel,

‗How shall this be, since I have no husband?‘ And the angel said to her, ‗The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.‘" Luke 1:26-35

The angel announces to Mary that God will grant her a Son who will rule over Israel and on David‘s throne forever. The language used here is a direct echo of the prophecy made by

Isaiah the prophet: "But there will be no gloom for her that was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zeb'ulun and the land of Naph'tali, but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined… For to us a child is born, to 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.‘ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7 Isaiah refers to the birth of the Messiah and plainly states that he is the Son who is given that happens to also be the Mighty God! Clearly, this proves the Messiah‘s prehuman preexistence since to be God is to be eternal.

This conclusion is inescapable when we realize that Isaiah applies this very same title, the Mighty God, to Yahweh God Almighty: "In that day the remnant of Israel and the survivors of the house of Jacob will no more lean upon him that smote them, but will lean uponthe LORD, the Holy One of Israel, in truth. A remnant will return, the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God." Isaiah 10:20-21 Hence, for Isaiah to call the Messiah the Mighty God indicates that the inspired prophet believed that he is the very human manifestation and appearance of Yahweh God Almighty. Now recall that the angel Gabriel used the language of Isaiah 9 in announcing the birth of the Messiah, highlighting Luke‘s clear dependency on this chapter. The following passage provides further evidence that Luke is referring to the promise made in Isaiah 9: "And his father Zechari'ah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, ‗Blessed

be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow deathand , to he guide feetwilderness into the way the child grewtoand became strong inofspirit, wasour in the tillofthepeace.‘ day ofAnd his manifestation Israel." Luke 1:67-80

Compare the italicized and bold portions with what is written in Isaiah 9:2 and you will see clearly that Luke is dependent upon this reference. In light of this clear dependency we can safely infer that Luke believed that the birth of John the Baptist and of the Lord Jesus fulfilled the predictions of Isaiah 9. Luke must have therefore believed that Jesus is the Son of Isaiah 9:6 who is the Mighty God coming to rule over Israel forever. The reader may be wondering why this is important and how this is relevant in addressing the objection. The answer is rather simple. If Luke believes that the Isaiah 9 text refers to Jesus the Messiah then this provides indirect attestation that he also believed in the full Deity and eternal Sonship of Christ, refuting the assertion that he believed that Jesus only became God‘s Son at the moment of his virginal conception. Luke‘s allusion to Isaiah shows that he

believed that the Lord Jesus is the divine preexistent Son of God who had now come to deliver his people. Furthermore, compare once again what Isaiah and Luke say about the Messiah: "For to us a child is born, to 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.‘" Isaiah 9:6

"‗He will be great, and WILL BE CALLED the Son of the Most High ; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David,‘ … And the angel said to her, ‗The oly H

Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born WILL BE CALLED holy, the Son of God.‘" Luke 1:32, 35 Both Isaiah and Luke state that the Messiah will be called something, i.e. "the Mighty God," "the Son of the Most High," "the Son of God" etc. Notice that the Lukan text doesn‘t say that Jesus will be/become the Son of God. Therefore, Luke‘s statement that Jesus will be called God‘s Son no more proves that he wasn‘t the Son prior to that moment than Isaiah‘s claim that the Messiah‘s name will be called Mighty God proves that he wasn‘t God prior to the

time that he was actually called that. As we saw earlier, to be the Mighty God is to be Yahweh according to Isaiah himself. And we definitely know that Yahweh has always existed as God: "Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kad'mi-el, Bani, Hashabnei'ah, Sherebi'ah, Hodi'ah, Shebani'ah, and Pethahi'ah, said, ‗Stand up and blessthe LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious name which is exalted above all blessing and praise.‘" Nehemiah 9:5

"LORD, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting thou art God." Psalm 90:1-2 "The LORD reigns; he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed, he is girded with strength. Yea, the world is established; it shall never be moved; thy throne is established from of old; thou art from everlasting." Psalm 93:1-2 Since the Messiah is the Mighty God this means that he is Yahweh and has therefore always been God. His being called that didn‘t make him God or imply that he only later became God. In a similar manner, being called the Son of God doesn‘t mean that Jesus only later

became the Son. What both Isaiah and Luke are essentially saying is that the people, specifically the believers, will apply all these titles to the Messiah Jesus in recognition of who and what he is. In other words, Jesus will be called God‘s Son, the MightyGod etc. by believers when they come to realize who he truly is. In order to further illustrate this point, notice what the prophet Zechariah says will happen at the consummation of this age: "And the LORD WILL BECOME king over all the earth; on that day the LORD WILL BE ONE and his name one." Zechariah 14:9 Does Zechariah mean to suggest that Yahweh is not king currently or that he and his name are notwill oneonly at the presentone, time? to believe that Zechariah andnot, his name become andAre willwe only begin ruling at the endtaught of thisthat age?Yahweh Of course since his point is that when Yahweh ushers in judgment and terminates this present period the people will then realize that Yahweh alone is sovereign and he alone is God. In a similar manner, Luke‘s point is that the virgin birth is a supernatural sign that will lead people to the realization that Jesus is God‘s Son, much like Christ‘s bodily resurrection was

another sign that God provided to confirm that Jesus is his beloved Son:

"the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3-4

Putting it another way, thevirgin birth didn‘t cause Jesus to be God‘s Son. Rather, the virgin birth, as well as the bodily resurrection, causes and continues to cause (by the sovereign grace of God of course) individuals to realize who Christ truly is and to confess him as God's Son. As noted Bible expositor, the late John Gill stated in his commentary on Luke 1:32: He shall be great…

In his person, as God-man; this child born, and Son given, being the angel of the great counsel, the mighty God, and everlasting Father; (Isaiah 9:6) which is here referred to; and in his offices, in his prophetic office, being that great and famous prophet Moses spoke of, mighty in word and deed, in his doctrine and miracles; in his priestly office, being a great high priest, both in the oblation of himself, and in his prevalent intercession; and in his kingly office, being the King of kings, and Lord of Lords; and in the whole of his office, as Mediator, being a great Saviour, the author of a great salvation for great sinners; in which is greatly displayed the glory of all the divine perfections: great also in his works, the miracles that he wrought, as proofs of his Deity and Messiahship, the work of redemption, the resurrection of himself from the dead, and of all men at the last day; and in the glory he is now possessed of in human nature, at the Father's right hand, where he is highly exalted above all principality and power: and shall be called the Son of the Highest;

that is, of God, of whose names is (Nwyle) , "the Most High"; see (Genesis 14:18-20) not by creation, as angels and men, nor by adoption, as saints, nor by office, as magistrates, are called "the children of the Most High", (Psalm 82:6) but by nature, being the eternal Son of God; of the same nature with him, and equal to him: for he was not now to begin to be the Son of God, he was so before, even from all eternity; but the sense is, that he should now be known, owned, and acknowledged to be the Son of God, being as such manifested in human nature, and should be proved to be so by the works he wrought, and declared to be the Son of God with power by his resurrection from the dead: (Source; underline italic emphasis ours)

Finally, it may be true thatsome (perhaps many) Christian scholars erroneously assume that Luke taught that Christ‘s virginal conception made him God‘s Son. Yet many other scholars

do not hold to this position at all. Rather, they believe that Luke was showing that Jesus is God‘s eternal Son and that God‘s Holy Spirit miraculously created thehuman nature, the physical body, of Christ from the blessed virgin Mary. Someone may interject here and say that the immediate context refutes our exegesis since the angel says to Mary that: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." Luke 1:31 Much like the name Jesus was something which he only received at the time of his birth, in a similar manner "Son of God" was the name which he only received and became after the virginal conception.

On the contrary, this actually supports our position. The name Jesus was given in order to indicate who the child is and what he came to do. In other words, the name identifies the nature and function of the child, that he is Yahweh who had come to save his people: "But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‗Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wi fe, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name JesusYashua ( , "Yahweh saves"), for he will save his people from their sins.‘" Matthew 1:20-21 The only reason why Jesus could even save people from their sins is because of who he was already, the Son of God. Hence, being called Jesus served to identify who he already was, not what he later became, i.e. he already was the Savior who decided to come and save sinners. To put it another way, being called Jesus didn't make Christ Yahweh or turn him into a Savior. He was given that name because he is Yahweh God who had come to save: "All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. FOR I HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me,that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father,that every one who sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:37-40

"The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance,that Christ Jesus CAME INTO THE WORLD to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners;" 1 Timothy 1:15 In the same way, being called the Son of God didn't make him something he wasn't already. Rather, it served to identify who already was even before the virgin birth.

Question 13: The Bible says that God cannot be tempted (cf. James 1:13) and yet Jesus is said t o have been tempted by the Devil no less (cf. Matthew 4:1). Doesn't this prove that Jesus is not God? Answer:

James is not denying the fact that God can be tempted in some sense. In order to know what James exactly meant we quote the immediate context: "Let no one say when he is tempted, 'I am being tempted by God"; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death." James 1:13-15 James is referring to evil inclinations, sinful desires, that causes a person to be tempted and sin. Since God has no evil inclinations, no lustful feelings or sinful desires, it is not possible for God to be tempted to sin. God is completely good and holy. What James is basically

saying is that only God has no desire to do anything that is sinful. Yet, this doesn't mean that fallen creatures cannot tempt God, since the Holy Scriptures clearly teach that many have tried to tempt God, and failed miserably: "Then all the congregation of the children of Israel set out on their journey from the Wilderness of Sin, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped in Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink. Therefore the people contended with Moses, and said, ‗Give us water, that we may drink.‘ So Moses said to them, ‗Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?‘" Exodus 17:1-2 NKJV

"Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;" Numbers 14:22 KJV "On another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD , and Satan also came with them to present himself before him. And the LORD said to Satan, ‗Where have you come from?‘ Satan answered the LORD, ‗From roaming through the earth and going back and forth in it.‘ Then the LORD said to Satan, ‗Have you considered my servant Job?

There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil. And he still maintains his integrity,though you incited me against him to ruin him without any reason.‘" Job 2:1-3 "Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: When your fathers tempted me , proved me, and saw my works forty years." Hebrews 3:8-9 KJV The Holy Bible also says that even the Holy Spirit can be tempted: "Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed togetherto tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out." Acts 5:9 KJV Therefore, God cannot be tempted despite people ever so often trying to tempt him. There is nothing within God to which sin could appeal and make him be tempted to do anything unholy or evil. It is in that sense that James says God cannot be tempted (in his innermost being) to do evil even if he is tempted from the outside to do something that he does not want (i.e. people or demonic beings trying to make him do something that is not in agreement with his perfect will). Even if people (seek or try to) tempt him – looking at the event from the outside –, he is not tempted – looking at his inner reaction to the temptation. In a sense, this is a problem of the English language which uses the same word for two very different things. An illustration may Offering help to clarify issue better thanbeabstract explanations: SomeThey people revolt at cigarettes. them athe cigarette will not a temptation whatsoever. do not even have to struggle to refuse. Because of their disgust for it they will immediately reject it. For others, particularly former smokers who just quit, being offered a cigarette is a temptation which they have to actively fight, and force themselves to deny the offer, even though there is a desire in them to take it. Everyone has a certain set of innermost desires (some maybe harmless and others bad or sinful). We can be externally tempted (by others) for everything, but will only be internally tempted by those external temptations which find a corresponding desire inside of us.

In a similar manner, just because Jesus was tempted doesn't mean he isn't God, anymore than Yahweh God being tempted proves that he cannot be God either. Nor does this mean that since Christ was tempted he, therefore, had lustful or evil inclinations which would move him to sin. Second, James had no problem in affirming the Deity of the Lord Jesus, despite the fact that Christ had been tempted: "James, a servant of God AND OF the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes in the Dispersion: Greetings." James 1:1 "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory." James 2:1 James says that he is the slave of God AND OF the Lord Jesus, and calls Jesus the Lord of y: glory. James wasn‘t the only one who identified Jesus as the Lord of glor "None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Corinthians 2:8 The title, "Lord of glory", indicates that both James and Paul believed that Jesus is Yahweh since the OT speaks of the glory of Yahweh, that Yahweh is the one who is truly glorious: Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, thatthe King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! King ofSelah glory Lift in. upWho yourisheads, O gates! And The lift them ancient thatthe may come this King of glory? LORDup, of O hosts, he isdoors, the King of glory!

Psalm 24:7-10 d I will be the glory in "‗And I will be to her a wall of fire all around,‘ declares the LORD, ‗an her midst.‘" Zechariah 2:5 Yahweh also said that he would not share his glory with another: "I am the LORD; that is my name;my glory I give to no other , nor my praise to carved idols." Isaiah 42:8 "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another. Listen to me, O Jacob, and Israel, whom I called! I am he; I am the first, and I am the last." Isaiah 48:11-12 Hence, the criticism only shows that the questioner doesn‘tunderstand the Holy Bible since

none of the NT authors had a problem with Jesus being tempted and, at the same time, believing that he was also God.

Finally, the question fails to take into consideration that Jesus wasn't only God but was also fully and truly human. Therefore, as a man, Christ could experience the same general temptations that all men experience, but with one HUGE difference. The Lord Jesus never acted upon these external temptations but remained completely sinless:

"Simon Peter answered him, ‗Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know,that you are the Holy One of God .‘" John 6:68-69 "The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." John 7:18 "And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone,for I always do the things that are pleasing to him... Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" John 8:29, 46 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me," John 14:30 "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 "For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself." Hebrews 7:26-27 "how much more to willGod, the blood Christ, who through eternal Spirit offered cleanseofyour conscience fromthe dead works to serve theHimself living God?" without blemish Hebrews 9:14 "knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot ." 1 Peter 1:18-19 "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22 "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit," 1 Peter 3:18 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1 "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himselfas he is pure... You know that he appeared to take away sins,and in him there is no sin ." 1 John 3:3, 5 To conclude, the divinely-inspired Scriptures teach that all three divine Persons can be tempted without this implying that they cannot be God, or that they have some evil inclination which would cause any of them to sin.

Question 14: If Jesus really is God how could Satan tempt him? And how could the Devil offer him authority to rule over the very kingdoms of the earth which should have already belonged to Christ in the first place if he really is God? Answer:

This entails a somewhat lengthy reply and explanation of basic Christian theology. Yet for those who don‘t have time to read through all of this please skip tothe summary statement found near the end. Basic Theology 101 – God’s rule over creation and man as his coregent

In the first place, the Holy Bible teaches that God owns and controls the entire creation, including the earth: "The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters." Psalm 24:1-2 "I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it." Psalm 50:9-12 The grants Holy Bible further teaches designated man of as God‘s ruler over the physical creation, and humans the right to that reignGod over all the works hands: "Then God said, ‗Let us make man in our image, in our likeness,and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.‘ So God created man in his own image, in the image of

God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, d subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea ‗Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth an and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.‘ Then God

said, ‗I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that

has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground —everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.‘ And it was so." Genesis 1:26-30 "When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet: all flocks and herds, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, all that swim the paths of the seas." Psalm 8:3-6 "The highest heavens belong to the LORD,but the earth he has given to man." Psalm 115:16

"You [Nebuchadnezzar], O king, are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory; in your hands he has placed mankind and the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. Wherever they live, he has made you ruler over them all. You are that head of gold." Daniel 2:37-38 "‗This is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree the Most High has issued against

my lord the king: You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven. Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes. The command to leave the stump of the tree with its roots means that your kingdom will be restored to you when you acknowledge that is Heaven rules.‘ … The words were still on his lips when a voice came from heaven, ‗This what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like cattle. Seven times will pass by for youuntil you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over the kingdoms of men and gives them to anyone he wishes.‘ … ‗At the end

of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified himwho lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were

returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorifythe King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." Daniel 4:24-26, 31-32, 34-35 The Fall of man and the rule of Satan

The Holy Bible also indicates that, as a result of man‘s disobedience where the first human

couple listened to the Serpent/Satan (Genesis 3; Revelation 12:9, 20:2), God handed mankind over to the control and dominion of the Devil and sin: "Jesus replied, ‗I tell you the truth, everyone who sinsis a slave to sin … You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the

beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.‘" John 8:34, 44

"We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual,sold as a slave to sin. I do not understand what I do.I agree For what want to is dogood. I do not hate I Ido. And ifwho I dodowhat I do not want to do, thatI the law As do, it is,butit what is no Ilonger myself it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God's law; but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war

against the law of my mindand making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members." Romans 7:14-23 "Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law,nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God ." Romans 8:5-8 "and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:26 By taking control of humanity Satan also took possession of all that man had dominion over, such as the world. This is why the Devil is called the prince/ruler of this world and is said to have a kingdom: "Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out." John 12:31 "I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming. He has no hold on me," John 14:30 "and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned." John 16:11 "As followed for you, you in world your transgressions in whichofyou to live when you the were waysdead of this and of the rulerand of sins, the kingdom theused air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient." Ephesians 2:1-2 "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12 "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one." 1 John 5:19 At times Satan will exercise his rule from a specific geographical location, in certain places such as Pergamum, which became the capitol of emperor worship and where an altar of Zeus had been built: "To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These are the words of him who has the sharp, double-edged sword. I know where you live—where Satan has his throne. Yet you remain true to my name. You did not renounce your faith in me, even in the days of Antipas, my faithful witness, who was put to death in your city—where Satan lives." Revelation 2:1213 Moreover, we are told that a network of wicked and unclean spirits shares Satan‘s rule over the world:

"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war. The understanding of the message came to him in a vision. At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, ‗Daniel, you whoare highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.‘ And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, ‗Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day

that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there withthe king of Persia.‘ … So he said, ‗Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. -13, 20-21 (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.‘" Daniel 10:1 The princes that the angel was referring to were spirit beings who exercised control over the human rulers of those respective areas and places. A very important qualification is necessary at this point. Even though Satan rules the world he does not have ultimate control since he is still subject to the sovereign authority of God and can only act and do as God allows. The God who humbled himself to become a servant

Now as far as Jesus is concerned, even though he is God and owns everything, being the very Heir of every created thing: "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matthew 11:27; cf. Luke 10:22 "Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‗They will respect my son,‘ he said. But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, T ‗ his is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.‘" Matthew 21:37-38; cf. Mark 12:6-7; Luke 20:13-14

"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… He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. Wehave seen

his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3, 10-11, 14 "The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands." John 3:35 "He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." John 16:14-15 "All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." John 17:10 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3 He set aside his rule and authority for a season in order to assume the role of a servant by becoming a man: "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28 – cf. Mark 10:45 "For is greater, one who thewh table or the." one serves? Is it not the one who is at thewho table? But I amthe among you is asatone o serves Lukewho 22:27 Jesus demonstrated his servant role by washing the feet of his followers, including Judas! "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‗Lord, are you going to wash my feet?‘ Jesus replied, ‗You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.‘ ‗No,‘ said Peter, ‗you shall never wash my feet.‘ Jesus answered, ‗Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.‘ ‗Then, Lord,‘ Simon Peter replied, ‗not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!‘ Jesus answered, ‗A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole bod y is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.‘ For he knew who was going to betray him,

and that was why he said not every one was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. ‗Do you unders tand what I have done for you?‘ he asked them. ‗You call me "Teacher" and "Lord," and rightly so, for that is what I

am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.‘" John 13:3-15 It is interesting that John mentions that the Father had placed all things under the authority or power of the Son in the same context where he records the Lord‘s act of washing the feet of

his followers. This underscores the fact that Christ willfully humbled himself in order to

assume the role of a servant even though he is the unique, beloved Son of God who owns and rules all things. It further shows that the Lord exercised his authority not by force, but through acts of love and service as a demonstration of the heart of God for his people. The Lord further spoke of the glory he at one time had with the Father, thereby implying that he didn‘t have that glory while he was on earth:

"And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:5 The blessed apostle Paul stated it best: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9 And: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who,being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8 The Son who comes to destroy the kingdom of darkness

One of the reasons why Christ came was to destroy the power of Satan and the kingdom of darkness: "He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work." 1 John 3:8 He did this by setting people free from the power and effects of sin, such as physical diseases and demon-possession: "and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." Mark 1:34 "For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‗You are the Son of God.‘" Mark 3:10-11

"When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, ‗You are the Son of God!‘ But he rebuked them and would not allow them

to speak, because they knew he was the Christ." Luke 4:40-41 "On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues,and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, ‗Woman, you are set free

from your infirmity.‘ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and

praised God. Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, ‗There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.‘ The Lord answered him, ‗You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie

his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?‘ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated,

but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing." Luke 13:10-17 "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power,and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen —by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead." Acts 10:36-41 The Lord also came to take the penalty of sin, which is death, in order to remove the charges against mankind for breaking the holy Law of God: "When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your sinful nature, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross. And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2:13-15 Satan – The Accuser of the brethren

Paul‘s point here is that by doing away with the charges against sinful mankind for breaking God‘s moral code through his death on the cross, Christ has disarmed the spiritual powers

and authorities since he has left them with no grounds to accuse and condemn the people of God. The Scriptures clearly state that one of the functions of Satan is to accuse God‘s elect:

"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD,and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, ‗The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?‘" Zechariah 3:1-2 "Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: ‗Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ.For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.‘" Revelation 12:10;

cf. Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7

Yet because Christ has paid the price for sin and has made peace between God and his people through his blood (i.e. death), the Devil can no longer bring any charge against them before God‘s judgment seat.

As the blessed Apostle wrote elsewhere: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, … But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we

were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation." Romans 5:1, 8-11 "And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this?If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all —how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship

or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‗For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.‘ No, in all these things

we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angelsnor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:30-39 The inspired writer of Hebrews says something similar: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death,so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers… Since the children haveflesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for (hilaskesthai, lit. – turn aside God's wrath, taking away the sins of) the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:911, 14-18 Satan held the power of death in that he instigated the rebellion of the first couple, whereby he brought them under the condemnation of sin, namely death. By tasting death for all whom God would save Christ took on the penalty of sin, and by his resurrection Christ demonstrated that he had destroyed death itself. His resurrection further showed that God had accepted

Jesus‘ death as an atoning sacrifice which satisfied God‘s justice and appeased his holy wrath, which is what hilaskesthai literally means. In other words, Jesus‘ death made God

propitious or favorable towards sinners, being the basis upon which God could now look upon man graciously and forgive him of all his sins. The Son who sets us free

Since the price for sin has been paid, and God‘s justice and holiness have been satisfied, sinners can now be set free from the power and rule of Satan and enter into God‘s reign by

repenting and believing in the Lord Jesus: "‗I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,‘ the Lord replied. ‗Now get up and stand on your

feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyesand turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place -18 among those who are sanctified by faith in me.‘" Acts 26:15 "For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the all dead, that indwell everything might havehim the supremacy. God was pleased to have his so fullness in him,heand through to reconcile For to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:13-20 e depth. With the foregoing in perspective we can now examine Jesus‘ temptation in mor Jesus’ Temptation Reexamined

Here is the temptation account as reported by Luke: "And Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were ended, he was hungry. The devil said to him, ‗If/since (ei) you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.‘ And Jesus answered him, ‗It is written, "Man shall not live by bread alone."‘ And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‗To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it willall be yours.‘ And Jesus answered him, ‗It is written, "You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve."‘ And he took him to Jerusalem (ei) you are the Son of and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him,If/since ‗ God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, "He will command his angels

concerning you, to guard you," and "On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your d your foot against a stone."‘ And Jesus answered him, ‗It is said, "You shall not put the Lor

God to the test."‘ And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until

an opportune time." Luke 4:1-13 And here is a portion from Matthew‘s version:

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, ‗If/since (ei) you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.‘ But he answered, ‗It is written, "Man shall not live by breadalone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God."‘" Matthew 4:1-4

There are several key points which can be gleaned from the above texts. In the first place, lest the readers assume that Satan wasn‘t certain whether Jesus is God‘s Son we need to point out that the Greek conjunctionei (if/since) doesn‘t necessarily express doubt. Rather, the conjunction suggests that Satan is tempting Christ precisely because he knows he is God‘s

Son and wants him to fail. As NT commentator Donald A. Hagner explains: "… The question has been prepared for in the baptism narrative, where Jesus is designated

the Son of God (see on Comments 3:17). In the temptation pericope the relation of the Son to the will of his Father is called into question (cf. the likening of Israel to a son in Deut. 8:5). The testing is accomplished here by the suggestion of something that, looked at from another perspective or in a different context, is within the power and prerogative of the Messiah. The tempter does not suggest uncertainty on his part concerning the divine sonship of Jesus by use of ei, ‗if‘ (in a first-class condition). Indeed, the situation here is like the narrative about the demons, e.g. in Mark 1:24, where with the invasion of their realm, the demons have an intuitive knowledge of here the true identity…" of Jesus. Thus, from the perspective of theMatthew devil, we1might well translate ei World Biblical Commentary: as ‗since‘ (Hagner, 13 [Word Books Publishers, Dallas TX, 1993], pp. 64-65) Secondly, we are expressly told that it was the Holy Spirit who drove Jesus into the desert for the specific purpose of being tempted or tested by the Adversary. Thirdly, notice that the texts further say that the Tempter started to test Christ the moment he was hungry. This indicates that it was God‘s will for Jesus to face the enemy of our souls during one of his weakest moments in order to overcome all that Satan would bring against him. Yet Jesus only did this right after he was filled with the Holy Spirit, therefore showing us by his example how to be victorious over the enemy. Suffering as the path of glory

It also shows that the Devil thought that this was his opportune time to cause Jesus to stumble. Even though Satan clearly knew that Jesus was God‘s Son he must have assumed that by becoming human Christ was now susceptible to sin and capable of failure since he was seeing Jesus getting tired and hungry from being in the desert and fasting for forty days. The Devil must have reasoned to himself that if Christ could be so weak and hungry as a result of being a man then he surely must also be prone to sinning and disobeying God in his weak condition.

Another point to be gleaned from all of this is that Satan must have known that God‘s

purpose was for Christ to experience human frailty and suffering before he could enter into his glory. The enemy may have reasoned that the reason why God sent forth his Son was to experience human weakness in order to learn what it was like to be faithful to God‘s will in

spite of human pain and anguish. As Hebrews puts it: "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." Hebrews 5:8 Only after fully experiencing such human frailty would Christ be able to reclaim the glory that he had before the world was created. This is something that the Devil was determined to prevent from happening, and yet he was quite unsuccessful since the Lord Jesus proved faithful and overcame the attempts of the evil one. In fact, on one occasion the Lord Jesus spoke of having to suffer in order to enter into his glory: "And he said to them, ‗O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?‘ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the

Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27 Moreover, Jesus himself told his followers that the road leading to life was difficult and only few would be able to make it: "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Matthew 7:13-14 – cf. Luke 13:21-30 The above seems to support our interpretation that Satan‘s purpose was to entice Jesus in his

moment of weakness to avoid the path of human suffering so as to not fulfill the will of God. The enemy clearly didn‘t want Jesus to endure hardship and pain since he seemed to realize that this was the way that God had ordained for his Son to regain his glory. However, our exegesis seems to run into a bit of problem when we take into consideration that the Devil was instrumental in causing the death of the Lord Jesus. Why would he want Christ to die on the cross when he tried to entice the Lord to avoid suffering by offering him a shortcut to glory and royal authority? This leads us to our next point. The Mystery that was kept hidden

The Holy Bible further informs us that God‘s purpose in the death of the Lord Jesus was kept

hidden from the rulers of this age, which would naturally include the spirit authorities as well:

"We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. No, we speak of God's secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Corinthians 2:6-8 This helps us understand why Satan would want to have Jesus crucified since he didn‘t realize that the cross was God‘s means of destroying his kingdom and po wer over the sons of

men and the earth. The Devil thought that by having Jesus killed he would be ending the ministry of Christ, thereby causing him to fail in accomplishing God‘s purpose.

We know that the Devil wanted Jesus to be killed since he entered Judas in order to influence the latter to betray his Master and Lord: "Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve. And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. They were delighted and agreed to give him money." Luke 22:1-5 "The evening meal was being served,and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus… After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, ‗I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.‘His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant. One of them, the disciple whom Jesus loved, was reclining next to him. Simon Peter motioned to this disciple and said, ‗Ask him which one ‗It he is means.‘ back against Jesus, he asked him,when ‗Lord,I have who is it?‘ Jesus answered, the oneLeaning to whom I will give this piece of bread dipped it in the dish.‘ Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him ." John 13:2, 21-27 This means that Satan didn‘t factor in the crucifixion as being an integral part of Jesus‘ trials. The Devil must have assumed that Christ‘s suffering only included such things as human

hunger, fatigue etc., but not crucifixion. The enemy must have thought that by instigating the death of Jesus he would be basically terminating Christ‘s ministry and thereby thwart God‘s

will in the process. Little did he realize how wrong he was. This, perhaps, also explains the shock and confusion of the evil spirits at seeing Jesus before the appointed time of their destruction: "And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. And behold, they cried out, ‗What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to

torment us before the time?‘" Matthew 8:28-29

"When Jesus had stepped out on land, there met him a man from the city who had demons. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he had not lived in a house but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him and said with a lou d voice, ‗What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.‘

For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many a time it had seized him. He was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break

the bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.) Jesus then asked him, ‗What is your name?‘ And he said, ‗Legion,‘ for many demons had entered him.And they begged him not to command them to depart into the abyss." Luke 8:27-31

Note that, even though these spirits were seeing Jesus for the first time, they fully knew who he was and were clearly aware that he would be the One to destroy and torment them at the hour designated by God. The demons also realized that Christ had the power to send them into the abyss, or the place where demons are imprisoned and where Satan will be bound for a thousand years: "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time." Revelation 20:1-3; cf. 9:1-12 The only way these demons could have known all of this is if they already knew who Jesus was and had already seen him beforehand in the spirit realm, in heaven itself. This interpretation makes sense in light of the emphatic and explicit Biblical teaching that Christ is the preexistent Son of God who came down from heaven (*). In other words, the reason why the evil spirits were shocked to see Jesus before the appointed day is because God had kept the knowledge of the Incarnation hidden from them. The demonic realm was prevented from knowing that God would send his Son before the judgment day in order to destroy by his ministry and perfect life of obedience, which included dyingthe on kingdom the crossof in darkness order to set people free from the power and effects of sin and Satan‘s control.

Summary statement

God has the right of ownership because he is the Creator and sovereign Ruler of the entire creation. God also designated man as his coregent, giving him the right to rule the world as his agent and representative. Yet since the Fall Satan has been given permission to rule this world as a consequence ofman‘s rebellion against God since the first human couple chose to obey the Adversary instead of God their Creator. The Lord Jesus owns creation by virtue of being the Divine Son of God. Yet Christ temporarily gave up his right to rule the moment he entered into creation in order to function in the role of a servant by becoming a man. Satan, thinking that Jesus was prone to sinning since he had become a man who could experience human weaknesses such as hunger and fatigue, seized the opportunity by enticing Christ to turn away from God‘s purpose for him. The Devil thought he could cause Jesus to sin by giving him the option of receiving authority to rule once again without having to follow the path of suffering, even though this was the way God had ordained for the Son to enter into the glory he had with the Father before the world began.

Satan soon found out that he was wrong and powerless against the Son of God since Christ‘s

entire purpose in going to the desert was to take whatever the Devil could throw at him and successfully overcome him in the power of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, it seems that the Devil didn‘t realize that part of Christ‘s suffering included the shame and humiliation of dying on the cross, which accounts for why he instigated Jesus‘

betrayal by Judas and subsequent death at the hands of the Gentiles due to the insistence of the Jewish religious leaders. The enemy must have erroneously assumed that Christ‘s

sufferings only included such things as experiencing human fatigue, hunger, weakness etc., but not death on the cross. Had he known that the crucifixion would mean the end of his reign of evil as well as his control over the lives of the people of God Satan would have obviously tried to prevent Christ from going to the cross. Yet God, in his perfect wisdom, kept this hidden from the enemy and even used him to fulfill his will for the Son to die since this was the means by which the Almighty would render Satan powerless. In other words, the Devil actually helped to accomplish his own destruction by instigating the death of God‘s unique and beloved Son, the Lord Jesus, the eternal King of glory!

The following quotation from an Apostolic father helps capture the gist of what we have been saying: Chapter 19. Three celebrated mysteries

Now the virginity of Mary was hidden from the prince of this world, as was also her offspring, and the death of the Lord; three mysteries of renown, which were wrought in silenceall bythe God. How, then, the world? Awhile star shone forth in heaven above other stars, thewas lightHeofmanifested which wastoinexpressible, its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star, and its light was exceedingly great above them all. And there was agitation felt as to whence this new spectacle came, so unlike to everything else [in the heavens]. Hence every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was removed, and the old kingdom abolished, God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life. And now that took a beginning which had been prepared by God. Henceforth all things were in a state of tumult, because He meditated the abolition of death. (The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians; source; underline emphasis ours) This blessed disciple of the glorious Apostles of our risen Lord Jesus hit the nail on the head. In fact, we couldn't have stated it any better! Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_tempted.htm http://www.tektonics.org/gk/godmistakecreate.html http://www.4jehovah.org/help-jw-jesus-god.php

Question 15: How can Jesus be God when he denies being absolutely good, and says that only God is good (cf. Mark 10:18)? Answer:

The passage, in context, actually says: "As He was setting out on a journey, a man ran up to Him and knelt before Him, and asked Him, ‗Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?‘ And Jesus said to him,Why ‗ do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.‘" Mark 10:17-18 By wrenching such statements out of their immediate and overall contexts, the impression is given that the Lord Jesus is actually denying he is God since he denies that he is good in the sense that God is good. The questioner's logic goes something like this: 1. God alone is (absolutely) good. 2. Jesus is not (absolutely) good. 3. Therefore, Jesus is not God. This misleading selectivity leads the questioner to erroneously conclude that Jesus was denying his essential goodness. He/she automatically assumes that Jesus is denying his absolute purity without taking into consideration the overall context of Mark, as well as the entire NT, to see if this is indeed what Christ was trying to convey. In other words, in order to truly understand what Jesus meant we need to interpret his words in the overall Christological picture of the Gospel writers, specifically in light of Mark's Christology. Once this is done it will become quite apparent that the last thing Mark (as well as the other writers) was trying to do was cast doubt on Jesus' absolute sinlessness and Deity. Here are some citations from Mark which helps put things in proper perspective: "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. Immediately coming up out of the water, He saw the heavens opening, and the Spirit like a dove descending upon Him; and a voice came out of the heavens:You ' are My beloved Son, in You I AM WELL-PLEASED.'" Mark 1:9-11 "Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by na evil spirit cried out, ‗What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are the Holy One of God! ‘ ‗Be quiet!‘ said Jesus sternly. ‗Come out of him!‘ The evil spirit

shook the man violently and came out of him with a shriek. The people were all so amazed that they asked each other, What is this? A new teaching - and with authority!He even gives orders to evil spirits and they obey him." Mark 1:23-27 "After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them . And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, ‗Rabbi, it is

good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.‘ (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) Then a cloud appeared and

enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‗This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!‘" Mark 9:2-7 "He had one more to send,a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vine-growers said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!'" Mark 12:6-7 Jesus is God's beloved Son, his Holy One and Heir, with whom God is pleased. For God to say that he is well pleased with the Lord Jesus, and for him to be called God's Holy One, implies that Christ is absolutely good and morally pure. "... And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men ... And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic,‘My son, your sins are forgiven.’ But there were some of the scribes sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‗Why does this man speak that way? He is blaspheming; who can forgive sins but God alone?‘ And immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they were reasoning that waywithin themselves, said to them, ‗Why are you

reasoning about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, "Your sins are forgiven"; or to say, "Arise take up your pallet and walk"? But in order that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins‘ - He said to the paralytic - ‗I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.‘ And he rose and immediately took up the pallet and went out in the sight of all; so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‗We have never seen anything like t his.‘" Mark 2:3, 5-12 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 "And He said to them, ‗This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.‘"

Mark 14:24 Christ can forgive sins on the basis of his having the divine authority to do so, and as a result of his forfeiting his own life as a ransom for others. Again, the only way Christ can forgive sins and die as a ransom is if he were sinless. Otherwise, he would need to be forgiven of his own sins and would be in need of a ransom. "Consequently, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath ." Mark 2:28 God alone is sovereign over his own Sabbath: "For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, a holy convocation. You shall not do any work; it is a sabbath to the LORD in all your dwellings." Leviticus 23:3 The only way that Christ could be Lord over the Sabbath is if he is God, and yet to be God is to be absolutely good. "For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark 8:38

"And Jesus began to say, as He taught in the temple, 'How is it that the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself said in the Holy Spirit, "THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD, 'SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET.'" David himself calls Him 'Lord'; so in what sense is He his son?' And the large crowd enjoyed listening to Him." Mark 12:35-37 "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together HIS ELECT from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven." Mark 13:26-27 "But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, 'Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' And Jesus said, 'I AM; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.'" Mark 14:61-62 Christ is identifying himself as the Son of Man whom the prophet Daniel saw in a vision, the very One who reigns forever and whom all must serve: "I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 Thus, Jesus is the Son of Man who sits enthroned forever at God's right hand as Lord over all the angels and the entire creation! These are just some of the many passages from Mark that establish the absolute purity and sinlessness of the Lord Jesus. Here are several from John's Gospel: "Simon Peter answered him, ‗Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God .‘" John 6:68-69 "And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said,He ‗ is a good man,‘ others said, ‗No, he is leading the people astray.‘ ... He who speaks on his own

does so to gain honor for himself, but he who works for the honor of the one who sent him is a man of truth; there is nothing false about him." John 7:12, 18 Some of the crowds acknowledge that Jesus is good, with Christ later denying that there is anything false about him. In other words, Jesus doesn‘t just agree with those who say about

him that he is good, but goes way beyond that by asserting that he is absolutely good! "The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,for I always do what pleases him ... Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me?" John 8:29, 46 "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep ... I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me." John 10:11, 14 To summarize the preceding data, we learned that:

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Jesus is God's Holy One. Jesus is God's beloved Son. Jesus is the Heir. Jesus is the Forgiver of sinners. Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus is David's Lord. Jesus is the Lord of the angels, of demons, and of the elect. Jesus is the the divine Son of Man who comes on the clouds to reign forever.

In light of the foregoing, we can now exegete the passage to see what the Lord Jesus actually meant to say to the rich man. In the first place, Jesus didn't say "I am not good, only God is good", but simply poses a question to the man to think more deeply about the implications of his words. The implication being that if Jesus is good, and only God is good, then Jesus is God. Again, note the logic behind this: 1. God alone is (absolutely) good. 2. Jesus is (absolutely) good. 3. Therefore, Jesus is God. If the man truly believed this then he must be willing to abandon everything for Christ. This is precisely what Jesus demanded: "And looking at him, Jesus felt love for him, and said to him, ‗One thing you lack: go and sell

all you possess, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven;and come, FOLLOW ME.‘" Mark 10:21

Jesus demands a devotion that is to be given solely to God. This is clearly seen in light of the fact that Jesus' demand was made right after the man had indicated his observance to the last six commands of the Ten Commandments. These commands were given to govern a person's relationship with others. The first four commandments govern a person's devotion to God. The man's trouble was that he loved money more than God, and hence his money became an idol. He had to be willing to die to his idolatry by giving it up in order to devote himself completely to the pure worship of God. Yet, amazingly, Jesus never asked the man to follow the first four commandments, or to follow God completely, but directed the man to follow him. The reason being is that to wholeheartedly follow the Lord Jesus is to fulfill one's obligation to God. Thus, Jesus was implicitly claiming to be God since he was basically saying that to follow him is to follow God, to obey him is to obey God, to love him is to love God. Therefore Jesus is God! To put it another way, Mark wants his readers to understand that Jesus is the human appearance of Yahweh God Almighty. As one Evangelical writer put it: ... Mark wanted his readers to know that Jesus was "the Son of God" in a unique sense. Thus, when God announces that Jesus is his Son in 1:11 and 9:7, Mark's Greek reveals the unique nature of his sonship. In each instance, Mark uses the Greek adjectiveagapetos ("only beloved") in what Greek grammarians call the "second attributive position." An adjective in this position receives particular stress. In both 1:11 and 9:7, therefore, God says that Jesus is "my son - the uniquely beloved one." The high priest at Jesus' trial seems to understand the unusual connotation of Jesus' claim to divine sonship in the parable of the wicked tenants

(12:6). Looking for a conviction, he asks Jesus the apparently astounding question, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" (14:61). The unique nature of Jesus' relationship to God is evident throughout Mark's narrative. When Jesus forgives the sins of the paralytic in 2:5, the scribes think disapprovingly, "Who can forgive sins but God alone?" Although the question is rhetorical - the scribes intend it to be a statement of the obvious truth that Jesus has usurped a divine prerogative - it prompts the Christian reader to think of Jesus as acting in the way God acts. Mark has led us to think of Jesus as God. This impression is confirmed in 4:41 when, after stilling the raging storm, the disciples ask, "Who is this that even the wind and the waves obey him?" The disciples know that the stilling of raging storms is the business of Yahweh (Ps. 65:7; 89:9; 107:28-30), and their question implies the unthinkable - that when they are in the presence of Jesus, they are in the presence of God himself. The same implication arises from Jesus' question to the rich man. Jesus asks, "Why do you call me good? No one is good - except God alone" (10:18). We know by this time in the narrative that Jesus is good; as the people of the Decapolis have said, "He has done everything well" (7:37). But if Jesus is good and no one is good but God alone, then it implies that Jesus is God. (Frank Thielman,Theology of the New Testament: A Canonical and Synthetic Approach, [Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 2005], Chapter 3. Mark: The Death of God's Son As Good News, pp. 63-64) We couldn't have stated it any better!

Question 16: According to Jesus only God is good (cf. Matthew 19:16-17; Mark 10:17-18; Luke 18:18-19), whereas in John 10:11, 14 Jesus says that he is good. Now Christians claim that these verses prove that Jesus is Divine because he supposedly calls himself good, and yet only God is good. There seem to be two main problems with this position. First, the word for good in John 10:11, 14 is kalos whereas in the Synoptic Gospels it is agathos. Doesn’t this show that Jesus wasn’t claiming to be just as good as the Father seeing that two different words are being used? Moreover, both Joseph of Arimathea and Barnabas are called good (Luke 23:50; Acts 11:24). If the logic of the Christians was valid then this means that they too are God since they happen to be good! How do Christians avoid escaping the dilemma of their own logic?(1) Answer:

First, not "good" refer to to John 10:11which in order to prove thatbeJesus is God merelyknowledgeable because JesusChristians applies thedo word himself, would indeed a weak argument, but as evidence todisprove that Jesus was denying his essential goodness in Matthew 19:16-17, Mark 10:17-18 and Luke 18:18-19. In other words, it is the antiTrinitarian, especially the Muslim, who uses Jesus‘ statement in these aforementioned Synoptic texts to disprove his Deity,prompting the Trinitarian response that Christ wasn‘t

denying his absolute goodness but was questioning the man to see whether he had thought through his reasoning since if he had then he would realize that he is basically claiming that Jesus is God. So, this is nothing more than a straw man argument.

For more on this point we suggest readingthis article. With that being said, a careful reading of the immediate context of John 10:11 and 14 will easily prove that Jesus was claiming to be the good Shepherd in the same way that the OT says Yahweh is the Shepherd of his flock: "‗Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the gatekeeper opens;the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.‘ This figure Jesus used

with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them. So Jesus again said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you,I am the door of the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers; but the sheep did not heed them. I am the door; if any one enters by me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep…I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd .‘" John 10:1-11, 14-16 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the Kingwill say to those at his right hand, ‗Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;‘" Matthew 25:31-34 "And Jesus said to him, ‗Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost.‘" Luke 19:9-10 Compare the words of the Lord Jesus with the following OT texts: "Therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: As I live, says the Lord GOD, because my sheep have become a prey, and my sheep have become food for all the wild beasts, since there was no shepherd; and because my shepherds have not searched for my sheep, but the shepherds have fed themselves, and have not fed my sheep; therefore, you shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: Thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my sheep at their hand, and put a stop to their feeding the sheep; no shall will rescue my sheep their mouths, theylonger may not bethe foodshepherds for them.feed For themselves. thus says theILord GOD: Behold, I, Ifrom myself will search that for my sheep, and will seek them out. As a shepherd seeks out his flock when some of his sheep have been scattered abroad, so will I seek out my sheep; and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. And I will bring them out from the peoples, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land; and I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the fountains, and in all the inhabited places of the country. I will feed them with good pasture, and upon the mountain heights of Israel shall be their pasture; there they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on

fat pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I will make them lie down, says the Lord GOD. I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the crippled, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will watch over; I will feed them in justice. As for you, my flock, thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I judge between sheep and sheep, rams and he-goats. Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must foul the rest with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have fouled with your feet? Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD to them: Behold, I, I myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep. Because you push with side and shoulder, and thrust at all the weak with your horns, till you have scattered them abroad, I will save my flock, they shall no longer be a prey; and I will judge between sheep and sheep." Ezekiel 34:7-22 In fact, just as Yahweh appoints individuals to shepherd his flock: "My servant David shall be king over them; and they shall all have one shepherd. They shall follow my ordinances and be careful to observe my statutes. They shall dwell in the land where your fathers dwelt that I gave to my servant Jacob; they and their children and their children's children shall dwell there for ever; and David my servant shall be their prince for ever." Ezekiel 37:24-25 "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds (poimainein) of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." Acts 20:28 Jesus also selects specific persons to care for his sheep: "When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, ‗Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?‘ He said to him, ‗Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.‘ He said to him, ‗Feed MY lambs.‘ A second time he said to him, ‗Simon, son of John, do you love me?‘ He said to him, ‗Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.‘ He said to him,Shepherd ‗ (Poimaine) MY sheep.‘ He said to him the third time, ‗Simon, son of John, do you love me?‘ Peter aws grieved because he said to him the third time, ‗Do you love me?‘ And he said to him, ‗Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.‘ Jesus said to him,Feed ‗ MY sheep.‘" John

21:15-17 Christ made further claims which only One who believed himself to be God could ever make: "Jesus answered them, ‗I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's

name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I GIVE THEM ETERNAL LIFE, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 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 the Jews picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, ‗I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?‘ ‗We are not stoning you for any of these,‘ replied the Jews, ‗but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.‘" John 10:25-33

Once again compare the words of the Lord Jesus with the following OT references:

"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39 "There is none holy like the LORD;there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God … The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up." 1 Samuel 2:2, 6 "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness," Psalm 95:7-8 ESV "‗All the nations gather together,and the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare

this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to prove them right, and let them hear and say, It is true. You are my witnesses,‘ declares the LORD, ‗and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he.Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,‘ declares the LORD, ‗and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?‘"

Isaiah 43:9-13 Notice the similarities between Yahweh and Jesus:  

Liker Yahweh, the sheep hear Jesus‘ voice. Like Yahweh, no one can pluck the flock out of Jesus‘ hand.



Like Yahweh, Jesus gives his sheep eternal life and preserves them. As if this wasn‘t astonishing enough, Jesus says that he is one with the Father right after

stating that the latter is greater than all, which in the context refers to those who would try to pluck believers from the Father‘s all-powerful hand. To more fully appreciate the implications of these statements, keep in mind that Jesus‘ point

is that there is no person who can prevent God from protecting his flock since there is no being that is as powerful as God who can thereby thwart his purposes in preserving his sheep. Yet the Lord Jesus places himself in a unique category since he actually believes that he is his Father‘s equal, being one with him in ability and power which is completely unlike anyone else! Therefore, Jesus‘ statement that he and the Father are one obviously refers to oneness in

essence and power since Christ is able to do what only the Almighty God can do! e on John 10 and its wider context, as well as Jesus‘ essential unity with the Father, For morread please the following articles:1, 2, 3, 4

Second, some Muslims are under the mistaken assumption that becausekalos and agathos are two different words this therefore implies that Jesus, in John 10, wasn‘t claiming to be good in the same sense that he said God was good since the two words do not overlap in meaning. These Muslims seem to be assuming that the Greek terms cannot be used interchangeably or synonymously. Yet a careful reading of the Holy Scriptures will demonstrate that a person who is kalos will also be agathos and vice-versa:

"So, every good (agathon) tree bears good (kalous) fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. A good (agathon) tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good (kalous) fruit. Every tree that does not bear good (kalon) fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Matthew 7:17-19 A tree that is agathos produces fruit that is kalos, and the fruit being kalos is evidence that the tree is agathos. Both come together. "So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just andgood (agathe). Did that which is good (agathon), then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good (agathou), in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin. I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good (kalos)." Romans 7:12-16 God‘s law is called kalos and agathos.

"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good (kales) life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom... But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good (agathon) fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity." James 3:13, 17 A life which is kalos produces fruits that are agathos. All of thesethen passages indicate moral qualities or a person, word or deed and are can be discussed, the two words,that kaloswhen and agathos , go together. They are synonyms exchanged without loss of meaning, e.g. in Matthew 7kalos is used to characterize the fruit but in James 3 it is agathos, yet both passages talk about the same thing, the fruits produced by a genuine spiritual life. It makes no sense to pitkalos against agathos and claim that one can be the first without the latter. They belong together. What this basically means is that for Jesus to be kalos he must also be agathos. More on this shortly. Third, the point of Jesus in Matthew 19:17 (as well as Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19) is that God is absolutely good and the Source of all goodness. Everyone else is good because God has made him or her such: "John answered, ‗No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven.‘" John

3:27 "For who sees anything different in you? What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?" 1 Corinthians 4:7

"But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me." 1 Corinthians 15:10 "And God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that you may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:8

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure." Philippians 2:12-13 "Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change." James 1:17 "His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence," 2 Peter 1:3 Thus, the reason why Joseph or Barnabas could be called good is solely because of God‘s grace. These men weren‘t good in and of themselves, unlike the Lord Jesus, as we will see

shortly. Fourth, the word agathos is used of the Lord Jesus in the following text: "And there was much muttering about him among the people. While some said,He ‗ is a good man (agathos estin),‘ others said, ‗No, he is leading the people astray.‘ ... ‗He who speaks on

his own authority seeks his own glory; but he who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and IN HIM there is NO FALSEHOOD.‘" John 7:12, 18 Christ is so good that he is absolutely sinless! Jesus‘ absolute perfection and purity is affirmed all throughout the inspired NT Scriptures: "And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,for I always do what is pleasing to him of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" . … Which John 8:29, 46

No man could dare say that he always pleases God, and yet Christ could! He could further challenge his opponents to find fault with him, such was his awareness of his own absolute moral perfection. And: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 "Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and

then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself." Hebrews 7:25-27 "how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself

without blemish to God, purify your conscience from dead works to serve the living God."

Hebrews 9:14

"You know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19 "For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.He committed no sin; no guile was found on his lips. When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten; but he trusted to him who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed." 1 Peter 2:21-24 "For Christ also died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit;" 1 Peter 3:18 "My little children, I am writing this to you so that you may not sin; but if any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2 "And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure… You know that he appeared to take away sins,and in him there is no sin." 1 John 3:3, 5 In light of the foregoing it shouldn‘t come as a surprise that the NT documents claim that the

Lord Jesus is the very Source of goodness, that he is the One who makes someone good, holy and pure: "I amhe thetakes true away, vine, and Father is the vinedresser. Every mine that bear bearsmore no fruit, andmy every branch that does bear fruit hebranch prunes,ofthat it may fruit. You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, FOR APART FROM ME YOU CAN DO NOTHING. If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the

branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." John 15:1-8 "He is the source of your life IN CHRIST JESUS, whom God made our wisdom,our righteousness and sanctification and redemption;" 1 Corinthians 1:30 "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor sexual perverts, nor thieves, nor greedy, drunkards, norwere revilers, nor you robbers inherit the kingdom of God. And suchthe were somenor of you. But you washed, werewill sanctified, you were justified IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST and in the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 "And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruits of righteousness which come through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God." Philippians 1:9-11

"For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one srcin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying, ‗I will proclaim your name to my brethren, in the midst of the congregation I will praise you.‘" Hebrews 2:11-12

"And by that will we have been sanctifiedthrough the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all… For by a single offeringhe has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Hebrews 10:10, 14 The above texts conclusively demonstrate that it is Christ, and union with him, which produces goodness in a person since he is the One who makes people holy and perfect. In fact, not only do we find all throughout the inspired books of Luke/Acts that Jesus is called the Holy and Righteous One: "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this." Acts 3:14-15 Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming ofthe Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—" Acts 7:52 "Then he said: ‗The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.‘" Acts 22:14

We are also toldChrist: that forgiveness of sins and sanctification entirely come from believing in specifically the Lord Jesus "He said to them, ‗This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.‘ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them , ‗This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached IN HIS NAME to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

Luke 24:44-47 "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless youby turning each of you from your wicked ways." Acts 3:26

"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel." Acts 5:31

"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power,and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen —by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the

people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about himthat everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:36-43 "Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses." Acts 13:38-39 "After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‗Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.‘" Acts 15:7-11 "Then I asked, 'Who are you, Lord?' ‗I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,‘ the Lord a replied. ‗Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as

servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified BY FAITH IN ME.‘" Acts 26:15-18

{Note: Theofreason chose to quote of these being texts from because thefrom two examples others we such as Joseph andallBarnabas goodLuke-Acts were takenisspecifically these books.} Seeing that all of the above Biblical references affirm that goodness and repentance come to us from God through the Lord Jesus, Christ must therefore be good in exactly the same way and sense which God is. Since the citations we presented emphatically affirm that the Lord Jesus is absolutely pure, completely sinless, and the very Source of goodness, being the One who makes people holy and pure, he must therefore be God. To put this in simpler terms Jesus Christ, unlike Joseph and Barnabas, is perfectly good because he is God Almighty! Amen. Endnotes (1) This

argument has been adopted from the following Muslim "rebuttals:"(1, 2).

It is evident from these "replies" that the Muslims either have no clue what the Christian position is or are deliberately distorting it in order to attack a straw man. For example, in the second link Muslim neophyte Sami Zaatari claims that Christians use Matthew 19:16-17 to prove that Jesus is God, which is a gross distortion of the facts. We, therefore, challenge him to quote the particular Christian resource or author that made such a claim.

Yet since Muslim dawagandists are starting to use this argument more often we have decided to address it here once and for all, by God‘s grace.

Question 17: How can Jesus be God when the Hebrew Bible says God is not a man? Cf. Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Hosea 11:9. Answer:

None of those biblical texts say GodCANNOT be a man, but say that GodIS not a man, a major difference: "God IS not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?" Numbers 23:19 "And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he IS not a man, that he should have regret." 1 Samuel 15:29 "I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath." Hosea 11:9 It is true that during the Old Testament period God hadn‘t become a man, but this doesn‘t

deny that GodThe could choose to later a man, specifically thebecome Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Hebrew Bible itselfbecome supports the view that Godincan a man, without ceasing to be God, since there are places where God appeared in human form: "The LORD appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. Abraham looked up and sawTHREE MEN standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.He said, ‗If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. Let a little water be brought, and then you may all washYOUR FEET and rest under this tree. Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way-now that you have come to your servant.‘ ‗Very well,‘ they answered, ‗do as you say‘… He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. WHILE THEY ATE, he stood near them under a tree. ‗Where is your wife Sarah?‘ they asked him. ‗There, in the tent,‘ he said.THEN THE LORD SAID, ‗I will THEN surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son‘… THE LORD SAID TO ABRAHAM, ‗Why did Sarah laugh and say, "Will I really have a

child, now that I am old?" Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the

appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.‘ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, ‗I did not laugh.‘ BUT HE SAID, ‗Yes, you did laugh.‘WHEN THE MEN GOT UP TO LEAVE,

they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. THEN THE LORD SAID, ‗Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?‘ ... THEN THE LORD SAID, ‗The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great

and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached me. If not, I will know.‘ The men turned away and went toward

Sodom, BUT ABRAHAM REMAINED STANDING BEFORE THE LORD. Then

Abraham APPROACHED HIM and said: ‗Will you sweep away the righteous with the

wicked? What if there are fifty righteous people in the city? Will you really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it? Far be it from you to do such a thing - to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you!Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?‘ THE LORD SAID, their ‗If I find fifty righteous people in the city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for sake‘… WHEN THE LORD HAD FINISHED SPEAKING WITH ABRAHAM, HE LEFT, and Abraham returned home." Genesis 18:1-5, 8-10a, 13-17, 20-26, 33

To support the premise that God actually appeared as one of the three men note that Genesis 18:22 says the men got up and headed towards Sodom and Gomorrah, whereas Yahweh remained behind with Abraham: "So the men turned from there, and went toward Sodom; but Abraham still stood before the LORD." RSV Now if Yahweh wasn't one of the three men then we would expect to find that all three men went ahead to Sodom. But this is not what we find since the very next chapter says: "The TWO angels came to Sodom in the evening; and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and bowed himself with his face to the earth, and said, 'My lords, turn aside, I pray you, to your servant's house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise up early and go on your way.' They said, 'No; we will spend the night in the street.' But he urged them strongly; so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he made them a feast, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate." Genesis 19:1-3 RSV Only two men show up at Sodom, which the text identifies as two angels. Where was the third man? You guessed it, the third man had remained behind to talk to Abraham since that man was actually Yahweh God who had appeared with the other two! Noted Messianic Jewish scholar, writer, and evangelist Dr. Michael L. Brown mentions the interesting comments the rabbis made about this specific text: "According to the Talmud (b. Bava Messia 86b), God himself was paying Abraham a personal sick call, checking on him after the ordeal of circumcision. Here is the expanded translation of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz (the actual words of the Talmud are in bold). We read that Abraham went out and saw the Holy One, blessed be He, standing at the door of his tent, as the verse 'And the Lord appeared to him by the terebinths of Mamre.'This is what the verse is

says,

referring to when it says (Gen 18:3): 'And he said, "O Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, do not, I pray you, pass by Your servant."'In this verse Abraham was speaking to God himself (and so addressed Him as Lord and referred to himself as His servant.) When God saw that Abraham was busy tying and untying the bandages of his circumcision,He said to Himself, 'It is not fitting that I stay here while Abraham is taking care of His wound.' He was about to remove His presence when Abraham pleaded with Him to stay a little longer. And this is also what the verse refers to when it says (Genesis 18:2): 'And he raised his eyes and looked, and, behold, three men stood by him; and when he saw them, he ran to meet them.'

Now, here, we have a biblical text that indisputably says that the Lord - Hebrew YHWH appeared to Abraham and the Talmud even relates in story form how Abraham actually saw 'the Holy One, blessed be He,' addressing him as Lord. Yet, just a few words later, this very same biblical text says that Abraham looked up and sawthree men, the Talmud giving the impression that God himself appeared to Abraham, only to be replaced by these men. Who were the three men?... According to the Talmud, the three men were the angels, Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, each with his own special task. Michael came to give Sarah the good news that she would soon have a son, Raphael came to heal Abraham, and Gabriel went to overthrow the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (although the Talmud says that Michael went along with Gabriel so as to rescue Lot). But there are problems with this view too. First, the text nowhere says that the angels replaced or represented the Lord. Instead, the Bible says that the Lord appeared to Abraham, that he saw three men, and that he addressed one of them both as Lord ('adonai) and as YHWH. Second, the context indicates clearly that two of the men went on to Sodom- where they are identified as angels- and that Abraham stayed before YHWH, with whom he had extended dialogue. To be faithful to the Scriptures we must say that the Lord, with two angels, appeared to Abraham, and all three appeared as human beings who spoke, ate, and drank with Abraham and Sarah." (Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus: Theological Objections [Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 2000], Volume 2, pp. 3133) Despite the rabbis trying to imply that Yahweh didn't appear as a man and wasn't one of the three men, a view which clearly contradicts the plain reading of the text, their admission that Abraham did in fact see God is interesting nonetheless. Other references to God manifesting in human form include: "So Jacob was left alone, andA MAN wrestled with him till daybreak. WhenTHE MAN saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob's hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled withTHE MAN. Then THE MAN said, ‗Let me go, for it is daybreak.‘ But Jacob replied, ‗I will not let you go unless you bless me.‘THE MAN asked him, ‗What is your name?‘ ‗Jacob,‘ he answered. ThenTHE MAN said, ‗Your name will no

longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men and have overcome.‘ Jacob said, ‗Please tell me your name.‘ But he replied, ‗Why do you ask my name?‘ Then he blessed him there . So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, ‗It is because I SAW GOD FACE TO FACE, and yet my life was spared.‘" Genesis 32:24-30

"And above the expanse over their heads there was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like sapphire; and seated above the likeness of a throne was a likeness with A HUMAN APPEARANCE. And upward from what had the appearance of his waist I saw as it were gleaming metal, like the appearance of fire enclosed all around. And downward from what had the appearance of hisLike waist saw as it were and there wasday of rain, brightness around him. theI appearance of the the appearance bow that is of in fire, the cloud on the so was the appearance of the brightness all around. Such was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard the voice of one speaking… AND HE SAD TO ME, ‗Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.‘ And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said ot me, ‗Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to

nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to

them, and you shall say to them, "Thus says the Lord GOD." And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them. 6 And you, son of man, be not afraid of them, nor be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with you and you sit on scorpions. Be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house. And you shall speak my words to them, whether they hear or refuse to hear, for they are a rebellious house. But you, son of man, hear what I say to you. Be not rebellious like that rebellious house; open your mouth and eat what I give you.‘ And when I looked, behold, a hand was stretched out to me, and behold, a scroll of a

book was in it. And he spread it before me. And it had writing on the front and on the back, -28, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe.‘" Ezekiel 1:26 2:1-10 The Hebrew Bible even predicts that the Messiah of David is actually God in the flesh: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." Isaiah 9:6-7 Here, the Messiah is a child who is born, showing that he is truly human, while also being the Mighty God at the same time. "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and heinshall reignInashis king andJudah deal wisely, shall justice andsecurely. And righteousness the land. days will be and saved, andexecute Israel will dwell this is the name by which he will be called: Yahweh ‗ is our righteousness.‘" Jeremiah 23:56 The Messiah is David‘s Branch, implying that he is a human descendant of David, hwile also

being Yahweh our righteousness. These texts clearly indicate that God will become man in the Person of the Messiah, whom the NT says is the Lord Jesus! Furthermore, Moses also calls God "a man of war" (ish milhamah): "The LORD is a man of war: the LORD is his name." Exodus 15:3 KJV Other places where God is called a man of war include: "The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man, he shall stir up jealousylike a man of war (ish milhamah): he shall cry, yea, roar; he shall prevail against his enemies." Isaiah 42:13 KJV

The foregoing demonstrates that in some ways God and man are alike, i.e. both God and man have a warrior spirit. Yet in other respects God is completely unlike man, namely that God is perfectly holy and consistent whereas man is not. Thus, passages such as Numbers 23:19 do not rule out the possibility of God appearing as a man and/or becoming a man. It simply states that God's essence is distinct from man, without denying the fact that God could/would eventually take on a human nature. In reality, these

texts simply illustrate that God is not a manby nature and doesn‘t therefore lie or change his mind like men normally do. What this basically means is that if God chose to become a man then he wouldn‘t be like other men … he would becompletely pure and holy. And since God did become man in

Christ we find that this is exactly the kind of person Jesus was, namely, absolutely pure and sinless: "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are--the Holy One of God." Mark 1:24 "Simon Peter answered him, ‗Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know,that you are the Holy One of God .‘" John

6:68-69 "The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory, but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood." John 7:18 "And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone,for I always do the things that are pleasing to him… Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?" John 8:29, 46 "I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no claim on me," John 14:30 thethe Holy and Righteous One "But and you you denied , and askedfrom for the a murderer be granted you, killed Author of life, whom God raised dead. Totothis we are to witnesses." Acts 3:14-15

"For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21 "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 "For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens." Hebrews 7:26 "how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Hebrews 9:14 "knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot." 1 Peter 1:18-19 "He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth." 1 Peter 2:22 "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit," 1 Peter 3:18

"My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father,Jesus Christ the righteous." 1 John 2:1 "And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himselfas he is pure… You know that he appeared to take away sins,and in him there is no sin ." 1 John 3:3, 5 To conclude, Christians believe that God wasn't always a man, but later became man at the Incarnation. The eternal Word of God took on a real human nature, while still remaining fully God in essence.

Question 18: God has sons by the tons. For example, the Bible says that angels are God’s sons (Genesis 6:2, 4), the nation of Israel is God’s son (Exodus 4:22; Jeremiah 31:9), the kings of Israel like David are God’s sons (Psalm 2:7), Adam is God’s son (Luke 3:38), and even peacemakers are God’s sons (Matthew 5:9). Paul himself says that all true believers are God’s children (Romans 8:14). So why do Christians mistakenly assume that Jesus is God because he is said to b e God’s Son? And wouldn’t this also prove that the term son of God simply refers to someone who is a righteous servant of God?

Answer:

It is true that the Bible teaches that God has many sons but it is not correct to assume that this somehow means that Jesus is God‘s Son in the same sense as the rest. In the first place, angels are God‘s sons in the sense that they are spiritual creatures that dwell in heaven, God‘s abode, unlike man who is created from the dust of the ground to dwell on

earth (cf. Genesis 2:4-7, 3:19; Job 1:6, 2:1, 38:4-7). In other words, angels are called sons because their nature is similar to God in that they are spirit beings like God: "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24 "And of the angels He says: ‗Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of

fire.’" Hebrews 1:7 NKJV

But even here we need to be careful since God is an omnipresent and timeless Spirit Being

whereas angels are not. Thus, even though angels are similar to God this doesn‘t mean that

they are identical to him since God is infinitely more complex and greater than them: "And the heavens will praise Your wonders, O LORD; Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the saints. For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by allthose around Him. O LORD God of hosts, Who is mighty like You, O LORD? Your faithfulness also surrounds You." Psalm 89:5-8 NKJV

Secondly, the nation of Israel is God‘s sonbecause he chose them to be his people who

would reflect his glory to the nations: "‗You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and

brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine,you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.‘ These are the words you are to speak to the

Israelites." Exodus 19:4-6 "I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy." Leviticus 11:44-45 And as Israel‘s Father God would save and protect them, as well as provide for their every

need, much like an earthly father does for his children: "Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live and increase and may enter and possess the land that the LORD promised on oath to your forefathers. Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years.Know then in your heart tha8:1-5 t as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you." Deuteronomy

"But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name." Isaiah 63:16 Thirdly, David and the rest of Israel‘s kings were God‘s sons because they were chosen to sit on God‘s throne to rule over his people. As such, God served as guardian of the throne ho w

made sure that their enemies were brought under complete subjection: "Why do the nations conspire and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the LORDand against his Anointed One. ‘Let us break THEIR chains,’ they say, ‘and throw off THEIR fetters .‘ The One enthroned in

heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, ‗I have installed my King on Zion, my holy hill.‘ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me, ‗You are my Son; today I have become your Father. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.‘ Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him."

Psalm 2:1-12 "David said to Solomon: ‗My son, I had it in my heart to build a house for the Name of the

LORD my God. But this word of the LORD came to me: "You have shed much blood and

have fought many wars. You are not to build a house for my Name, because you have shed much blood on the earth in my sight. But you will have a son who will be a man of peace and rest, and I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side. His name will be Solomon, and I will grant Israel peace and quiet during his reign. He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever."‘" 1 Chronicles 22:7-10 "Then David said to the whole assembly, ‗Praise the LORD your God.‘ So they all praised the LORD, the God of their fathers; they bowed low and fell prostrate before the LORD and the king… Then they acknowledged Solomon son of David as king a second time, anointing him before the LORD to be ruler and Zadok to be priest.So Solomon sat on the throne of the LORD as king in place of his father David. He prospered and all Israel obeyed him. All the officers and mighty men, as well as all of King David's sons, pledged their submission to King Solomon. The LORD highly exalted Solomon in the sight of all Israel and bestowed on him royal splendor such as no king over Israel ever had before." 1 Chronicles 29:20, 22b-25 and Fourth, Adam is God‘s son by virtue of the fact that God created him, being hisife-giver l Sustainer. In this sense everyone is a child of God since God gives life to and provides for everyone: "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. ‗For in him we live and move and have our being.’ As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are h is offspring.‘ Acts 17:24-28

Fifth, the reason why peace-makers are called God‘s children is because they reflect and share God‘s attribute of peace. In other words, the term son is being used here in the sense of

one who has a specific characteristic of God (albeit to a limited extent). Jesus, on the other hand, is the unique Son of God: "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son (ton huion ton monogenee), ves in him that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life… Whoever belie is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name ofGod's one and only Son (tou monogenous huiou tou theou)." John 3:16, 18 The term monogenes literally means of sole descent, only one of its kind, unique(*). Thus, Jesus is the only Son of his kind, God‘s Son in a unique manner, Son in a sense that no one else is.(1) Christ‘s uniqueness consists of his having thefollowing qualities and characteristics:

1.He bears the very nature of God:

"The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ,who is the image of God. For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, ‗Let light shine out of darkness,‘ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians 4:4-6

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:Who, being in very nature God , did not consider equality with God something to be grasped," Philippians 2:5-6 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation… For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him," Colossians 1:15, 19 "The Son is the radiance of God's gloryand the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:3 Christ bearing the nature or form of God and being the very exact representation of God‘s

being means that he is fully God in essence, that he has every essential attribute of God. This is precisely the point made by both John and Paul in their inspired writings: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God (kai theos een ho logos)." John 1:1 John places the word "God" ( theos) before the verb "was" (een) in order to stress and emphasize the qualities or nature of the Word. John is basically saying that the Word has all the essential qualities when he writes that: of Deity, possessing the very nature of God. Paul says the same thing "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form," Colossians 2:9 In light of this does it come as a surprise that Jesus is addressed as God orTheos in the NT? "Thomas said to him, ‗My Lord andmy God!‘" John 20:28

"Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:5

"while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearingof our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," Titus 2:13

"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:" 2 Peter 1:1 Or that OT prophecy identifies him as the Mighty God? "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6-7 2. He Fully Comprehends and Reveals the Nature of God to man.

"At that time Jesus said, ‗I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven nd a earth, because you have

hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure. All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father,and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.‘" Matthew 11:25-27 "It is written in the Prophets: ‗They will all be taught by God.‘ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. No one has seen the Fatherexcept the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father." John 6:45-46 "Then Jesus, still teaching in the temple courts, cried out, ‗Yes, you know me, and you know

where I am from. I am not here on my own, but he who sent me is true. You do not know him, but I know him because I am from him and he sent me.‘" John 7:28-29

"Just as the Father knows meand I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep." John 10:15 "Righteous Father, though the world does not know you,I know you, and they know that you have sent me." John 17:25 The point that the above references are all making is that since Jesus alone has seen and knows God, due to his intimate relationship as the Son, he alone is qualified and capable of perfectly revealing God to man. In the words of the inspired Evangelist: "No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only (monogenes theos), who is at/in the Father's side/bosom, has made him known (exeegeesato). John 1:18 The word exeegeesato, which comes from exeegeomai, means: 1) to lead out, be leader, go before 2) metaph., to draw out in narrative, unfold a teaching a) to recount, rehearse b) to unfold, declare 1) the things relating to God 2) used in Greek writing of the interpretation

of things sacred and

divine, oracles, dreams, etc. (Source) John is essentially saying that Jesus is the One who explains or interprets God for man, that he is the perfect commentary on God‘s nature, which is precisely what he claims in his first

epistle: "We know also that the Son of God HAS COME and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true . And we are in him who is true —even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 This explains why Jesus could say that to see him is to see the Father: "Then Jesus cried out, ‗When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me,he sees the one who sent me.‘" John 12:44-45

"‗If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.‘ Philip said, ‗Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.‘ Jesus answered: ‗Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on -11 the evidence of the miracles themselves.‘" John 14:7

Noted NT and evangelical scholar Murray J. Harris sums it up best: "Central to the Christian tradition is the belief that God as he is in himself cannot be seen by the physical eye; he is invisible (1 Tim. 1:17; 1 John 4:12). No one has seen him or can see him (1 Tim. 6:16). But equally central is the conviction that, in Christ, God the Father has revealed himself perfectly. Jesus Christ has accurately and comprehensively made visible the invisible nature of God: No one has ever seen God. The only Son, who is God and who resides in the Father‘s heart–

he has revealed him. (John 1:18, my translation) Only the Son who shares the divine nature (cf. John 1:1) is qualified to reveal the Father personally and completely. John‘s compound verb (exegesato, ‗he has revealed‘) implies the perfection of God‘s self-revelation in Christ. In response to Philip‘s request. ‗Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us‘ (John 14:8), Jesus remarked, ‗Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father‘ (John 14:9).

It is not only the apostle John who expresses this view of the role of Jesus. Paul depicts Jesus as ‗the image of the invisible God‘ (Col. 1:15). That is, he is the exact and visible expression

of a God who has not been seen and cannot be seen. Then there is the author of Hebrews, who declares that ‗the Son is the radiance of God‘s glory and the exact representation of his being‘ (Heb. 1:3). The two Greek terms in this verse are colorful. Apaugasma (‗radiance‘) pictures Christ as the ‗outshining‘ or ‗effulgence‘ or ‗irradiated brightness‘ of God the Father‘s inherent glory.Charakter (‗exact representation‘) points to Christ as the flawless expression of God‘s nature, one who is indelibly stamped with God‘s character." (Harris, Three Crucial Questions about Jesus [Baker Books, Grand Rapids MI, 1994], pp. 70-71)

And: "… John‘s point in the verse [John 1:18] is that, although no person on earth can claim to

have gained knowledge of God as he is in himself, Jesus Christ, the only Son, has accurately and fully revealed God to humankind, since he himself is God by nature and intimately acquainted with the Father by experience." (Ibid, p. 94; comments within brackets ours) 3. He existed with God before creation and was sent to redeem it: "He was with God in the beginning… He was in the world,and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory,the glory of the One and Only (hos monogenous), who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:2, 10-11, 14

"No one has ever gone into heavenexcept the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.… For God did not SEND his Son INTO the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him." John 3:13, 17 "Jesus said to them, ‗I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven.For the bread of God is HE who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world .‘… Then Jesus declared, ‗I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me

will never be thirsty… All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of himwho sent me, that I shall lose none of

all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.‘ At this the Jews began to grumble about him because he said,I ‗am the bread that came down from heaven.‘ They said, ‗Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, "I came down from heaven"?‘… ‗I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna in the desert, yet they died.But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which a man may eat and not die.I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world… Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever… What if you see the Son of Manascend to where he was before!‘" John 6:32-33,

35, 37-42, 47-51, 57-58, 62 "But if I do judge, my decisions are right, 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 men is valid. I am one who testifies for myself; my other witness is the Father, who sent me." John 8:16-18

"Jesus said to them, ‗If God were your Father, you would love me,for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me." John 8:42 "‗Yes, Lord,‘ she told him, ‗I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come INTO the world.‘" John 11:25-27

"No, the Father himself loves you because you have loved me and have believed that I came from God. I came from the Father and entered the world; now I am leaving the world and going back to the Father." John 16:27-28 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:5 "For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature,God did by SENDING his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man," Romans 8:3 "But when the time had fully come,God SENT his Son, born of a woman, born under law," Galatians 4:4

"This is how God showed his love among us:He SENT his one and only Son (ton huion autou ton monogenee) INTO the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved usand SENT his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins… And we have seen and testifythat the Father has SENT his Son to be the Savior of the world. If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in

God." 1 John 4:9-10, 14-15 4. He is the Agent and Heir of all creation: "He had one left TO SEND, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‗They will is the heir. Come, let's kill him, respect my son.‘ But the tenants said to one another, This ‗ and the inheritance will be ours.‘ So they took him and killed him, andthrew him out of the vineyard." Mark 12:6-8 "All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:22 "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." John 1:3, 11 "The Father loves the Sonand has placed everything in his hands." John 3:35 "Jesus knew that the Fatherhad put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;" John 13:3 "All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you." John 16:15 "All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." John 17:10 "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins… For by HIM all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by HIM and for HIM. HE is before all things, and in HIM all things hold together. And HE is the head of the body, the church;HE is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything HE might have the supremacy… And through HIM to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross. Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." Colossians 1:14, 16-18, 20-22 "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son , whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." Hebrews 1:1-2 "But about the Son he says… ‗In the beginning, O Lord, you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will

all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be -12 changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:8a, 10 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it,and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3 5. He holds universal sovereignty and rules forever. "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:7 "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him.His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‗All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.‘" Matthew 28:18

"But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?‘ ‗I am,‘ said Jesus. ‗And you will seethe Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One andcoming on the clouds of heaven.‘" Mark

14:61-62 "You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end." Luke 1:31-33 "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God,and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‗Look,‘ he said, ‗I see heaven openand the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.‘" Acts 7:55-56 "and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the deadand seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present agebut also in the one to come." Ephesians 1:19-21 "For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God ." Ephesians 5:5

"For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves," Colossians 1:13 "But about the Son he says, ‗Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and

righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.‘" Hebrews 1:8-9 "and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:11 The foregoing makes it abundantly clear that the NT doesn‘t place Jesus in the same category

as the other children of God, which leads us to our next point. Believers are not children of God by nature but through adoption, which occurs as a result of trusting in God‘s unique Son:

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of n atural descent, nor of human decision or a husband‘s will, but born of God." John 1:12-13 "You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who lives raisedinChrist the dead will also to your mortal bodies through his.Spirit, For you who you…from because those who aregive led life by the Spirit of God are sons of God did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear,but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, ‗Abba, Father.‘ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory." Romans 8:9-11, 14-17 "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ . There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:26-29 "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his burdensome, for everyone born of God the world.the This is the commands victory thatare hasnot overcome the world, even our faith. Whoovercomes is it that overcomes world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God ." 1 John 5:1-5 Thus, whereas Jesus‘ filial relationship with God is essential, since he is a Son by nature, believers become God‘s children the moment they receive Christ as Lord by faith.

Finally, contrary to the assertion of the questioner the term son of God does not simply mean someone who is a righteous servant since sons are much greater than slaves:

"After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax came to Peter and asked, ‗Doesn't your teacher pay the temple tax?‘ ‗Yes, he does,‘ he replied. When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. ‗What do you think, Simon?‘ he asked. ‗From whom do thekings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own sons or from others?‘ ‗From others,‘ Peter answered. Then ‗ the sons are exempt,‘ Jesus said to him. ‗But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line.

Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it -27 and give it to them for my tax and yours.‘" Matthew 17:24 "Jesus replied, ‗I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family,but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.‘" John 8:34-36

And every child of God receives the following blessings and privileges: "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent meand have loved them even as you have loved me. Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before

the creation of the world." John 17:20-24 "I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be thechoice, sons ofbut God be will reveof aled revealed in us. The waits in eager expectation . one For the creation wascreation subjected to frustration, not by itsfor own bytothe the who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." Romans 8:18-25

"So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable,it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor,it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness,it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body,it is raised a spiritual body . If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: ‗The first man Adam became a living being‘; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you,

brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the

saying that is written will come true: ‗Death has been swallowed up in victory.‘ ‗Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?‘ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give

yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."1 Corinthians 15:42-58 "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‗Abba, Father.‘ So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son,God has made you also an heir." Galatians 4:6-7 "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:20-21 "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us,that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears,we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." 1 John 3:1-3 Hence, a child of God is one who is perfected forever and receives a glorified physical body, which is free from sin and decay, so that s/he can live in God‘s eternal presence and reign

with Christ forever! All scriptural quotations taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Holy Bible, unless noted otherwise. Recommended Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol2/8b.html http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Challenge/chap3.html http://answering-islam.org/Silas/sonofgod.htm http://answering-islam.org/Silas/son2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/sonship.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/eternal_generation.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/christ_heir.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_son_of_most_high.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_sabbath_lord2a.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_sabbath_lord2b.htm Endnotes (1) Muslims

erroneously assume that modern Bibles like the RSV and NIV have removed the

word begotten from John 3:16 because it was discovered that this phrase wasn‘t found in eth

srcinal manuscripts (MSS). Nothing could be further from the truth since the Greek word which the KJV translated as only-begotten, monogenes, is still found there in the Greek MSS.

What modern translations have done is to provide a more accurate rendering of the Greek term.

Question 19: The Bible says God cannot change (Cf. Numbers 23:19; 1 Samuel 15:29; Psalm 102:2627; Malachi 3:6; Romans 11:29; Hebrews 6:17-18; James 1:17), and that he is allknowing (Cf. Job 37:16; Psalm 147:4-5; 1 John 3:20). But the New Testament teaches that Jesus did change and that he didn't even know the day or hour of his return (Cf. Mark 13:32; Luke 2:40,52). How can Jesus be God if he doesn't even have these essential attributes of God? Answer:

Before we start addressing the question, we must first clarify what the Holy Bible means that God cannot change. According to the Holy Scriptures, God is a Dynamic Being, not a static entity, who interacts with his creation and often manifests his presence in a visible manner within time and space. This implies that when the Bible speaks of God's unchangeability, or immutability, this is referring to God's essence, his attributes, his purpose, his decrees, but it doesn't mean that God is immobile or immovable, that God is static and doesn't act or interact with his creatures. With the foregoing in mind, we can now proceed to the question. The Holy Scriptures teach that theThe Lord Jesus is God's also eternal Word became flesh, becamehaving a real all human being. same Scriptures teach thatwho Christ is fully Godwho in nature, the essential attributes of Deity (Cf. John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 2:9). Now Jesus didn't relinquish his Deity in order to become man, but retained his divine nature since he can never cease being God. This is where his immutability comes in. At Christ's Incarnation, there wasn't a subtraction of his Deity, but an addition of humanity; he added, not subtracted, something to his own divine Person. Thus, when we take into account all of what the Scriptures teach about the Lord Jesus, we come to the conclusion that Christ is immutable as far as his divine nature is concerned, that Christ never ceased having all of the divine attributes even while on earth in the form of a man. But, at the same time, the Lord Jesus was also mutable in relation to his human nature. After his resurrection, Christ's human nature is no longer experiencing growth or change since it is now glorified and has attained complete human perfection. In other words, after the resurrection Christ‘s physical body became immortal.

This is thewhile reasonnot why the same canofspeak of Christ being omniscient, or all-example knowing, knowing theScriptures day or hour his return. Basically, this is another of a both/and scenario, that Christ wasboth immutable and mutable, two seemingly contradictory set of attributes coexisting side by side in the one divine Person of Jesus, since he had two distinct natures simultaneously. We don't pretend to claim that we have this figured out, or know exactly how this works in every detail. We just know that this is what the Holy Bible, God's true Word, teaches.

Here, now, is the biblical evidence supporting the fact that Christ, as far as his Deity was concerned, is immutable and omniscient even while on earth, before and after his resurrection: "But of the Son he says ... ‗You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish,but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.‘" Hebrews 1:8a, 10-12 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8 The author refers to Jesus‘ pre-incarnate state, to his pre-human existence, when Christ

created the cosmos and explicitly says that, from the very time that creation came into being, Christ remains the same. Therefore, Christ is immutable! And, as we already noted, there is obviously something different after the Incarnation, since Christ took on a human nature. Yet Jesus‘ divine nature never changed since he never ceased being God even while on earth.

"But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, 'Why do you think evilin your hearts?'" Matthew 9:4 Christ knew what these individuals were thinking within their hearts, a knowledge which the Old Testament says only God has: "then hear in heaven your dwelling place and forgive and act and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways for ( you, you ONLY, know the hearts of all the children of mankind)," 1 Kings 8:39

"For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father,and then he will repay each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:27

Christ performs a function which the Old Testament scriptures say Yahweh will perform when he comes to judge the people: "Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might, and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him." Isaiah 40:10 "and that to you, O Lord, belongs steadfast love. For you will render to a man according to his work." Psalm 62:12 Christ is, therefore, affirming to have the same omni-attributes that God alone has, since this is the only way he could be able to know and repay a person for what he/she has done. In other words, Christ is identifying himself as Yahweh God! "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, 'We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.' Nathanael said to him, 'Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, 'Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, 'Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!' Nathanael said to him, 'How do you know me?' Jesus answered him,Before ' Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I SAW YOU .' Nathanael answered him, 'Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!'" John 1:45-49

Without having been physically present in the same vicinity where Nathanael lay, Jesus already had seen him. "Whatever you ask in my name,this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask ME anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13-14 Jesus is able to both hear and answer all the prayers offered to him, requiring him to be both omniscient and omnipotent. "Now we know that you know all things and do not need anyone to question you; this is why we believe that you came from God.' Jesus answered them, 'Do you now believe?'" John 16:30-31 "He said to him the third time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him,Lord, ' you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'" John 21:17 In these citations, both before and after the resurrection, the Apostles acknowledge that Christ is omniscient. "Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart . Then each one will receive his commendation from God." 1 Corinthians 4:5 According to Paul, the Lord who is coming to judge the intents and motives is the Lord Jesus: "so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift,as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltlessin the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:7-8 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ , so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil." 2 Corinthians 5:10 Again, Jesus knows what only God can know: "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve him with a whole heart and with a willing mind,for the LORD searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will cast you off forever." 1 Chronicles 28:9 Christ, while in heavenly glory, gave his beloved John the following revelation to pass on to the Churches: "And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: 'The words of the Son of God, who has eyes like a flame of fire, and whose feet are like burnished bronze... and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches will knowthat I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.'" Revelation 2:18, 23 Jesus applies the following Old Testament language to himself, thereby identifying himself as Yahweh God:

"I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds." Jeremiah 17:10 Again, that Christ can know what is in the hearts and minds of all the people in order to repay them accordingly presupposes both his omniscience and omnipotence, as well as highlighting that he has inexhaustible means or resources at his disposal! The foregoing conclusively shows that the Lord Jesus is indeed immutable and omniscient in relation to his Deity, while being mutable and not all-knowing as far as his human nature is concerned. But even his human nature has undergone a transformation after the resurrection, achieving its full human potential, i.e. immortality, indestructibility etc. (Cf. Luke 13:32; 1 Corinthians 15:35-49; Hebrews 7:16, 25).

Now that we have provided the biblical evidence which establishes Christ's immutability, we want to take a closer look at Mark 13:32 in order to show how this passage establishes Christ's supremacy over all creation. The text says: "But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32 There is clearly an order of ascendancy here, i.e. man, angels, the Son, and then the Father. Christ is implicitly presenting himself as being superior to both men and angels, being subject only to the Father's authority. This is how it would look if we were to put it in terms of rank: 1. 2. 3. 4.

The Father. The Son. The angels. Fallen humanity.

This understanding bears out when we realize that man, according to the Holy Bible, is positionally lower than the angels for the time being, not having the glory which the angels currently have due to the fall of man. It is only in Christ that persons can reclaim and regain the glory which they had in Adam before the fall, and because of our union with Jesus we are thereby exalted higher than the angels in position (Cf. Hebrews 2:1-9). In fact, in the very same chapter of Mark, Jesus says that both the angels and God's elect belong to him, coming under his sovereign headship and authority: "And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather HIS elect from the four winds, from the ends of

the earth to the ends of heaven." Mark 13:26-27

Thus, Jesus plainly taught that he is superior to all creation, which would include all the prophets, and is subject only to his divine Father.

Question 20: Since John 3:16 says that God so loved the world why didn’t he come to die for sinners instead of sending Jesus, his Son, to do so?

Answer:

The simple answer? Because the Father created all things for the glory of his beloved Son as an expression of his infinite love for him. Therefore, since creation belongs to Christ it isn‘t

surprising, and actually makes perfect sense, that the Son came to redeem that which the Father gave to him out of his infinite love. Detailed Response

Now the readers may demand that we provide Biblical references to establish our claim. The focus of this article is to produce the Biblical data which substantiates our assertion that the reason why the Son became Incarnate, and not the Father or the Holy Spirit, is because everything exists for him and he therefore came to redeem his very own possession. But before we look at the evidence, some additional background information is needed in order to put things in their proper perspective lest the readers misunderstand the point we are making.

Yahweh Alone Created All Things

The Holy Bible plainly teaches that the one true and eternal God, whose name is Yahweh: "God further said to Moses, ‗You are to tell the Israelites, Yahweh , the God of your " ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you." This is my name for all time, and thus I am to be invoked for all generations to come ." Exodus 3:15 The New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) "Yahweh is a warrior; Yahweh is his name." Exodus 15:3 NJB "Let them know that you alonebear the name Yahweh, Most High over all the earth." Psalm 83:18 NJB Created all things by himself, and that he didn‘t havesomeone helping him to create the

universe: "Then the Levites, Jeshua, Kad'mi-el, Bani, Hashabnei'ah, Sherebi'ah, Hodi'ah, Shebani'ah, and Pethahi'ah, said, ‗Stand up and blessthe LORD your God from everlasting to everlasting. Blessed be thy glorious namewhich is exalted above all blessing and praise.‘ And Ezra said: ‗Thou art the LORD, thou alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and thou preservest all of them; and the host of heaven worships thee.‘" Nehemiah 9:5-6

"Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be just before God? If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength -- who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded? -- he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger; who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; who ALONE stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea; who made the Bear and Orion, the Plei'ades and the chambers of the south; who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number." Job 9:2-10 "Did not he who made me in the womb make him? And did notONE fashion us in the womb?" Job 31:15 "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: ‗I am the LORD, who made all things, who stretched out the heavensALONE, who spread out the earth -Who was with me? –‘" Isaiah 44:24

"Have we not all one father? Has not one God created us? Why then are we faithless to one another, profaning the covenant of our fathers?" Malachi 2:10 "and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things;" Ephesians 3:9

"(For every house is built by some one, but the builder of all things is God.)" Hebrews 3:4

All Creation Exists For The Glory Of Yahweh

Moreover, Yahweh created everything for himself in order to make known his glory and nature to those whom he formed to be his own possession: "I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:6-7 "The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, the people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise." Isaiah 43:20-21 Creation Is The Work Of The Triune God

At the same time, the Holy Bible teaches that Yahweh actually exists as a plurality of Divine Persons. More specifically, the Holy Bible presents Yahweh as a Triune Being consisting of the Father, the Son/Word/Wisdom, and the Holy Spirit. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Bible teaches that these three eternally distinct, yet inseparable, Persons of Deity created all things. For example, God is said to have created all things through the Son who is his eternal Word:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made… He was in the world,and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of

grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father." John 1:1-3, 10, 14 "yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ,through whom are all things and through whom we exist." 1 Corinthians 8:6 "But about the Son he [God] says, … ‗In the beginning, OLord [the Son], you laid the

foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:8a, 10-12 NIV As well as creating everything by his Holy Spirit: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth . The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." Genesis 1:1-2 "The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." Job 33:4 "When thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the ground." Psalm 104:30 The Triune God Created All Things For The Son

The Holy Bible further reveals that the Trinity created everything for the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, since he is the Heir of all things. In other words, the Father created everything for his Son whom he loves, and that everything possessed by the Father belongs fully and completely to the Son and vice-versa: "He had still one other,a beloved son; finally he sent him to them, saying, ‗They will respect my son.‘ But those tenants said toone another, ‗This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.‘" Mark 12:6-7

"All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whomthe Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:22 "He [the Son/Word] came to thatwhich was his own, but his own did not receive him." John 1:11 NIV "the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand." John 3:35

Note that the Father placed everything into the hands of the Son because of his love for Christ. "Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God," John 13:3 "All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." John 16:15 "I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them." John 17:1-2, 9-10 NIV "He has delivered us from the dominion of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities-all things were createdthrough him and FOR him. He 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 first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent." Colossians 1:13-18 "In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed THE HEIR of all things, through whom also he created the world . He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Hebrews 1:1-3 To reiterate the main points of our discussion thus far:  

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The Holy Bible teaches that Yahweh God created everything by and for himself. The Holy Bible also teaches that Yahweh is a Triune Being consisting of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. At the same time, the Holy Bible claims that the members of the Godhead created everything for the Son as the Father‘s way of expressing his infinite lovefor his Beloved. Hence, although the Triune God own and possess everything, both the Father and the Holy Spirit were pleased to hand everything that they own as members of the Godhead into the hands of the Son.

The Redeemed Are the Bride of Christ

The Holy Bible also says that the redeemed of the Lord, those whom the Father has chosen for salvation, are Christ‘s spiritual Bride, his spiritual Body, which is the Church:

"I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised youto one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him." 2 Corinthians 11:2 "For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior… Husbands, love your wives,as Christ loved the church and gave

himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water

with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it,as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. ‗For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.‘ This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church; however, let each one of you love his wife

as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband." Ephesians 5:23, 25-33 "Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.‘ (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) Then the angel said to me, ‗Write: "Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!"‘ And he added, ‗These are the true words of God.‘" Revelation 19:7-9 "Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, and spoke to me, saying, ‗Come, I will show youthe Bride, the wife of the Lamb.‘ And in

the Spirit he carried me away to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed; on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb." Revelation 21:9-14 The Son, As The Heir and Husband, Comes To Redeem His Own Possession

Since creation belongs to Christ, and believers are his spiritual Bride, he comes to save his inheritance and to redeem his people: "she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save HIS people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 "All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:27-30 "For the Son of man came to seek and to save the lost." Luke 19:10 "Jesus said to them, ‗I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and he who

believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me; and him who comes to me I will not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me; and this is the will of him who sent me,that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up at the last day. For this is the will of my Father, that every one who

sees the Son and believes in him should have eternal life;and I will raise him up at the last day.‘" John 6:35-40 "I am the good shepherd; I know my own and my own know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd…‘ Jesus answered them, ‗I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness to me; but you do not believe,because you do not belong to my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.‘" John 10:14-16, 25-30 "After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: ‗Father, the time has come.

Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.‘" John 17:1-2 NIV "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose usin him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. He destined us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace which he freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which he lavished upon us. For he has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of his will, according to his purpose which he set forthin Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite all thingsin him, things in heaven and things on earth." Ephesians 1:4-10 "For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:19-20 "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:13-14 Concluding Remarks

With the foregoing in perspective, the readers should clearly see that it makes perfect sense that the Son came to redeem creation. As the Heir and Sovereign Possessor of everything that exists of his relationship beloved Son, the Christ Lord Jesus to save that which by hisvirtue beloved Father gave himasasthe a token of his love. wouldcomes not lose the gift which God gave to him but made sure that he preserves it forever. The Lord Jesus did this to demonstrate his infinite love for his Father, as well as his infinite love for the very people that God gave him to possess: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16

"but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may knowthat I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence." John 14:31 "As the Father has loved me,so have I loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my commandment, that you love one anotheras I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you." John 15:9-15 "But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us." Romans 5:8 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." Galatians 2:20 "and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the first-born of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Revelation 1:5-6 Unless stated otherwise, all Biblical citations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible. Question 21: Christians believe that John 8:58 proves that Jesus is God because he claimed to have existed before Abraham. However, the Bible says that both Solomon ( Proverbs 8:22) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) existed before their human births. Doesn’t this show that they are God also? Besides, Jesus didn’t say he existed before Adam, only before Abraham, and even angels existed before both Adam and Abraham. Answer:

Before we address the point being raised by the objector, we first quote the immediate context of John 8:58 so as to fully appreciate what the Lord Jesus claimed for himself: "He said to them, ‗You are from below;I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of

this world. I told you that you would die in your sins, for unless you believe that I am he you will die in your sins.‘" John 8:23-24 "Jesus said to them, ‗If God were your Father, you would love me,for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.‘" John 8:42

"‗Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps MY WORD, HE WILL NEVER SEE DEATH.‘ The Jews said to him, ‗Now we know that you have a demon! Abraham died, as did the

prophets, yet you say, "If anyone keeps my word, he will never taste death." Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?‘ Jesus answered, ‗If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‗He is our God.‘ But you have not known him. I know him.f II were

to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. HE SAW IT and was glad.‘ So the Jews said to him, ‗You are not yet fifty years old, AND HAVE YOU SEEN ABRAHAM?‘ Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham came into being (genesthai), I AM.‘ So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple." John 8:51-59 The Lord Jesus, in this reference, states that he is from above, that he came from God, claims he repeated on several occasions: "‗For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent e bread that came down me.‘ … So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, ‗I am th from heaven.‘ They said, ‗Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, "I have come down from heaven"? ‘" John 6:38, 41-42

"Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending TO WHERE HE WAS BEFORE?" John 6:62 "for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came I cametofrom Father and16:27-28 have come into the world , and now I am leaving the from God. world and going the the Father." John

Jesus says that his word prevents a person from ever dying, a point he reiterates elsewhere: "Jesus said to her, ‗I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die,

yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me SHALL NEVER DIE. Do you believe this?‘ She said to him, ‗Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.‘" John 11:25-27

Jesus also claims that Abraham saw him, and that he existed even before Abraham was created which explains how it was that Abraham could see someone who had walked this earth nearly 2,000 years after him. No wonder the Jews sought to stone him! Now as far as Christ existing before Adam is concerned note carefully what Jesus says elsewhere: "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed." John 17:5 Compare this with John‘s prologue:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were madethrough him, and without him was not any thing made that was made… He was in the world,and the world was made through

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 1:1-3, 10, 14 him, yet the world did not know him… And the Word became flesh

Not only did the Lord Jesus exist before the world itself, he was also the Agent whom God used to actually create every created thing, which makes him an eternal Being and he therefore existed before the angels. In fact, he created the angels according to John! With the foregoing behind us we can now address the specific objection in question. In the first place none of the passages referred to refute the explicit NT witness to Jesus‘ prehuman existence, or of his being absolute and eternal Deity. The only thing these verses would show is that Solomon and Jeremiah existed before their human births as angelic beings, i.e. since neither of them are said to be God they must have therefore existed as angels. To therefore appeal to them in order to refute the Deity of Christ is nothing more than a non sequitur and fails to refute anything. Secondly, and more importantly, neither passage is at all similar to what is being said in John 8:58. In fact, the Proverbs 8 passage is actually being misinterpreted and misapplied since it isn‘t speaking of Solomon, but rather it is speaking of God‘s own Divine Wisdom, his personal attribute of Wisdom. The entire chapter is personifying God‘s attribute of Wisdom so as to highlight its importance in a person‘s salvation and godliness:

"Does not WISDOM CALL? Does not UNDERSTANDING RAISE HER? On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand; beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals SHE CRIES ALOUD: ‗To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the

children of man. simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, sense.will Hear, I will speak noble things, and O from my lips will come what is right, for learn my mouth utterfortruth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold, for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her. I, WISDOM, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion. The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate. I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength. By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just; by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly. I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me. Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness. My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver. I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice, granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries. The LORD possessed me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old.‘" Proverbs 8:1-22 As one can see this text has absolutely no connection with an alleged prehuman existence of Solomon. Regarding the Jeremiah passage, that citation does not say that Jeremiah existed with God before his formation in the womb. It is simply pointing out that God had appointed Jeremiah as his prophet even before he had created him:

"Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‗Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.‘"

Jeremiah 1:4-5 The word "knew" in Hebrew is yada. Depending on the contextyada can refer to intimate relations or to personal choices one makes. Note the following examples: "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, ‗I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.‘ …And Adam knew his wife again, and shebore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, ‗God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.‘" Genesis 4:1, 25

Here, yada means that Adam knew his wife intimately through sexual union. "Hear this word that the LORD has spoken against you, O people of Israel, against the whole family that I brought up out of the land of Egypt: You ‗ only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.‘" Amos 3:1 -2 The word "known" in the above simply means that from all the nations God had created he chose Israel to be his people. This is precisely how other versions translate the verb in this reference: "You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth..." NASB "You only have I chosen of all the families of the earth…" NIV "You only have I known (chosen, sympathized with, and loved) of all the families of the earth…" Amplified Bible

In other words, God is simply telling Jeremiah that he personally chose to love the latter and appoint him as his spokesperson even before he had been created. This is far different from John 8:58 since Jesus, in this reference, didn‘t say that before Abraham was born God had

already known Christ. Christ instead says that he already existed even before Abraham ever came into being, accounting for his claim that Abraham had seen him and rejoiced as a result of it. Another explanation that is given to refute the plain exegesis of John 8:58 regarding Christ‘s

prehuman existence is the assertion that Jesus was simply claiming to have existed in the foreknowledge of God. In other words, God knew and decreed the creation and mission of Christ even before Abraham actually lived, much like in the case of Jeremiah. This explanation is plainly erroneous for if this is all that Christ meant then he could not say that he was there before Abraham since even the latter existed in the foreknowledge of God (as well as everyone else for that matter). Furthermore, Christian Apologist Robert M. Bowman Jr. gives another reason why this explanation makes no sense whatsoever: "… As has already been mentioned (in chapter 6), John Calvin debated persons in his day

who interpreted the passage to mean that Jesus was eternally known by God in his

foreknowledge. This view survived late into the nineteenth century,when it was effectively put to rest by the orthodox observation that the emphatic ego allowed for no other interpretation but that Jesus himself was t he one who existed eternally . Thus, Godet, a

famous nineteenth-century biblical scholar, wrote: ‗If,‘ says Luthardt, ‗it follows from the apposition betweento be and to become, in this saying, that the existence of Christ is eternal,it follows quite as clearly from the ego that this existence is personal.‘ This, too, is proved by the comparison with Abraham. For

there would have been a touch of charlatanism on the part of Jesus in suddenly substituting an impersonal principle for His person, in His reply to the Jews, who were accusing Him of making Himself the contemporary of Abraham. If one of the two existences compared is personal, the other must be so too, otherwise, this statement, marked as it by the greatest solemnity, is not a serious one." (Bowman,Jehovah's Witnesses & Jesus

is

[Baker Book House; Grand Rapids, MI, 1995], p. 113; bold emphasis ours) Therefore, if this interpretation is correct then Jesus‘ statement at this point would have been

meaningless and the reaction of the Jews in wanting to stone him would have been without any basis. The evidence is clear; Jesus Christ is the eternal Lord of Glory, the blessed and beloved Son of God forever and ever. Amen.

Question 22: In the opening statements of the book of Hebrews the author states that God spoke through his Son "in these last days" (cf. Hebrews 1:1-2). The author is obviously implying that God hadn’t spoken through Jesus during the OT period which undermines the Trinitarian view that the Angel of Yahweh is the OT appearance of the prehuman Christ, or that Christ appeared to t he OT prophets. Answer:

We first read the text within its immediate context before addressing the objection: "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3 The inspired author explicitly says that the Lord Jesus is the Agent of creation, the One through whom God created the universe, and is the One personally sustaining creation by his powerful word. Clearly, to the author of Hebrews Jesus was active all throughout history even before his Incarnation. The point of the writer is not that God hadn‘t spoken through his Son during the OT period, but that he hadn‘t done so exclusively. The point basically being

made is that God spoke to his people through various ways and by different means, i.e.

through angels, prophets, dreams, visions etc. Yet some of those ways included speaking through his Son and Spirit, just as Hebrews itself claims: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. HE SAYS, ‗I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises .‘ And again, ‗I will put my trust in him.‘ And again HE SAYS, ‗Here am I, and the children God has given me.‘"

Hebrews 2:9-13

The author quotes the following OT texts and asserts that it was the Son, the Lord Jesus, who was speaking in them: "I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:" Psalm 22:22 "I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him. Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion." Isaiah 8:17-18 Here is another example of Jesus speaking in the OT: offering you did not not : ‗Sacrifice "Therefore, came into HE SAID desire, but awhen body Christ you prepared forthe me;world, with burnt offerings and sinand offerings you were pleased. Then I said, "Here I am—it is written about me in the scroll — I have come to do your will, O God."‘ First HE SAID, ‗Sacrifices and offerings, burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not desire, nor were you pleased with them" (although the law required them to be made). Then HE SAID, ‘Here I am, I have come to do your will.’ He sets aside the first to establish the second.‘" Hebrews 10:5-9

The passage which the author places on the lips of the Lord Jesus comes from the Greek version of Psalm 40: "Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me: whole-burntoffering and [sacrifice] for sin thou didst not require. Then I said, Behold, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me, I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart." Psalm 40:6-8 Brenton‘s Septuagint [LXX] Furthermore, Hebrews teaches that God also used the Holy Spirit as one of his means of communication during the OT period: "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, ‗Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness, where your fathers put me to the test and saw my works for forty years. Therefore I was provoked with that generation, and said, "They always go astray in their heart; they have not known my ways." As I swore in my -11 wrath, "They shall not enter my rest."‘" Hebrews 3:7

The passage being cited is this one: "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness, when your fathers put me to the test and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work. For forty years I loathed that generation and said, ‗They are a people who go astray in their heart, and they have not known my ways.‘ Therefore I swore in my wrath, ‗They shall not entermy rest.‘" Psalm 95:7-11

Again: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‗This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,‘ then he adds, ‗I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.‘" Hebrews 10:15-17 The author applied the following text to the Holy Spirit: "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and of each his brother, saying, ‗Know the LORD,‘ for they shall all know me, from the least them to the greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:33-34 In both the OTWhat textsthis it isimplies Yahweh God the whoauthor is speaking, ascribes them to the HolyofSpirit. is that believedand thatyettheHebrews Holy Spirit is actually Yahweh God Almighty! Basically, this shows that the author of Hebrews believed that the Lord Jesus spoke by his Spirit through the prophets, a view shared by the Apostle Peter: "Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look." 1 Peter 1:10-12 The writer of Hebrews also states that Moses knew Jesus and willfully suffered for him: "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and sprinkled the blood, so that the Destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them." Hebrews 11:24-28 The author seems to be suggesting that Moses‘ encounter with God included an appearance

of the Lord Jesus, a point which Paul confirms in his own writings:

"I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them,and the Rock was Christ." 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 It was the Lord Jesus, according to Paul, who led Moses and the Israelites during the Exodus. Interestingly, the Hebrew Bible says that God had sent his Divine Angel to lead Israel into the promise land: "Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night." Exodus 14:19-20 "Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When my angel goes before youand brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out," Exodus 23:20-23 "And when we cried to the LORD, he heard our voice and sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt. And here we are in Kadesh, a city on the edge of your territory." Numbers 20:16 Tying the pieces God‘s together we can conclude that Jesus was the One who appeared as a Divine Angel to deliver people. Jude is another writer who wrote that the Lord Jesus actually delivered Israel: "For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe." Jude 1:4-5 Some MSS read Lord instead of Jesus in verse 5: "Now I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe." NASB Regardless of the textual reading, this fact is certain: In context, according to Jude 1:4, the Lord who delivered the people and destroyed the unbelievers is clearly the Lord Jesus. The apostle John also believed that the Lord Jesus had appeared to the OT saints: "Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‗Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?‘ For this reason they could not

believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‗He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn — and I would heal them.‘ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him."

John 12:37-41 NIV John says that Isaiah the prophet had already foretold the Lord Jesus‘ rejection by the people

because he had seen the glory of Christ. Yet one of the passages which John cites as evidence, i.e. Isaiah 6:9-10, is a reference to Yahweh actually revealing his glory to Isaiah in a visible manner: "In the year that King Uzziah diedI SAW the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: H ‗ oly, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of HIS GLORY!‘ And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. And I said: ‗Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a

man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;FOR MY EYES HAVE SEEN THE KING, THE LORD OF HOSTS!‘ Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: ‗Behold, thishas touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.‘ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‗Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?‘ Then I said, ‗Here am I! Send me.‘ And he said, ‗Go, and say to this people: ‗Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’ Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.‘"

Isaiah 6:1-10 The other passage that John cited is Isaiah 53:1, a reference to the servant of Yahweh who dies for the sin of God‘s people:

"Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you-- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind-- so shall he sprinkle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushedweforare ourhealed. iniquities; upon washave the chastisement thathave brought us peace, and with his stripes All we likehim sheep gone astray; we turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to

crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 52:13-15, 53:112 By combining Isaiah 6 and 53 together, John is obviously identifying Yahweh‘s Servant as

the Yahweh whom Isaiah saw and who later became the man Christ Jesus. Putting it simply, John is basically stating that the Yahweh whom Isaiah beheld, the One sitting on the throne whose glory was manifested to Isaiah, was none other than the Lord Jesus who became a servant to suffer for our sins, thereby fulfilling the prophecy made in Isaiah 53! In light of the foregoing, we can now better understand the point of Hebrews. Essentially, the inspired writer wasn‘t suggesting that Jesus hadn‘t spoken to the prophets during the OT period, but that he wasn‘t the only means of communication to the people. Now, however,

God speaks exclusively through the person of his Son, the Lord Jesus. In other words, the author is claiming that Jesus is the conduit, the medium, through which all of God‘s

revelation comes, a point Jesus himself makes: "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom THE SON CHOOSES to reveal him." Luke 10:22 Notice how this text echoes the very point which Hebrews 1:1-2 makes, namely, that all things have been handed over to the Son because he is the Heir and that he reveals God to whomever he chooses since God speaks in and through him. Thus, God has chosen to make known all of his riches and wisdom to us in Christ to the exclusion of all other mediums: "that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ,in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3 This doesn‘t mean that God wouldn‘t send angels or prophets to the people, but that Christ is d to be emissaries. As the the One who makes known God‘s revelation to those commissione

apostle John puts it: "As you sent me into the world,so I have sent them into the world." John 17:18 "Jesus said to them again, ‗Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me,even so I am sending you.‘ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‗Receive the

Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.‘" John 20:21-23

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it knownby sending his angel to his servant John," Revelation 1:1 The Lord Jesus reveals God‘s mysteries to his people by sending an angel to make it known

to his apostle John. Therefore, every messenger and ambassador of God receives the divine commission and revelation through the mediation of Christ, coming in the authority and power of the Lord Jesus since the Son is the very focus and essence of prophecy: "Therefore I SEND YOU prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town," Matthew 23:34 "But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift… And HE

gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers," Ephesians 4:7, 11 "Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, ‗You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Wo rship God.‘ For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

Revelation 19:10

Hopefully, this helps explain the point being made by the inspired writer of Hebrews. All Scriptural quotations take from the English Standard Version (ESV) unless noted otherwise.

Question 23: The Bible says that Jesus emptied himself (cf. Philippians 2:7), implying that Christ ceased to either be God altogether or from having certain Divine attributes. This i s also known as the Kenosis theory, with the word Kenosis srcinating from the verb used by Paul in the text itself. In either case, this proves that Jesus cannot be God since God is immutable and cannot get rid of his Divine nature and attributes. Answer:

Here is the specific text in question so as to help the readers see the point that is being made: "but emptied himself (ekenoosen), taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men." RSV The misunderstanding is that the wordekenoosen, from the verb kenoo, refers to an emptying of Christ‘s Divine essence, his Divine abilities, which is not what the text is saying at all.

Paul himself explains in what way Jesus "emptied" himself: "Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in

human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8 ESV The blessed Apostle clearly shows us that the manner by which Christ emptied himself was by becoming a man and, hence, a slave. Paul was basically saying that Jesus laid aside his Divine privileges, not his Divine attributes. This can clearly be seen in the exhortation that we should follow his example. We cannot lay aside Divine attributes (since we do not have them), nor are we called to lay aside our human attributes, or cease to be human, but we should follow Jesus in his humility and willingness to serve others, even those who in this world are considered to be lower than ourselves in power or status. The Lord Jesus, according to the inspired Apostle, set aside the honor, the prestige, the fame, and the glory that comes with being God, a point he makes elsewhere: "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich." 2 Corinthians 8:9

In the words of the Lord Jesus: "And a scribe came up and said to him, ‗Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.‘ And Jesus said to him, ‗Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests,but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head .‘" Matthew 8:19-20

The prophet Isaiah said essentially the same thing when, by inspiration, he foresaw both the humiliation and glory of the Christ: "Who has For believed what heard Andplant, to whom has atheroot armoutofofthedryLORD been revealed? he grew up they before him from like aus? young and like ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not." Isaiah 53:13 Putting it in another way, Christ emptied himself or made himself nothing when he came to the earth as a slave. The emptying refers to his humiliation, to his humble status, not to his Divine attributes or essence since at no point in time did Jesus ever cease to be God in nature. The Holy Bible clearly states that he remained both Lord and Son even during his earthly ministry, and yet the people couldn‘t tell by simply looking at him and his humble surroundings that the Person standing before them was actually the glorious Son of God and the Sovereign Lord of all creation. The following texts provide further clarification and support for our exegesis: "And when the ten heard it, they began to be indignant at James and John. And Jesus called them to him and said to them, ‗You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles

lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.‘" Mark 10:41-45

Jesus is Lord who didn‘t exercise his Divine sovereignty like the Gentile rulers, but chose

instead to be a servant to his subjects. The foregoing clearly shows that Christ was still Lord even while on earth but voluntarily set aside his rights and didn‘t impose his authority on others in order to have them do whatever he wanted. He compelled his followers to obey and follow him by his unconditional love and service for them. The next passage beautifully illustrates this revealed truth: "Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him, Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper.He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, do you wash my feet?’ Jesus answered him, ‘What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.‘ Simon Peter said to him, ‗Lord, not my feet only but also my ands h

and my head!‘ Jesus said to him, ‗The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you.‘ For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, ‗Not all of you are clean.‘When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place , he said to them, ‗Do you

understand what I have done to you?You call me Teacher and Lord, AND YOU ARE RIGHT, FOR SO I AM. If I then, YOUR LORD AND TEACHER, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you . Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than

his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.‘" John 13:1-17 Note that Jesus says that he is the disciples‘ Teacher and Lord, not that he would be at a

future period. "Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‗After me comes hewho is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie . I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.‘ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth

of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‗You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.‘" Mark 1:611 Again, acknowledges Jesus isand mightier than him and can Holy Spirit, aJohn function which Godthat performs, God himself testifies thatbaptize Christ iswith his the beloved Son. "For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, ‗You are the Son of God.‘" Mark 3:10-11 Even the demons knew that Christ is God‘s Son and fell downni worship because of it.

"But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‗Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?‘ And Jesus said, I‗ AM, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.‘ And the high priest tore his garments and said, ‗What further witnesses do we need? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?‘ And they all condemned him as deserving death." Mark

14:61-64 "The Jews answered him, ‗We have alaw, and according to that law he ought to diebecause he has made himself the Son of God .‘" John 19:7

Jesus testifies before the Sanhedrin that he IS the Son of God, not was or will be, and also the nd, an allusion to Daniel 7:13-14. heavenly Son of Man who sits enthroned at God‘s right ha Christ basically claims that he is a co-occupant of the Divine throne, placing himself on an equal level of authority with God. His coming with the clouds of heaven is an implicit reference to Deity since it is God who rides the clouds: "He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind. He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water . Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds." Psalm 18:9-12 "He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides on the wings of the wind;" Psalm 104:3 "Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them." Isaiah 19:1 Jesus is therefore claiming to be the Divine Son of God and the heavenly Son of Man who rules on God‘s throne. One can see why the Sanhedrin condemned Jesus for blasphemy since they knew he was claiming to be God. "In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‗Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the

fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of MY LORD should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.‘" Luke 1:39-44 "And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in the same region there were shepherds in the keeping watch over theiraround flock by night. angel of the Lord appeared toout them, andfield, the glory of the Lord shone them, andAnd theyanwere filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‗Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy

that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.‘" Luke 2:7-11 Christ is Elizabeth‘s Lord even while still in his blessed mother‘s womb, and upon being born

he is identified by the angelic host as both Lord and Savior.

To summarize what we have discovered, Philippians 2:7 in both its immediate and overall contexts does not mean that the Lord Jesus emptied himself of Deity or of certain Divine attributes. Rather, the Lord Jesus set aside the glory and honor that goes along with being God and chose to become a slave of no reputation. He did this because he loves us with an everlasting love and as a result of it he came to the earth to save us from hell. The foregoing hopefully was able to show that the text of Philippians 2:7 does not imply that Jesus ceased to be God in essence, that he stopped having Divine attributes and abilities when he became a man. Rather, the emptying refers to Christ setting aside his Divine glory and honor in order to assume the humble status of a slave. Addendum

There is another aspect of this emptying that we want to discuss in this specific section. It seems that while on earth as a man Christ deliberately refused to exercise his Divine prerogatives to accomplish God‘s will. The Scriptures suggest that Jesus did his miracles

through the power of the Holy Spirit which descended upon him in all his fullness at the baptism: "In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens openingand the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‗You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.‘ Mark 1:9-11 "But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you." Matthew 12:28 "And John bore witness: ‗I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, "He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."‘" John 1:32-33

"For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure." John 3:34

"how God anointed Jesus of Nazarethwith the Holy Spirit and with power . He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him." Acts 10:38 What this basically means is that Christ voluntarily chose to depend on God‘s Holy Spirit to

enable him to perform his functions and miracles as opposed to trusting in his Divine capabilities. This also explains why it wasn‘t until after being anointed wit h the Holy Spirit

that Jesus began his ministry and performed his mighty works:

"On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‗They have no wine.‘ And Jesus said to her, ‗Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.‘ His mother said to the servants, ‗Do whatever he tells you.‘ Now there were six stone water jars there for theJewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to the servants, ‗Fill the jars

with water.‘ And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, ‗Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.‘ So they tookit. When the master of the feast tasted the

water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, ‗Everyone serves the good wine first,and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.‘This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory . And his disciples believed in him." John 2:1-11

The purpose for depending on the Spirit‘s power, it seems, was to show true Christians the blessings that they could experience provided that they refrain from sinning against God. Since Jesus is the only sinless human who walked this earth he was able to operate in the full power of the Holy Spirit. Believers, on the other hand, do not operate within the Spirit‘s fullness because of their sinful tendencies. Sin quenches and grieves the Holy Spirit, which therefore prevents him from fully empowering a believer: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." Ephesians 4:30 "Do not quench the Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 5:19 Yet Christ became the example for believers to emulate, showing what his followers are capable of achieving and experiencing provided that they walk in perfect obedience to the will of God. Moreover, Jesus‘ miracles were performed specifically to prove that he is God‘s unique

Divine Son: them, even "‗If I am not doing the works of my Father, then do not believe me; but if I do though you do not believe me,believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.‘ Again they sought to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." John 10:37-39 "Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, ‗Lord, he whom you love is ill.‘ But when Jesus heard it he said, ‗This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.‘ … Jesus said to her, ‗Your brother will ection on the last rise again.‘ Martha said to him, ‗I know that he will rise again in the resurr day.‘ Jesus said to her, ‗I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though

he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?‘ She said to him, ‗Yes, Lord; I believe that you ARE the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.‘ … So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, ‗Father, I thank you that you have heard me. kI new that you always hear me , but I said this on account of the people standing around,that they may believe that you sent me.‘ When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice, ‗Lazarus, come out.‘ The

man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, ‗Unbind him, and let him go.‘" John 11:1 -4, 23-27, 41-44 "Jesus said to him, ‗Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Do you

not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.‘" John 14:9-11 Thus, even though his miracles were down through the agency of the Spirit their intention was to prove that Jesus is Incarnate Deity. And because Jesus didn‘t cease to exist as God his followers were able toperform miracles in

his name even while he was among them: "John said to him, ‗Teacher, we saw someone casting out demonsin your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.‘ But Jesus said, ‗Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. For the one who is not against us is for us.‘" Mark 9:38-40

"The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‗Lord, even the demons are subject to usin your name!‘ And he said to them, ‗I sawSatan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘" Luke 10:17-20 Amen. Praise you, Lord Jesus, praise you! You are eternally worthy of our love, praise, honor, glory and lives. And by your pure grace we will remain forever in love with you, O risen Lord and immortal Savior. Amen.

Question 24: Peter is recorded in Acts 2:36 as preaching that God "made" Jesus Lord at his ascension. Doesn’t this disprove the Trinitarian view that Jesus has always been Lord? Answer:

Here is what the text actually says in context: "Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says, ‗The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.‘ Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:30-36

Not only does Peter say that God made Jesus Lord but that he also made him Christ as well!

In order to understand Peter‘s point we must first read his statements in light of the overall

Christological teaching of Luke-Acts, since the same author who penned the book of Acts also penned Luke‘s Gospel. That inspired author was Luke, a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul who had seen many of the Lord‘s disciples.

Luke in the Gospel is rather explicit in his affirmation that Je sus was already God‘s Son, Lord and Christ at his conception: "And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And

behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.‘ And Mary said to the angel, ‗How shall thise,b since I have no husband?‘ And the angel said to her, ‗The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be bornwill be called holy, the Son of God.‘" Luke 1:30-35

"And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‗Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me, that the mother of MY LORD should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.‘" Luke 1:41-44

At his birth: "And Joseph went up from Galilee, fromhethewas cityofoftheNazareth, to Judea, city ofto be David, whichalso is called Bethlehem, because house and lineagetoofthe David, enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn. And in that region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, ‗Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people;for to you IS BORN THIS DAY in the city of David a Savior, who IS Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.‘" Luke 2:4-12 "Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had

seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the l aw, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes HAVE SEEN your salvation which you

have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.‘ And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about

him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‗Behold, this child is set for the

fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed.‘ And there

was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God,and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem." Luke 2:25-38 During his adolescence: "Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom; and when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but supposing him to be in the company they went a day's journey, and they sought him among their kinsfolk and acquaintances; and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. And when they saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, ‗Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.‘ And he said to them, ‗How is it that you sought me?Did you not know that I must be in MY FATHER’S HOUSE?‘ And they did not understand the saying which

he spoke to them." Luke 2:41-50 And all throughout his earthly ministry: "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and voice3:21 came -22from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased .‘" aLuke "Now it happened that as he was praying alone the disciples were with him; and he asked them, ‗Who do the people say that I am?‘ And they answered, ‗John the Baptist; but others say, Eli'jah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen.‘ And he said to them, ‗But who do you say that I am?‘And Peter answered, ‘The Christ of God.‘" Luke 9:18-20

"Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying,the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white . And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli'jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, and when they wakened they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, ‗Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah‘-- not knowing what

he said. the As cloud. he saidAnd this,aavoice cloudcame cameout andofovershadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud, saying , ‗This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!‘ And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence

and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. Luke 9:28-36 "The seventy returned with joy, saying, LORD ‗ , even the demons are subject to us in your name!‘ And he said to them, ‗I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.Behold, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you . Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the

spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘ In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit an d said, ‗I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.‘" Luke 10:17-22 "Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‗What shall I do?I will send MY SON, WHOM I LOVE; perhaps they will respect him.‘ But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‗This is THE HEIR,‘ they said. ‗Let‘s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.‘ So

they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him." Luke 20:13-15 "Then the whole company of them arose, and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, ‗We found this man perverting our nation, and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself IS Christ a king.‘ And Pilate asked him, ‗Are you the King of the Jews?‘ And he answered him, ‗You have said so.‘ Luke 23:1-3 "Jesus called out with a loud voice, Father ‗ , into your hands I commit my spirit .‘ When he

had said this, he breathed his last." Luke 23:46 From the forgoing we can plainly see that Luke absolutely believed that Jesus was already God‘s Son, Lord and Christ long before his resurrection and ascension into heaven.

What then did Peter mean by statingthat God made Jesus Christ and Lord? In the context in which Peter made this statement it is obvious that the sense in which he believed that God "made" Jesushim. Lord was bysupernaturally providing supernatural for Jesus‘ claims resurrecting In and otherChrist words, God confirmedvindication Jesus‘ Messianic claims by by raising him from the dead, and it is in this sense that Christ was "made" Lord. This is similar to what Paul wrote in his epistle to the Romans:

"the gospel concerninghis Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and designated Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord," Romans 1:3-4 Jesus, according to Paul, was already God‘s Son when he was born of the seed of David and dead. then was designated God‘s Son with power when the Holy Spirit raised him from the The resurrection was God‘s miraculous declaration to the world, his Divine stamp so to speak, that Jesus is his beloved Divine Son; the resurrection didn‘t make him God‘s Son in

the sense of his Deity and eternal union with the Father. Furthermore, during his earthly ministry Jesus didn‘t exercise his rights as Christ and Lord, he didn‘t perform the duties of one who was supposedto be the Christ of God. To be Christ rule and Lord meant that Jesus was God‘s anointed King, the One designated to sovereignly

over all creation: "And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end ." Luke 1:31-33

"You are those who have continued with me in my trials; and I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drinkat my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel." Luke 22:28-30 "You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) , And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead…" Acts 10:36, 42 This is something Jesus did not do during his earthly ministry since he came to serve mankind by laying his life down as a ransom for many: "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‗This is my body which is given FOR YOU. Do this in remembrance of me.‘ And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‗This cupwhich is poured out FOR YOU is the new covenant in my blood.‘" Luke 22:19-20 "Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own Son ." Acts 20:28 It wouldn‘t be until after he had accomplished his Divine mission that Christ would be able to

exercise his Divine prerogatives and rule as King over all creation. Putting it in another way, Peter was basically saying that although Jesus was already Christ and Lord he didn‘t exercise the functions that are associated with these roles during his

earthly sojourn. Jesus started to rule over the creation of God only after his ascension into heavenly glory, thereby discharging his duties as the Lord‘s anointed King.

Question 25: Paul says in Philippians 2:9 that Jesus was given the name Lord at his exaltation, which means that he wasn’t the Lord before that moment in time. IfChrist becomes Lord at some point then wouldn’t this prove that Jesus isn’t God? Answer:

This objection is similar to the one made in regard to Acts 2:36. To understand Paul‘s point it

is vital that we quote the entire text:

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though being in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under

the earth, and every tongue confess the Lord Jesus Christ to the glory of God the Father."

Philippians 2:5-11 Paul, by inspiration, states that Jesus exists in God‘s form, which is just another way of

saying that Jesus is God in nature, that he voluntarily humbled himself in order to become a man, at which time he also became a slave. Christ did this, Paul says, in order to obey God‘s

will that he should die on the cross. In response to this voluntary act of humiliation God the Father then exalted Christ to the highest position and bestowed on him the highest of all names, which in this context refers to the name Lord or Yahweh. We know that Paul is referring to God‘s covenant name because he applies an OT text regarding every knee

bowing before Yahweh to Jesus: "Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, from my mouth has gone forth in righteousness a word that shall not return: ‗To me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.‘" Isaiah 45:22-23 Yahweh swears that all will bow the knee to him, whereas Paul says that all will bow their knee to the Lord Jesus! This isn‘t the only place where Paul wrote that Christ was exalted to the highest level and

realm of authority, nor was he the only inspired writer that made this claim: "and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe, according to the working of his great might which he accomplished in Christ when he raised him from the dead and made him sit at his right hand in the heavenly places,far above all rule and authority andinpo wer and dominion every thatunder is named, notand onlyhas in this andabove he has put name all things his feet made age but also tha t which is to com,e;and

him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:19-23 "Baptism, which corresponds to this, now saves you, not as a removal of dirt from the body but as an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God,with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him." 1 Peter 3:21-22 These texts demonstrate that Christ didn't seek to exalt himself after completing the mission he was sent to do, but humbly waited to be exalted by his Father. After all, the Lord was perfectly doing what he told his disciples to do so that they could experience the following blessing: "The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." Matthew 23:11-12 In light of the foregoing we can now understand the point Paul was making. While on earth Jesus set aside his Divine authority by assuming the role of a slave. Upon completion of his earthly mission Jesus was exalted to the position he enjoyed before he came to the earth. Therefore, God giving Jesus the name above all names refers to authority, that Christ was given the highest authority belonging to Yahweh alone. Christ went from being a slave who had set aside his authority to being the exalted Lord who holds supreme sovereignty over all creation!

Putting it in another way, the name Lord here isn‘t referring to Christ‘s nature, that Christ

was granted a Divine nature or attributes which he did not already have. We know that this isn‘t Paul‘s meaning since he has already told us that Christ has the very nature of God. Rather, Paul‘s point is that Christ received the authority that belongs to One who is Lord by

nature, or Yahweh, because Christ is by nature very Lord. That the word "name" often refers to a person‘s authority is easily proven from the following

examples: "Then David said to the Philistine, ‗You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with

a javelin; but I come to youin the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.‘" 1 Samuel 17:45

David fought Goliath in the name of Yahweh, meaning by the authority and power which Yahweh gave him. "The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‗Lord, even the demons re a subject to us IN YOUR NAME!‘ … ‗Behold, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you.‘" Luke 10:17, 19 "And Peter said to them, ‗Repent, and be baptized every one of youIN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the forgiveness of your

sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy

Spirit.‘" Acts 2:38 "But Peter said, ‗I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have;IN THE NAME OF JESUS OF NAZARETH , walk.‘ tookstrong. him byAnd the right hand raisedand him up; CHRIST and immediately his feet and anklesAnd werehemade leaping upand he stood walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God… ‗AndHIS NAME, by faith IN HIS NAME, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all. Acts 3:6-9, 16

The disciples cast out demons, perform miracles and baptize in Jesus‘ name, which clearly refers to the authority Christ had granted them in order to do all these things. Thus, Christ receiving the name refers to his being given authority, in fact his very own authority which he had set aside when he became a slave. In light all of these factors this is how we would paraphrase Philippians 2:9-11: "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the authority which is above every authority, which is the authority of Yahweh since Jesus is Yahweh. Thus, because Jesus Yahweh andand exercises theearth, authority belonging to confess Yahweh,that every must heavenisand on earth under the and every tongue Jesusknee Christ is bow, in Yahweh to the glory of God the Father." To summarize our analysis of Philippians 2, we learned that: 1. Jesus exists in the very nature of God. 2. Jesus humbled himself and became a slave when he took on human nature.

3. By becoming a slave Jesus emptied himself of his Divine authority without ceasing to be God in essence. 4. Jesus‘ purpose in humbling himself was to obey the will of God the Father, which included dying on the cross. 5. After perfectly accomplishing his mission, God rewarded Christ by exalting him and bestowing on him a name above all names. 6. Name in this context refers to the authority Christ was given, that Jesus has the very authority of Yahweh God himself. 7. This is not an authority which Christ didn‘t initially have prior to receiving it, but one which he regained since as God he would have had this Divine authority already. 8. Hence, Christ‘s exaltation included his regaining his Divine authority which he had set aside. 9. This results in Christ receiving the worship of all creation, that all creation must confess Jesus as Yahweh to the glory of God the Father. For more on the meaning of Philippians 2:6-7 that Jesus is in the form of God who then emptied himself, please read the following article: http://answeringislam.org/Shamoun/q_kenosis.htm There are some scholars and commentators that are of the opinion that the name which God gave Christ is actually Jesus, not Lord. One such individual was the late NT Greek scholar A.T. Robertson: Wherefore (dio). Because of which act of voluntary and supreme humility.Highly exalted (uperupswse). First aorist indicative ofuperupsow (uper and upsoß) late and rare word

(LXX and Byzantine). Here only in N.T. Because of Christ's voluntary humiliation God lifted him above or beyond (uper) the state of glory which he enjoyed before the Incarnation. What glory did Christ have after the Ascension that he did not have before in heaven? What did he take back to heaven that he did not bring? Clearly his humanity. He returned to heaven the Son of Man as well as the Son of God. The name which is above every name (to onoma to uper pan onoma). What name is that? Apparently and naturally the nameJesus, which is given in verse Hebrews 10. Some think it is "Jesus Christ," some "Lord," some the ineffable name Jehovah, some merely dignity and honour. Robertson's ( Word Pictures of the New Testament; source) What this interpretation implies is that even though Christ was given the name Jesus at his birth: "But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, in her ‗Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which isonceived c is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son,and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.‘ All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‗Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel‘ (which means,God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel

of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus." Matthew 1:20-25

"And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,and you shall call his name Jesus.

He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.‘" Luke 1:30-33 "And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised,he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb." Luke 2:21 God had already anticipated and determined that he would exalt this name above all other names after Christ‘s resurrection and ascension.

In fact, this interpretation lends further support to our exegesis. Much like Christ was already called Jesus even before his exaltation, in a similar manner he was already the Lord long before his ascension: "And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and she exclaimed with a loud cry, ‗Blessed are you among

women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted me,that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.‘" Luke 1:41-44 And the angel said to them, ‗Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a eat gr joy

which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.‘" Luke 2:10-11 "You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, FOR SO I AM. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet." John 13:1314

Furthermore, this interpretation would also imply that God has made the name Jesus equivalent to the name Yahweh. In other words, the name Jesus (which in Hebrew is Yashua or "Yahweh Saves") is to be revered and honored in the same exact manner that God‘s Covenant name Yahweh is revered and honored. This makes sense in light of the fact that the name Jesus was given specifically to reveal the nature and function of Christ. The name signifies that Christ is Yahweh God who came to the earth as a man in order to redeem his people from their sins. Thus, by calling him Jesus one is simply acknowledging the fact that Christ is Yahweh who has come to save!

Question 26: Christian apologists claim that the word Kurios ("Lord"), which appears all throughout the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (known as the Septuagint [LXX]) and the NT, functions as the Greek synonym for God’s covenant name, Yahweh. The apologists conclude from this fact that the NT identifies Jesus as Yahweh because he is called Kurios. However, this Greek word is used for many other individuals in the NT without any Christian taking this to mean that these specific persons are also Yahweh. Why, then, do Christians automatically assume that Jesus is Yahweh solely because the NT calls him Kurios or Lord?

Answer:

It isn‘t merely the fact that Jesus is addressed asKurios that leads Christians to believe he is

Yahweh, but the manner in which the NT writers use this Greek word for Christ that leads them to this conclusion. For instance, the Hebrew Scriptures teach that salvation comes from calling on the name of Yahweh: "And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls." Joel 2:32 Yet according to the NT, believers are to call on the name of the Lord Jesus for salvation: "Then he said: ‗The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the

Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name.‘" Acts 22:14-16 "That if you confess with your mouth, Jesus ‗ is Lord,‘ and believe in your heart that God

raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‗Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.‘ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‗Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.‘" Romans 10:9-13

NT Christians even prayed to Jesus the same way OT believers prayed to Yahweh: "Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God." Genesis 21:33– 12:8

"Into your hands I commit my spirit; redeem me, O LORD, the God of truth." Psalm 31:5 "Moses and Aaron were among his priests, Samuel was among those who called on his name; they called on the LORD and he answered them." Psalm 99:6

"While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, Lord ‗ Jesus, receive my spirit.‘ Then he fell on his knees and cried out, ‗Lord, do not hold this sin against them.‘ When he had said this,

he fell asleep." Acts 7:59-60 "To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours:" 1 Corinthians 1:2 Moreover, these believers invoked Jesus for favors and healing in the same manner that the saints of the OT beseeched Yahweh: "Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man." Psalm 12:1

"But you, O LORD, have mercy on me; raise me up, that I may repay them." Psalm 41:10 "Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long." Psalm 86:3, cf. 123:3 "O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success." Psalm 118:25 "And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. And they went and woke him, saying, Save ' us, Lord; we are perishing.'" Matthew 8:23-25 "And Peter answered him, 'Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.' He said, 'Come.' So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out,Lord, ' save me.' Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, 'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'" Matthew 14:28-31 "And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and was crying, ' Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely oppressed by a demon.'" Matthew 15:22 "And behold, there were two blind men sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was passing by, they cried out, Lord, ' have mercy on us, Son of David!' The crowd rebuked them, telling them to be silent, but they cried out all the more, 'Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!'" Matthew 20:30-31 The NT further says that every knee wil bend to Jesus as Lord just as they do to Yahweh: "Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear." Isaiah 45:22-23 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 There are other factors which further substantiate that the NT writers were identifying Jesus as Yahweh when they called himKurios or Lord. For example, like Yahweh Jesus is Lord of lords and King of kings: "For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes." Deuteronomy 10:17 "Give thanks to the Lord of lords: His love endures forever." Psalm 136:3 "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood," Revelation 1:5

"They will make war against the Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome thembecause he is Lord of lords and King of kings—and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers." Revelation 17:14 "On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:16 Like Yahweh, Jesus has prophets who prophesy in his name: "If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaksin my name, I myself will call him to account. But a prophet who presumes to speakin my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death. You may say to yourselves, ‗How can we know when a messag e has not been spoken by the LORD?‘ If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously. Do not be afraid of him." Deuteronomy 18:19-22 "Not everyone who says to me, ‗Lord, Lord,‘ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‗Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?‘ Then I will tell them plainly, ‗I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!‘" Matthew 7:21-23

And just like Yahweh Jesus is the Sovereign Lord of all: "To the LORD your God belong10:14 the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it." Deuteronomy "See, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth will go into the Jordan ahead of you… And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD-the Lord of all the earth— set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." Joshua 3:11, 13 "Then Jesus came to them and said, ‗All authority in heaven and on earthhas been given to me.‘" Matthew 28:18

"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all." Acts 10:36 "If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living." Romans 14:8-9 Finally, but not least, Jesus as Lord is the Agent and Sustainer of creation: "yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through (di’) whom all things came and through whom (di’ auto) we live." 1 Corinthians 8:6

"He [God the Father] also says, ‗In the beginning, O Lord [Jesus], you laid the foundations of

the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be -12 changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:10 Functions which the Bible ascribes to Yahweh, the one God: "This is what the LORD says— your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, whoalone stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by myself," Isaiah 44:24 "So I said: ‗Do not take meaway, O my God, in the midst of my days; your years go on

through all generations. In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded. But you remain the same, and your years will never end." Psalm 102:24-27 "For from him and through him (di’ auto) and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36 "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God,for (di’) whom and through (di’) whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering." Hebrews 2:10 The foregoing makes it rather obvious that the NT writers weren‘t simply calling Jesus Lord in the sense of one great authority. authors Holy Scripture clearly intended to with convey therank ideaorthat Jesus isRather, Lord inthetheinspired sense of being of Yahweh God Almighty. Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_is_yahweh.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_made_lord.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_given_name_lord.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/badawi-jesus.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/paul_on_jesus.htm Our good friend Quennel Gale has rebutted one of Osama Abdallah's amateur "apologists" who tried to refute my article:http://answer-islam.org/q_jesus_kurios.html

Question 27: Christians argue that Jesus is God since he is said to be the Savior whereas the OT says Yahweh is the only Savior (cf. Isaiah 43:11; 45:21; Hosea 13:4). This argument overlooks the fact that although Yahweh is the only Savior he does use agents to accomplish his purposes. For instance, the Old Testament says that Yahweh used an Israelite named Othniel to deliver his people Israel. He is even called savior! (Cf. Judges

3:9; Obadiah 1:21) This shows that when it says that Yahweh is the only Savior it really means that he is the only Source of salvation without this implying that others cannot be used by God to bring salvation. In light of this, how does calling Jesus the Savior prove that he is God especially when he was an agent used by God? Answer:

Here are the specific texts that say there are no other saviors besides Yahweh: "‗You are My witnesses,‘ declares the LORD, ‗And My servant whom I have chosen, So that

you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me.‘" Isaiah 43:10-11 "Yet I have been the LORD your God Since the land of Egypt; And you were not to know any god except Me, For there is no savior besides Me." Hosea 13:4 But as the question itself shows, there are others who are called saviors without this making them Divine or gods: "And the anger of Jehovah burneth against Israel, and He selleth them into the hand of Chushan-Rishathaim king of Aram-Naharaim, and the sons of Israel serve ChushanRishathaim eight years; and the sons of Israel cry unto Jehovah,and Jehovah raiseth a saviour to the sons of Israel, and he saveth them -- Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother;" Judges 3:8-9 Young‘s Literal Translation "Saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to rule Mount Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD‘s." Obadiah 1:21 RSV

The problem with this comparison is that it overlooks the crucial differences between Jesus being called Savior and these others who are thus called. In the first place, God used these human beings to procure Israel‘s redemption from their enemies, that they were sent to free

Israel from oppression. They were not sent to redeem Israel from their sins or to grant them eternal life, something which God alone can do. Second, just as the question rightly inferred, the OT Scriptures emphatically teach that salvation belongs to and srcinates from Yahweh: "Salvation belongs to the LORD; Your blessing be upon Your people! Selah." Psalm 3:8 "But I will sacrifice to You With the voice of thanksgiving That which I have vowed I will pay Salvation is from the LORD." Jonah 2:9 Yet this is where the proof for the Deity of Christ comes into the picture. The New Testament says that salvation belongs to and srcinates from the Lord Jesus as well: "and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, ‗Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.‘" Revelation 7:10

Moreover, the Hebrews Scriptures state that Yahweh redeemed his people from their sins in order to make them his very own possession: "Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant,then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine;" Exodus 19:5 "For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." Deuteronomy 7:6; cf. 14:2; 26:18 "O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. And He will redeem Israel From all his iniquities ." Psalm 130:7-8 "They will no longer defile themselves with their idols, or with their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them. And they will be My people, and I will be their God." Ezekiel 37:23 Yet the NT teaches that the Lord Jesus did the same thing that Yahweh did, e.g. Christ came to redeem his people from their sins so as to make them his very own inheritance: "She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,for He will save His people from their sins." Matthew 1:21 "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the gloryof our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, of andRSV to purify for himself a who us to redeem from all iniquity people hisgave ownhimself who arefor zealous for goodusdeeds." Titus 2:13-14

Finally, the prophets announced that believers will find their vindication and sanctification in Yahweh alone, the One to whom every knee must bend: "Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together Who has announced this from of old? Who has long since declared it? Is it not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other . I have sworn

by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance. They will say of Me, ‗Only in the LORD are righteousness and strength‘ Men will come to Him, And all who were angry at Him will be put to shame. In the LORD all the offspring of Israel Will be justified and will glory." Isaiah 45:21-25

Once again, the NT ascribes specific functions to Jesus which the OT says belongs only to Yahweh: "But by His doing you arein Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God,and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption," 1 Corinthians 1:30 "Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under

the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 RSV The foregoing makes one point clear. Jesus isn‘t in the same category of saviors such as Othniel, since he isn‘t simply a human agent which God used to accomplish the specific

purpose of delivering Israel militarily from their enemies. Rather, Jesus is the very Source of salvation whom the Father sent to do what God alone can do: purify a people from their sins by his holy and undefiled blood, procuring eternal redemption through his perfect obedience and sacrifice for all who believe in him: "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation; and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more willthe blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been calledmay receive the promise of the eternal inheritance." Hebrews 7:11-15 "By this the love of God was manifested in us,that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins… We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." 1 John 4:9-10, 14 In light of the above it is not surprising to discover that the NT documents emphatically proclaim that the Lord Jesus is the Author of life, the very Source of eternal salvation, our great God and Savior: "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men." John 1:4 "All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life,and I Myself will raise him up on the last day." John 6:37-40 "Jesus said to her, ‗Your brother will rise again.‘ Martha said to Him, ‗I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day. Jesus said to her,I‗am the resurrection and the life;

he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?‘ She said to Him, ‗Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are the Christ, the Son of God, even He who comes into the world.‘" John 11:23 -27

"But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed THE AUTHOR of life , whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." Acts 3:14-15 RSV

"For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect THE AUTHOR of their salvation through sufferings. For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren," Hebrews 2:10-11 "Although he was a Son, he learned obedience through what he suffered; and being made perfect he became THE SOURCE of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchiz'edek." Hebrews 5:8-10 RSV "fixing our eyes on Jesus, THE AUTHOR and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousnessof our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:" 2 Peter 1:1 To put it in a form of a syllogism: 1. Yahweh God alone is the Source of salvation and life. 2. Jesus is the Source of salvation and life. 3. Therefore, Jesus is Yahweh God. All scriptural quotations taken from the New American Standard Version of the Holy Bible (NASB), unless noted otherwise.

Question 28: According to Deuteronomy 6:4 there is only one Yahweh God. Jesus himself quoted this in Mark 12:29 to prove that God is one. Since Jesus quotes this as one of t he greatest commandments doesn’t this prove that he didn’t believe in a Triune God or in his Divinity? Answer:

Before we begin discussing the implication and meaning of Jesus‘ words we first would like to quote these specific passages, beginning with Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear O Israel, Yahweh our God Yahweh is One (Shema Yisrael Yahweh Eloheinu Yahweh Echad)."(1)

And now, here is the immediate context of Mark 12 in order to more fully appreciate Jesus‘ point: "And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, ‗Which commandment is the most important of all?‘ Jesus answered, ‗The most important is, "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God,the Lord is one (kyrious ho theos hemon kyrios heis estin) . And you shall love the Lord your God with all

your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." The second is this: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." There is no other commandment greater than these.‘ And the scribe said to him, ‗You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one (hoti heis estin), and there is no other besides him. And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one‘s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.‘ And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, ‗You are not far from the kingdom of God.‘ And

after that no one dared to ask him any more questions." Mark 12:28-34 Heis is a singular masculine adjective which in this context modifieskyrios. The verb estin is

functioning here as a copula (linking verb) of predication (to state or affirm as an attribute or quality of the subject), i.e. "he is one Lord." The problem here is that this doesn‘t tell us the exact type of oneness that the Bible writers

are predicating or attributing to God, i.e. is he a single Being with a single essence that encompasses a plurality of attributes and/or Persons? Or does his essence preclude his having multiple attributes and/or Persons? To put it simply, what does it exactly mean that God is one? When one carefully examines the Holy Bible God‘s unity cannot mean that he has only one

attribute since the Scriptures are filled with references to the multiplicity of characteristics that God has such as love, mercy, compassion, justice, righteousness, perfection etc. "And he said, ‗I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my

name "The LORD." And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.‘" Exodus 33:19 "The LORD passed before him and proclaimed, ‗The LORD, the LORD,a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means

clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children‘s children, to the third and the fourth generation.‘" Exodus 34:6-7

"The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he." Deuteronomy 32:4 "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love … So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us.God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him." 1 John 4:8, 16 Nor can this mean that God is one in Person since both the NT Scriptures and the Hebrew Bible emphatically that he there are multiple Persons of God. For6:4: instance, here is what Jesus went on to saytestify right after quoted the Shema or Deuteronomy "And as Jesus taught in the temple, he said, ‗How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David? David himself, in the Holy Spirit, declared, "The Lord ( kyrios) said to my Lord (to kyrio mou), ‗Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet.‘"David himself calls him Lord (kyrion). So how is he his son?‘ And the great throng heard him gladly."

Mark 12:35-37

Christ was referring to the following Psalm where David‘s Lord is exalted above his enemies

and is given victory in battle to destroy them: "The utterance of Yahweh to my Lord (Adoni): ‗Sit at my right hand , until I make your enemies your footstool.‘ Yahweh sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the

midst of your enemies! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; from the womb of the morning, the dew of your youth will be yours. Yahweh has sworn and will not change his mind, ‗You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.‘ The Lord (Adonai) is at your right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of

his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head." Psalm 110:1-7 Interestingly, the Lord who is at Yahweh‘s right hand is calledAdonai in verse 5, a title that

is used extensively for Yahweh God. Note, once again, what verse 1 says: "The utterance of Yahweh to my Lord is: ‗Sit atMY right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.‘"

Now compare this with verse 5: "The Lord is at YOUR right hand; he will shatter kings on the day of his wrath." In the context "your right hand" obviously refers to Yahweh's right hand since in verse 1 the Psalter has already made mention of it, i.e. "My right hand." This supports the fact that the Adonai of verse 5 is theLord, samethe Lord of verseis 1called sinceAdonai both are be atis Yahweh's rightto hand. Hence, David's Messiah, , a said nametothat often applied

Yahweh! The other important thing to note about this particular Psalm is that there is an interesting variant that is found in the Greek version of the Hebrew Bible (Septuagint [LXX]), one that points to the preexistence of David‘s Lord:

With You is dominion in the day of Your power, in the splendors of Your saints;I have begotten You from the womb before the morning. Psalm 110:3 LXX(Source)

The official Catholic version of the Holy Bible, the New American Bible (NAB), adopted this reading over against the Hebrew version: "Yours is princely power from the day of your birth. In holy splendor before the daystar, like the dew I begot you." [3] Like the dew I begot you: an adoption formula as in Psalm 2:7; 89:27-28. Before the daystar: possibly an expression for before the world began (Proverbs 8:22). (Source) 3

Evidently, the translators of the Septuagint believed that this text supported the view that not only was David‘s Lord already existing at the time this particular Psalm was composed, but

that he was also there with God before the creation of the world!

The Septuagint basically concurs with the theology of the Fourth Gospel which quotes Jesus as saying: "And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed… Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me becauseyou loved me before the foundation of the world." John 17:5, 24 With the foregoing in perspective we can more fully apprecia te Jesus‘ point: By appealing to this particular Psalm the Lord wanted to call attention to the fact that the Messiah is more than a human descendant of David, since he is also his sovereign Lord. Moreover, the context of the Psalm provides the reason whythe Messiah is David‘s Lord, and therefore greater than his human ancestor; the former is a preexistent Divine figure that was there with God even before David came into being! Hence, even though Jesus said that the Lord God is one he went on to speak of two Persons as Lord, namely, both his Father and himself. Jesus doesn‘t stop there since this is what he also said earlier in Mark 12:

"He had still one other,a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‗They will respect my son.‘ But those tenants said to one another, ‗This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.‘ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the

vineyard." Mark 12:6-8 In this parable, the owner of the vineyard represents God and the servants represent his prophets: "From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day." Jeremiah 7:25 "You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the LORD persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets, saying, ‗Turn now, every one of you, from his evil way and evil deeds, and dwell upon the land that the LORD has given to you and your fathers from of old and forever.‘" Jeremiah 25:4-5 What makes this rather amazing is that Christ doesn‘t identify himself as one of the servants but as the Owner‘s beloved Son and Heir! It isn‘t merely the NT that affirms God‘s Uniplurality, the OT Scriptures also confirm this

truth: "I will recount the steadfast love of the LORD, the praises of the LORD, according to all that the LORD has granted us, and the great goodness to the house of Israel that he has granted them according to his compassion, according to the abundance of his steadfast love. For he said, ‗Surely they are my people, children who will not deal falsely.‘And he became their Savior. In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the Angel of his Presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled and grieved his Holy Spirit; therefore he turned to be their enemy, and himself fought against them. Then he remembered the days of old, of Moses and his people.

Where is he who brought them up out of the sea with the shepherds of his flock?Where is he who put in the midst of them his Holy Spirit, who caused his glorious arm to go at the right hand of Moses, who divided the waters before them to make for himself an everlasting name, who led them through the depths? Like a horse in the desert, they did not stumble. Like livestock that go down into the valley,the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So you led your people, to make for yourself a glorious name. Look down from heaven and see, from your holy and beautiful habitation. Where are your zeal and your might? The stirring of your inner parts and your compassion are held back from me. For you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us; you, O LORD, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name." Isaiah 63:7-16 Here, the redemption of Israel from Egypt is attributed to Yahweh God the Father, the Angel or Messenger (malak) of his Presence (panim– lit., "faces"), and his Holy Spirit. It should be noted that both the Hebrew and Greek words for angel simply mean a messenger, not necessarily a spirit being with wings(1, 2). Moreover, the evidence from the Hebrew Bible shows that this particular Messenger or Angel is not a creature but a theophany (an appearance of God), or more precisely a christophany (preincarnate appearances of Christ). The first line of evidence which supports that this is no ordinary angel is the fact that he is called the Messenger of God‘s Face, a title which suggests that this Angel happens to embody

the very essence and nature of God, a view shared by many commentators. In fact, many commentators believe that this Angel is the Lord Jesus in his prehuman existence: and the Angel of his presence saved them; not Michael, as Jarchi; but the Messiah is

here meant; the Angel of the covenant, the Angel which went before the Israelites in the wilderness, (Exodus 23:20-23) not a created angel, or an angel by nature, but by office; being sent of God, as the word signifies, on the errand and business of salvation; called "the Angel of God's presence", or "face", because his face was seen in him; his name, and nature, and perfections were in him; he is the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express image of his person besides, the presence of God was always with him ; he is the "Ithiel", the Word that was with God, and with

whom God always was; who lay in the bosom of his Father, and was ever with him; and who also, as Mediator, introduces his people into the presence of God, and always appears in it for them as their advocate and intercessor: now to him salvation is ascribed; he saved Israel out of Egypt, and out of the hands of all their enemies in the wilderness; and which salvation was typical of the spiritual, eternal, and complete salvation, which is only by Christ, and issues in eternal glory: (The New John Gill

Exposition on the Entire Bible; source; underline emphasis ours)

(2.) The person employed in their salvation--the angel of his face, or presence. Some understand it of a created angel. The highest angel in heaven, even the angel of his presence, that attends next the throne of his glory, is not thought too great, too good, to be sent on this errand. Thus the little ones' angels are said to be those thatalways behold the face of our Father, Matthew 18:10. But this is rather to be understood of Jesus Christ , the eternal Word, that angel of whom God spoke to Moses (Exodus 23:20,21), whosevoice Israel was to obey. He is called Jehovah, Exodus 13:21, 14:21,24. He is the angel of the covenant, God's messenger to the world, Malachi 3:1. He is theangel of God's face, for he is the express image of his person; and the glory of God shines in the face of Christ. He that was to work

out the eternal salvation, as an earnest of that, wrought out the temporal salvations that were typical of it. (Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible; source) The angel - The same that conducted them through the wilderness; the Lord Jesus Christ, who appeared to Moses in the bush. Saved them - From the house of bondage. Carried - He

carried them in the arms of his power, and on the wings of his providence. And he is said to do it of old, To remember his ancient kindness for many generations past. (John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible; source) angel of his presence--literally,

"of His face," that is, who stands before Him continually; Messiah (Ex 14:19; 23:20, 21; Pr 8:30), language applicable to nocreature (Ex 32:34; 33:2, 14; Nu 20:16; Mal 3:1). (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown -Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; source; underline emphasis ours) Finally: d. And the Angel of His Presence saved them: This refers to the presence and work of Jesus among ancient Israel, especially among those delivered from Egypt. i. "The angel of His presence is the Messiah … Calvin sees in this angel merely a serving angel. But of this Angel it is said that He by Hislove and pity saved Israel; this can hardly be said of a created angel. It is the Christ who is meant here." (Bultema) ii. "Angel of his presence: literally 'of his face'. We recognize people by face; 'face' is the Lord's very own presence (Psalm 139:7), among them in the person of his angel - that unique 'Angel of3:1) the who Lord'speaks (as in Genesis 16:7ff; 22:11, 15; 3:2; 14:19; 23:20-23; Malachi as the Lord and 21:17; is yet distinct fromExodus him." (Motyer) ( David Guzik’s Commentaries on the Bible; source)

The Torah provides corroborating evidence that this is what the phrase means since we read in Exodus the following promise: "And he said, ‗My Presence/Face (panim) will go with you, and I will give you rest.‘ And he said to him, ‗If your Presence/Face (panim) will not go with me, do not bring us up from here.‘" Exodus 33:14-15

God promises to send his Presence/Face to lead his people into the land of promise. Earlier in the book the One whom God says he would send is the Angel: "Behold, I send an angel before you to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared. Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for my name is in him. But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out," Exodus 23:20-23 Notice that God tells Moses that this Angel has the Divine name within his very own Person, implying that he has the very nature of God, and that he has the ability to forgive sins, a Divine function:

"Who is a God like you,pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:18-19 Nor is this the only text which speaks of the Angel having the power to forgive sins: "Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing beforethe Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.And the LORD said to Satan, ‗The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?‘ Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the Angel said to those who were standing before him, Remove ‗ the filthy garments from him.‘ And to him he said, ‗Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.‘" Zechariah 3:1-4 Moreover, Israel failed to heed God‘s warning to not rebel against this Angel and this is what

happened: "Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said,I‗brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the landthat I swore to give to your fathers. I said, "I will never break MY covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars."But you have not obeyed my voice. What is

this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.‘ As soon as the angel of the

LORD spoke these words to all the people of Israel, the people lifted up their voices and wept. And they called LORD." Judges 2:1-5 the name of that place Bochim. And they sacrificed there to the Here the Angel speaks as if he is God since he refers to his covenant, his swearing to their fathers to give them the land of promise, and to his bringing Israel out of Egypt! Moreover, this Angel receives and accepts worship: "Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face . And the angel of the LORD said to him, ‗Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me.‘" Numbers

22:31-32 "When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand . And Joshua went to him and said to him, ‗Are you for us, or for our adversaries?‘ And he said, ‗No; but I am the commander of the army of the LORD. Now I have come.‘ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped and said to him, ‗What does my lord say to his servant?‘ And the commander of the LORD‘s army said to Joshua, ‗Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.‘ And Joshua did so." Joshua 5:13-15

Something which other angels refuse to accept:

"At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‗Do not do it! I am a fellow

servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! -9 For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.‘" Revelation 19:10; cf. 22:8 But which the Lord Jesus encourages people to render to him: "And whenever the unclean spirits saw him,they fell down before him and cried out, ‗You are the Son of God.‘" Mark 3:11

"And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, ‗What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.‘ For he was saying to him, ‗Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!‘" Mark 5:2-8

"And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‗Truly you are the Son of God.‘" Matthew 14:33 "Suddenly Jesus met them. ‗Greetings,‘ he said. They came to him, clasped his feetand worshiped him... When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ‗All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.‘"

Matthew 28:9, 17-18 That is not all. In Genesis we are told that Jacob wrestled with God who had appeared as a man: "And Jacob was left alone.And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. Then he said, ‗Let me go, for the day has broken.‘ But Jacob said, ‗I will not let you go unless you bless me.‘ And he said to him, ‗What is your name?‘ And he said, ‗Jacob.‘Then he said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.‘ Then Jacob asked him, ‗Please tell me your name.‘ But he said, ‗Why is it that you ask my name?‘ And there he blessed him. So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying,For ‗ -30 I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.‘" Genesis 32:24

Pay attention to the fact that God changed Jacob‘s name to Israel, a point reiterated in the following text: "To this day they do according to the former manner. They do not fear the LORD, and they do not follow the statutes or the rules or the law or the commandment that the LORD commanded the children of Jacob,whom HE [Yahweh] named Israel." 2 Kings 17:34 Yet according to the prophet Hosea the man whom Jacob wrestled with and who changed his name was actually the Angel of Yahweh:

"The LORD has an indictment against Judah and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds. In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God. He strove with THE ANGEL and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor. He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us-- the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD is his memorial name:" Hosea 12:2-5 As if this weren‘t amazing enough we are told elsewhere that it was the Word of Yahweh who actually changed Jacob‘s name:

"Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the Word of the LORD had come, saying, ‗Your name shall be Israel.‘" 1 Kings 18:31

When we piece all these texts together the conclusion seems to be that the Angel of Yahweh is the Word of God who comes to speak on Yahweh‘s behalf. In other words, the Angel of Yahweh is God‘s Word who oftentimes appears in human form!

In fact, there are specific OT passages where the Word is pictured as a rational Being, as a Messenger who appears to God‘s prophets in dreams and visions: "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: ‗Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.‘ But Abram said, ‗O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?‘ And Abram said, ‗Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.‘ And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: ‗This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.‘ And he brought him outside and said, ‗Look toward heaven, and number if you are to number Then saidasto him, ‗So shall your offspring be.‘the Andstars, he believed theable LORD, and hethem.‘ counted it tohehim righteousness. And he said to him, ‗I am the LORD who brought you out from Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land to possess.‘" Genesis 15:1 -7

Note that it is the Word who promised Abram that he would have a son as his heir. "Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision … Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, ‗Here I am!‘ and ran to Eli and said, ‗Here I am, for you called me." But he said, ‗I did not call; lie down again.‘ So he went and lay down. And the LORD called again, ‗Samuel!‘ and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, ‗Here I am, for you called me.‘ But he said, ‗I did not call, my son; lie down again.‘ Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him … And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, ‗Samuel! Samuel!‘ And Samuel said, ‗Speak, for your servant hears.‘ … And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh,for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh BY THE WORD OF THE LORD." 1 Samuel 3:1, 4-6, 10, 21

Yahweh appeared to Samuel through his Word. "The words of Jeremiah, the son of Hilkiah, one of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, to whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon, king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, and until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, the son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the captivity of Jerusalem in the fifth month. Now the word of the

LORD came to me, saying, ‗Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you

were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.‘ Then I said, ‗Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth.‘But the LORD said to me, ‗Do not say, "I am only a youth"; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and

whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.‘ Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, ‗Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have set you

this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.‘And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‗Jeremiah, what do you see?‘ And I said, ‗I see an almond branch.‘ Then the LORD said to me, ‗You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.‘The word of the LORD came to me a second time, saying, ‗What do you see?‘ And I said, ‗I see a boiling pot, facing away from the north.‘ Then the LORD said to me , ‗Out of the north disaster shall be let loose upon all the inhabitants of the land.‘" Jeremiah 1:1-14

The Word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah and touched the prophet‘s mouth with his hand. Finally: "Then he said to me, ‗ This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: Not by might, nor by

power, but by my Spirit, says the LORD of hosts. Who are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you shall become a plain. And he shall bring forward the top stone amid shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"‘ Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ‗The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also complete it.Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.‘" Zechariah 4:6-9

In this reference the Word personally tells Zechariah that once Zerubbabel lays the foundation of the temple the prophet will then know that the Lord had sent him, i.e. God sent his Word to speak to the prophet! Another interesting point about all of these texts is that the men identify the Word as Yahweh God, therefore implying that the Word is somehow both distinct from and happens to be Yahweh God at the same time. This perfectly comports with the theology of the fourth Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, andthe Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made… Hewas in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him… 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 1:1-3, 10, 14 Jesus is the Word that became flesh who is both distinct from and happens to be God at the same time. What this basically means is that Jesus is that Word who appeared to the prophets! Furthermore, this even implies that Christ is the Angel of God since we saw earlier how the evidence supports the view that the Angel is the same Person as the Word who spoke to the prophets. Thus, if the Angel is the Word and Jesus happens to be the Word then he must be the Angel of Yahweh. To put this in the form of a syllogism:

A. The Angel of Yahweh is the Word of God. B. Jesus is the Word of God. C. Therefore, Jesus is the Angel of Yahweh. Nor are we the only ones to see that theShema doesn‘t preclude there being a plurality of Divine Persons since even some Jewish sources clearly saw a plurality within God, as the comments of the late, noted Bible expositor John Gill attests: … These words are frequent in the mouths of the modern Jews, in proof of the unity of God, and against a plurality in the Deity; but the ancient ones, not only consider them as a good and sufficient proof, that there is but one God, but as expressive of a Trinity in the Godhead: with a view to this text they observe {t},

that ``Jehovah, "our God, Jehovah"; these are, (Nygrd tlt), "three degrees" (or persons) with respect to this sublime mystery, "in the beginning, God", or "Elohim, created", &c.'' And again

, ``there is an unity which is called Jehovah the first, our God, Jehovah;

F21

behold! they are all one, and therefore called one : lo! these three names are as

one; and although we call them one, and they are one; but by the revelation of the Holy Ghost it is made known, and they are by the sight of the eye to be known, that "these three are one", (see 1 John 5:7) and this is the mystery of the voice that is heard; the voice is one; and there are three things, fire, and wind, and water, and they are all one, in the mystery of the voice, and they are not but one: so here, Jehovah, our God, Jehovah, these, (Nynwwg atlt), "three modes, forms", or "things", are one.'' Once more they

F23 say, ``there are two, and one is joined to them, and they are three; and when they are three, they are one: these are the two names of hear, O

Israel, which are Jehovah, Jehovah, and Elohenu, or our God, is joined unto them; and it is the seal of the ring of truth.'' To which I shall subjoin one passage more, where R. Eliezer is asking his father R. Simeon ben Jochai, why Jehovah is sometimes called Elohim, he replies F24, among other things; ``come see, there are (Nygrdg), "three degrees", (or persons,) and every degree is by itself; although they are all one, and bound together in one, and one is not separated from another.''

To believe this, is the first and chief commandment in the law, and is the principal article of the Christian faith; namely, to believe that there is one God, and that there are three persons, Father, Son, and Spirit, in the Godhead. FOOTNOTES…

F21 Zohar in Exod. fol. 18. 3, 4. F23 Ib. in Num. fol. 67. 3. F24 Zohar in Lev. fol. 27. 2. (The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible ; source; bold

and underline emphasis ours)

With the foregoing in the background, the reader may be wondering why then did the Bible writers use the masculine adjectiveheis for God if they believed that he is multi-Personal? The answer is rather simple, the inspired authors wanted to show that God is a personal Being as opposed to an impersonal force or energy. The use of singular masculine nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs denote that God is a single, conscious, intellectual Being even though he is not a single Person as the evidence presented here clearly proves.

Interestingly, when the NT writers speak of the unity of the distinct Persons of the Godhead they use the neuter form hen as opposed to heis: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of MY hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,and no one is able to snatch them out of t he Father’s hand. I and the Father, we are one (ego kai ho pater hen esmen).‘ The Jews picked up

stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‗I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?‘ The Jews answered him, ‗It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.‘" John 10:27-33

By using both the neuter form of heis along with the plural verb form of eimi (esmen, lit. "we are") John dispels any attempt of trying to turn the Father and the Son into a single Person. John‘s use of hen, instead of heis, clearly demonstrates that their unity is not in terms of Personhood but in respect to their essence, e.g. they are not the same Person but two distinct Persons that share the same essence fully and equally. That John had equality of essence in view can be easily demonstrated by comparing the words of the Lord Jesus with what the OT Scriptures teach regarding the unique characteristics of Yahweh: "See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I killand I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand." Deuteronomy 32:39 "There is none holy like the LORD; there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God… The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheoland raises up." 1 Samuel 2:2, 6 "For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness," Psalm 95:7-8 "‗You are my witnesses,‘ declares the LORD, and ‗ my servant whom I have chosen, that you

may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,‘ declares the LORD, ‗and I am God. Also henceforth I am he;there is none who -13 can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?‘" Isaiah 43:10

Notice how Jesus ascribes to himself the very prerogatives that the OT says belong only to Yahweh, namely, the ability to give eternal life and to prevent anyone from plucking his people out of his sovereign protection and power. He then goes on to refer to the utter hing true believers from the Father‘s hand, which is a clear incapability ofhis anyone snatcwith affirmation of equality the Father. As noted Evangelical NT scholar Murray J. Harris put it, when speaking of the identity of nature which Yahweh and Jesus share:

"Similarly, when Jesus declared ‗I and the Father are one‘ (John 10:30), he was not claiming that he and the Father were personally identical, for John uses the neuter for ‗one‘hen ( ), not the masculine (heis). Nor is Jesus simply affirming a unity of will or purpose or action between him and his Father, so what the Father wishes, he also wishes and performs. In the context Jesus has just declared that no person will be able to snatch his sheep out of his hand

(10:28) or out of his Father's hand (10:29). Such equality of divine power points to unity of divine essence: ‗I and the Father are one.‘ (Murray J. Harris,3 Crucial Questions about Jesus

[Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI 1994], Chapter 3: Is Jesus God?, fn. 14, p. 119; bold and underline emphasis ours) With this in mind does it come as a surprise that Jesus‘ astonishing statements led the Jews to

conclude (correctly so we might add) that Christ was making himself out to be God? In light of this emphatic and explicit evidence from both the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Greek Scriptures, it is clear that when Jesus and the Bible writers speak of God being one they do not mean this in terms of Personhood, e.g. God is not one Person. Rather, they meant that God is one eternal Being who exists with a plurality of attributes and as three eternally distinct, yet inseparable Persons. Thus, a distinction must be made between God‘s essential Being and his Personhood, e.g.,

there is one uncreated essence of God that is instantiated in three eternal Persons. To put it simply, God is a tri-Personal Being. Further Reading

http://www.apologetics.com/default.jsp?bodycontent=/articles/doctrinal_apologetics/bowman -trinity.html http://christian-thinktank.com/trin01.html http://www.tektonics.org/jesusclaims/trinitydefense.html http://www.tektonics.org/qt/quietthird.html http://aomin.org/trinitydef.html http://aomin.org/CHALC.html http://aomin.org/JOHN1_1.html http://aomin.org/EGO.html http://aomin.org/GRANVILL.html http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2005/09/holy-trinity-biblical-proofs.html http://socrates58.blogspot.com/2007/01/jesus-is-god-biblical-proofs.html http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/storkey.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/tam1.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/tam2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/tam3.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/12anti-trinitarian.htm http://www.carm.org/doctrine.htm

Endnotes (1) It is rather interesting to note that the text of Deuteronomy 6:4 uses the word echad in

reference to God‘s unity, a word that is often used to denote a compound or composite unity

as in the following example: "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh (basar echad)." Genesis 2:24

Here, two flesh bodies come together to form one flesh. As one lexical source puts it: 'Echad one, same, single, first, each, once,. This word occurs 960 times as a noun, adjective, or adverb, as a cardinal or ordinal number, often used in a distributive sense. It is closely identified with yahid "to be united" and with rosh "first, head," especially in connection with the "first day" of the month (Gen 8:13). It stresses unity while recognizing diversity within that oneness.

[E] can refer to a certain individual (Jud 13:2) or a single blessing (Gen 27:38). Solomon alone was chosen by the Lord (I Chr 29:1). The notion of uniqueness is also found in II Sam

7:23 and Ezk 33:24 (for this verse with reference to God, see below). The phrase "in a single day" can refer to the suddenness of judgment (Isa 10:17; 47:9) or blessing (Isa 66:8). Adverbially, [E] means "once" or "one time" (II Kgs 6:10). God solemnly swore to David "one time" that his descendants and throne would last forever (Ps 89:35 [H 36]). In Hag 2:6 the Lord warned that he would shake heaven and earth "once more in a little while." Yet this prediction of the overthrow of nations probably included a near as well as a far fulfilment (cf. Heb 12:26). The expression "in one day" denotes the swiftness of the Lord‘s acts (Isa 9:14 [H

13]; Zech 3:9). Sometimes the phrase "as one man" can mean "all at once" (Num 14:15), but when Gideon was told he would defeat Midian "as one man" it probably meant "as easily as a single man" (Jud 6:16). The phrase can also refer to a nation aroused to take united action against gross injustice (Jud 20:8; I Sam 11:7). Zephaniah‘s mention fopeople serving God "with one shoulder" likely means shoulder," Likewise in Ex 24:3 "with one voice"(3:9) expresses that all"shoulder Israel wastoinvolved in solidly enteringunited. into the Covenant with Yahweh. The concept of unity is related to the tabernacle,

whose curtains are fastened together to form one unit (Ex 26:6, 11; 36:13), Adam and Eve are described as "one flesh" (Gen 2:24), which includes more than sexual unity. In Gen 34:16 the men of Shechem suggest intermarriage with Jacob‘s children in order to become "one people." Later, Ezekiel predicted that thefragmented nation of Israel would someday be reunited , as he symbolically joined two sticks (37:17). Once again Judah and Ephraim would be one nation with one king (37:22). Abraham was viewed as "the one" from whom all the people descended (Isa 51:2; Mal 2:15), the one father of the nation. Diversity within unity is also seen from

the fact that [E] has a plural form. It is translated "a few days" in Gen 27:44; 29:20, and Dan 11:20. In Gen 11:1 the plural modifies "words": "the whole earth used the same language and the same words." Apparently it refers to the same vocabulary, thesingular, same setanalogous of wordstospoken by everyone at the tower applying of Babel.toThe first "same" in Gen 11:1 is "the same law" of the Passover native-born and foreigner (Ex 12:49; cf. Num 15:16), or to the "one law" of sure death for approaching the Persian king without invitation (Est 4:11). (Robert Laird Harris, Gleason Leonard Archer & Bruce K. Waltke, Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament [Moody Press, Chicago, 1999 - electronic ed.], p. 30) This, again, demonstrates that there is nothing in either the Greek or Hebrew words for one which necessarily excludes the possibility of God being a multi-personal Being.

Question 29: According to the book of Hebrews, in chapter 7 and verse 3, the writer refers to Melchizedek the king of Salem (which later became known as Jerusalem) and a high priest of God Most High (cf. Genesis 14:18-20). What makes this rather astonishing is that the author claims that Melchizedek has no beginning or end of life, no parents, and no genealogy. These are attributes and characteristics which belong only to God, which therefore suggests that Melchizedek is actually God. If this is the case then wouldn’t this mean that he is greater than Jesus? If so why aren’t Christians worshiping him? At the very least wouldn’t this imply that the Christian God is a Quadrinity (four Persons in One) as opposed to a Trinity? Answer:

A careful analysis of the text shows that the writer was portraying Melchizedek as a picture of Christ: "He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God (aphomoiomenos) he continues a priest forever." ESV Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. NASB Aphomoiomenos, which comes from aphomoioo, means:

Strong‘s # G871 1) to cause a model to pass off into an image 2) to express itself in it, to copy 3) to produce a facsimile 4) to be made like, render similar(Source)

or shape like it

The inspired author was trying to communicate the idea that God intentionally presented Melchizedek as a type of Christ, as foreshadowing the Son of God who was to come. Basically, Melchizedek was the type with Christ being the prototype or antitype. As the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament puts it: Aphomoioo. This verb means "to copy", rarely "to compare," and in the passive "to be or

become like" or "make oneself out to be like." The only NT instance is in Heb. 7:3, which is the says that Melchizedek "is like" the Son of God. The point may be that the Son of God prototype, or that the OT text is taken to be a Messianic prophecy, i.e.,a sign that points forward to Christ. (Gerhard Kittel & Gerhard Friedrich ed., Abridged in one volume by

Geoffrey W. Bromiley [Grand Rapids, Mi., Eerdmans, 1985], p. 684; bold and italic emphasis ours) The context provides some of the ways which Melchizedek resembled Christ:

"This Melchizedek was king of Salem and priest of God Most High. He met Abraham returning from the defeat of the kings and blessed him, and Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. First, his name means ‘king of righteousness’; then also, ‘king of Salem’ means ‘king of peace.’ Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever. Just think how great he was: Even the patriarch Abraham gave him a tenth of the plunder! Now the law requires

the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people —that is, their brothers—even though their brothers are descended from Abraham. This man, however, did not trace his descent from Levi, yet he collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. And without doubt the lesser person is blessed by the greater. In the one case, the tenth is collected by men who die; but in the other case, by him who is declared to be living. One might even say that Levi, who collects the tenth, paid the tenth through Abraham, because when Melchizedek met Abraham, Levi was still in the body of his ancestor." Hebrews 7:1-10 Melchizedek was a high priest and king, whose name means king of righteousness, who ruled in Salem meaning peace, and who is presented as being greater than Abraham and by extension greater than all of his offspring including the priestly tribe of Levi. According to the NT, Jesus possesses all of these traits and performs similar functions. 1. King of Righteousness. The prophetic Scriptures speak of the Messiah being the believers‘ righteousness, the One

through whom persons could stand righteous before God: "Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are a the healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way;nd LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not

open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For he was cut off from the land of the living;for the transgression of my people he was stricken. He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death,though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand. After the suffering of his soul, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities. Therefore I will give him a portion among the great, and he will divide the spoils with the strong, because he poured out his life unto death,and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-12

se up to David a righteous "‗The days are coming,‘ declares the LORD, ‗when I will rai Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.‘" Jeremiah 23:5-6 To better appreciate and more fully understand the manner in which the Messiah justifies sinners we need to keep in mind that God demands perfect obedience to his righteous standards, something which no man can attain: "You must be blameless before the LORD your God." Deuteronomy 18:13 "LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill ? He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart." Psalm 15:1-2 "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 The Lord Jesus came to do for sinners what they could not do for themselves, usher in that perfect righteousness that God expects of his creatures. Christ did this through his perfect obedience to the will of God: "Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners,so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous." Romans 5:18-19 God‘s will included that Christ become obedient to the point of dying on the cross as a

vicarious sacrifice: "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!" Philippians 2:5-8 By achieving such perfect righteousness Christ becomes the means by which sinners can be reckoned by God as having met his righteous requirements: "It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God — that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30 "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the

righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:21

"because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:14 This righteousness is granted to sinners on the basis of their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus:

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus. Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law. Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith." Romans 3:21-30 "What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith." Philippians 3:8-9 "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and,once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." Hebrews 5:8-9 2. King of Peace. One of the titles that are prophetically applied to Jesus the Messiah is Prince of peaceSar ( shalom):

"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6 According to the NT Jesus brought true and everlasting peace to all who believe in him: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27 "I have told you these things,so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart!I have overcome the world." John 16:33 The Scriptures teach that this peace includes Jesus‘ work of appeasing God‘s wrath by his death, that through his blood Christ turned aside God‘s righteou s anger against sinners,

thereby reconciling God with sinful man: "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Romans 5:1 "that God was reconciling the world to himselfin Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God." 2 Corinthians 5:19-20

"For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross." Colossians 1:19-20 The Lord Jesus also brought peace to the Jews and Gentiles by bringing them together, turning them into a single covenant community, a people in and with whom God is pleased to dwell and fellowship: "Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all… Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful." Colossians 3:11, 15 "Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called ‗uncircumcised‘ by those who call themselves ‗the circumcision‘ (that done in the body by the hands of men)— remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded

from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two,thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit." Ephesians 2:11-22 Here we vividly see God‘s great love for the Gentiles who were lost in the futility of their

paganism, being ignorant of who the true God is, having no hope of eternal life; that is until Christ came to bring them the light of the revelation of the one true God and the blessed hope of eternal life: "The Lord's message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia —your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us.They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath." 1 Thessalonians 1:8-10 3. An Eternal Being. The Holy Scriptures testify that Christ, in his prehuman existence as the Word, was with the Father even before creation came into being: "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 …He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him…The Word became flesh and made his

dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from

the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3, 10, 14 "And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began." John 17:5 He is even called the eternal life, a title which denotes absolute Deity: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it,and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3 "We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true—even in his Son Jesus Christ.He is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:20 4. An Eternal High Priest. Christ is currently serving in the heavenly sanctuary as the believers‘ high priest who

intercedes on their behalf on the basis of his perfect life and sacrificial death: "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time." 1 Timothy 2:5-6

"Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Hebrews 3:1 "He of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe, and no one from that tribe has ever served at the altar. For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears,one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life… Now

there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him,because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from

sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law,appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." Hebrews 7:13-16, 23-28 "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here,he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves;but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The

blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!… It was necessary, then, for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these sacrifices, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again,

the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself." Hebrews 9:11-14, 23-26

"My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2 5. An Eternal Ruler. Both the Hebrew Bible and the NT Greek Scriptures affirm that Messiah is a king who rules forever: "Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding itwith justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:7

"But the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will

be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.‘" Luke 1:30-33 "and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1:11 6. Greater than Abraham. Not only is Jesus greater than Abraham: "‗I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.‘ At this the Jews

exclaimed, "Now we know that you are demon-possessed! Abraham died and so did the prophets, yet you say that if anyone keeps your word, he will never taste death.Are you greater than our father Abraham? He died, and so did the prophets. Who do you think you are?‘ Jesus replied, ‗If I glorify myself, my glory means nothing. My Father, whom you

claim as your God, is the one who glorifies me. Though you do not know him, I know him. If I said I did not, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.‘ ‗You are not

yet fifty years old,‘ the Jews said to him, ‗and you have seen Abraham!‘ ‗I tell you the truth,‘

Jesus answered, ‗before Abraham was born, I am!‘ At this, they picked up stones to stone

him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds." John 8:51-59 He is greater than all the prophets since all of them lived with the anticipation and hope of his coming: "Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, ‗Blessed are the eyes that see what you

see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.‘" Luke 10:23-24 "You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.…

But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. If you believed Moses, you would believe me,for he wrote about me. But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?" John 5:4547 The foregoing examples show us the various ways in which Melchizedek foreshadows Christ. Melchizedek typifies Jesus in that he was made to resemble Christ‘s eternal nature, the

perfect righteousness and peace that he brings, his eternal rule, as well as his high priestly office. Another interesting parallel is that when Melchizedek met Abraham he brought bread and wine with him in order to partake in a fellowship meal: "Then Melchizedek High," Genesis 14:18king of Salembrought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most This is strikingly similar to what Jesus did with his disciples on the night of his betrayal: "While they were eating,Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‗Take and eat; this is my body.‘Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‗Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which

is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew withyou in my Father's kingdom.‘" Matthew 26:26-29 With this in perspective we can more fully appreciate the point that Hebrews is making. The book of Hebrews isn‘t presenting Melchizedek as an eternal being but is using the silence of

Genesis to make a specific point about Christ. In Genesis Melchizedek appears out of nowhere to bless Abraham and then mysteriously vanishes. What makes this all the more intriguing is that Genesis doesn‘t mention his lineage or his place of birth:

"Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, and he blessed Abram, saying, ‗Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of

heaven and earth. And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.‘ Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything." Genesis 14:18-20 That‘s not all. In Psalm 110 God commissions the king who sits at his right hand to be a

priest in the order of Melchizedek!

"The LORD says to my Lord: ‗Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.‘ … The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: ‗You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.‘" Psalm 110:1, 4

This is truly an amazing statement when we realize that God in the Torah appointed the Levites to officiate as his priests: "The LORD said to Moses, ‗Bring the tribe of Levi and present them to Aaron the priest to

assist him. They are to perform duties for him and for the whole community at the Tent of Meeting by doing the work of the tabernacle. They are to take care of all the furnishings of the Tent of Meeting, fulfilling the obligations of the Israelites by doing the work of the tabernacle. Give the Levites to Aaron and his sons; they are the Israelites who are to be given wholly to him. Appoint Aaron and his sons to serve as priests; anyone else who approaches the sanctuary must be put to death.‘" Numbers 3:5-10 The astonishing part about all this is that neither Genesis nor the Psalter provides any information which would help explain the reason for Melchizedek being so highly honored and exalted. They leave such information out thereby adding to the mystery. The author of Hebrews saw these omissions as being intentional, i.e. God deliberately withheld such details in order to present Melchizedek as a picture of his Son. As such, Melchizedek is nothing more than a mere shadow of the One who was to come. The NIV Study Bible, compiled by some of the world‘s leading biblical scholars, states this

clearly: "... contrary to the practice elsewhere in the early chapters of Genesis, does not mention Melchizedek‘s parentage and children, or his birth and death. That he was a real, historical

figure is clear, but the author of Hebrews (in accordance with Jewish interpretation) uses the silence of Scripture about Melchizedek‘s genealogyto portray him as a prefiguration of Christ. Melchizedek‘s priesthoodantiquates Christ’s eternal existence and his unending priesthood..." (Zondervan NIV Study Bible [Zondervan, Grand Rapids MI, 2002 edition], p.

1904; bold and italic emphasis ours) The late renowned NT Greek scholar A.T. Robertson agreed: Without father, without mother, without genealogy (apatwr, amhtwr,

agenealoghtov). Alliteration like Romans 1:30, the first two old words, the third coined by the author (found nowhere else) and meaning simply "devoid of any genealogy." The argument is that silence, much of by Philo, but not toalone. be pressed. The in Genesis tells from nothing of anymade genealogy. Melchizedek stands He is not torecord be understood as a miraculous being without birth or death. Melchizedek has been made more mysterious than he is by reading into this interpretation what is not there. Made like (apwmoiwmenov).

Perfect passive participle of apomoiow, old verb, to produce a facsimile or copy, only here in N.T. The likeness is in the picture drawn in Genesis, not in the man himself. Such

artificial interpretation does not amount to proof, but only serves as a parallel or illustration. Unto the Son of God (twi

uiwi tou teou).

Associative instrumental case of uiov. Abideth a priest (menei

iereuv).

According to the record in Genesis, the only one in his line just as Jesus stands alone, but with the difference that Jesus continues priest in fact in heaven. (Robertson's Word

Pictures of the New Testament: source; underline emphasis ours)

Another outstanding Bible exegete, John Gill, noted that: Without father, without mother, without descent?

Which is to be understood not of his person, but of his priesthood; that his father was not a priest, nor did his mother descend from any in that office; nor had he either a predecessor or a successor in it, as appears from any authentic accounts: or this is to be interpreted, not of his natural, but scriptural being; for no doubt, as he was a mere man, he had a father, and a mother, and a natural lineage and descent; but of these no mention is made in Scripture, and therefore said to be without them; and so the Syriac version renders it; "whose father and mother are not written in the genealogies"; or there is no genealogical account of them . … but all this is on purpose concealed, that he might be a more apparent of Christ, who, as man, is "without father"; for though, as God, he has a Father, and was never without one, being begotten by him, and was always with him, and in him; by whom he was sent, from whom he came, and whither he is gone; to whom he is the way, and with whom he is an advocate: yet, as man, he had no father; Joseph was his reputed father only; nor was the Holy Ghost his Father; nor is he ever said to be begotten as man, but was born of a virgin. Some of the Jewish writers themselves say, that the Redeemer, whom God will raise up, shall be without father.F10 And he is without mother, though not in a spiritual sense, every believer being so to him as such; nor in a natural sense, as man, for the Virgin Mary was his mother; but in a divine sense, as God: and he is "without descent or genealogy"; not as man, for there is a genealogical account of him as such, in (Matthew 1:1-17) (Luke 3:23-38) and his pedigree and kindred were well known to the Jews; but as God; and this distinguishes him from the gods of the Heathens, who were genealogized by them, as may be seen in Hesiod, Apollodorus, Hyginus, and other writers; and this condemns the blasphemous genealogies of the Gnostics and Valentinians. It follows, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life;

that is, there is no account which shows when he was born, or when he died; and in this he was a type of Christ, who has no beginning of days, was from the beginning, and in the beginning, and is the beginning, and was from everlasting; as appears from his nature as God, from his names, from his office as Mediator, and from his concern in the council and covenant of peace, and in the election of his people; and he has no end of life, both as God and man; he is the living God; and though as man he died once, he will die no more, but lives for ever. It is further said of Melchizedek, but made like unto the Son of God:

in the above things; from whence it appears, that he is not the Son of God; and that Christ, as the Son of God, existed before him, and therefore could not take this character from his incarnation or resurrection: (The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bib le:

source; underline emphasis our)

F10 R. Moses Hadarsan apud Galatin. l. 3. c. 17. & l. 8. c. 2.

(source)

W.E. Vine indicates, "He was made ‗like unto the Son of God,‘ and the similarity lay in this, that he had ‗neither beginning of days nor end of life .‘ Accordingly it was as the Son of Godthat Christ was without beginning of days. His Sonship was therefore unsrcinated and eternal ." (Vine, The Divine Sonship of Christ [Minneapolis; Klock & Klock, reprint 1984], pt. 2, pp. 16-17;

bold and italic emphasis ours) George W. Zeller & Ronald Showers conclude: "The strong testimony that this verse presents for the eternal Sonship of Christ must not be missed. The blessed Spirit of God guided the pen of Moses in such a way that the biography of Melchizedek says nothing about his parents or his birth or his age or his death. These deliberate omissions were for the purpose of presenting Melchizedek as a type of the Son of God... As the ‗Son of God‘ He was without father, without mother, without descent,having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.’" (Zeller & Showers, The Eternal Sonship of Christ - A Timely Defense of this Vital Doctrine [Loizeux Brothers, Inc., 1993 by George Zeller], p. 48; italic and underline emphasis ours) In the next part we will provide an exegesis of Hebrews 1 to further illustrate that, as far as the inspired writer of the book is concerned, Jesus is fully God and thereby superior to all creation including Melchizedek. Unless noted Scriptural quotations were taken from the New International Version (NIV)otherwise, of the HolyallBible.

Question 30: The Bible, specifically Paul, says there is only one God and that is the Father (cf. 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). Since Trinitarians believe that Jesus is not the Father, this means that Jesus is not God. Answer:

Paul is no more denying the fact that the Lord Jesus is God than he is also denying that the Father is Lord. Notice, for instance, the context of two of the citations mentioned above: "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through (di') whom all things came and through d( i’) whom we live." 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

"There is one body and one Spirit–just as you were called to one hope when you were called– one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through (dia) all and in (en) all." Ephesians 4:4-6 According to Paul, Jesus is the one Lord. Thus, using the logic of the questioner, this means that the Father cannot be Lord since the Son is said to be the one Lord. Obviously, this is not what Paul intended to convey, nor did he intend to deny that Jesus was also God when stating that the Father is the one God. In fact, by saying that Jesus is the one Lord Paul is evoking OT texts, specifically Deuteronomy 6:4 (also known as the Shema, the Jewish creed of monotheism), that say Yahweh is Israel's one Lord: "Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!" Deuteronomy 6:4 "I am the LORD, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God. I will gird you, though you have not known Me; That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun That there is no one besides Me.I am the LORD, and there is no other," Isaiah 45:5-6 Thus, Paul's creedal formulations are his way of expanding the OT Shema to include Jesus within Yahweh's identity! NT scholar Richard Bauckham agrees that, in the case of 1 Corinthians 8:6, this is essentially a Christian expansion of the Shema. Bauckham believes that Paul intended to include Jesus in the identity of the one Lord of Jewish monotheism: "Paul‘s concern in this context is explicitly monotheism. The issue of eating meat offered to

idols and participation in the temple banquets an instance highly of traditional Jewish monotheistic concern for loyalty to the isonly true Godofin the a context pagan polytheistic worship. What Paul does is to maintain this Jewish monotheistic concern in a Christian interpretation for which loyalty to the only true God entails loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ. He takes up from the Corinthians‘ letter (at the end of verse 4) the typical Jewish monotheistic formula ‗there is no God except one‘ in order to agree with it and to give, in

verse 6, his own fuller monotheistic formulation, which contrasts the many gods and many lords of the Corinthians‘ pagan environment (verse 5) with the one God and one Lord to

whom Christians owe exclusive allegiance. Verse 6 is a carefully formulated statement: a but for us [there is] one God, the Father, b from whom [are] all things and we for him, c and one Lord, Jesus Christ, d through whom [are] all things and we through him. "The statement has been composed from two sources, both clearly recognizable. One is the Shema‘, the classic Jewish statement of the uniqueness of God, takenfrom the Torah itself, recited twice daily by all observant Jews, as we noticed in chapter 1. It is now commonly recognized that Paul has here adapted the Shema‘ and produced, as it were, a Christian

version of it. Not so widely recognized is the full significance of this. In the first and third

lines of Paul‘s formula (labelled a and c above), Paul has in fact reproduced all the words of the statement about YHWH in the Shema‘ (Deut. 6:4: ‗The LORD our God, the LORD, is one‘), but Paul has rearranged the words in such a way as to produce an affirmation of both

one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ. It should be quite clear that Paul is including the Lord Jesus Christ in the unique divine identity. He is redefining monotheism as christological monotheism. If he were understood as adding the one Lord to the one God of whom the Shema‘ speaks, then, from the perspective of Jewish monotheism, he would

certainly be producing not christological monotheism but out right di-theism. The addition of a unique Lord to the unique God of the Shema‘ would flatly contradict the uniqueness of the latter. The only possible way to understand Paul as maintaining monotheism is to understand But him to be including Jesus in the unique identity of the one God affirmed in the hema‘. S this is in any case clear from the fact that the term ‗Lord‘, applied here to Jesus as the ‗one Lord‘, is taken from the Shema‘ itself. Paul is not adding to the one God of the Shema‘ a ‗Lord‘ the Shema‘ does not mention. He is identifying Jesusas the ‗Lord‘ whom the Shema‘ affirms to be one. Thus, in Paul‘s quite unprecedented reformulation of the Shema‘, the

unique identity of the one God consists of the one God, the Father, and the one Lord, his Messiah. Contrary to what many exegetes who have not sufficiently understood the way in which the unique identity of God was understood in Second Temple Judaism seem to suppose, by including Jesus in this unique identity Paul is certainly not repudiating Jewish monotheism, whereas were he merely associating Jesus with the unique God, he certainly would be repudiating monotheism." (Bauckham,God Crucified-Monotheism & Christology in the New Testament [Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, MI/ Cambridge, U.K., 1998], pp. 37-39) Imminent NT Scholar N.T. Wright concurs: "The pagan pantheon cannot be simply dismissed as metaphysically nonexistent and therefore morally irrelevant. It signals an actual phenomenon within the surrounding culture that must be faced and dealt with, not simply sidestepped. For this reason - which Paul will deal with in more detail in ch. 10 -the allegiance of local paganism to this or that ‗god‘ and ‗lord‘ must be met with nothing short of the Christian version of Jewish-style, Shema-style, monotheism. It is this that Paul now states. Whatever its links with the Hellenistic-Jewish world of Philo and others, v.6 resonates thoroughly with echoes of the far more ancient and widespread formula from Deuteronomy 6:4. In the Hebrew the confession of faith begins with the words: [quotes the Hebrew of Deuteronomy 6:4 here] In the Septuagint this reads: Akoue ‘Israel kurios ho theos hemon kurios heis estin.

What Paul seems to have done is as follows. He has expanded the formula, in a way quite unprecedented in any other texts known to us, so as to include a gloss ontheos and another on kurios: all hemin heis theos ho pater ek hou ta panta kai hemeis eis auton,

kai heis kurios ‘Iesous Christos, di’ hou ta panta kai hemeis di’ autou.

Paul, in other words, has glossed ‗God‘ with the ‗the Father‘, and ‗Lord‘ with ‗Jesus Christ‘, adding in each case an explanatory phrase: ‗God‘ is the Father ‗from whom are all things and we to him‘, and the ‗Lord‘ is Jesus the Messiah, ‗through whom are all things and we through him‘. There can be no mistake: just as in Philippians 2 and Colossians 1, Paul has placed Jesus within an explicit statement, drawn from the Old Testament‘s quarry of emphatically monotheistic texts, of the doctrine that Israel‘s God is the one and only God, the creator of

the world. The Shema was already, at this stage of Judaism, in widespread use as the Jewish daily prayer. Paul has redefined it christologically, producing what we can only call a sort of christological monotheism. This fact is becoming more widely recognized in recent scholarship, though its omission from some of the older literature remains remarkable." (Wright, The Climax of the Covenant, Christ and Law in Pauline Theology [Fortress Press, Minneapolis 1993 ISBN 0-8006-28276], pp. 128-129) As does renowned Evangelical scholar Gordon D. Fee: "What Paul has done seems plain enough. He has kept the 'one' intact, but he has divided the Shema into two parts, withtheos (God) now referring to the Father, and kurios (Lord) referring to Jesus Christ the Son... He insists that the identity of the one God also includes the one Lord," (Fee, Pauline Christology: An Exegetical-Theological Commentary [Hendrickson Publishers, March 2007], pp. 90-91) "In the striking passage where Paul reshapes the Jewish Shema to embrace both the Father and the Son while as the same time emphasizing his inherited monotheism, Paul asserts that the 'one Lord' (=Yahweh) of the Shema is to be identified as the Lord Jesus Christ ... In a still more profoundly theological way, by his inclusion of the preexistent Son as the agent of creation, Paul has thus included him in the divine identity at its most fundamental point, since the one God of the Jews was regularly identified vis-à-vis all other 'gods' as the Creator and Ruler of all things. Thus, it is one thing for Christ to be the means of redemption, but for him likewise to be the divine agent of creation is what clearly includes him within Paul's now adjusted understanding of 'the one God,' ... One of the reasons for naming Christ as 'the Lord' = Yahweh of the Shema [is] to place Christ as already present with the Israel to whom the Shema was srcinally given," (Ibid., 502-504) Another Evangelical NT scholar Murray J. Harris agrees with these gentlemen: theos to Jesus regard this dramatic departure Did four NT writers who appliedorthe fromthe Jewish custom a compromise an title abandonment of their hereditary monotheism? Apart from Paul‘s heis theos kai pater panton in Ephesians 4:6, written subsequently to Romans 9:5, there is no explicit use of theheis theos formula by these writers after they had used theos as a christological ascription. But perhaps 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 indicates how Paul and other NT authors reformulated their monotheism to accommodate their belief in the deity of Christ.

The LXX version of the beginning of the Shema (Deut. 6:4) reads kyrios ho theos hemon kyrios heis estin. Paul concurs with the Corinthians in this basic affirmation ( oidamen … hoti oudeis theos me heis, 1 Cor. 8:4) but proceeds to restate the undifferentiated generic heis theos of the Shema> in a binitarian formulationheis theos ho pater … kai heis kyrios ‘Iesous Christos (8:6), which indicates that in Paul‘s viewho pater + ‘Iesous Christos = heis theos. That is, Paul did not regard heis kyrios as an addition to the Shema> but as constituent part of a christianized Shema>. Heis theos in 8:6 is not contrasted withheis kyrios, as if they were generically distinct, but withtheoi polloi (en ourano) in 8:5, just as heis kyrios is opposed to kyrioi polloi (epi ges). Apparently, then, the solution Paul proposed to the theological problem created by the Christ event was to use the expressionheis theos only of the Father (cf. Eph. 4:6), never of Jesus, although theos could occasionally be used of Jesus, while the expression heis kyrios was applied exclusively to Jesus (cf. Eph. 4:5), never to the Father, although kyrios was often applied to the Father. It would seem that Paul never relinquished his inherited Jewish monotheism but reformulated it so as to include Christ, within the Godhead. In light of other monotheistic statements scattered throughout the NT, it is safe to assume that no NT writer regarded the surrender of monotheism as the corollary of belief in the essential deity of Christ. (Harris,Jesus as God – The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus [Baker Books, Grand Rapids MI 1993], Chapter XIII – Conclusions: Theos as a Christological Title, J. The Significance of the Christological Use of Theos, 2. Theos Is a Christological Title That Explicitly Affirms the Deity of Christ, 294-295) The statements of these scholars essentially affirm our point that by using the title "Lord" in reference to Jesus, Paul was identifying Christ as Yahweh. In other words, Paul wasn't trying to say that Jesus isn't God by calling him Lord, quite the opposite. Paul used two divine titles, namely "God" and "Lord," to affirm that both the Father and the Son are the one God, Yahweh. The readers can see this for themselves by just looking at the immediate context: Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that "an idol has no real existence," and that "there is no God but one." For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth – as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"– 1 Corinthians 8:4-5 Paul refers to the gods and lords as the many gods that are erroneously thought to exist. Paul is classifying the pagan gods and lords under the same category of gods, e.g. the "many lords" of the pagans were not a class of inferior deities in relation to the pagan gods. In light of this the expressions "God" and "Lord" are to be understood as synonymous references to the same category of divine existence. God and Lord do not refer to different categories of beings, but to the same level of Divine subsistence, to the one eternal Being of God. There is further says later on: substantiation that Paul believed that Jesus is Yahweh God. Notice what Paul "I want you to know, brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink.For they drank from the spiritual Rock that followed them, AND THE ROCK was Christ . Nevertheless, with most of them God was not pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as

some of them were; as it is written, ‗The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.‘ We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day.We must not put Christ[1] to t he test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come." 1 Corinthians 10:1-11, 1422 The NET online english Bible has a note on verse 9 which says: ... Cristovn (Criston, "Christ") is attested in the majority of mss, including many important witnesses of the Alexandrian (Ì 1739 1881) and Western (D F G) texttypes, and other mss and versions (Y latt sy co). On the other hand, some of the important Alexandrian witnesses have kuvrion (kurion, "Lord"; Í B C P 33 104 1175 al). A few mss (A 81 pc) have qeovn (qeon, "God"). The nomina sacra for these readings are quite similar (cMn, kMn, and qMn respectively), so one might be able to account for the different readings by way of confusion. On closer examination, the variants appear to be intentional changes. Alexandrian scribes replaced the highly specific term "Christ" with the less specific terms "Lord" and "God" because in the context it seems to be anachronistic to speak of the exodus generation putting Christ to the test. If the srcinal had been "Lord," it seems unlikely that a scribe would have willingly created a difficulty by substituting the more specific "Christ." Moreover, even if not motivated by a tendency to overcorrect, a scribe might be likely to assimilate the word "Christ" to "Lord" in conformity with Deut 6:16 or other passages. The evidence from the early church regarding the reading of this verse is rather compelling in favor of "Christ." Marcion, a second-century, anti-Jewish heretic, would naturally have opposed any reference to Christ in historical involvement with Israel, because he thought of the Creator God of the OT as inherently evil. In spite of this strong prejudice, though, {Marcion} read a text with "Christ." Other early church writers attest to the presence of the word "Christ," including {Clement of Alexandria} and Origen. What is more, the synod of Antioch in a.d. 268 used the reading "Christ" as evidence of the preexistence of Christ when it condemned Paul of Samosata. (See G. Zuntz,The Text of the Epistles, 126-27; TCGNT 494; C. D. Osburn, "The Text of 1 Corinthians 10:9,"New Testament Textual Criticism: Its Significance for Exegesis, 201-11; contra A. Robertson and A. Plummer, First Corinthians [ICC], 205-6.) Since "Christ" is the more difficult reading on all accounts, it is almost certainly srcinal. In addition, "Christ" is consistent with Paul's style in this passage (cf. 10:4, a text in which {Marcion} also reads "Christ"). This text is also christologically significant, since the reading "Christ" makes an explicit claim to the preexistence of Christ. (The textual critic faces a similar dilemma in Jude 5. In a similar exodus context, some of the more important Alexandrian mss [A B 33 81 pc] and the Vulgate read "Jesus" in place of "Lord." Two of those mss [A 81] are the same mss that have "Christ" instead of "God" in 1 Cor 10:9. See the tc notes on Jude 5 for more information.) In sum, "Christ" has all the earmarks of authenticity here and should be considered the srcinal reading. (Source) According to Paul, the Lord Jesus was the Rock which followed the Israelites in the desert and the very One who killed them by fiery serpents for tempting him. Yet according to the Hebrew Scriptures the Rock which followed and provided for Israel, the One whom they tempted, was actually Yahweh God Almighty! "Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey.The people spoke against

God and Moses,

'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food.' The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. So the people came to Moses and said, 'We have sinned,because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us.' And Moses interceded for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Make a fiery

serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live.' And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived." Numbers 21:4-9 "For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; ascribe greatness to our God! The Rock, his work is perfect, for all his ways are justice. A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and upright is he ... But the LORD's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.He found him in a desert land , and in the howling waste of the wilderness; he encircled him, he cared for him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. Like an eagle that stirs up its nest, that flutters over its young, spreading out its wings, catching them, bearing them on its pinions, the LORD alone guided him, no foreign god was with him. He made him ride on the high places of the land, and he ate the produce of the field, and he suckled him with honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock. Curds from the herd, and milk from the flock, with fat of lambs, rams of Bashan and goats, with the very finest of the wheat-and you drank foaming wine made from the blood of the grape. But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded.You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth . The LORD saw it and spurned them, because of the provocation of his sons and his daughters. And he said, ‗I will hide my face from them; I will see what their end will be, For they are a

perverse generation, children in whom is no faithfulness. They have made me jealous with what is no god; they have provoked me to anger with their idols ... If they were wise, they would understand this; they would discern their latter end! How could one have chased a thousand, and two have put ten thousand to flight,unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had given them up? For their rock is not as our Rock; our enemies are by themselves ... For the LORD will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants, when he sees that their power is gone and there is none remaining, bond or free. Then he will say, ‗Where are their gods, the rock in which they took refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their drink offering? Let them rise up and help you; let them be your protection! See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill

and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.‘" Deuteronomy 32:3-4, 9-21, 29-31, 36-39 Finally, by saying that all things are from the Father and through the Son, Paul was again affirming the essential equality of the two divine Persons. Paul states elsewhere that Jesus created all things for himself: "For BY (en) him ALL things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; ALL things were created BY (di') him and FOR (eis) him. He is before all things, AND IN (en) HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the

firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:16-18 There other NT writers which agree with the blessed Apostle concerning Jesus being the Agent of creation: "All things were made through (di') him, and without him was not any thing made that was made... He was in the world, and the world was made through di' ( ) him, yet the world did not know him." John 1:3, 10 "but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through (di') whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power... And, 'You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.'" Hebrews 1:2-3a, 10-12 However, both the Hebrew Scriptures and the NT teach that all created things are from and through God and that Yahweh alone created everything for himself: "You alone are the LORD You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You." Nehemiah 9:6 "He speaks theheavens sun andand it does he seals offsea." the light of the stars. He ALONE stretches outtothe treadsnotonshine; the waves of the Job 9:7-8 "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth - everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made." Isaiah 43:6-7 "The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the desert and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I FORMED FOR MYSELF that they may proclaim my praise." Isaiah 43:20-21 "This is what the LORD says- your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the LORD, who has made all things, who ALONE stretched out the heavens, who spread out the earth by MYSELF…" Isaiah 44:24

"For IN (en) him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring." Acts 17:28 "For from him and THROUGH (di’) him and FOR (eis) him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36 "In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, FOR di' ( ) whom and THROUGH (di') whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering." Hebrews 2:10

The above passages plainly state that God is both the primary ("from") and instrumental ("through") cause of all creation, and that all things consist or are sustained in ( en) him. For Paul to then claim that Jesus is both the source ("in/by him all things were created") and the instrumental cause of creation, and that all things are sustained inen( ) him, affirms beyond any reasonable doubt that the Apostle clearly believed that Jesus is Yahweh God (yet not the Father). Bauckham comments on Paul‘s claim that all things are from God and through Christ:

"The description in its undivided, unmodified form is used elsewhere by Paul, specifically in Romans 11:36a: ‗from himand through him and to him [are] all things‘. Here the statement

simply refers to God, whereas in 1 Corinthians 8:6 Paul has divided it between God and

Christ, applying to God two of the prepositions that describe God‘s relationship as Creator to all things (‗from‘ and ‗for‘ or ‗to‘) and the third of these prepositions (‗through‘) to Christ. Although Paul‘s formula in Romans 11:36 does not appear precisely in this form elsewhere,

there are enough Jewish parallels to make it certain that Paul there simply quotes a Jewish formulation. That God is not only the agent or efficient cause of creation (‗from him are all things‘) and the final cause or goal of all things (‗to him are all things‘), but also the instrumental cause (‗through whom are all things‘) wellexpresses the typical Jewish

monotheistic concern that God used no one else to carry out his work of creation, but accomplished it alone, solely by means of his own Word and/or his own Wisdom. Paul‘s

reformulation in 1 Corinthians 8:6 includes Christ in this exclusively divine work of creation by giving to him the role of instrumental cause." (Ibid, p. 39) In conclusion, Paul's statements, when properly understood and interpreted in light of their immediate and overall biblical contexts, do not exclude Jesus from being God in the same sense that the Father is. Rather, Paul was simply applying two different divine titles, God and Lord, to both the Father and the Son in order to show that both Persons are the one true God, Yahweh Almighty. For more on this issue we highly recommend the following link: http://forananswer.org/1Cor/1Cor8_index.htm

Question 31: According to John 5:37, Jesus said that no one had ever seen God at anytime or ever heard his voice. And yet people did see Jesus, which proves that Jesus cannot be God. Answer:

As it is often the case in polemical arguments, the paraphrase of the passage misrepresents Jesus‘ words in several ways. Jesus did not make a general statement ("no one ev er") but addressed a particular group of people ("you"). Moreover, he spoke about the Father, not about God in general. Since Jesus is the Son, not the Father, the above conclusion is invalid. Here is what that passage actually says:

"And the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. You have never heard his voice nor seen his form, nor does his word dwell in you, for you do not believe the one he sent." John 5:37-38 The questioner is assuming that Jesus meant that no oneat any time has seen God or heard his voice, when in actuality his comments were addressed to a specific group, not to everyone. Jesus was saying that those specific Jews whom he was directly addressing hadn't seen or heard God. But even here Jesus clearly says that the Father has testified concerning him, implying that God had indeed spoken and revealed himself in some way to people in order to testify on behalf of his Son. The following Scriptures explicitly state that many have both seen and heard from God: "Micaiah continued, 'Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne with all the host of heaven standing around him on his right and on his left. And the LORD said, "Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?" One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, "I will entice him." "By what means?" the LORD asked. "I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets," he said. "You will succeed in enticing him," said the LORD. "Go and do it." So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you.'" 1 Kings 22:19-23 "In the year that King Uzziah died,I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled t he temple. Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they werewhole flying.earth Andisthey 'Holy, holy the LORDand Almighty; the fullwere of hiscalling glory.'toAtone theanother: sound of theirholy, voices theisdoorposts thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 'Woe to me!' I cried. 'I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips,and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, 'See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.'Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying , "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'" Isaiah 6:1-8 "As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened." Daniel 7:9-10 "As soonand as Jesus was went up out of the thatlighting momentonheaven opened, he saw thebaptized, Spirit ofheGod descending likewater. a doveAtand him.Andwas a voice from heaven said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" Matthew 3:1617 "Then John gave this testimony: 'I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water TOLD ME, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who

will baptize with the Holy Spirit." I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.'" John 1:32-34 "While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them,and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!'" Matthew 17:5 "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.' We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain ." 2 Peter 1:16-18 "Father, glorify your name!' Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.' The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, 'This voice was for your benefit, not mine.'" John 12:2830 In light of the foregoing, we can now take a closer look at the passage to see what the Lord Jesus actually meant: "And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent." RSV Jesus was telling these Jews that their rejection of him demonstrated that God hadn't enabled them believed to realizeinthat waswhom speaking andsent. revealing himself to them, since if he did they would have thehe One he had The Scriptures clearly teach that it is only through God illuminating and drawing a person can he/she believe the revelation that God is giving in Scripture and/or Christ: "‗No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up unless it is on the last day‘ ... And he said, ‗This is why I told you that no one can come to me granted him by the Father.‘" John 6:44, 65

"Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you CANNOT bear to hear my word ... Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." John 8:43, 47

As the Lord Jesus told Peter, after the latter confessed that Christ was God's Son: "He said to them, ‗But whodo you say that I am?‘ Simon Peter answered, ‗You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.‘ And Jesus said to him, ‗Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven .‘"

Matthew 16:15-17 Peter's confession demonstrated that he had both heard and received revelation from God regarding who Christ truly was. The unbelieving Jews, on the other hand, had shown by their unbelief that God hadn't testified to their conscience about who Jesus is.

Ironically, in their stubbornness and obtuse refusal to believe in Jesus, they failed to see that the very One standing before them was the visible manifestation and revelation of the invisible God: "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth... No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:14, 18 "Then Jesus cried out, 'When a man believes in me, he does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me. When he looks at me, he sees the one who sent me.'" John 12:44-45 "'If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.' Philip said, 'Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.' Jesus answered: 'Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.'" John 14:7-11 Thus, they failed to realize that seeing Jesus was to see the very human form of God! If they had believed they would have then realized that they were seeing God manifesting himself and speaking to them through and in Christ, a point which Jesus himself makes: "They to him therefore, ‗Where is yourknow Father?‘ Jesus also answered, ‗ 8:19 You know neither me nor mysaid Father. If you knew me, you would my Father .‘" John

To summarize, the passage is not denying that people have seen or heard from God. It is simply stating that those particular Jews, whom the Lord Jesus was addressing, showed through their unbelief that God hadn't enabled them to accept and realize the fact that the Person standing before them was God's self-revelation to them. In other words, it wasn't that God hadn't made himself known to them, since he definitely had in the Scriptures and through the Person and work of Christ. But that, despite the revelation they were receiving, God hadn't set them free from their spiritual blindness in order to be able to discern the fact that he was clearly speaking to them in his Son. A similar objection is often raised based on John 1:18 which is the topic of discussion in Part 2.

Question 32: The Bible says that God has never been seen (cf. John 1:18), and yet Jesus was seen and heard. This again proves that Jesus cannot be God. Answer:

Just as in Part 1 (on John 5:37), a careful reading of the passage helps to resolve the problem. Notice that in John 1:18, the Evangelist says that God's Son, WHO HIMSELF IS GOD, has made God known. How did he do this? By becoming flesh. John therefore affirms that GOD has appeared visibly and revealed himself to others when the Son took on human nature. (Cf. John 1:1-3, 10-11, 14) Furthermore, the God whom no one has seen is the Father. Note the text again: "No one has ever seen God. It is GOD the only Son , who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known." NRSV So this in itself suffices as a response since John is not denying that God has ever been seen, but that the Father has never been seen. With that said, we must now understand what John meant that the Father has never been seen. A careful examination of the context shows that John is actually expounding upon the Greek Septuagint (LXX) of Exodus 33:7-20: "And Moses took his TABERNACLE (ten skenen autou) and PITCHED IT without the camp, at a distance from the camp; and it was calledTHE TABERNACLE of Testimony (skene marturiou): and it came to pass that every one that sought the Lord went forth toTHE TABERNACLE (ten skenen) which was without the camp. And whenever Moses went into THE TABERNACLE (ten skenen) without the camp, all the people stood every one watching by the doors OF HIS TENT (tes skenes autou); and when Moses departed, they took notice into skenen), THE TABERNACLE THE until he entered(ten ). And when Moses entered TABERNACLE THE PILLAR(ten OFskenen THE CLOUD DESCENDED, and into stood at the door of THE TABERNACLE (tes skene), and God talked to Moses . And all the people SAW THE PILLAR OF THE CLOUD standing by the door of THE TABERNACLE (tes skenes), and all the people stood and worshipped every one at the doorOF HIS TENT (tes skenes autou). And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as if one should speak to his friend; and he

retired into the camp: but his servant Joshua the son of Naue, a young man, departed not forth FROM THE TABERNACLE (ek tes skenes). And Moses said to the Lord, Lo! thou sayest to

me, Lead on this people; but thou hast not shewed me whom thou wilt send with me, but thou hast said to me, I know thee above all, and thou hast favour with me. If then I have found favour in thy sight, reveal thyself to me, that I may evidently see thee; that I may find favour in thy sight, and that I may know that this great nation is thy people. And he says, I myself will go before thee, and give thee rest. And he says to him, If thou go not up with us thyself, bring me not up hence. And how shall it be surely known, that both I and this people have found favour with thee, except only if thou go with us? So both I and thy people shall be glorified beyond all the nations, as many as are upon the earth. And the Lord said to Moses, I will do thee for thee thisall. thing, thou hastManifest spoken;thyself for thoutohast gracesaid, before me,pass and Ialso know above Andwhich Moses says, me.found And God I will by before thee WITH MY GLORY (te doxe mou), and I will call by my name, the Lord, before thee; and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and will have pity on whom I will have pity. And God said, Thou shalt not be able to see my face; FOR NO MAN SHALL SEE MY FACE, and live. Exodus 33:7-20 Carefully note that the passage states that the pillar of cloud descended upon the Tentskene ( ) in full view of Israel. The cloud represented God's glory:

"Then the cloud coveredTHE TENT OF MEETING (ten skenen tou marturiou), AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE TABERNACLE (kai doxes kuriou eplesthe he skene). Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it,AND THE GLORY OF THE LORD FILLED THE TABERNACLE (kai doxes kuriou eplesthe he skene).

In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out-until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels." Exodus 40:34-38 Furthermore, in Exodus 33 Moses asked God to manifest himself, to show Moses his face. In other words, Moses wanted to see a full blown manifestation of God's glory as opposed to seeing a small veiled glimpse of it. God responds by saying that no one can see the fullness of his Divine glory, the visible revelation of his complete essence. We know that this what Moses meant since Exodus clearly says that God appeared to Moses and the latter saw him: "Then He said to Moses, 'Come up to the LORD, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel, and you shall worship at a distance. Moses alone, however, shall come near to the LORD, but they shall not come near, nor shall the people come up with him.' ... Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, AND THEY SAW GOD OF ISRAEL; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Yet He did not stretch out His hand against the nobles of the sons of Israel; AND THEY SAW GOD, and they ate and drank. Now the LORD said to Moses, 'Come up to Me on the mountain and remain there,

and I will give you the stone tablets with the law and the commandment which I have written for their instruction.' So Moses arose with Joshua his servant, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. But to the elders he said, 'Wait here for us until we return to you And behold, Aaron and Hur are with you; whoever has a legal matter, let him approach them.' Then Moses went up to the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain.The glory of the LORD rested on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it for six days ; and on the seventh day He called to Moses from the midst of the cloud.And to the eyes of the sons of Israel the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountain top. Moses entered the midst of the cloud as he went up to the mountain; and Moses was on

the mountain forty days and forty nights." Exodus 24:1-2, 9-18 Therefore, Moses was asking to see the whole bare essential Divine glory visibly manifested before him, not just a small veiled portion of God's glorious majesty. With this in mind, let us now turn to John's prologue: "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 has been In him has wasnot life,understood and that life was thecame lighta of men. The light in the that darkness, but made. the darkness it. There man who was sentshines from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of

God. The Word became flesh AND PITCHED HIS TENT AMONG US (kai eskenosen en hemin). WE HAVE SEEN HIS GLORY (ten doxan autou), THE GLORY OF THE ONE AND ONLY (doxan hos monogenous), WHO CAME FROM THE FATHER, full of grace and truth .

John testifies concerning him. He cries out, saying, 'This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me."' From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." The verb eskenosen comes from skenoo, where we get skene or tabernacle, the very word used in the Greek version of Exodus 33 and 40! It is clear that by using the termsskene and doxa, and by referencing Moses, John is presenting the Lord Jesus as the very glory of God who pitched his tent among us. In other words, Jesus' physical body is the permanent tabernacle for the fullness of God's glory to reside in. This means that when John says no one has seen God, John is referring to the fact that no one has seen God fully manifestating his glorious essence. Yet Jesus permanently houses God's glory and essence in the flesh. This is why Christ could speak of his physical body as God's tabernacle, and why the glory cloud descended upon him, just as it had descended upon the tabernacle: "Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three TABERNACLES (skenas) here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' While he was still speaking,a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said , 'This is My beloved Son, with whom I am wellpleased; listen to Him!'" Matthew 17:1-5 "Jesus answered them, D ' estroy THIS TEMPLE, and in three days I will raise it up .' The Jews then said, 'It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?' But He was speaking of THE TEMPLE OF HIS BODY. So when He was raised from the dead, His disciples remembered that He said this; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Jesus had spoken." John 2:19-22 Thus, John's prologue is essentially saying that the unseen, invisible God has visibly manifested his glory by appearing in human form. And that human form just so happens to be the human nature, the very physical body, of God's eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ! Far from disproving the Deity of the Lord Jesus, John's prologue does a superb and masterful job of demonstrating it (obviously due to divine inspiration of course)!

Question 33: According to Jesus, no one knows the day or hour of his coming in judgment except the Father (cf. Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32). No one obviously includes the Holy Spirit. Yet, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t know everything how can he be God? Answer:

This is a severe misunderstanding of Jesus‘ words since Christ wasn‘t including the Holy

Spirit in his discussion. His point was that no human being, no angel, not even himself, knew the exact date of his coming to judge Jerusalem. Here are Jesus‘ exact words which helps to

illustrate this point: "But of that day and hour no one knows, NOT EVEN the angels of heaven, NOR the Son, but the Father only." Matthew 24:36 "But of that day or that hour no one knows,NOT EVEN the angels in heaven, NOR the Son, but only the Father." Mark 13:32 The questioner erroneously has assumed that the phrase "no one knows" is inclusive, that it necessarily includes every single entity with the exception of the Father. On the contrary, the fact that Jesus goes on to mention that neither he nor the angels know clearly indicates that Christ wasn‘t referring to every single entity but to a more restricted group. After all, if the

phrase "no one knows" meant everyone then there was no need for Christ to mention the angels and himself since they would have naturally been includ ed. Thus, Christ‘s statement regarding angels and the Son not knowing demonstrates that Jesus was referring to a specific class of individuals, namely human beings, when he said that no one knows. In other words, Jesus was saying that no human being knows the day he would come to bring judgment upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem for rejecting him, neither the angels, not even himself. This explains why the King James Version rendered the Greek in the following manner: "But of that day and that hour knowethNO MAN, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father." Mark 13:32 The translators correctly inferred from the context that "no one" meant no man. It must be pointed out that phrases such as "no one," "not one," "all," "everyone" etc., are not necessarily inclusive terms, but can have a more limited sense, just as the following examples prove: "His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems; and he has a name inscribed which NO ONE knows but himself." Revelation 19:12 John obviously didn‘t mean that the Father didn‘t know Jesus‘ name since he is the Source of the Son‘s revelation and has full knowledge of Christ:

"The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants what must soon take place; and he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John," Revelation 1:1 "All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows the Sonexcept the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Matthew 11:27 It is obvious that John meant that no creature knows Jesus‘ name.

"What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written: ‗NONE IS RIGHTEOUS, no, NOT ONE; NO ONE understands, NO ONE seeks for God. ALL have

turned aside, together they have gone wrong; NO ONE DOES GOOD, NOT EVEN ONE.‘ ‗Their throat is an open grave, they use their tongues to deceive.‘ ‗The venom of asps is under their lips.‘ ‗Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.‘ ‗Their feet are swift to shed blood, in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they do not know.‘ ‗There is no fear of God before their eyes.‘ Now we know that whatever thelaw says it speaks to those

who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For no human being will be justified in his sight by works of the law, since through the law comes knowledge of sin." Romans 3:9-20 Paul here is dealing with individuals who have rebelled and willfully violated God‘s commands. Again, Paul didn‘t mean to include Christ, the elect angels, and infants that die within his list of all those that have willfully sinned and brok en God‘s commands.

"It is not to angels that he has subjected the world to come, about which we are speaking. But there is a place where someone has testified: ‗What is man that you are mindful of him, the

son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honorand put EVERYTHING under his feet?’ In putting EVERYTHING under him, God left NOTHING that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see EVERYTHING subject to him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone." Hebrews 2:5-9 NIV The inspired author of Hebrews cites Psalm 8:4-6 where it says that God has placed everything under the control of man. Now the author of Hebrews didn‘t mean that even God

himself was made subject to man, even though the expressions "everything" and "nothing" are used. As the Apostle Paul put it: "Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. ‗For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.‘ But when it says, ‗All things are put in subjection under him,‘it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the

Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one." 1 Corinthians 15:24-28 These examples should help the readers see why caution must be used before assuming that expressions such as "all," "no one," are inclusive, that they necessarily include everyone and everything. The context will help determine whether these words are being used inclusively or in a more limited sense. More importantly, the Holy Bible clearly teaches that the Holy Spirit knows everything that God knows and fully comprehends the very mind of God! "God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man's thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God EXCEPT THE SPIRIT OF GOD. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God." 1 Corinthians 2:10-12

infinite The Holy Scriptures explicitly state that God‘s thoughts, his ways, his knowledge are and beyond comprehension: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! ‗For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who

has been his counselor?‘ ‗Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?‘ For from

him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen." Romans 11:33-36 "O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether. You hem me in, behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it." Psalm 139:1-6 ESV "He determines the number of the stars, he gives to all of them their names. Great is our LORD, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure." Psalm 147:4-5 Hence, for the Holy Spirit to know and be able to search the mind of God means that the Holy Spirit is omniscient, that he too knows everything perfectly! We conclude our discussion in the words of the renowned Bible scholar and commentator John Gill who wrote regarding Matthew 24:36: … no, not the angels of heaven; who dwell there, always behold the face of God, stand in his

presence ready do his will, and areand made with many of hisvengeance designs, and employed in thetoexecuting of them, yet acquainted know not the time of God's on are the Jews; to this agrees the sense that is given of the day of vengeance in (Isaiah 63:4) it is asked, ―what is the meaning of these words, "the day of vengeance is in my heart?" Says R.

Jochanan, to my heart I have revealed it, to the members I have not revealed it: says R. Simeon ben Lakish, to my heart I have revealed it, (ytylg al trvh ykalml), "to the ministering angels I have not revealed it".‖ The Ethiopic version adds here, "nor the son", and so the Cambridge copy of Beza's; which seems to be transcribed from (Mark 13:32) where that phrase stands; and must be understood of Christ as the son of man, and not as the Son of God; for as such, he lay in the bosom of the Father, and knew all his purposes and designs; for these were purposed in him: he knew from the beginning who would betray him, and who would believe in him; he knew what would befall the rejecters of him, and when that would come to pass; as he must know also the day of the last judgment, since it is appointed by God, and he is ordained to execute it: but the sense as he, as man mediator, notcommission to destroy, tobutmake to save; so the it was part ofis,histhat work, as such, to and know, nor had came he it in known timenotofany Jerusalem's ruin: but my Father only; to the exclusion of all creatures, angels AND MEN; but not to the exclusion of Christ as God, who, as such, is omniscient; NOR OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, who is acquainted with the deep things of God, the secrets of his heart, and this among others. (Source; underline and capital emphasis ours)

Another text which is used to deny the omniscience of the Holy Spirit is Matthew 11:27 (cf. Luke 10:22) where Jesus says no one knows the Father or the Son. Again, much like Matthew 24:36 (cf. Mark 13:32), a careful consideration of the immediate context will show that Jesus was speaking of human beings, that no man knows the Father and the Son: "At that time Jesus declared, ‗I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,that thou hast

hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and NO ONE knows the Son except the Father, and NO ONE knows the Father except the Son and ANY ONE TO WHOM the Son chooses to reveal him.‘" Matthew 11:25-27 Here, Jesus refers to God hiding his wisdom from the wise and understanding, and revealing it to babes. This clearly refers to human beings, that God has chosen to reveal himself to humans whom the world considers as unwise and unlearned as opposed to those who are viewed as wise and knowledgeable. As the Apostle Paul put it: "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, ‗I will destroy thewisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.‘ Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is

the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your call, brethren; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth; but God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18-29 Moreover, the "no one" whom Jesus mentions refers to the "any one to whom" he will choose to reveal God. In other words, Christ will sovereignly and freely choose to reveal himself to specific persons from that group who do not know God. And we know that the objects of Christ's message and revelation are human beings: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,he has made him known." John 1:18

"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; we are eternal life." and 1 John 5:20in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and Thus, the exegesis of the immediate context demonstrates that Jesus' reference to "no one" doesn't include the Holy Spirit (or even the angels for that matter). The context basically shows that Jesus was referring to men, that no human being knows God and therefore is in need of Christ to reveal him.

Scripture references taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible, unless stated otherwise. A Muslim response to this article is discussedhere. Question 34: The terms Islam and Muslims are found all throughout the Quran (cf. 2:130-133; 3:1920, 67, 84-85; 5:3; 22:78), indicating that these are revealed names from God unlike the terms Christianity and Christian(s). These words are man-made expressions used to denote the faith of those who profess belief in Jesus Christ in accord with the teachings of the NT. Why do Christians accept such names when the Bible nowhere uses such terms? Why do Christians call t hemselves such when the Bible never expressly states that this is the name which God and/or Christ gave to their followers? In other words, why are Christians using a name that is based on human tradition and not on revelation? Answer:

In the first place, it really doesn‘t matter what the Quran claims about the srcin of the words

Islam and Muslims since one must first prove that it is a book from the true God. Muslims who assume that these terms are revealed names are really begging the question since they have assumed that the Quran is divine revelation, but have failed to prove their case thus far. Secondly, why is it necessary to show that the name Christian(s) is a divinely revealed name? What makes Muslims think that they can impose their understanding upon the Christian faith and that Christians must meet their criteria? Christianity is not Islam and the two religions are not identical in their understandings of revelation. For instance, the Muslim view of revelation is that the Quran was sent down ("tanzil") directly from heaven, untouched in any way by the messenger which was then dictated to Muhammad. The biblical understanding of inspiration is different, i.e. God working with and through his people. God can even inspire unbelievers to speak his truth and to bring about his purposes (cf. Numbers 24:1-3; John 11:49-52). Furthermore, the Bible teaches that God works out everything according to his sovereign purposes (cf. Proverbs 16:4; Romans 8:28; Ephesians 1:11). What this means is that even if the naming of Christ‘s followers as Christians wasn‘t directly revealed by God it still didn‘t happen apart from God‘s purposes or against his intentions. Their being named such could

have only happened if God had intended and purposed it beforehand. This leads me to my next point. It is not correct to assume that the word Christian(s) is a manmade title, as opposed to a divinely revealed name, since there is plenty of evidence from the NT itself to prove that such is not the case. For instance, the Lord Jesus anticipates a time in which his followers would carry his name, that kind acts would be shown to those who believe in him on account of their bearing the name of their Lord:

"For I tell you the truth, whoever gives you a cup of water because you bear Christ’s name will never lose his reward." Mark 9:41 New English Bible (NET) "For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as followers of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward." NASB Not long after that, we see how God moved people to start iden tifying Christ‘s followers as Christians: "and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch." Acts 11:26 This basically fulfills the words of Christ. What makes this text rather significant is that it uses the passive voice, i.e. "The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch," which may suggest that it was God who named them such. This position becomes all the more probable when we look at the immediate context which refers to prophets whom the Lord Jesus had raised up for the Churches: "During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood upand through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul." Acts 11:27-30 Hence, theChristians use of thebypassive voice may actually be implying that God/Christ believers revealing it through his prophets that were functioningnamed in the the early Church (cf. Acts 13:1-3; 15:32; 21:9-11; 1 Corinthians 12:28-31; Ephesians 2:20, 3:5, 4:11). As one Bible expositor noted: And the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. It is evident they had the nameChristians from CHRIST their master; as the Platonists and Pythagoreans had their name from their masters, Plato and Pythagoras. Now, as these had

their name from those great masters because they attended their teaching, and credited their doctrines, so the disciples were calledChristians because they took Christ for their teacher, crediting his doctrines, and following the rule of life laid down by him. It has been a question, by whom was this name given to the disciples? Some thinkTHEY ASSUMED IT; others, that the inhabitants of Antioch gave it to them; and others, THAT IT WAS GIVEN BYSAUL AND BARNABAS. THIS LATER OPINION IS FAVOURED BY THE CODEX BEZAE, which reads the 25th and 26th verses thus: And hearing that Saul was at Tarsus, he departed, seeking for him; and having found him, he besought him to come to Antioch; who, when they were come, assembled with the Church a whole year, and instructed a great number; and there they first called the disciples at Antioch Christians. were called, signifies in the The word χρηματισαι in our common text, which we translate

New Testament, to appoint, warn, or nominate, BY DIVINE DIRECTION. In this sense, the word is used, Matthew 2:12; ; Luke 2:26; and in the preceding chapter of this book, Acts 10:22. If, therefore, THE NAME WAS GIVEN BY DIVINE APPOINTMENT, it as most likely that Saul and Barnabas WERE DIRECTED TO GIVE IT; and that, therefore, the name Christian IS FROM GOD, as well as that grace and holiness which are so essentially required

and implied in the character. Before this time. the Jewish converts were simply called, among themselves, disciples, i.e. scholars; believers, saints, the Church, or assembly; and, by their enemies, Nazarenes, Galileans, the men of this way or sect; and perhaps lay other names which are not come down to us. They considered themselves asone family; and hence the appellation of brethren was frequent among them. It was the design of God to make all who believed of one heart and one soul, that they might consider him as their Father, and live and love like children of the same household. A Christian, therefore, is the highest character which any human being can bear upon earth; and to receive it from God, as those appear to have done-how glorious the title! It is however worthy of remark that this name occurs in only three places in the New Testament: here, and in Acts 26:28, and in ; 1 Peter 4:16.The ( Adam Clarke Commentary; source; capital and underline emphasis ours) Matthew Henry, the late Bible commentator, concurred with Clarke: (2.) What honour was now put upon the church at Antioch: There the disciples were first called Christians; it is probable they called themselves so, incorporated themselves by that title, whether by some solemn act of the church or ministers, or whether this name insensibly obtained there by its being frequently used in their praying and preaching, we are not told; but it should seem that two such great men as Paul and Barnabas continuing there so long, being exceedingly followed, and meeting with no opposition, Christian assemblies made a greater figure there than any where, and became more considerable, which was the reason of their being called Christians first there, which, if there were to be a mother-church to rule over all other churches, would give Antioch a better title to the honour than Rome can pretend to. Hitherto those who gave up their names to Christ were calleddisciples, learners, scholars, trained up under him, in order to their being employed by him; but henceforward they were called Christians. [1.] Thus the reproachful names which their enemies had hitherto branded them with would, perhaps, be superseded and disused. They called them Nazarenes (Acts 24:5), the men of that way, that by-way, which had no name; and thus they prejudiced people against them. To remove the prejudice, they gave themselves a name which their enemies could not but say was proper. [2.] Thus those who before their conversion had been distinguished by the names of Jews and Gentiles might after their conversion be called by one and the same name, which would help them to forget their former dividing names, and prevent their bringing their former marks of distinction, and with them the seeds of contention, into the church. Let not one say, "I was aJew;" nor the other, "I was a Gentile;" when both the one and the other must now say, "I am a Christian." [3.] Thus they studied to do honour to their Master, and showed that they were not ashamed to own their relation to him, but gloried in it; as the scholars of Plato called themselvesPlatonists, and so the scholars of other great men. They took their denomination not from the name of his person, Jesus, but of his office, Christ-anointed, so putting their creed into their names, that Jesus is the Christ; and they were willing all the world should know that this is the truth they will live and die by. Their enemies will turn this name to their reproach, and impute it to be to be vile, I will be yet more vile. [4.] them their buttheir theydependence will glory inupon it:If this Thus as they nowcrime, owned Christ, and their receivings from him; not only that they believed in him who isthe anointed, but that through him they themselves hadthe anointing, 1 John 2:20,27. And God is said to haveanointed us in Christ, 2 Corinthians 1:21. [5.] Thus they laid upon themselves, and all that should ever profess that name, a strong and lasting obligation to submit to the laws of Christ, to follow the example of Christ, and to devote themselves entirely to the honour of Christ--to be to him for a name and a praise. Are we Christians? Then we ought to think, and speak, and act, in every thing as becomes Christians, and to do nothing to the reproach of that worthy name by which we are called;

that that may not be said to us which Alexander said to a soldier of his own name that was noted for a coward, Aut nomen, aut mores muta--Either change thy name or mend thy manners. And as we must look upon ourselves as Christians, and carry ourselves accordingly, so we must look upon others as Christians, and carry ourselves towards them accordingly. A Christian, though not in every thing of our mind, should be loved and respected for his sake whose name he bears, because he belongs to Christ. [6.] Thus the scripture was fulfilled, for so it was written (Isaiah 62:2) concerning the gospel-church, Thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. And it is said to the corrupt and degenerate church of the Jews, The Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name, Isaiah 65:15. (Matthew Henry Complete Commentary on the Whole Bible; source; underline emphasis ours) The late exegete John Gill provides evidence from a patristic father that the name Christians was employed by a Christian bishop of Syria: and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch ;

before they were called among themselves, the disciples, brethren, believers, the church… and by others the Nazarenes, and Galilaeans: whether this name of Christians,

which comes from Christ, and signifies anointed ones, was given by their enemies, or their friends, by others, or themselves, is not certain, though it is most likely the latter; and it may be they hit upon this general appellation, upon the union of the Jews and Gentiles in one Gospel church state, and so happily buried the distinction of Jews and Gentiles, or those of the circumcision that believed, and those of the uncircumcision. Luke is particular in relating the affairs of this church, he being himself a native of this place. John of Antioch F15 gives an account of this matter in these words; “at the beginning of the reign of Claudius Caesar, ten years after Jesus Christ, our Lord

and God, was ascended up into heaven, Evodus, the first after the Apostle Peter, being chosen bishop of Antioch, the great city of Syria, became a patriarch, and under him they were called Christians: for this same bishop, Evodus, conferring with them, put this name upon them, whereas before the Christians were called Nazarenes and Galilaeans.”

(The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible ; source;

F15 Apud Gregory's Notes… p. 155.

underline emphasis ours) More on the point of the name being divinely appointed a little later. Moreover, the Apostles like Paul were eager to persuade individuals to become Christian: "Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‗Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?‘ Paul replied, ‗Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me todaymay become what I am, except for these chains.‘" Acts 26:28-29 Peter, one of Christ‘s closest companions, exhorted believers to rejoice at the fact that they

were suffering for being Christians:

"If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name." 1 Peter 4:14-16

This leads me to another point. Christ specifically told his disciples that they would be given authority to speak on matters which would be binding upon all true believers: "‗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.‘ Jesus replied, ‗Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.‘" Matthew

16:15-19 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 18:18 The Lord also stated that the Holy Spirit would reveal new things to them which they would then pass on to the Churches: "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:12-13 "Again Jesus said, ‗Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me,I am sending you.‘ And the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his with that he breathed on them and said, Receive ‗ sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.‘" John 20:21 -23

Thethe Apostles themselves they were the authority of Christ, passing on instructions which claimed they hadthat received fromspeaking the Holy by Spirit: "This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in wordstaught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words." 1 Corinthians 2:13

"since you are demanding proofthat Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you… This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authority —the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down." 2 Corinthians 13:3, 10 "Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generationsas it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together Israel, amembers of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.with I became servant together of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of his power." Ephesians 3:2-7 "For you know what instructions we gave you by the authority of the Lord Jesus… Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject manbut God, who gives you his Holy Spirit." 1 Thessalonians 4:2, 8

"Dear friends, this is now my second letter to you. I have written both of them as reminders to stimulate you to wholesome thinking. I want you to recall the words spoken in the past by the holy prophets and the command given by our Lord and Savior through your apostles." 2 Peter 3:1-2 What the foregoing texts imply is that even if Christ had never hinted that there would be a time in which his followers would bear his name, Peter‘s statement to believers that they should rejoice for bearing the title Christian would be sufficient in and of itself to demonstrate that this is in fact a divinely revealed name. Seeing that the Lord Jesus personally gave the disciples like Peter the authority to speak on issues which he himself may have not addressed while on earth indicates that Peter‘s use of the term Christians actually

came from God. It was God who bestowed it upon the followers of Christ through his

inspired spokespersons and agents. It didn‘t srcinate from Peter, or the other Apostles, but

was revealed to and through them to the Churches. To put it simply, the word Christian is not a man-made title but an inspired name which God bestowed upon all true believers. It is divine, not human, in srcin. Unless stated otherwise all scriptural quotations taken from the New International Version (NIV) of the Holy Bible.

Question 35: Jesus, in the Synoptic Gospels, went a fig tree looking foodon to the eat tree (Matthew 21:1822; Mark 11:12-14, 20-21). When he to saw that there werefor no figs he cursed it. The problem with this story is that it wasn’t the season for figs according to Mark 11:13! If Jesus is God why didn’t he know that it wasn’t the seasonfor figs? And why would he curse the tree when it wasn’t its fault that it wasn’t fig season? Answer:

There is a very reasonable explanation why Jesus cursed the fig tree even though it wasn‘t the

season for figs. Even before the season, fig trees produce little knobs which are eaten by a passerby. As the late renowned NT scholar F.F. Bruce noted: "The other miracle is the cursing of the barren fig tree (Mk. xi 12 ff.), a stumbling block to many. They feel that it is unlike Jesus, and so someone must have misunderstood what actually happened, or turned a spoken parable into an acted miracle, or something like that. Some, on the other hand, welcome the story because it shows that Jesus was human enough to get unreasonably annoyed on occasion.It appears, however, that a closer acquaintance with fig trees would have prevented such misunderstandings. ‗The time of the fig is not -formed fig yet,‘ says Mark, for it was just before Passover, about six weeks before the fully appears. The fact that Mark adds these words shows that he knew what he was talking about. When the fig leaves appear about the end of March,they are accompanied by a crop of small knobs, called taqsh by the Arabs, a sort of fore-runner of the real figs . These taqsh are eaten by peasants and others when hungry. They drop off before the real fig is formed. But if the leaves appear unaccompanied by taqsh, there will be no figs that year. So it was evident to our Lord, when He turned aside to see if there were any of these

taqsh on the fig-tree to assuage His hunger for the time being, that the absence of the taqsh meant that there would be no figs when the time of figs came. For all its fair foliage, it was a fruitless and a hopeless tree." (Bruce, Are The New Testament Documents Reliable? [Intervarsity Press; Downers Grove, Ill, fifth revised edition 1992], pp. 73-74; bold emphasis ours) Another noted Evangelical scholar Craig S. Keener makes the following observation: "At Passover season in late March or early April, fig trees are often in leaf on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives. At this time of year, such fig trees contained only green early figs (Arabs call them taqsh), which ripen around June but often drop off before that time, leaving only green leaves on the tree. A leafy tree lacking such early figs, however, would bear no figs at all that year," (Keener, A Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew [Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, July 1999], p. 504) Thus, what was thought to be an example against the veracity of the NT ends up actually becoming a rather persuasive argument for its historical reliability! This exemplifies the minute accuracy of the Synoptic Gospels, both in time and place, i.e. this took place during the month of Passover, figs located on the eastern side of the Mount of Olives etc. It also provides evidence for an early dating of Matthew and Mark - or, at the very least, shows that they were dependent on very old and early material - well before the fall of Jerusalem. After all, the knowledge of these details would most likely have been lost or unknown to authors writing after the destruction of Jerusalem. Moreover, the cursing of the fig tree is a played or acted out parable, one which warned the nation of Israel of impending judgment. In the words of Messianic scholar David Stern: "… If Yeshua‘s cursing and drying up the fig tree had been a petulant reaction to

disappointment because he couldn't satisfy his hunger, it would be unworthy of anyone, let alone the Messiah. But Yeshua is making a point by means of prophetic drama, actedout parable (possibly Lk 13:6-9). Tanakh examples include Yirmiyahu, who bought and broke a clay bottle (Jeremiah 19), and Yechezk'el, who made and then burned up a model of Jerusalem (Ezekiel 4-5); for a later New Testament instance see Ac 21:10-11. Even out of season a fig tree in leaf - it must have been in leaf to be seenin the distance (v. 12) - holds forth the promise of fruit. The normal early season for figs in Israel is June, but the early unripe fruit (Song of Songs 2:13) begins to show itself even before the spring leaves appear on the branches, often before Passover.

We know that Yeshua expects God's people to put forth the fruit of righteousness, and that unproductive branches are thrown in the fire (Mt 7:16-20; 12:33; 13:4-9, 18-23; Yn 15:1-8). Thus, the drying-up of the fig tree is an acted-out warning . In keeping with Proverbs

27:18 (‗He who tends a fig tree will eat his fruit, and he who serves his master will be honored‘) Yeshua here is teaching his followers what it me ans to serve their master, God: it

means simply to have the kind of trust that comes from God (v. 22), and that they will wither away if they don‘t.Yeshua neither acts from pique nor perform arbitrary miracles like a magician; every one of his supernatural acts has spiritual significance." (Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary [Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc.,

Clarksville Maryland, Fifth edition 1996], pp. 95-96; bold emphasis ours)

In fact, the OT often uses the fig tree as a symbol of national Israel: "I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine. There will be no figs on the tree, AND THEIR LEAVES WILL WITHER. What I have given them will be taken from them.‘" Jeremiah 8:13

"You may say, 'The LORD has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,' but this is what the LORD says about the king who sits on David's throne and all the people who remain in this city, your countrymen who did not go with you into exile- yes, this is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like poor figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten. I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth and an object of cursing and horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them . For they have not listened to my words,' declares the LORD, 'words that I sent to them again and again by my servants the prophets. And you exiles have not listened either,'

declares the LORD." Jeremiah 29:15-19 "When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your fathers, IT WAS LIKE SEEING THE EARLY FRUIT ON THE FIG TREE. But when they came to Baal Peor, they consecrated themselves to that shameful idol and became as vile as the thing they loved... Ephraim is blighted, their root is withered,they yield no fruit. Even if they bear children, I will slay their cherished offspring." Hosea 9:10, 16 "What misery is mine! I am like one who gathers summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster of grapes to eat, none of the early figs that I crave. The godly have been the land; notaone man are remains. in wait shed blood; eachswept huntsfrom his brother with net.upright Both hands skilledAllinmen doinglieevil; the to ruler demands gifts, the judge accepts bribes, the powerful dictate what they desire- they all conspire together. The best of them is like a brier, the most upright worse than a thorn hedge. The day of your watchmen has come, the day God visits you. Now is the time of their confusion." Micah 7:1-4

"All your fortresses are like fig trees with their first ripe fruit ; when they are shaken, the figs fall into the mouth of the eater." Nahum 3:12 The foregoing helps clarify why Jesus did what he did. Christ came searching for what the OT says Yahweh searches after, namely, an indication that Israel was a fruitful tree and not barren and dry. Yet instead of finding the early fig (cf. Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1), which would have demonstrated that Israel was spiritually alive and capable of bearing the fruit which satisfies God, Christ foundthe nation spiritually dead and barren. In light of Israel‘s spiritual barrenness, God would cut down his fig tree, his very own vine, and burn it: "Then he told this parable: ‗A man had a fig tree, planted in his vineyard, and he went to look for fruit on it, but did not find any. So he said to the man who took care of the vineyard, "For three years now I've been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and haven't found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?" "Sir," the man replied,

"leave it alone for one more year, and I'll dig around it and fertilize it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down."‘" Luke 13:6-9

"He then began to speak to them in parables: 'A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenantsto collect from them some of the fruit of t he vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, "They will respect my son." But the tenants said to one another, "This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours." So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others .‘" Mark 12:1-9 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‗Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.‘" Matthew 23:37 39 "As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, ‗If you, even you,

had only known on this day what would bring you peace-but now it is hidden from your eyes. The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side. They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls. They will not leave one stone on another, because you did not -44 recognize the time of God's coming to you.‘" Luke 19:41 This was the meaning behind Jesus‘ cursing the fig tree, as a sign that God came looking for spiritual fruitfulness among his covenant people but saw none, and would therefore bring destruction upon them. As it stands, there is no problem with Jesus cursing the fig tree, nor does this act undermine his absolute perfect Deity.

Question 36: Jesus in John 3:13 claims that no one has ascended into heaven except him, the Son of Man. Yet there are two instances in which persons ascended into heaven, Enoch and Elijah. Doesn’t this prove that Jesus was either wrong (that is if Jesus actually said this) or that the Bible is full of contradictions? Answer:

Before we analyze Jesus‘ words in their immediate context we would first like to cite the

references that speak of the ascension of these two Old Testament prophets: "When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methu'selah. Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methu'selah three hundred years, and had other sons and

daughters. Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. Enoch walked with God; AND HE WAS NOT, for God took him ." Genesis 5:21-24 "By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death;AND HE WAS NOT FOUND, because God had taken him . Now before he was taken he was attested as having pleased God." Hebrews 11:5 "Now when the LORD was about to take Eli'jah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Eli'jah and Eli'sha were on their way from Gilgal… And as they still went on and talked, behold, a

chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli'jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Eli'sha saw it and he cried, ‗My father, my father! the chariots of Israel and its horsemen!‘And he saw him no more . Then he took hold of his own clothes

and rent them in two pieces." 2 Kings 2:1, 11-12 As the reader can see, when these prophets ascended into heaven they did not return to the earth. These men did not come back down from heaven after ascending in order to make known to men the heavenly mysteries or secrets they had seen and experienced. Rather, they ascended and remained in heaven, in God‘s presence. With the foregoing in mind we can now turn to Jesus‘ statements in the Gospel of John:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what WE KNOW, and bear witness to what WE HAVE SEEN; but you do not receive OUR testimony. If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man." John 3:10-13 The reason for Jesus‘ use of plural pronouns is to account for the fact that he speaks on behalf

of the Father and the Spirit. Christ was saying that both the Father and the Holy Spirit are communicating Divine truths that they know firsthand, by personal experience, through the Person of the Incarnate Son, the Lord Jesus: "And John bore witness, ‗I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven,and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me,He " on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy

Spirit."‘" John 1:32-33 "So Jesus said, ‗When you have lifted up the Son of man, then you will know that I am he,

and that I do nothing on my own authoritybut speak thus as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what is pleasing to him.‘"

John 8:28-29 "If I amyou not do doing works ofbelieve my Father, then dothat notyou believe butand if Iunderstand do them, even though not the believe me, the works, mayme; know that the Father is in me and I am in the Father." John 10:37-38 "For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me." John 12:49-50

"In the first book, O The-oph'ilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commandmentthrough the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen." Acts 1:1-2 Jesus‘ reference to ascending and descending was made in reference to speaking of heavenly

things, of heavenly realities. What Christ was saying is that he could speak of heavenly secrets, of heavenly matters since he is the only One who srcinates from heaven itself and came down from there to reveal these unseen mysteries to mankind. Putting it another way, Jesus was saying that no one went into heaven and came down from there so as to make known the unseen heavenly realities. Elijah and Enoch did not come down after ascending from heaven. Only Christ could speak from personal experience and therefore convey these eternal realities since he comes from heaven, from the very presence of God himself: "No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,he has made him known." John 1:18 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;" John 6:38 "Then what if you were to see the Son of man ascending where he was before?" John 6:62 "He said to them, ‗You are from below,I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.

I told you that you would die in your sins, for you will die in your sins unless you

believe that I am he.‘" John 8:23-24 "Jesus said to them, ‗If God were your Father, you would love me,for I proceeded and came forth from God; I came not of my own accord, but he sent me.‘" John 8:42

"Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands,and that he had come from God and was going to God ," John 13:3 "for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have believed that I came from the Father. I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father." John 16:27-28 "Thus it is written, ‗The first man Adam became a living being‘; the last Adam became a life giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual which is first but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven." 1 Corinthians 15:45-49 Jesus, in John 3:13, was essentially responding to a series of rhetorical questions posed by an inspired writer centuries before Christ‘s advent:

"The words of Agur son of Jakeh of Massa. The man says to Ith'i-el, to Ith'i-el and Ucal: Surely I am too stupid to be a man. I have not the understanding of a man. I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. Who has ascended to heaven and come

down? Who

has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name,and what is his son's name? Surely you know!" Proverbs 30:1-4 Agur pleads ignorance regarding the Divine nature, that he is a man who cannot fathom eternal realities. In order to highlight just how ignorant humans are about the nature and acts of God he poses a series of questions which no man, apart from revelation, can answer. That is why it is the Son, the very One whom Agur mentions, who has to come down centuries later in order to make known these incomprehensible truths. In fact, this wasn‘t the first time that Christ had descended from heaven. There is ample

evidence demonstrating that all throughout the OT period Christ would descend to appear to the people of God and ascend back: "I want you to know, brethren, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea, and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea, and all ate the same supernatural food and all drank the same supernatural drink. For they drank from the supernatural Rock which followed them,and the Rock was Christ ." 1 Corinthians 10:1-4 Paul says that Christ was there during the Exodus to nourish and provide for Moses and the Israelites! The main difference with Christ‘s descent during the NT period is that it was only at this

point that he took on flesh and became an actual human being: the glory Wordasbecame fleshSon "And andfrom dwelttheamong us,John full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, of the only Father." 1:14

Moreover, it isn‘t a coincidence that it isn‘t until Christ has come down from heaven that

other individuals were then given the grace of ascending into heaven, and returning back to the earthly realms, so as to get a glimpse of its incomprehensible realities: "I must boast; there is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows.And I know that this man was caught up into Paradise -- whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows -- and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter." 2 Corinthians 12:1-4 "After this I looked, and lo, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, ‗Come up hither, and I will show you what must take place after this.‘ At once I was in the Spirit, and lo, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated

on the throne! And he who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald. Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clad in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads. From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder, and before the throne burn seven torches of fire, which are the seven spirits of God; and before the throne there is as it were a sea of glass, like crystal. And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the

face of a man, and the fourth living creature like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all round and within, and day and night they never cease to sing, ‗Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!‘ And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is

seated on the throne, who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever; they cast their crowns before the throne, singing, ‗Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and

honor and power, for you did create all things, and by your will they existed and were created.‘" Revelation 4:1-11 It is also not coincidental that Elijah comes down and appears to a select few onlyafter Christ‘s advent:

"And he said to them, ‗Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.‘ And after six days

Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves; and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them.And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus . And Peter said to Jesus, ‗Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah.‘ For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‗Thisis my beloved Son; listen to him.‘ And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only."

Mark 9:1-8 Here, Elijah appears and speaks to Christ in the presence of three disciples. Because Jesus has come down to reveal God to man, there is no need for us to try and ascend to heaven in order to access God's truth. Christ has brought God‘s Word near to us so that we

can know and live by it: "Moses describes in this way the righteousness that is by the law: 'The man who does these things will live by them.' But the righteousness that is by faith says: 'Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?" (that is, to bring Christ down) or "Who will descend into the deep?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,' that is, the word of faith we are proclaiming: That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, 'Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' For there is no difference between Jew and Gentilethe same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" Romans 10:6-13 Another reason for Christ's descent was so that he could conquer death and thereby merit the riches of God's gifts so as to freely bestow them upon the Church: "But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, 'When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.' (In saying, 'He ascended,' what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the

heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the

evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." Ephesians 4:7-16 We conclude our paper in the words of the risen and exalted Christ: "All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father isexcept the Son and any one to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." Luke 10:22

Question 37: It is a pity t hat Christians consider the Jewish misunderstanding of Jesus as a witness to the Deity of Christ, while Jesus himself clarified that they were not able t o understand his speech (cf. John 8:43- 44). Why then appeal to such witnesses? Why base one’s aith f on the misunderstanding of disbelievers? Moreover, why don’t Christians accept the testimony of those who said that Jesus’ abilitymen to pardon sinners to wasn’t proofthat that he was God, but only proved that God had given such authority proclaim sins can be forgiven (cf. Matthew 9:8)?

Answer:

There are several problems with the above assertions, not the least of which is that the Lord Jesus wasn‘t saying that the disbelievers were incapable of understanding him. Rather, his point was that they couldn‘t accept what he was saying concerning himself due to their

spiritual deadness: "Why do you not understand what I say?It is because YOU CANNOT BEAR to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But, because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which of you convicts me of sin? If I the tell the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God;

reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." John 8:43-47

ng his words, but that they Jesus obviously didn‘t mean that they weren‘t literally heari couldn‘t accept the words they were hearing since they couldn‘t believe. Secondly, Jesus NEVER rebuked or corrected the Jews for thinking that he was making s when they Divine claims. And seeing that Christ didn‘t hesitate to rebuke the Jew misunderstood or distorted the Scriptures,

"Now when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, ‗Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled?‘ And he said to them, ‗Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites,as it is written, "This

people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men." You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.‘ And he said to them, You ‗ have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! For Moses said, "Honor your father and your mother"; and, "He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die"; but you say, "If a man tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is Corban" (that is, given to God) -- then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.‘" Mark 7:1-13 "And Sad'ducees came to him, who say that there is no resurrection; and they asked him a question, saying, ‗Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man‘s brother dies and leaves a wife,

but leaves no child, the man must take the wife, and raise up children for his brother. There were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and when he died left no children; and the second took her, and died, leaving no children; and the third likewise; and the seven left no children. Last of all the woman also died. In the resurrection whose wife will she be? For the seven had her as wife.‘ Jesus said to them, Is ‗ not this why you are wrong, that you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor

are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the dead being raised, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God said to him, "I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"? He is not God of the dead, but of the living;you are quite wrong.‘" Mark 12:18-27 Wouldn‘t he have corrected them on such a vitally important issue?

Yet instead of correcting people Jesus actually blesses those who confess him as Lord, God, Son of God etc. "He said to them, ‗But who do you say that I am?‘ Simon Peter replied, ‗You are the Christ, are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For the Son of the living God.‘ And Jesus answered him, Blessed ‗ flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.‘" Matthew 16:15-17 "Thomas answered him, ‗My Lord and my God!‘ Jesus said to him, ‗Have you believed because you have seen me?Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.‘" John

20:28-29 Christ further demands and accepts the worship which God receives such as prayers: "The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son,that all may honor the Son, EVEN AS they honor t he Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him." John 5:22-23

"Jesus heard that they hadcast him out, and having found him he said, ‗Do you believe in the Son of man?‘ He answered, ‗And who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?‘ Jesus said to him, ‗You have seen him, and it is he who speaks to you.‘ He said, ‗Lord, I believe‘; and he worshiped him." John 9:35-38

"Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; if you ask anything in my name, I will do it." John 14:13-14 "And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‗Truly you are the Son of God.‘"Matthew 14:33 "And behold, Jesus met them and said, ‗Hail!‘ And they came upand took hold of his feet and worshiped him… Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw himthey worshiped him; but some doubted."

Matthew 28:9, 16-17 This is despite the fact that such worship and service are to be rendered unto God alone: "Then Jesus said to him, ‗Begone, Satan! for it is written, "You shallworship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve."‘" Matthew 4:10 Now contrast Jesus‘ attitude with the response of these others who refused such praise and

honor: "When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshiped him. But Peter lifted him up, saying, ‗Stand up; I too am a man .‘" Acts 10:25-26

"Now at Lystra there was a man sitting, who could not use his feet; he was a cripple from birth, who had never walked. He listened to Paul speaking; and Paul, looking intently at him and seeing that he had faith to be made well, said in aloud voice, ‗Stand upright on your feet.‘ And he sprang up and walked. And when the crowds saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in Lycao'nian, ‗The gods have come down to us in the likeness of men!‘ Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, because he was the chief speaker, they called

Hermes. And the priest of Zeus, whose temple was in front of the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates and wanted to offer sacrifice with the people.But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out among the multitude, crying, ‘Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of l ike nature with you ,

and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.‘" Acts 14:8 -15 "Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me,You ‗ must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.‘

For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10

"I John am he who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed them to me; but he said to me,You ‗ must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.‘" Revelation 22:8-9

It is therefore all the more significant that Christ never clarifies his statements to the Jews when they accused him of claiming to be God. In fact, Jesus would have had every reason to make sure that the unbelievers were wrong about his claiming to be Divine since this was primarily the reason why they wanted to kill him: "But he was silent and made no answer. Again thehigh priest asked him, ‗Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?‘ And Jesus said,‘I AM; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.‘ And the high priest tore his garments, and said, ‗Why dowe still need witnesses?You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?‘ And they all condemned him as deserving death." Mark 14:61 -64 "The Jews answered him, ‗We have a law, and by that law he ought to die,because he has made himself the Son of God.‘" John 19:7

"This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God." John 5:18 "The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‗I haveshown you many good works from the Father; for which of these do you stone me?‘ The Jews answered him, ‗It is not for a good work that we stone you but for blasphemy;because you, being a man, make yourself God.‘" John 10:31-33

Moreover, the enemies of Christ weren‘t the only ones who realized and testified that Jesus made himself to be the Divineand Son of witness God. Even to Jesus, such as God Father and the out Apostles, confirm bore thatthose Christclosest is the unique Son of God. It isthe to their testimony that we now turn. 1. The Father calls Jesus his beloved Son, eternal King, Lord, God and Creator.

"In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove; and a voice came from heaven,Thou ‗ art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.‘" Mark 1:9-11

"And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves;and he was transfigured before them, and his garments became glistening, intensely white, as no fuller on earth could bleach them. And there appeared to them Eli'jah with Moses; and they were talking to Jesus. And Peter said to Jesus, ‗Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli'jah.‘ For he did not know what to say, for they were exceedingly afraid. And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, ‗This is my beloved Son; listen to him.‘ And suddenly looking around they no longer saw any one with them but Jesus only."

Mark 9:2-8 "But about the Son he [the Father] says, Y ‗ our throne, O God, will last for ever and ever ,

and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.‘ He [the Father] also says, ‗In the beginning,O Lord [the Son], you

laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed.But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:8-12

The translators of the NET Bible say regarding Hebrews 1:8 and 10 that: 24

tn Or possibly, "Your throne is God forever and ever." This translation is quite doubtful, however, since (1) in the context the Son is being contrasted to the angels and is presented as far better than they. The imagery of God being the Son's throne would seem to be of God being his authority. If so, in what sense could this not be said of the angels? In what sense is the Son thus contrasted with the angels? (2) The µe?...de (men...de) construction that connects v. 7 with v. 8 clearly lays out this contrast:―On the one hand, he says of the angels, on the other hand, he says of the Son.‖ Thus, although it is grammaticallypossible that ?e?? (qeos) in v. 8 should be taken as a predicate nominative, the context and the correlative conjunctions are decidedly against it. Hebrews 1:8 is thus a strong affirmation of the deity of Christ. (Source; underline emphasis ours)

And: 28

sn You founded the earth...your years will never run out . In its srcinal setting Ps 102:2527 refers to the work of God in creation, but here in Hebrews 1:10-12 the writer employs it in reference to Christ, the Lord, making a strong argument for the essential deity of the Son. (Source; underline emphasis ours) 2. The OT prophets testify that the Messiah is God.

The Prophets believed that the Messiah is the Mighty God, Yahweh our righteousness, the Savior, the Son of Man who rides the clouds and rules forever over all creation as all the peoples worship him: "For to us a child is born, to 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.‘ Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousnessfrom this time forth and for evermore." Isaiah 9:6-7 "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‗The LORD is our righteousness.‘" Jeremiah

23:5-6 "I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom,that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14 Here is how some of the rabbinic Jews explained these specific texts:

The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it, and his name has been called from of old, Wonderful counselor, Mighty God,He who lives forever, the Anointed One (or ( Targum of Isaiah, J.F. Stenning, Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. The Editor and Translator [Oxford: Clarendon], p. 32) Another explanation: He said to him: ‗I have yet to raise up the Messiah‘ of whom it is

written, For a child is born to us (Isa. IX, 5). (Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy, Rabbi H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, Editors; Rev. Dr. J. Rabbinowitz, Translator [London: Soncino Press], I.20, p. 20) … Behold the days are coming,‘ says the Lord, ‗when I will raise up for David a righteous Messiah,

and he shall reign as king, and prosper, and shall enact a righteous and Meritorious law in the land. In his days they of the house of Judah shall be delivered, and Israel shall live in security. And this is the name which they call him: "May vindication be accomplished for us by the Lord in his day."‘ (Targum Jonathan,The Messiah: An Aramaic Interpretation, Samson H. Levy (New York: Hebrew Union College, 1974), pp. 68-69) God will call the king Messiah after His own name , for it is said of the king MessiahThis is his name whereby he shall be called: The Lord our righteousness (Jer. 23:6). (The Midrash on Psalms, William G. Braude, Translator (New Haven: Yale, 959), Yale Judaica Series,

Volume XIII, Leon Nemoy, Editor, Book One, Psalm 2.2) In the decree of the Prophets it is written Behold My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Isa. 52:13), and it is also writtenBehold My servant, whom I uphold, Mine elect, in whom My soul delighteh (Isa. In the until decree of thethine Writings it is written, The Lord said unto my lord: "Sit at My42:1). right hand, I make enemies thy footstool" (Ps. 110:1), and it is also written Isaw in the night visions, and, there came with the clouds of heaven one like unto a son of man, and he came even to the Ancient of days, and he was brought near before Him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him (Dan. 7:13, 14).

In another comment, the verse is read I will tell of the decree: the Lord said unto me: Thou art My son… Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession (Ps. 2:7, 8). R. Yudan said: All these goodly promises are in the decree of the King, the King of kings, who will fulfill t hem for the lord MESSIAH. (The Midrash on Psalms, William G. Braude, Translator [New Haven: Yale, 1959], Yale Judaica Series, Volume XIII, Leon Nemoy, Editor, Book One, Psalm 2:9) 5. For thou shalt make him most blessed for ever (Ps. 21:7) means that all the nations shall bless themselves in the king Messiah (Psalm 21).Thou shalt make him exceeding glad with Thy countenance (Ps. 21:7). R. Berechiah said in the name of R. Samuel: One verse reads of the king Messiah that One, like the son of man…came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before Him (Dan. 7:13), but in another verse God says, I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto Me (Jer. 30:21). How reconcile the two? Angels will

bring the king Messiah to the outer edge of their encampment, and then the Holy One, blessed be He, will reach out His hand and bring the king Messiah near to Him. Hence, it is said I will draw him near. (Ibid., Book One, Psalm 21:5) All bold, capital and underline emphasis was ours.

3. The Angel Gabriel confesses that Jesus is God’s Son who rules forever.

"In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‗Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!‘ But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found

favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.‘ And Mary said to the angel, ‗How

shall this be, since I have no husband?‘ And the angel said to her, ‗The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.‘" Luke 1:26-35 4. John the Baptist testifies Jesus is the preexistent Divine Son of God.

"Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‗After me comes hewho is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.‘" Mark 1:6-8

Here, John says that Christ baptizes in/with the Spirit, which is a Divine function (cf. Ezekiel 36:25-27; Joel 2:28-29). It must be pointed out that it was the function of slaves to take off the sandals of their masters and guests and provide water to wash their feet. John is therefore saying that he is not good enough to be Jesus‘ slave! "(John bore witness to him, and cried, ‗This was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks before me, for he was before me."‘)" John 1:15 "John answered, ‗No one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. You

yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him. He who has the bride is the bridegroom; the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice; therefore this joy of mine is now full. He must increase, but I must decrease.He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth belongs to the earth, and of the earth he speaks;he who comes from heaven is above all. He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony; he who receives his testimony sets his seal to this, that God is true. For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for it is not by measure that he gives the Spirit; the Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand.He who believes in the Son has eternal life; he who does not obey the Son shall not see life , but the wrath of God rests upon him." John 3:27-36 5. The Eyewitnesses of Christ, his very own Disciples and Apostles, testify that he is the Divine Son of God and Lord of all. A. Peter

"Simon Peter answered him, ‗Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and have come to know,that you are the Holy One of God.‘" John

6:68-69 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs which God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know -- this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.But God raised him up, having loosed the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it … Being

therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne,he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the

Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses.Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into the heavens; but he himself says,

‗The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.‘ Let all the house of Israel therefore know assuredly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified." Acts 2:22-24, 30-36

"The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you deniedthe Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses." Acts 3:13-15 "You know the word which he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace by Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all) , the word which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing goodand healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him… And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believes in himreceives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:36-38, 42-43 "Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness ofour God and Savior Jesus Christ:" 2 Peter 1:1 Peter bears witness that Jesus is God and Savior, the Author of Life, the Holy and Righteous One, the Lord who sits on God‘s right hand, the Lord and Judge of all, who died and rose

again. B. Paul

"And in the synagogues immediately he proclaimed Jesus, saying, ‗He is the Son of God.‘"

Acts 9:20 "‗The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousnessby a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him

from the dead.‘ Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but

-32 others said, ‗We will hear you again about this.‘" Acts 17:30 "For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do: sendinghis own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, … He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?" Romans 8:3, 32 "to them belong the patriarchs, and from them, according to the flesh, comes the Messiah, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen." Romans 9:5 NRSV "because, if you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For man believes with his heart and so is justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. The scripture says, ‗No one who believes in him will be put to shame.‘ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, ‗every one who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved.‘" Romans 10:9-13

"If we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's. For to this end Christ died and lived again, that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living." Romans 14:8-9 "To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every placecall on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:" 1 Corinthians 1:2 "Hence, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that ‗an idol has no real existence,‘ -called gods in heaven or on and that ‗there is no God but one.‘ For although there may be so earth -- as indeed there are many ‗gods" and many ‗lords‘-- yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." 1 Corinthians 8:4-6

"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who,though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name , that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:5-11 "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities -- all things were created through him and for him. He 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 first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent. For in him all the fulness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." Colossians 1:13-20

"For in him the whole fulness of deity dwells bodily," Colossians 2:9 "For they themselves report concerning us what a welcome we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 "awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the gloryof our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds." Titus 2:13-14 Paul believes that Jesus is God‘s own Son, the great God and Savior, the King, the One who

exists in the very form of God and has all the fullness of Deity dwelling in him bodily, the One who made peace by the blood of his cross, the Lord whom all call upon to b saved, the Lord of the living and the dead, the one Lord through whom all things came into being and through and for whom everything exists. C. John

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God;all things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made… He was in the world,and the world was made through him, yet the world knew him not… And the Word became fleshand dwelt among us, full of

grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father… No one

has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." John 1:1-3, 10, 14, 18 "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John 20:30-31 "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands,concerning the word of life -the life was made manifest, and we saw it, and testify to it, and proclaim to youthe eternal life which was with the Father and was made manifest to us -- that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:1-3 "If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony thatlife God hashis borne Son.has And thelife; testimony, gave us eternal life, and this is in Son.toHehiswho thethis Sonishas he who that has God not the Son of God has not life. I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life… And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life." 1 John 5:9-13, 20

In these verses John identifies Jesus as the eternal Word who became flesh, [the true] God, the Eternal Life that was with the Father, the Son of God who indwells and has fellowship with all believers, and the Agent of creation. D. Nathaniel

"Nathan'a-el answered him, ‗Rabbi,you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!‘" John 1:49 6. Demons and unclean spirits testify that Jesus is God’s Son and his Holy One.

"And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, ‗What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.‘ But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‗Be silent,and come out of him!‘ And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. And they were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, ‗What is this? A new teaching!With authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.‘" Mark 1:21-27

"And whenever the unclean spirits beheld him,they fell down before him and cried out, ‗You -12 are the Son of God.‘ And he strictly ordered them not to make him known." Mark 3:11 "And when he had come out of the boat, there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who lived among the tombs; and no one could bind him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been bound with fetters and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the the fetters he and brokeoninthe pieces; and noheone the strength to subdue him. Night andwith day among tombs mountains washad always crying out, and bruising himself stones. And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped him; and crying out with a loud voice, he said, ‗What have you to do with me,Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.‘" Mark 5:2-7 With the foregoing in the background it is obvious that the unbelieving Jews correctly understood that Jesus was making himself out to be God when he claimed to be God‘s unique and beloved Son. After all, the testimony from those who knew Jesus best substantiates the fact that the unbelievers correctly understood that Jesus was claiming to be God. Now would the Muslims agree with the assessment and reaction of God the Father, John the Baptist, the Disciples of Jesus, and the evil spirits, all of whom concur with one another that Jesus is fully Divine and fully human (with the exception of sin), the absolutely unique Son of God? Or would they postulate that all of these diverse witnesses actually misunderstood him much like the unbelieving Jews (supposedly) did? The only reason why Muslims would reject this overwhelming testimony is due to their presuppositions which they impose upon their reading of the Holy Scriptures. Sadly, it is these very presuppositions that hinder Muslims from seeing the clear and explicit evidence supporting the Lord Jesus‘ absolute Deity.

This concludes the first part of our discussion. We now move into discussingthe crowds reaction in Matthew 9:8.

Unless noted otherwise, all Scriptural quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible. Recommended Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_god_the_son.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_god_the_son2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_son_of_most_high.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/messiah_concept.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/messiah_god.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/messiah_worshiped.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/worship.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/latreuo.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/worship_nebudan.htm

Question 38: An argument that Christians often use to demonstrate that Jesus is God according to the Bible is that he had the authority to forgive sins. However, according to the Gospel of John (cf. John 20:23) the disciples also had the authority to forgive sins. In light of this fact, why don’t Christians also accept the Divinity o f the disciples seeing that they too forgave sins like Jesus? Answer:

Let us first take a careful look at the immediate context so as to fully appreciate what the Apostle John was trying to communicate: "On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, . Then the ‗Peace be with you.‘ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‗Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.‘ And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, ‗Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are -23 forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.‘ John 20:19

John, an eyewitness to these events, says that Jesus breathed on the disciples and could give the gift of the Holy Spirit. John wasn‘t the only writer to laim c that Jesus grants the Holy Spirit: "Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants upon his throne, he foresaw and spoke of the resurrection of the Christ, that he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he [Jesus] has poured out this which you see and hear." Acts 2:30-33

Christ performed two functions that the OT ascribes to Yahweh: "then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Genesis 2:7 Yahweh God breathed into the first man the breath of life in order to animate his body. "You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I, the LORD, am your God and there is none else. And my people shall never again be put to shame. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days,I will pour out my spirit." Joel 2:27-29 God says he will pour his Spirit upon all flesh, something which we just saw Christ do! It is clear in light of the foregoing that Jesus was doing the very acts that Yahweh performs, demonstrating that Jesus is God Almighty! The reason Christ breathed on the Apostles was to give them spiritual life, new birth, and to prepare them to receive the gift of the Spirit who would enable them to perform their mission. This mission included the proclamation of the forgiveness of sins which results in eternal life for all who would believe in the name of God‘s Son, just as the very conclusion of John 20

emphatically states: "Now Thomas, one of the twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‗We have seen the Lord.‘ But he said to them, ‗Unless I see in

his hands printI will of thenot nails, and place finger in his the disciples mark of the nails, andinplace my hand in histheside, believe.‘ Eightmy days later, were again the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said, ‗Peace be with you.‘ Then he said to Thomas, ‗Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.‘ Thomas answered him, ‘My Lord and my God!’ Jesus said to him, ‗Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.‘ Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name." John 20:24-31

In other words, the disciples were to forgive sins by preaching the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, telling all who accepted the message that God had forgiven them of their iniquities. The text in John 20 isn‘t implying that the disciples had the authority to forgive sins like ority to act in his name Christ did. Rather, John‘s point is that Christ gave them his own auth

and proclaim the message of eternal life. In order to highlight this point, notice what the Lord Jesus told his followers on other occasions: "Simon Peter replied, ‗You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.‘ And Jesus answered him, ‗Blessed are you, Simon Bar -Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter,and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it . I will give you the keys of the

kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever

w 16:16-19 you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.‘" Matthe "Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered IN MY NAME, there am I in the midst of them." Matthew 18:18-20 Christ gave Peter the keys to the kingdom, he gave his disciples his own Divine authority to make decisions and issue commands which would be binding upon all of his followers. The Apostles couldn‘t do all these things if Christ hadn‘t given them this Divine right.

The foregoing should now help make it clear why the Apostles could proclaim the forgiveness of sins, since Christ gave them the authority to act in his name. Unlike Christ who forgave sins on the basis of being God‘s Son and the Savior of the world who lays his

life down as a ransom: "But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‗Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus,for he will save his people from their sins.‘" Matthew 1:20-21 "And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‗My son, your sins are forgiven.‘ Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, ‗Why does this man speak thus? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?‘ And immediately Jesus, thathearts? they thus questioned said"Your to them, perceiving in thus his spirit you question in your Which is easier,within to say themselves, to the paralytic, sins‗Why are do forgiven," or to say, "Rise, take up your pallet and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins ‘ -- he said to the paralytic– ‗I say to you, rise, take up your pallet and go home.‘ And he rose, and immediately took up the pallet and went out before them all; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, ‗We never saw anything like this!‘" Mark 2:5-12 "And he said to her, ‗Your sins are forgiven.‘ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, ‗Who is this, who even forgives sins?‘" Luke 7:48-49

"They said to the woman, ‗It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.‘" John 4:42 "This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that a man may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live for ever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh." John 6:50-51 The Apostles didn‘t have any inherent ability to forgive, and therefore couldn‘t simply

pronounce forgiveness of sins on the basis of their own authority. The Apostles were to function as Christ‘s emissaries, his envoys, having been invested with the risen Lord‘s

authority to perform miracles, signs and wonders: "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me." Matthew 10:40

"‗He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.‘ The seventy returned with joy, saying,Lord, ‗ even the demons are subject to us IN YOUR NAME!‘ And he said to them, ‗I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I HAVE GIVEN YOU AUTHORITY to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not

rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘" Luke 10:16-20 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent me." John 13:20 "since you desire proofthat Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful in you. … I write this while I am away from you, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe in my useof the authority which the Lord has given me for building

up and not for tearing down. 2 Corinthians 13:3, 10 Putting it simply, the Apostles could only forgive sins in the name of the Lord Jesus, on the basis of Christ‘s authority as Son of God and Savior who procured the redemption of the world. These next examples confirm that this is how the Apostles forgave sins, not on the basis of their own authority like Jesus did, but in the name of Christ who alone forgives sins: , while I was still with you, "Then he said to them, ‗These are my words which I spoke to you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.‘ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, ‗Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentancefrom and forgiveness of sins be preached IN HIS NAME to all nations, beginning Jerusalem. You areshould witnesses of these things . And behold, I send the

promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high.‘" Luke 24:44-49 "And Peter said to them, ‗Repent, and be baptized every one of youIN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.‘" Acts 2:38

"There he found a man named Aeneas, bedridden for eight years, who was paralyzed. And Peter said to him, Aeneas, ' JESUS CHRIST HEALS YOU; rise and make your bed.' And immediately he rose. And all the residents of Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord." Acts 9:33-35 "And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witnessthat every one who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through HIS NAME." Acts 10:42-43

"And after there had been much debate, Peter rose and said to them, ‗Brethren, you know that

in the early days God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God who knows the heart bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us; and he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you make trial of God by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

But we believe that we shall be savedthrough the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.‘" Acts 15:7-11 "And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, ‗Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It hurts you to kick against the goads.‘ And I said, ‗Who are you, Lord?‘ And the Lord said, I‗ am Jesus whom you are persecuting. But rise and stand upon your feet; for I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you to

serve and bear witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you, delivering you from the people and from the Gentiles -- to whom I send you to open their eyes, that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified BY FAITH IN ME.‘" Acts 26:14-18 As it stands, John 20:23 does not prove that the Apostles had the same ability to forgive sins like Christ, nor does it refute the plain teaching of God‘s inspired Word that Jesus is the Son

of God and the Savior of all men. If anything, an accurate reading of John 20:23 actually provides additional proof that Jesus is the eternal Word of God, who is fully God in essence, since it shows Christ performing specific acts and granting authority to others to act on his behalf which God alone can do and give. All biblical references taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible. * This

specific question was taken and adapted fromthis article.

Question 39: According to the Bible, John’s baptism was for the forgiveness of sins (cf. Matthew 3:6, 11; Luke 3:1-3; Acts 19:4). All three synoptics state that Jesus came to be baptized by John (cf. Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). Doesn’t this prove that Jesus was a sinner also? (1)

Answer:

For those interested in the short answer to this question please skip tothe end. Detailed Response Jesus – the Human Appearance of Yahweh God

What makes this question rather interesting is that it ignores the very immediate context of these specific passages which depict Jesus as the Divine Son of God, the human appearance, the very incarnation of God. For example, here is what we discover when we read what the rest of Luke 3 says concerning the Lord Jesus: "The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, ‗I baptize you with water. But one more

powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn,but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.‘ And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the

good news to them." Luke 3:15-18 John says that Christ is more powerful than he and that he is not worthy to be his slave. (It was the function of slaves to untie the sandals of their master or guests and provide water to wash their feet.) John further states that Christ will baptize individuals with/in the Holy Spirit and fire, meaning that Christ will either save or bring judgement upon a person, all of which depends on one‘s response to Jesus, i.e. will s/he repent and believe or reject and continue in disbelief? John also tells us that Christ has his winnowing fork in his hand in order to separate believers (wheat) from the unbelievers (chaff), so as to preserve the one and burn the other with unquenchable (or eternal) fire. All of these works, which John ascribes to Jesus, are functions that the OT says will be carried out by Yahweh. For instance, it is Yahweh who baptizes or immerses people in the Holy Spirit: For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new you; will you your heart of stone and giveand youbeacareful heart ofto flesh. and move you to follow my decrees Andspirit I willinput myI Sp iritremove in you from keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God. Ezekiel 36:24-28 "Then you will know that I am in Israel, that I am the LORD your God, and that there is no other; never again will my people be shamed. And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women,I will pour out my Spirit in those days." Joel 2:27-29 Yahweh also has a winnowing fork and will judge the wicked, burning them with unquenchable fire: the "The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: ‗Who of us can dwell with consuming fire? Who of us can dwell witheverlasting burning?‘" Isaiah 33:14

"‗See, the LORD is coming with fire , and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his

sword the LORD will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the LORD. Those who consecrate and purify themselves to go into the gardens, following the one in the midst of those who eat the flesh of pigs and rats and other abominable things — they will meet their end together,‘ declares the LORD. ‗And I, because of their actions and

their imaginations, am about to come and gather all nations and tongues, and they will come and see my glory… As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before

me,‘ declares the LORD, ‗so will your name and descendants endure. From one New Moon

to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,‘ says the LORD. ‗And they will go out and look upon the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; their worm will not die, nor will their fire be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.‘" Isaiah 66:15-19, 22-24 "‗If you will return, O Israel, return to me,‘ declares the LORD. ‗If you put your detestable

idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, and if in a truthful, just and righteous way you swear, "As surely as the LORD lives," then the nations will be blessed by him and in him they will glory.‘ This is what the LORD says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: ‗Break

up your unplowed ground and do not sow among thorns. Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, circumcise your hearts, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem, or my wrath will break out and burn like fire because of the evil you have done— burn with no one to quench it.‘" Jeremiah 4:1-4; cf. 21:12 "‗Who will have pity on you, O Jerusalem? Who will mourn for you? Who willstop to ask how you are? You have rejected me,‘ declares the LORD. ‗You keep on backsliding. So I will lay hands on you and destroy you; I can no longer show compassion . I will winnow them with a winnowing fork at the city gates of the land. I will bring bereavement and destruction on my people, for they have not changed their ways… I will enslave you to your enemies in a land you do not know, for my anger will kindle a fire that will burn against you.‘" Jeremiah

15:5-7, 14; cf. Zephaniah 3 Jesus himself basically claimed to be Yahweh when he applied the following OT text to John the Baptist: "After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‗What did you

go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you."‘" Luke 7:24-27 – cf. Matthew 11:10 The Lord Jesus identifies John as the messenger spoken of in Malachi 3:1. The Lord wasn‘t the only author who connected John‘s ministry with Malachi 3:1:

"The beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God.It is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‗I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way' - 'a voice of one calling in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him."‘ And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the

forgiveness of sins." Mark 1:1-4 Mark states that John came to fulfill the words of Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3. Luke himself says (as does Matthew) that John is the one referred to in Isaiah 40:3(-5): "In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar—when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene— during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the desert. He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.As is written in the

book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‗A voice of one calling in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain

and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation."‘" Luke 3:1-6; Matthew 3:1-3 And: "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‗Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to - make ready a people prepared for the Lord’ … ‗And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,‘" Luke 1:11-17, 76

As does the Apostle John, being in complete agreement with all three Synoptic Gospels at this point: "John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, ‗I am the voice of one calling in the desert, "Make straight the way for the Lord."‘" John 1:23 As the readers can clearly see all40:3of the verses are using the language found inpart Malachi 3:1 (as well as 4:5-6) and Isaiah 5 toabove describe John‘s ministry. The astonishing about all of this is that when we look at these specific OTtexts we see that John‘s role was to prepare the people for the manifestation, the very appearing of Yahweh God Almighty! Here are the verses in question along with some of their immediate context: "A voice of one calling: ‗In the desert prepare the way for Yahweh; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.And the glory of Yahweh will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of Yahweh has spoken.‘" Isaiah 40:3-5 "‗See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.Then suddenly THE LORD (Ha Adon) you are seeking will come to HIS TEMPLE; the messenger of the

covenant, whom you desire, will come,‘ says the Yahweh of Hosts." Malachi 3:1 Adon: This phrase is never used for anyone other An wordHa thanimportant Yahweh. note Thus,concerning what thesethe specific OT passages are saying is that Yahweh will come and enter his temple, and that all mankind will see Yahweh‘s Glory.

Amazingly, the One for whom John came to prepare the way was the Lord Jesus Christ, which means that Christ is the human appearance of Yahweh God! To put it simply, by identifying John as the messenger of Malachi 3:1 and with the voice of Isaiah 40:3 who cries out in the wilderness the NT writers (along with the Lord Jesus) were basically proclaiming

that Christ is the very Lord that was coming to his very own temple, being the visible manifestation of the glory of Yahweh! To put this in the form of a syllogism, A. B. C. D.

The messenger would be sent in the desert to prepare for the coming of Yahweh God. John was that messenger. John prepared for the coming of the Lord Jesus. Therefore, Jesus is Yahweh God in human form, the very Lord who was supposed to enter into his temple and reveal his glory. E. And if he is Yahweh then he must be absolutely perfect, completely pure and holy. Jesus – the Holy Son of God

Even though the above data sufficiently proves that Jesuswasn‘t baptized because he was a sinner there is a lot more we can say to solidify this point. For instance, right after Jesus‘

baptism the Father bears witness on behalf of his Son: "As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‗This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.‘"

Matthew 3:16-17; Luke 3:21-22 Christ is the beloved Son with whom the Father is very pleased! Moreover, according to the angel Gabriel Jesus‘s virginal conception and birth by the Holy

Spirit is a Divine sign, so to speak, a proof from God that Christ is his holy Son: "In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph,of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. And he came to her and said, ‗Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!‘ But she was greatly troubled at he t saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, ‗Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.‘ And Mary said to the angel, ‗How will this be, since I am a virgin?‘ And the angel answered her, ‗The Holy Spirit will

come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God .‘" Luke 1:26-35 Here, the angel alludes to the following Messianic text: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor,Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this." Isaiah 9:6-7

The child who rules on David‘s throne is none other than the Mighty God, a title used by Isaiah for Yahweh in the very next chapter: "In that day the remnant of Israel, the survivors of the house of Jacob, will no longer rely on him who struck them down but will truly rely on the LORD, the Holy One of Israel. A remnant will return, a remnant of Jacob will return to the Mighty God." Isaiah 10:20-21 And here is how certain rabbinic sources interpreted Isaiah 9:6: The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the law upon himself to keep it, and his name has been called from of old, Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, He who lives forever,the Anointed One (or Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. The ( Targum of Isaiah, J.F. Stenning, Editor and Translator [Oxford: Clarendon], p. 32; bold emphasis ours) Another explanation: He said to him: ‗I have yet to raise up the Messiah‘ of whom it is

written, For a child is born to us (Isa. IX, 5). (Midrash Rabbah Deuteronomy, Rabbi H. Freedman and Maurice Simon, Editors; Rev. Dr. J. Rabbinowitz, Translator [London: Soncino Press], I.20, p. 20) The preceding only further confirms that the Messiah Jesus is God Almighty and therefore absolutely sinless and pure. In fact, all throughout the NT Jesus is called the Holy and Righteousness One: "In the synagogue there wasdo a man demon, an evil spirit. Heyou cried out to at the top of his voice, ‗Ha! What you possessed want with by us, aJesus of Nazareth? Have come destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!‘" Luke 4:33-34 "You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the Author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this." Acts 3:14-15 "Was there ever a prophet your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And now you have betrayed and murdered him—" Acts 7:52 "Then he said: ‗The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth.‘" Acts 22:14

Notice that Jesus is not only the Holy and Righteous One, but also the Author of Life, an implicit echo of what the Apostle John wrote in his prologue: "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.In him was life, and that life was the light of men." John 1:3-4

Jesus – The Savior and Forgiver of Sinners

As if the foregoing wasn‘t enough to silence the lie that Jesus was baptized because he knew

he was a sinner (God forbid such blasphemy!) the Gospels expressly teach that Christ came to save sinners from their sins: "This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‗Joseph son of David, do not be afraid

to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins.‘" Matthew 1:18-21 Christ even has the ability to forgives sins: "When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‗Friend, your sins are forgiven.‘ The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, ‗Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?‘Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, ‘Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, "Your sins are forgiven," or to say, "Get up and walk"? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins....‘ He said to the paralyzed man, ‗I tell you,get up, take your mat and go home.‘ Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been

lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, ‗We have seen remarkable things today.‘" Luke 5:20 -26; cf. Matthew 9:1-13 Once again, Jesus exhibits an ability and performs functions which the OT ascribes to Yahweh, such as,   

Forgiving sins. Healing diseases. Knowing the thoughts and hearts of men (cf. 1 Kings 8:39, 46-50; Psalm 103:2-4; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:18-19).

Nor was this the only incident where the Lord Jesus forgave sins committed against God: "One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment. Now he said to himself, ‗If this man were a when thehe Pharisee who had invited prophet, would have known whohim and saw whatit,sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner.‘ And Jesus answering said to him, ‗Simon, I have something to say to you.‘

And he answered, ‗What is it, Teacher?‘ ‗A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five

hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?‘ Simon answered, ‗The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more.‘ And he said to him, ‗You have judged rightly.‘ Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, ‗Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave ME no water for my feet, but she has wet MY feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

You gave ME no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss MY feet. You did not anoint MY head with oil, but she has anointed MY feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.‘And he said to her, ‘Your sins are forgiven.‘ Then those who were at table with him began to say among themselves, W ‗ ho is this, who even forgives sins?’ And he said to the woman, ‗Your faith has saved you; go in peace.‘" Luke 7:36 -50 In this pericope Christ forgave the woman‘s offenses against God because she had shown

Jesus great love. Thus, to love Jesus is to love God since he happens to be God, which explains why he can forgive sins. Jesus further stated that he would lay his life down as a ransom for sinners: "just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

"While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‗Take and eat; this is my body.‘ Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, ‗Drink from it, all of you. This is my bloodof the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.‘" Matthew 26:26-28

Yet the only way for Christ to be able to ransom sinners by his death is if he was absolutely sinless since, according to the OT, a transgressor cannot offer up his life as atonement for others. Only God can ransom a person‘s life from the grave: the not ransom for a "Noisman can no redeem the life of another givehe to should God a ransom him-and - that live on for forever life costly, payment is ever enoughor see decay…

Like sheep they are destined for the grave, and death will feed on them. The upright will rule over them in the morning; their forms will decay in the grave, far from their princely mansions. But God will redeem my life from the grave; he will surely take me to himself. Selah" Psalm 49:7-9, 14-15 Jesus also says that forgiveness of sins comes through believing in his name: "He said to them, ‗This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about mein the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.‘ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‗This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.‘"

Luke 24:44-47 "Then I asked, ‗Who are you, Lord?‘ I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, the Lord replied.

Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctifiedby faith in me.‘" Acts 26:1518

In light of all of this can there be any doubt that Jesus wasn‘t getting baptized because he was

a sinner? Are Muslims that desperate that they need to distort passages from their immediate and overall contexts in order to insult and blaspheme the Lord Jesus by trying to depict him as something he is not, a sinner? In fact, this explains why John was rather hesitant to baptize Jesus since he knew that the One approaching him was the sinless Lamb of God who came to save the world: "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, ‗I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?‘ Jesus replied, ‗Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do t his to fulfill all righteousness.‘ Then John consented."

Matthew 3:13-15

"‗I baptize with water,‘ John replied, ‗but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.‘ … The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, ‗ the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, "A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me." I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.‘ Then John gave this testimony: ‗I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would

not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, "The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit." I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God.‘" John 1:26, 29-34 With the foregoing in mind Jesus‘ response to John that his baptism was necessary in order to fulfill all Christ righteousness provides the reason, the explanation for part his insisting that he get decree, baptized. was giving his sanction that John‘s baptism was of the Divine being God‘s will. In other words, it was proper that the sinless Son of God should be set apart by his forerunner, thereby showing his connection with him, as well as giving his approval to what John was doing. Luke himself implies that this was one of the reasons why Christ chose to be baptized since this is what he says concerning those Pharisees who refused to go to John to get baptized: "All the people, even the tax collectors, when they heard Jesus' words, acknowledged that God's way was right , because they had been baptized by John. But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God's purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John." Luke 7:29-30 Christ‘s baptism was also for the purpose of receiving a testimonyfrom heaven itself, and

from John, that he was the unique Son of God and the Messiah, before entering into his public ministry. More on this in the next section. It was to further set an example to his followers, as well as to identify with the very people he had come to save. Jesus Christ – Our Eternal High Priest

As we noted earlier Jesus‘ baptism was preparatory for his Divine mission, one which

included his role as High Priest who atones for his people. As the book of Hebrews so wonderfully puts it: "Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess." Hebrews 3:1 "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 "For it is clear that our Lord descended from Judah, and in regard to that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. And what we have said is even more clear if another priest like Melchizedek appears, one who has become a priest not on the basis of a regulation as to his ancestry but on the basis of the power of an indestructible life… Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office;but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. Such a high priest meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. Unlike the other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices day after

day, first for his own sins, and then for the sins of the people. He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who are weak; but the oath, which came after the law, appointed the Son, who has been made perfect forever." Hebrews 7:14-16, 23-28; cf. 8-10 It should be kept in mind that, according to the OT, the high priests would generally assume their office in the Tabernacle/Temple after the age of thirty, right after being washed and anointed with oil (an act which symbolized the anointing that comes from the Holy Spirit): "This is what you are to do to consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests: Take a young bull and two rams without defect. And from fine wheat flour, without yeast, make bread, and cakes mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil. Put them in a basket and present them in it—along with the bull and the two rams. Then bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and wash them with water. Take the garments and dress Aaron with the tunic, the robe of the ephod, the ephod itself and the breastpiece. Fasten the ephod on him by its skillfully woven waistband. Put the turban on his head and attach the sacred diadem to the turban. Take the anointing oil and anoint him by pouring it on his head. Bring his sons and dress them in tunics and put headbands on them. Then tie sashes on Aaron and his sons. The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance. In this way you shall ordain Aaron and his sons… Aaron's sacred garments will belong to his descendants so that they can be anointed and ordained in them. 30 The son who succeeds him as priest and comes to the Tent of Meeting to minister in the Holy Place is to wear them seven days… So I will consecrate the Tent of Meeting and the altarand will consecrate Aaron and his sons to serve me as priests. Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I

am the LORD their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God." Exodus 29:1-9, 29, 44-46

"Moses, Aaron and the leaders of the community counted the Kohathites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to serve in the work in the Tent of Meeting, counted by clans, were 2,750. This was the total of all those in the Kohathite clans who served in the Tent of Meeting. Moses and Aaron counted them according to the LORD's command through Moses." Numbers 4:34-37; cf. 3, 45 With the foregoing in perspective it shouldn‘t come as a surprise that Jesus was thirty years

old when he got baptized ("washed") in water, after which he began his public ministry: "When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a

voice came from heaven: ‗You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.‘ Now

Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph," Luke 3:21-23 The descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Lord signified God‘s anointing him to begin his priestly and prophetic ministry: "You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached — how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him." Acts 10:36-38 Hence, what could be a more befitting way for the Lord Jesus to assume his priestly role than – cf. to have anotherinitiate priest,him namely (being a Levite himself and from a priestly order Luke 1:5-25), into John his office?

Short Reply

The reason why Christ got baptized wasn‘t because he was a sinner, far from it. He was

baptized for the purpose of receiving a testimony from God the Father, and from John, that he is the Divine, unique Son of God and the Messiah. He also did it as an example to his followers, as well as to identify with the very sinners he had come to save. Moreover, his baptism was necessary in order to inaugurate his public ministry, one which included his role as God‘s High Priest who atones for the sins ofthe people. Jesus Christ is the sinless and matchless Lord to the glory of God the Father forever and ever. Amen! Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_forgiver.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/luke_preexistence.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/redeemer_divine.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_forgives.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_savior.htm

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_only_god_good.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_good.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_announced_by_john.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_john_greater.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_walks_on_sea.htm Endnotes (1) This

particular objection was adapted from this Muslimpolemic.

It is rather unfortunate that this Muslim neophyte will go to desperate measures to assail the absolute purity and sinlessness of the Lord Jesus, all the while seeking to justify the gross wickedness of his false prophet. The very fact that he has to quote such a text in the first place is an indication of just how desperate he truly is in trying to find something to impugn the perfect character of the Lord Jesus. Can you imagine what this neophyte would do if he could find Biblical statements that said Jesus stole his adopted son‘s wife in order to marry her, thereby committing adultery, or that

he and his followers raped married captives that they took from people whom they murdered, or that Jesus married a minor who was nine years old, all of which his rather immoral prophet did? Why, he would have a field day with Christians, and yet when we document that these are the very same acts that his false prophet committed this same neophyte will go out of his way to condone such vile and filthy deeds!

Question 40: Christians condemn the Quran and Islam for all the violence taught therein, but say nothing about all the OT brutalities such as God commanding the utter annihilation of the Amalekites, including women, children and animals. Why this inconsistency? Answer:

Trying to compare, or even justify, Islam‘s brutality on the grounds that the Old Testament is

just as brutal is a false analogy and unfounded for several reasons. First, the wars and violence found within the OT are descriptive, not prescriptive. They are describing events as they occurred, commandments God had given a specific people for a specific purpose. These instructions are not prescriptions for followers today, which is unlike the Quran. The Islamic injunctions are binding on all Muslims for all times, making it mandatory that all the faithful wage war against the infidels till the end of the age. Second, none of the OT wars were fought with the purpose of forcibly converting the pagans to the religion of Israel. God commanded these wars for the specific purpose of punishment and judgment, that the time had come for God to punish specific peoples for all of their atrocious acts and abominations, some of which included the following:

"The LORD said to Moses, ‗Speak to the Israelites and say to them: "I am the LORD your God. You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices. You

must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD. No one is to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD. Do not dishonor your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; do not have relations with her. Do not have sexual relations with your father's wife; that would dishonor your father. Do not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere. Do not have sexual relations with your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter; that would dishonor you. Do not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father's wife, born to your father; she is your sister. Do not have sexual relations with your father's sister; she is your father's close relative. Do not have sexual relations with your mother's sister, because she is your mother's close relative. Do not dishonor your father's brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations; she is your aunt. Do not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son's wife; do not have relations with her. Do not have sexual relations with your brother's wife; that would dishonor your brother. Do not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. Do not have sexual relations with either her son's daughter or her daughter's daughter; they are her close relatives. That is wickedness. Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living. Do not approach a woman to have sexual relations during the uncleanness of her monthly period. Do not have sexual relations with your neighbor's wife and defile yourself with her. Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable. Do not have sexual relations with an animal and defile yourself with it. A woman must not present herself to an animal to have sexual relations with it; that is a perversion. Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled. Even the land was defiled; so I punished it for its sin, and the land vomited out its inhabitants. But you must keep my decrees and my laws. The native-born and the aliens living among you must not do any of these detestable things,for all these things were done by the people who lived in the land before you, and the land became defiled. And if you defile the land, it will vomit you out as it vomited out the nations that were before you. Everyone who does any of these detestable things—such persons must be cut off from their people. Keep my requirements and do not follow any of the detestable customs that were practiced before you came and do not defile yourselves with them. I am the LORD

your God."‘" Leviticus 18:1-30

This, again, is unlike the Quran which commands Muslims to fight even those recognized as being people of revelation: Fight those who do notprohibited, believe in nor Allah, nor the in the latter of day, nor out do they prohibit and His Apostle have follow religion truth, of those whowhat haveAllah been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection. S. 9:29 Shakir Third, God had given these nations ample supernatural evidence of his existence and power: "Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the LORD: ‗I will sing to the LORD, for he

is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea. The LORD is my strength

and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father‘s God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name. Pharaoh‘s chariots

and his army he has hurled into the sea. The best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The deep waters have covered them; they sank to the depths like a stone. Your right hand, O LORD, was majestic in power. Your right hand, O LORD, shattered the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you threw down those who opposed you. You unleashed your burning anger; it consumed them like stubble. By the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up. The surging waters stood firm like a wall; the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy boasted, "I will pursue, I will overtake them. I will divide the spoils; I will gorge myself on them. I will draw my sword and my hand will destroy them." But you blew with your breath, and the sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders? You stretched out your right hand and the earth swallowed them. In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.The nations will hear and tremble; anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling, the people of Canaan will melt away; terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of your arm they will be as still as a stone— until your people pass by, O LORD, until the people you bought pass by. You will bring them in and plant them on the

mountain of your inheritance— the place, O LORD, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. The LORD will reign for ever and ever.‘" Exodus

15:1-18 "This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you." Deuteronomy 2:25 "Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them,‘I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.‘" Joshua 2:8-11 "They said to him, ‗From a very distant country your servants have come,because of the name of the LORD your God. For we have heard a report of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon the king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtaroth. So our

elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, "Take provisions in your hand for the journey and go to meet them and say to them, ‗We are your servants. Come now, make a covenant with us.‘"‘ … They answered Joshua, ‗Because it was told to yo ur servants for a certainty that the LORD your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you--so we f eared greatly for our lives because of you and did this thing.‘" Joshua 9:9-11, 24

The foregoing shows that the nations such as Egypt had been privy to the supernatural signs and wonders that God was performing. Yet instead of heeding these signs and repenting, many of them such as the Canaanites decided to remain obstinate in their unbelief and defy

God by fighting against his covenant people. Thus, God was completely justified in demanding their complete annihilation in light of their willful disobedience and defiance. Muhammad, on the other hand, failed to provide any supernatural verification for his prophetic claims and even contradicted the very standard which he himself claimed to be the Word of God, the Holy Bible. Hence, from a biblical perspective Muhammad was a false prophet that had to be rejected by true believers. He, therefore, had no right to impose his will and religion upon the masses of people in light of his failure to validate his prophetic aspirations. Fourth, the Holy Bible teaches that all are born sinners which means that it is inevitable and inescapable for even children to grow up to be rebel sinners: "The LORD saw how great man‘s wickedness on the earth had become,and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time . The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, ‗I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth —men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air —for I am grieved that I have made them.‘" Genesis 6:5-7

"Then Noah built an altar to the LORD and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings on it. The LORD smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ‗Never again will I curse the ground because of man,even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.‘" Genesis 8:20-21

"When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;" 1 Kings 8:46 "Can a mortal be more righteous than God? Can a man be more pure than his Maker? If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, how much more those who live in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who are crushed more readily than a moth!" Job 4:17-19

"Man born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He springs up like a flower and withers away; like a fleeting shadow, he does not endure. Do you fix your eye on such a one? Will you bring him before you for judgment?Who can bring what is pure from the impure? No one! Man‘s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have

set limits he cannot exceed." Job 14:1-5 "What is man, be ones, pure, if or even one born of woman, he could righteous? If God places no that trusthe in could his holy the heavens are that not pure in hisbeeyes, how much less man, who is vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!" Job 15:14-16 "How then can a man be righteous before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon is not bright and the stars are not pure in his eyes,how much less man, who is but a maggot— a son of man, who is only a worm!" Job 25:4-6 "Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me." Psalm 51:5

"Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward and speak lies." Psalm 58:3 "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you." Psalm 143:2 "Who can say, ‗I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin‘?" Proverbs 20:9 "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins… This only

have I found: God made mankind upright, but men have gone in search of many schemes." Ecclesiastes 7:20, 29 "This is the evil in everything that happens under the sun: The same destiny overtakes all. The hearts of men, moreover, are full of evil and there is madness in their hearts while they live, and afterward they join the dead." Ecclesiastes 9:3

"Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Neither can you do good who are accustomed to doing evil." Jeremiah 13:23 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?" Jeremiah 17:9 The Canaanites themselves are proof of this theological truth: "As the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. And behold, dreadful and great darkness fell upon in him. Then theisLORD saidand to Abram, certain that will yourbeoffspring will be sojourners a land that not theirs will be ‗Know servantsfor there, and they afflicted for four hundred years. But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and

afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for yourself, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age.And they shall come back here in the fourth generation, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete.‘" Genesis 15:12-16 Notice that God tells Abraham that his seed will not enter the land until the Amorites have reached the full measure of their sins, which would take roughly four hundred years. This means that every new generation of Canaanites grew up to be just as wicked and evil as the generation before them, without anyone repenting of their sins, proving that even children are born sinful and grow up to be rebels. The foregoing also shows the longsuffering endurance of God since he didn‘t strike them

down right away, but waited patiently for four hundreds after which his holiness demanded that such wickedness had to be punished. The sins of the Canaanites could not go unchecked. Hence, from a biblical perspective God is even just in commanding the death of infants and children since even they will grow up to rebel and sin against their Maker. The only way they can avoid being rebel sinners is if God decides to show them mercy and grace. Yet God is not obligated to show mercy to anyone, but he is obligated to punish sinners if he is to remain just and holy. Thus, all persons deserve to be punished and no one deserves to be saved. But glory be to his name, God has chosen to show mercy and bestow grace on those whom he freely chooses:

"If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared." Psalm 130:3-4 "And the LORD said, ‗I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’" Exodus 33:19 "It does not, therefore, depend on man‘s desire or effort, but on God‘s mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: ‗I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.‘Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden."

Romans 9:16-18

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in

the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:1-7 Muslim theology, on the other hand, denies that man is born with a sinful nature. They claim that humans are born morally neutral, a position which backfires against Islam.wiped After all, humans are born morally innocent then why does the Quran teach that Allah out ifentire places, villages, cities etc., such as Sodom and Gomorrah which definitely included children? (Cf. S. 26:105-190; this article contains a discussion of this issue.) Fifth, God didn‘t just fight for Israel but for other nations as well, and even forbade Israel

from ever thinking of trying to fight these people in order to take their lands away: "Then the LORD said to me, ‗You have been going about this mountain country long

enough; turn northward. And command the people, You are about to pass through the territory of your brethren the sons of Esau, who live in Se'ir; and they will be afraid of you. So take good heed; do not contend with them;for I will not give you any of their land, no, not so much as for the sole of t he foot to tread on, because I have given Mount Se'ir to Esau as a possession. You shall purchase food from them for money, that you may eat; and

you shall also buy water of them for money, that you may drink. For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands; he knows your going through this great wilderness; these forty years theour LORD yourthe Godsons hasofbeen haveaway lacked nothing. So we went on, away from brethren Esauwith whoyou; liveyou in Se'ir, from the Arabah road from Elath and E'zion-ge'ber. And we turned and went in the direction of the wilderness of Moab. And the LORD said to me, ‗Do not harass Moab or contend with them in battle, for I will not give you any of their land for a possession, because I have given Ar to the sons of Lot for a possession.‘ (The Emim formerly lived there, a people great and many, and tall

as the Anakim; like the Anakim they are also known as Reph'aim, but the Moabites call them Emim. The Horites also lived in Se'ir formerly, but the sons of Esau dispossessed them, and destroyed them from before them, and settled in their stead; as Israel did to the land of their

possession, which the LORD gave to them.) ‗Now rise up, and go over the brook Zered.‘ So

we went over the brook Zered. And the time from our leaving Ka'desh-bar'nea until we crossed the brook Zered was thirty-eight years, until the entire generation, that is, the men of war, had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them. For indeed the hand of the LORD was against them, to destroy them from the camp, until they had perished. So when all the men of war had perished and were dead from among the people, the LORD said to me, ‗This day you are to pass over the boundary of Moab at Ar; and when you approach

the frontier of the sons of Ammon, do not harass them or contend with them, for I will not give you any of the land of t he sons of Ammon as a possession, because I have given it to the sons of Lot for a possession.‘ (That also is known as a land of Reph'aim; Reph'aim

formerly lived there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzum'mim, a people great and many, and tall as the Anakim;but the LORD destroyed them before t hem; and they dispossessed them, and settled in their stead;as he did for the sons of Esau, who live i n Se'ir, when he destroyed the Horites before them, and they dispossessed them, and settled in their stead even to this day. As for the Avvim, who lived in villages as far as Gaza, the Caph'torim, who came from Caphtor, destroyed them and settled in their stead.)" Deuteronomy 2:2-23 The above passage powerfully demonstrates how completely fair, loving and just the true God really is. With the foregoing in mind we now turn our attention to God‘s command to wipe out the

Amalekites: "Samuel said to Saul, ‗I am the one the LORD sent to anoint you king over his people Israel;

so listen now to the message from the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Iwill punish the Amalekites FOR WHAT THEY DID to Israel when they waylaid them as they came up from Egypt . Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything

that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys."‘ So Saul summoned the men and mustered them at Telaim—two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men from Judah. Saul went to the city of Amalek and set an ambush in the ravine. Then he said to the Kenites, ‗Go away,

leave the Amalekites so that I do not destroy you along with them;for you showed kindness to all the Israelites when they came up out of Egyp t.‘ So the Kenites moved away from the

Amalekites." 1 Samuel 15:1-6 Note that the text gives the reason why God commanded the utter destruction of the Amalekites. The Amalekites had shown hostility to God‘s covenant people, a point reiterated

in the following texts: "The Amalekites came AND ATTACKED the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‗Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.‘ So Joshua fought the Amalekites as

Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses‘ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—

so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‗Write this on a scroll as something to be

remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven .‘ Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is

my Banner. He said, ‗For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation.‘" Exodus 17:8 -16

"Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were weary and worn out, they met you on your journey and cut off all who were lagging behind; they had no fear of God. When the LORD your God gives you rest

from all the enemies around you in the land he is giving you to possess as an inheritance, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!" Deuteronomy 25:17-19 Once this passage is read in both its immediate and greater contexts we can now appreciate

God‘s reason for wanting to destroy them. In spite of the miracles and signs God had shown

the peoples such as the Amalekites when he delivered Israel, the Amalekites still went up against Israel to harass them, which was nothing more than a willful act of defiance against the true God of all creation. Thus, God was thoroughly justified in demanding that this nation of willful sinners and idolaters be destroyed. Further Reading

http://christian-thinktank.com/quranlike.html http://christian-thinktank.com/rbutcher1.html http://christian-thinktank.com/qamorite.html http://christian-thinktank.com/midian.html http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=5767 http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/favorites.htm#ps137 Follow-up: My answer to a Muslim response to the above. Question 41: Why didn’t Matthew, who was a disciple of Jesus and an ear and eyewitness to his ministry, ever record even a single one of the "I am" statements found in John? What do you think this says about their authenticity?

Answer:

There are several assumptions that underlie the question which need to be challenged. The question assumes that unless John reads exactly like the Synoptics his Gospel must therefore be less authentic and/or more theologically developed. It further assumes that since the other Gospels do not contain any I AM sayings Jesus must have therefore never used the I AM formula. Finally, it assumes that the only way for the Synoptics, specifically Matthew‘s Gospel, to assert the Deity of Christ is if they used the same language or contained the same material found in John.

The answer to all these assumptions is very simple. Just because the Synoptics do not contain the same material found in John‘s Gospel doesn‘t mean that they were not aware of it, or that

John was making things up. These writers may have not felt the need to quote that specific material since they may have felt that it wasn‘t relevant to the point which they were seeking to make. This also accounts for why John reads so differently, since his intention may have been to present material which the Synoptics left out in order to complement or supplement their writings, and not simply repeat what they had already written. Our explanation makes perfect sense in light of the fact that Matthew does contain one of the very I AM sayings used by John in his Gospel: "Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, ‗It is a ghost!‘ and they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke ot them, saying, ‗Take heart;I AM (ego eimi). Do not be afraid (me phobeisthe).‘ And Peter answered him, ‗Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.‘ He said, ‗Come.‘ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water

and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, ‗Lord, save me.‘ Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, ‗O you of little faith, why did you doubt?‘ And when they got into the boat, the wind cease. And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, ‘Truly you are the Son of God .‘" Matthew 14:22-33 – cf. Mark 6:45-52

This story is found in John 6:16-20: "When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea became rough because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened. But he said to them, ‗I AM (ego eimi); do not be afraid ( me phobeisthe).‘ Then they were glad to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." John 6:16-20 Jesus plays out the role which the OT ascribes to Yahweh who, as the I AM, comes to his people‘s rescue amidst their storm:

"who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea;" Job 9:8 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea,or walked in the recesses of the deep?" Job 38:16 "When the waters saw you, O God, when the waters saw you, they were afraid; indeed, the deep trembled. The clouds poured out water; the skies gave forth thunder; your arrows flashed on every side. The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind; your lightnings lighted up the world; the earth trembled and shook. Your way was through the sea, your

path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.

You led your people like

a flock by the hand of Moses and Aaron." Psalm 77:16-20 "Who has performed and done this, calling the generations from the beginning? I, the LORD, the first, and with the last;I AM He… FEAR NOT, for I AM with you, be not dismayed, for I AM your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my victorious right hand. Behold, all who are incensed against you shall be put to shame and confounded; those who strive against you shall be as nothing and shall perish. You shall seek those who contend with you, but you shall not find them; those who war against you shall be as nothing at all. For I, the LORD your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, ‘FEAR NOT, I will help you.‘ FEAR NOT, you worm Jacob, you men of Israel! I will help you, says the LORD; your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel." Isaiah 41:4, 10-14 "But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: ‗Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.When you pass through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I give

Egypt as your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you. Because you are precious in my eyes, and honored, and I love you, I give men in return for you, peoples in exchange for your life. Fear not, for I AM with you ; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, Give up, and to the south, Do not withhold; bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the end of the earth, every one who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made. Bring forth the people who are blind, yet have eyes, who are deaf, yet have ears! Let all the nations gather together, and let the peoples assemble. Who among them can declare this, and show us the former things? Let them bring their witnesses to justify them, and let them hear and say, It is true. You are my witnesses,‘ says the LORD, ‗and my servant whom I have chosen,that you may know and believe me and understand that I AM He. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I AM the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses,‘ says the LORD. ‗I AM God, and also henceforth I AM He; there is none -13 who can deliver from my hand; I work and who can hinder it?‘" Isaiah 43:1 Although some of the following comments refer to the Markan version of the account, they still apply and are relevant to the Matthean parallel nonetheless. The late Catholic NT scholar Raymond E. Brown comments on the usage of I AM in both John and the Synoptic Gospels in relation to Yahweh‘s use of the title in Isaiah: "Against this background the absolute use of ‗I AM‘ by the Johannine Jesus becomes quite

intelligible; in the same manner in which Deutero-Isaiah. For instance,heinwas Johnspeaking 8:28 Jesus promises that when the SonYahweh of Manspeaks is liftedinup (in return to the Father), ‗then you will knowego eimi’; in Isaiah 43:10 Yahweh has chosen Israel, ‗that you may know and believe me and understandego eimi.‘ The absolute Johannine use of ‘I AM’ has the effect of portraying Jesus as divine with (pre)existence as his identity, even as the Greek OT understood the God of Israel.

John did not invent this usage, for there are examples that verge on the absolute use of ego eimi in the Synoptics even though one can argue that a predicate is assumed. For

instance, in Matt 14:27 (Mark 6:50): As Jesus comes walking across the water, he says to the disciples in the boat, ‗Ego eimi; do not be afraid.‘ This is the same use we saw in John 6:20 (footnote 202). That in this scene Matthew intends more than a simple ‗It is I‘ is suggested by the profession of faith elicited by the disciples (Matt 14:33), ‗Truly you are God‘s Son!‘ Or again, when speaking of the signs of the last days Jesus warns, ‗Many will come in my name, saying ego eimi‘ (Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8). The context does not clearly suggest a predicate (even though Matt‘s 24:5: ‗I am the Messiah‘); and the juxtaposition of ego eimi and ‘my name’ brings us close to Johannine usage…" (Brown, Introduction to New Testament Christology [Paulist Press; Mahwah, NJ 1994], p. 139; bold emphasis ours)

In his footnote 202, Brown comments on two additional Johannine usages of I AM, some of which have direct bearing on the meaning of Matthew 14:27: "I would include two other texts. The first is 6:20 where the disciples in the boat are frightened because they see someone coming to them on the water, and Jesus assures them, ‗I AM; do not be afraid.‘ The second is 18:5: The soldiers and police who have come to the

garden across the Kidron to arrest Jesus announce that they are seeking Jesus of Nazareth, and he answers, ‗I AM.‘ Some would tell us that the first means simply, ‗It is I, i.e. someone whom you know and not a supernatural being or ghost.‘ And they would tell us that the second means simply, ‗I am he, i.e. the one you are looking for.‘A better solution is to recognize a play on the expression ‘I AM’ as having a twofold meaning: While it has a simpler story-line import (as just exemplified), it also has a higher connotation. In the first example, the sacral comes from the context that involved Jesus’ walking on the water and a dangerous storm from which they are immediately brought to land: in the second example it comes from those who, hearing Jesus‘ response, fall back to the ground. Both, then, would be instances of a theophany or divine appearance of one who, like the God of Israel, is master of storms and the sea and at the mention of whose name every knee must bend." (Ibid., p. 137; bold emphasis ours)

The New Jerome Biblical Commentary agrees with Brown since it says in reference to the

Markan parallel: "(b) WALKING ON THE WATERS (6:45-52). The approach to this story as an epiphany/theophany is most consistent with Mark's presentation. The twin focus is Jesus and the disciples: (1) The divine identity of Jesus is suggested by his walking on the waters, his passing by them, and his words, 'It is I'... The OT portrays walking on water as a divine function (see Job 9:8; 38:16). The representation of Jesus as walking on water thus carries an implicit claim about his divinity. he wanted to pass by them: The implicit christological claim is strengthened by the use of the vb.parelthein, which was linked with the theophany tradition in the LXX (see Exod 33:19,22; 34:6; 1 Kgs 19:11).

Its appearance in the LXX of Amos 7:8; 8:2 also suggests that Jesus desired to help his disciples in their difficulty...I am He: In the context of self-disclosure and theophany, this phrase must allude to the OT revelation formula (Exod 3:14; Deut 32:39; Isa 41:4; 43:10) applied to Yahweh, thus contributing to the implicit christological message of the text. The formula ego eimi is prominent in John…" (NJBC, eds. Raymond E. Brown, SS,

Joseph A Fitzmyer, S.J., Roland E. Murphy, O. Carm [Prentice Hall; Englewood Cliffs, NJ], p. 611); bold emphasis ours) The Catholic commissioned version of the Holy Bible, the New American Bible (NAB), concurs:

[50] It is I, do not be afraid! : literally, "I am." This may reflect the divine revelatory formula of Ex 3,14; Is 41,4.10.14; 43,1-3.10.13. Mark implies the hidden identity of Jesus as Son of God." (Source) The Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary Volume 2: New Testament says the following regarding Matthew 14:25-27: "25-27 The Romans divided the night from sunset to sunrise into four watches (reflected here). Jesus‘ approach to the boat therefore occurred between 3 00 A.M. and 6:00 A.M. The disciples were terrified, thinking they were seeing an apparition or ghost. ‗Take courage!‘ and ‗Don't be afraid‘ bracket the central reason for his calming exhortations: ‗It is I.‘ Although the Greek words for ‗It is I‘ (‗I am‘) can have no more force than that, any Christian after the Resurrection and Ascension would also detect echoes of ‘I Am,’ the decisive, self disclosure of God (Ex 3:14; Isa 51:12; cf. Jn 8:58). Once again we find Jesus revealing

himself in a veiled way that will prove especially rich to Christians after his resurrection (see comment on 8:20)." (Kenneth L. Barker & John R. Kohlenberger III [Zondervan Publishing House; Grand Rapids, MI 1994], p. 73) The Life Application Bible Commentary on the Markan parallel states: "Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid." Jesus called out to the disciples over the storm, telling them to take courage. He identified himself and told them not be afraid any longer. The literal reading for "It is I" is "I am" (Greek, ego eimi); it is the same as saying "the I AM is here" or "I, Yahweh, am here" (see Exodus 3:14; Isaiah 41:4; 43:10; 52:6). Jesus, the ‘I AM," came with unexpected help and encouragement during the disciples’ time of desperateours) need. (Ibid., Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.; Wheaton, Il. 1994, p. 189; bold emphasis

Finally, in the book Case for Christ, Lee Strobel interviews renowned NT scholar Dr. Craig L. Blomberg regarding the divine claims of Christ. Lee begins his interview by asking: "John makes very explicit claims of Jesus being God, which some attribute to the fact that he wrote later than the others and began embellishing things," I said. "Can you find this theme of deity in the synoptics?" "Yes, I can," he said. "It’s more implicit but you find it there. Think of the story of Jesus walking on the water, found in Matthew 14:22-33 and Mark 6:45-52. Most English translations hide the Greek by quoting Jesus as saying, ‗Fear not it is I.‘ Actually, the Greek literally says, ‗Fear not, I am.‘Those last two words are identical to what Jesus said in John 8:58 when he took upon himself the divine name ‘I AM,’ which is the way God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. So Jesus is revealing himself as the one who has the same divine power over nature as Yahweh, the God of the Old Testament." (Strobel, Zondervan Publishing House; Grand Rapids, MI 1998, p. 29;

bold emphasis ours) Hence, Matthew‘s inclusion of the story of Jesus‘ walking on the water and use of the I AM

formula conclusively demonstrates that the Evangelist was clearly presenting Jesus as Yahweh God.

What this shows us is that the Synoptic writers were aware of Jesus‘ I AM sayings but apparently didn‘t think it necessary to quote them, or at least not all of them. They may have

believed that what they did have to say was sufficient to show that Jesus is indeed Incarnate Deity, the eternal Son of God who became man in order to redeem God‘s elect. To illustrate

this point note what Matthew wrote in the beginning of his Gospel: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‗Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which

is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name

Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.‘ All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‗Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and his name shall be called Emmanuel’ (which means, GOD WITH US)." Matthew 1:18-23

Jesus, according to Matthew, is God with us who came to save his people from their sin, a function that the OT ascribes to Yahweh God Almighty: "O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities." Psalm 130:7-8 Moreover, Matthew does include certain sayings of Jesus which demonstrates his unprecedented Divine authority. When Jesus expounds and interprets the Mosaic Law he does so by appealing to his own authority, something which astounded his hearers: "You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‗Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.‘BUT I TELL YOU that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‗Raca,‘ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‗You fool!‘ will be in danger of the fire

of hell." Matthew 5:21-22 "You have heard that it was said, ‗Do not commit adultery.‘BUT I TELL YOU that anyone

who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Matthew 5:27-28; cf. 5:29-48 Matthew (as do the other Synoptics) also uses the Amen or the "Truly I say to you" formula that is found all throughout John: "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished…Truly, I say to you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny." Matthew 5:18, 26 "Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on

his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.‘" Matthew 19:28

See also Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; 8:10; 10:15, 23, 42; 11:11; 13:17; 16:28; 17:20; 18:3, 13, 18; 21:21, 32; 23:36; 24:2, 34, 47; 25:12, 40, 45; 26:13, 21, 34.

Matthew mentions the reaction of the crowds to the authority Jesus exhibited in his teachings: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law." Matthew 7:28-29 As scholars have noted, the manner in which Jesus instructed his followers on the Mount William demonstrates Christ‘s divine authority. Noted Christian apologist and hilosopher p Lane Craig states it best: "… The typical rabbinical style of teaching was to quote extensively from learned teachers,

who provided the basis of authority for one's own teaching. But Jesus did exactly the

opposite. He began, ‗You have heard that it was said the men of old…‘ and quoted the Mosaic Law; then he continued, ‗But I say to you…‘ and gave his own teaching. Jesus thus equated his own authority with that of the divinely given Torah. It's no wonder that

Matthew comments, ‗When Jesusfinished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his -29). teaching, for he taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes‘ (Matt 7:28

"But it's not just that Jesus placed his personal authority on a par with that of the divine Law. More than that, he adjusted the Law on his own authority . Although Jewish scholars have attempted valiantly to assimilate Jesus' ethical teachings to the tradition of Judaism, Jesus' opposition of his own personal authority to the divine Torah given through Moses is the rock upon which all such attempts are finally broken. Take, for example, Jesus'

teaching on divorce in Matt 5:31-32 (cf. Mark 10:2-12). Here Jesus explicitly quotes the teaching of the Law (Deut 24:1-4)and opposes to it, on the basis of his own authority, his teaching theof matter . Inthis the matter Markan passage, he declares thatthe Moses notown represent the perfectonwill God on and presumes to correct Lawdoes on his authority as to what really is the will of God. But no human being, no prophet or teacher or charismatic, has that kind of authority. ‗Jesus,‘ observes Witherington, ‗seems to assume an authority over the Torah that no Pharisee or Old Testament prophet assumed the authority to set it aside.‘

"In his provocative dialogueA Rabbi Talks with Jesus, the eminent Jewish scholar Jacob Neusner explains that it is precisely on this basis why he, as a Jew, would not have followed Jesus had he lived i n first-century Palestine. Explaining that for a Jew the Torah is God's revelation to Moses, he asserts, Jews believe in the Torah of Moses ... and that belief requires faithful Jews to enter a dissent at the teachings of Jesus, on the grounds that those teachings at important points contradict the Torah…

And therefore,atbecause that specific teaching was so broadly out of phase with the Torah and the covenant Sinai,I could not then follow him and do not now either . That is not because I am stubborn or unbelieving. It is because I believe God has given a different Torah from the one that Jesus teaches; and that Torah, the one Moses got at Sinai, stands in judgment of the torah of Jesus, as it dictates true and false for all other torahs that people want to teach in God's name. "Given the supremely authoritative status of the divinely revealed Torah Jesus' teaching can only appear presumptuous and even blasphemous. In effect, as Robert Hutchinson put it,

‗Neusner wants to ask Jesus,"Who do you think you are — God?"‘ Neusner himself recognizes that ‗no one can encounter Matthew's Jesus WITHOUT CONCURRING THAT BEFORE US IN THE EVANGELIST'S MIND IS GOD INCARNATE.‘ But if

Jesus' opposition of his personal teaching to the Torah is an authentic facet of the historical Jesus — AS EVEN THE SKEPTICAL SCHOLARS OF THE JESUS SEMINAR CONCEDE — then it seems that Jesus did arrogate to himself the authority of God . According to Robert Guelich, ‗one must not shy away from the startling antithesis between God has said to those of old / But I say to you since here lies not only the key to the antithesis but to Jesus' ministry.‘" (Craig,Reasonable Faith - Christian Truth and Apologetics [Moody

Press, Chicago 1984; revised edition 1994], pp. 246-247; bold and capital emphasis ours) And here is what Craig says regarding Jesus‘ use of the Amen formula: "Second, Jesus' use of ‗amen‘ expresses his authority. The expression frequently attributed to Jesus, ‗Truly, truly I say to you,‘is historically unique and is recognized on all hands to have been used by Jesus to preface his teaching ...

Ben Witherington in his acclaimed

study of the Christology of Jesus explains the significance of Jesus' use of the phrase ‗Amen, I say to you‘: It is insufficient to compare it to ‘thus says the Lord,’ although that is the closest parallel. Jesus is not merely speaking for Yahweh,but for himself and on his own authority.... This strongly suggests that he considered himself to be a person of authority above and beyond what prophets claimed to be.He could attest to his own truthfulness and speak on his own behalf, and yet his words were to be taken as having the same or greater authority than the divine words of the prophet. Here was someone who thought he possessed not only divine inspiration...but also divine authority and the power of direct divine utterance. The use of amen followed by ‗I say unto you‘; must be given its full

weight in light of its context— early Judaism. "That Witherington's analysis is correct is evident from the complaint of the orthodox Jewish s enthusiasm, as the Word of God,the writer Ahad ha' Am: ‗Israel cannot accept with religiou utterances of a man who speak in his own name — not "thus saith the Lord," but " I say unto you." This "I" is in itself sufficient to drive Judaism away from the Gentiles forever.‘"

(Ibid., p. 248; bold emphasis ours) Craig concludes with the words of Horst Georg Pöhlmann: "Horst Georg Pöhlmann in his Abriss der Dogmatik reports, ‗In summary, one could say that today there is virtually a consensus concerning that wherein the historical in Jesus is to be seen. It consists in the fact that Jesus came on the scene with anunheard of authority, namely with the authority of God, with the claim of the authority to stand in God's place and speak to us and bring us to salvation.‘ This involves, says Pöhlmann, an implicit Christo logy. He

concludes:

This unheard of claim to authority, as it comes to expression in the antithesis of the Sermon on the Mount, for example,is implicit Christology, since it presupposes a unity of Jesus with God that is deeper than that of all men, namely a unity of essence. This ... claim to authority is explicable only from the side of his deity. This authority only God himself can claim. With regard to Jesus there are only two possible modes of behavior:

either believe that in him God encounters us or nail him to the cross as a blasphemer. Tertium non datur.

There is no third way." (Ibid., p. 252; bold emphasis ours) Jewish writer Alfred J. Kolatch concurs with Craig. Kolatch explains why most Jews are unwilling to embrace Jesus as a prophet: This thesis is rejected because none of the prophets of Israel spoke in his own name; none ever presented himself as the srcinator of his own prophecies. The Jewish prophets considered themselves the mouthpiece of God. God, they believed, was speaking through them. For this reason, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the other Hebrew prophets introduce their prophecies and admonitions with the words, "Thus saith the Lord." When Jesus introduces his prophecies and admonitions, he does so with the words, "I say unto you," clearly suggesting that he saw himself asthe authority. This attitude is reflected in many New Testament passages. In Matthew (9:6), for example, Jesus represents himself as "the Son of Man who has power on earth to forgive sins." In John (13:13), Jesus says, "Ye call me ‗Master‘ and ‗Lord‘; and ye say well;for so I am." Since Jesus portrayed himself as more than a spokesman of the Lord, Jews are unable to accept him as a prophet. (Kolatch, The Second Jewish Book of Why [Jonathan David Publishers, Inc., Middle Village NY, 2000; ISBN: 0-8246-0305-2], p. 72; underlined emphasis ours) Thus, Matthew may have not included most of Jesus‘ I AM sayings, but what he does record

is sufficient in and of itself to demonstrate that Christ spoke with the authority of God. To put it another way, Matthew has Jesus speaking as if he were Yahweh himself! The foregoing should leave little doubt that Matthew, no less than John, presents the Lord Jesus as God in the flesh. For more on this issue we recommend the following articles: http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/christology_evolution1.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/christology_evolution2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/omnipotent.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/paul_on_jesus.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/fourthgospel.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/misunderstood2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/acts.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Shabir-Ally/realjesus.htm Endnote: {1} The

preceding question was taken from an online Muslim book(*), most of which has already been refuted on our site. Lord Jesus willing, we will address further specific sections and comments from this book that haven‘t already been responded to.

Question 42: Unlike the OT where Yahweh says over and over again "I am God, and there is none else" (Isaiah 43:10-13, 44:6-8, 45:5-6, 46:9-11), Jesus never once said those words. Not once did he say, "I am God." Since the God of the Hebrew Bible says it repeatedly why didn’t Jesus ever say it, at least once, especially when this is so crucial to Christian doctrine? Answer:

The simple answer as to why Jesus didn‘t simply come out and say, "I am God" is because of

the confusion this would have caused the Jews living at that time. Noted New Testament Scholar and Catholic Theologian Raymond E. Brown states it best: "The question concerns Jesus a Galilean Jew of the first third of the first century, for whom ‗God‘ would have a meaning specified by his background and the theological language of the time. By way of simplification (and perhaps oversimplification) let me say that I think by a - among Jew of that period ‗God‘ would have been thought of as One dwelling in the heavens many attributes. Therefore, a question posed to Jesus on earth, ‗Do you think you are God?‘ would mean did he think he was the One dwelling in heaven. And you can see that would have been an inappropriate question, since Jesus was visibly on earth. As a matter of fact the question was never asked of him; at most he was asked about his relationship to God." (Brown, Responses to 101 Questions on the Bible [Paulist Press, Mahwah, N.J., 1990], p. 98) Another NT scholar, this time an evangelical one, concurs with Brown. Former atheist turned Christian apologist Lee Strobel interviewed Ben Witherington and asked him basically the same question, namely, why did Jesus never come out and say he was God. Here is Witherington‘s response:

"The truth is that Jesus was a bitmysterious about his identity, wasn‘t he?" I asked as Witherington pulled up a chair across from me. "He tended to shy away from forthrightly proclaiming himself to be the Messiah or Son of God. Was that because he didn‘t think of

himself in those terms or because he had other reasons?" "No, it‘s not because he didn‘t think of himself in those terms," Witherington said as he settled into his chair and crossed his legs. "If he had simply announced, ‗Hi, folks; I‘m God,‘ that would have been heard as ‗I‘m Yahweh,‘ because the Jews of his day didn‘t have any concept of the Trinity. They only knew of God the Father–whom they called Yahweh–and

not God the Son or God the Holy Spirit. and "So if someone were to say he was God, that wouldn‘t have made any sense to them would have been seen as clear-cut blasphemy. And it would have been counterproductive to Jesus in his efforts to get people to listen to his message. "Besides, there were already a host of expectations about what the Messiah would look like, and Jesus didn‘t want to be pigeonholed into somebody else‘s categories. Consequently, he was very careful about what he said publicly. In private with his disciples –that was a different The Case For story, but the gospels primarily tell us about what he did in public." (Strobel,

Christ [Zondervan Publishing House; Grand Rapids, MI, 1998 - Pocket Size Edition], pp.

178-179) Therefore, for Jesus to say that he was God without qualification would have meant that he was claiming to be the same Person commonly referred to by both Jews and Christians as the Father. Yet Jesus was not the same Person as the Father, but was personally distinct from him, although sharing the same essence and nature with him. This is also one of the reasons the NT infrequently uses the term "God" for the Lord Jesus, as noted by Evangelical scholar Murray J. Harris explains: "First, in all strands of the NT, theos generally signifies the Father… When we find the expression theos pater we may legitimately deduce thatho theos estin ho pater. And since pater refers to a particular person (not an attribute), the identity between ho theos and ho pater as proper names referring to persons must be numerical. 'God' must be equated with 'the Father.' If Jesus were everywhere called theos so that in reference to him the term ceased to be a title and became a proper noun like'Iesous, linguistic ambiguity would be

everywhere present. "Another reason why theos regularly denotes the Father and rarely the Sonis that such a usage is suited to protect the personal distinction between the Son and Father… which is preserved everywhere in the NT, but nowhere more dramatically than where the Father is

called 'the God of our Lord Jesus Christ' (Eph. 1:17) or 'his God and Father' (Rev. 1:6) and where Jesus speaks of 'My God' (Matt. 27:46; Mark 15:34; John 20:17; cf. Rev. 3:2, 12), or, in an address to Jesus reference is made to 'your God' (Heb. 1:9). God was the one to whom Jesus prayed, thesarx one egeneto he called(John his Father whom John said 1:14).(e.g., Matt. 11:25). It was ho logos, not ho theos, of "Clearly related to this second reason is a third. The element of 'subordinationism' that finds expression not only in the four authors who usetheos as a christological appellation but also elsewhere in the NT may have checked any impulse to usetheos regularly of Jesus. By customarily reserving the termtheos for the Father, NT writers were highlighting the fact, whether consciously or unconsciously,that while the Son is 'subordinate' to the Father, the Father is not 'subordinate' to the Son. One finds the expression 'the Son of God' where God is the Father, but never 'the Father of God' where God is the Son. "A fourth reason that may be suggested for the comparatively rare use of theos as a christological ascription was the danger recognized by the early church that iftheos were applied to Jesus as regularly as to the Father, Jews would have tended to regard Christianity as incurably deuterotheological and Gentiles would probably have viewed it as polytheistic. If theos were the personal name of the Father and the Son, Christians would have been hard pressed to defend faith againstofcharges of ditheism, if not polytheism, however adamant their insistence onthe their retention monotheism. "Fifth, behind the impulse generally to reserve the termtheos for the Father lay the need to safeguard the real humanity of Jesus against docetic or monophysitic sentiment in its embryonic form. In the early years of the church there was a greater danger that the integrity of the human 'nature' of Jesus should be denied than that his divinity should be called into question, witness the fact that docetism not Arianism was the first christological deviation.

"Finally, the relative infrequency of the use of theos for Jesus corresponds to the relatively infrequent use of ontological categories in NT Christology which is functional in emphasis…" (Harris, Jesus As God - The New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus

[Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI; July 1998, Paperback], pp. 282-283; bold emphasis ours) This doesn‘t mean, however, that Jesus in his earthly ministry never toldhis disciples that he

was God in those precise words. He may have revealed to them that he was God in the flesh, but only after the idea had been ingrained in their mind that he wasn‘t claiming to be the

Father. After all, the NT shows that even before his death and resurrection Christ‘s own enemies understood that he was making himself out to be God, despite also claiming to be someone other than the Father: "And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because he was doing these things on the Sabbath. But Jesus answered them, ‗My Father is working until now, and I am working.‘ This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God. John 5:16-18 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand.My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. I and the Father are one.‘ The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, ‗I have shown you many good worksfrom the Father; for which of them are you going stone The Jews answered not make for a good work that are going to stone youtobut forme?‘ blasphemy , because you,him, being‗Itaisman, yourse lf God .‘"we John 10:27-33

If even his enemies could see that Jesus was presenting himself as God are we to assume that his followers were unable to perceive that this was what he was claiming for himself? Wouldn‘t these exchanges leave an indelible mark on the disciples‘ understanding of the

Person of Christ? Of course they would. To ask it in a different way, aren‘t we safe to assume that Jesus‘ interaction with his

opponents would have led his followers to conclude that Christ was claiming to be Deity even though he kept going out of his way to emphasize the point that he was personally distinct from the Father? Why, to even ask the question is to answer it. As Harris puts it: "it is not the passage of time in itself but dramatic events that effect any deepening or broadening of human thought." (Harris, Jesus As God, p. 277) One such dramatic occurrence would be the resurrection since it is this event that led to Thomas‘ high Christological confession, one that he made when he encountered the

Resurrected Lord a week after he had been raised from the dead: "Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, ‗We have seen the Lord.‘ But he said to them, ‗Unless I see in

his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.‘ Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and

Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‗Peace be with you.‘ Then he said to Thomas, ‗Put your finger here,and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.‘ Thomas answered and said to him , ‗My Lord and my God!‘ Jesus said to him, ‗Have you

believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.‘" John 20:24-29 The foregoing substantiates the fact that the disciples must have understood from the statements made by their Lord and Master (cf. John 13:13-14) that, although personally distinct from the Father who sent him, he was still God nonetheless. It apparently took Jesus‘ resurrection for them to be fully convinced of the truth of this claim. And if Thomas could say that Jesus is God, with Christ personally blessing that confession and without this scandalizing the other disciples, then what‘s to say that Jesus didn‘t claim he was God in those exact words especially after he had engraved in the minds of the disciples that he wasn‘t the Father?

The only problem is that we do not have a record of him actually saying it, at least during his earthly ministry. But not having a written record of Christ telling his followers that he is God exactly in those words is not the same as saying that he never made this assertion, since the Gospel writers did not set out to give us an exhaustive list of everything Jesus said or did: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples,which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:30-31 "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written." John 21:25 Thus, to argue, as some do, that Jesus never said he was God in those exact words while on earth solely because there is no record within the NT that he did is nothing more than an argument from silence, which is a logical fallacy. After all, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, i.e. just because the NT doesn't record Jesus claiming to be God precisely in that manner doesn‘t mean that he never did say it, specifically to his followers

who believed in him. More importantly, this erroneously assumes that the only way that the Lord Jesus, or even the NT writers for that matter, could ever identify himself as God is by using this exact phrase. We say this is erroneous since Christ‘s Divinity is not based on him having to say, "I am

God." Both the words of Christ and the statements found within the NT demonstrate the full Deity of Jesus since they ascribe to him certain qualities, characteristics, and functions which belong to has Godalalone, i.e. Christ is the Agent of creation and redemption, the Sustainer of the universe, l of God‘s essential and omni-attributes etc. Finally, Jesus‘ Divine claims and bodily resurrection so greatly impacted the disciples‘

perspective of the Deity that they eventually came to see that the term God no longer applied only to the Father, but could also be used to describe Christ his Son. As Brown noted: "… I would say that by that time (i.e. the last decade of the first century), under the impact of

their quest to understand Jesus, Christians had in a certain sense expanded the meaning of the

word ‗God.‘ It no longer for them simply covered the Father in heaven; it covered the Son on earth. They had come to realize that Jesus was so intimately related to God, so filled with God's presence, that the term God was applicable to him as it was to the Father in heaven. May I emphasis that this does not involve a change in Jesus; it involves a change and growth in the Christian perception of who he was." (Ibid., p. 98) s, The following statement shows that Brown didn‘t mean that it was merely Jesus‘ follower and not Jesus himself, who believed that he was God: "Did Jesus have an identity which his followers later came to understand in terms of his being God? If he was God (and most Christians do agree on that), did he know who he was? I think the simplest answer to that question is yes." (Ibid., p. 99) This explains the ease with which the following NT writers applied the term "God" or theos to their resurrected Lord: "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen." Romans 9:5

"while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearingof our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ," Titus 2:13

"But about the Son he says, ‗Your throne,O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.‘" Hebrews 1:8

"Simon Peter, a servant and apostle Jesus Christ, aTofaith those through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christofhave received as who precious as ours:" 2 Peter 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God… The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth… No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:1,

14, 18 Since by this time the community of believers had long come to realize that the term God was no longer restricted in its use to the Father but could be applied in a broader sense to Christ without this blurring their personal distinctions, i.e. the Father and the Son are not the same Person but two distinct Persons who have personal, intimate communion with each other. Harris sums up the significance of these Christological texts: "This brings to an end our brief survey of these seven crucial passages. First the ascription of the title God to Jesus is found in four New Testament writers–John (three uses), Paul (two), Peter (one), and the author of Hebrews (one). Second, this christological use of the tit le began immediately after the resurrection in 30 (John 20:28), continued during the 50s (Romans 9:5) and 60s (Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1), and then into the 90s (John 1:1, 18). Third, the use of ‗God‘ in reference toJesus was not restricted to Christians who lived in one geographical region or who had a particular theological outlook. It occurs in literature that was written in Asia Minor (John, Titus), Greece (Romans), and possibly Judea (Hebrews) and Rome (2 Peter), and that was addressed to persons living in Asia Minor (John,

2 Peter), Rome (Romans, Hebrews), and Crete (Titus). Fourth, three instances in John‘s

Gospel are strategically placed. This Fourth Gospel begins (1:1) as it ends (20:28), and the Prologue to this Gospel begins (1:1) as it ends (1:18), with an unambiguous assertion of the deity of Christ: ‗The Word was God‘ (1:1); ‗the only Son, who is God‘ (1:18); ‗my Lord and my God!‘ (20:28). In his preincarnate state (1:1), and in his postresurrection state (John 20:28), Jesus is God . For John, recognition of Christ‘s deity is the hallmark of the Christian."

(Harris, Three Crucial Questions About Jesus [Baker Books; Grand Rapids, MI 1994], pp. 98-99; bold and underline emphasis ours) And lest the reader wrongly assume that Brown believed that it was only in the last decade of the first century that believers started identifying Jesus as God notice what he wrote regarding Romans 9:5: #12. Rom 9:5 joins three clauses: "Of their race [i.e., the Israelites] is the Christ according the flesh the one who is over all God blessed forever. Amen." To whom do the italicized

to

words refer? It has been claimed that this verse has been subjected to more discussion than any other verse in the NT. The problem may be phrased in terms of various punctuations of which two are dominant: (a) A full stop (period) may be put after "flesh" as in Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus, so that the following words become a separate sentence blessing the God who is over all forever–a reference to God the Father. Why Paul should stop at this point in his chain of thought and introduce a doxology to the Father is not clear; for 9:1-5 concerns Christ; and one would expect praise of Christ, not of the Father. Yet if one takes the whole context of Rom 9:1-5, Paul might be praising God for the privileges of Israel that have been listed, especially the gift of the Messiah (Christ). The word order in the Greek offers considerable difficulty for this interpretation. In independent doxologies "blessed" normally comes first in the Greek sentence (II Cor 1:3; Eph 1:3); here it is the sixth word in the sentence. The presence of the participle translated "who is" is also awkward for this interpretation, for it is superfluous. Such a construction is normal only if there is an antecedent in the previous clause (II Cor 11:31; Rom 1:25). (b) A full stop may be put at the end, after "forever," and a comma after "flesh." All the words after "flesh," then, are a relative clause modifying "Christ," thus: "… the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all God blessed forever." This interpretation would mean that Paul calls Jesus God.From a grammatical viewpoint this is the better reading. Also, the contextual sequence is excellent; for, having spoken of Jesus‘ descent according to the

flesh, Paul now emphasizes his position as God. The major objection to this interpretation is that nowhere else does Paul speak of Jesus. Distinguished scholars aligned on both sides of the issue.Personally, I am swayed by the grammatical evidence in favor of (b) whereby the title "God" is given to Jesus . But one

may claim no more than plausibility.

263. Already in this APPENDIX under B, in treating passages from the Pauline corpus, I have rejected such texts as Gal 2:20; I Tim 3:16 (footnote 248); Col 2:2-3; II Thess 1:12; and under A above I pointed out a number of Pauline texts that would seem to indicate that Paul did not refer to Jesus as God. Besides Rom 9:5, the only text in the corpus that has serious plausibility as an instance of Jesus‘ being called God is Titus 2:13; but this is in the Pastoral

Epistles, which most scholars regard as not written by Paul himself. Nevertheless, it might be

argued that the Pastorals are in some areas a homogeneous development of Pauline thought, so that the usage in Titus 2:13 may be a continuation of Paul‘s own way of speaking already instanced in Rom 9:5, In any case, we should note that an argument based on Paul‘s usage or

nonusage of the title "God" for Jesus is different from the claim that Paul was so imbued with Jewish monotheism that he could not have thought of Jesus as God. Such a claim assumes that Paul could find no way of reconciling two truths. Even though he may have used other terminology, there is no doubt that Paul believed in the divinity of Jesus (in preexistent categories): Philip 2:5-6; II Cor 8:9. (Brown, An Introduction to New Testament Christology [Paulist Press, Mahwah NJ, 1994], pp. 182-183; bold and underline emphasis ours) Since Brown held that this Pauline epistle was written anywhere between 55-58 AD (Introduction to the New Testament, [Doubleday, 1997], p. 560) this would indicate that the late scholar believed that the term "God" was applied to Jesus ear ly on in the Church‘s life. Hopefully, this sufficiently answers the question for all those honestly seeking the truth by God‘s grace.

Note: To see where Jesus did say that he is God, albeit after his ascension and glorification, please consult the footnote that is found at the end ofthis article. Our good friend Quennel Gale has exposed the lies and distortions of Sami Zaatari's "rebuttal" to my article(1). We also recommend his other response to Zaatari(2).

Question 43: The New Testament applies to Jesus the language and descriptions which the OT Wisdom literature (i.e. Proverbs 8) and Apocrypha (i.e. Wisdom 7:22-8:1, Sirach/Ecclesiasticus 24 etc.) apply to Wisdom. In fact, many of the early Christian writers such as Justin Martyr, Athanasius etc., believed these texts, specifically Proverbs 8:22, referred to Christ in his prehuman existence. Yet Proverbs 8:22 says that Yahweh created Wisdom. Since many Christian writers believed that this reference is about Christ doesn't this prove that he is not God Almighty, but the first creature that God made? Answer:

To begin with, even though the NT describes Jesus in language that is reminiscent of the Wisdom texts, with the early Church using Proverbs 8:22-36 to prove Jesus' prehuman existence and generation, the reference itself is not speaking of Christ. The context clearly shows that the passage is referring to God's own eternal attribute of Wisdom: Does not wisdom call, does not understanding raise her voice? ... I, wisdom, dwell in prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion...The LORD created me at the beginning of his work, the first of his acts of old. Ages ago I was set up, at the first, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before the mountains had been shaped, before the hills, I was brought forth; before he had made the earth with its fields, or the first of the dust of the world. When he established the heavens, I was there, when he drew a circle on the face of the deep, when

he made firm the skies above, when he established the fountains of the deep, when he assigned to the sea its limit, so that the waters might not transgress his command, when he marked out the foundations of the earth, then I was beside him, like a master workman; and I was daily his delight, rejoicing before him always, rejoicing in his inhabite world and delighting in the sons of men. And now, my sons, listen to me: happy are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Happy is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For he who finds me finds life and obtains favor from the LORD; but he who misses me injures himself; all who hate me love death." Proverbs 8:1, 12, 22-36 RSV Solomon is taking an impersonal attribute of God and personifying it, a common literary feature of Wisdom literature. The reason why Solomon personified Wisdom as a woman is because the Hebrew word for it, hokmah, is feminine in gender. Moreover, the verb for create in verse 22 is qanah which can refer to acquiring, purchasing, getting etc., just as the following lexicon explains: 1) to get, acquire, create, buy, possess a) (Qal) 1) to get, acquire, obtain a) of God srcinating, creating, redeeming 1) possessor b) of Eve acquiring c) of acquiring knowledge, wisdom 2) to buy b) (Niphal) to be bought c) (Hiphil) to cause to possess (Source)

His people

It is used throughout Proverbs to mean "acquire," "purchase," "get": "the wise man also may hear and increase in learning, and the man of understandingacquire skill," Proverbs 1:5 "do not forget, and do not turn away from the words of my mouth. Get wisdom; get insight... The beginning of wisdom is this:Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight." Proverbs 4:5, 7 "He who ignores instruction despises himself, but he who heeds admonitiongains understanding." Proverbs 15:32 "To get wisdom is better than gold;to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." Proverbs 16:16 "Why should a fool have a price in his handto buy wisdom, when he has no mind?" Proverbs 17:16 "An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge." Proverbs 18:15

"He who gets wisdom loves himself; he who keeps understanding will prosper." Proverbs 19:8 "'It is bad, it is bad,' saysthe buyer; but when he goes away, then he boasts." Proverbs 20:14 "Buy truth, and do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding." Proverbs 23:23 In the context of Proverbs 8:22 the verb is more literally translated, not as create, but as begotten or birthed, i.e. "Yahweh begot/ birthed me as the beginning of his ways." This can be readily seen from a more literal rendering of Proverbs 8:22-25: "Yahweh himself begat me as the beginning of his way, the first of his acts of old. From eternity I was appointed, from the start, before the beginning of the earth. When there were no watery deeps I was brought forth as with labor pains, when there were no springs heavily charged with water. Before the mountains themselves had been fashioned, before the hills, I was brought forth as with labor pains." The text is obviously speaking figuratively on how Yahweh acquired Wisdom, i.e. Yahweh got it by begetting or birthing it in order to use it to create everything. We know that it is figurative since Yahweh doesn't literally give birth in labor pains. The following texts make it clear that Wisdom was birthed for the purpose of being used by Yahweh to create: "Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gets understanding, for the gain from it is better gainyou from silvercan and its profit better She jewels, andthan nothing desire compare with her.than Longgold. life is in is hermore rightprecious hand; inthan her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who lay hold of her; those who hold her fast are called happy. The LORD BY WISDOM founded the earth; BY UNDERSTANDING he established the heavens; BY HIS KNOWLEDGE the deeps broke forth, and the clouds drop down the dew." Proverbs 3:13-20 David, in the Psalms, wrote that God created everything that has been made in Wisdom: "He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved. You covered it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled; at the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them. You set a boundary that they may not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field; the wild donkeys quench their thirst. Beside them thethe birds of the heavens dwell; they sing theofbranches. From lofty abode you water mountains; the earth is satisfied withamong the fruit your work. Youyour cause the grass to grow for the livestock and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth food from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the LORD are watered abundantl, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests; the stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats; the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers. He made the moon to mark the seasons; the sun knows its time for setting. You make darkness, and it is night, when all the beasts of the forest creep about. The young lions roar

for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they steal away and lie down in their dens. Man goes out to his work and to his labor until the evening. O LORD, how manifold are your works! IN WISDOM HAVE YOU MADE THEM ALL; the earth is full of your creatures." Psalm 104:1-24 ESV The fact that Wisdom was used by God to create every created thing shows that Wisdom itself is not created since it existed before creation. This leads us to our next point. It is important to note that not every act of begetting or creation necessarily implies that the qanah is thing created or begotten didn't exist prior to that moment. For instance, the verb used in reference to Eve giving birth to Cain: "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, 'I havegotten a man with the help of the LORD.'" Genesis 4:1 RSV It is obvious that Cain didn't come into existence the moment that Eve gave birth or "produced him" since he was already alive and existing in his mother's womb for at least nine months. This demonstrates that the verbqanah doesn't necessarily refer to creating someone or something from nothing, but can refer to something or someone that already existed and was then brought forth or birthed. In light of the foregoing, the question then becomes from where did Yahweh beget Wisdom? Did he beget it by creating it out of nothing,ex nihilo, or did he beget it out of his own Being, out of himself? Proverbs itself provides a clue: "For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding;" Proverbs 2:6 RSV The Wisdom which Yahweh gives is the knowledge and understanding that comes from his mouth. The reference is essentially saying that Yahweh produced Wisdom out of his own mouth, which shows that Wisdom wasn't created from nothing since it existed with(in) Yahweh. In other words, Yahweh always had Wisdom as an attribute which he then produced or brought forth in order to create and to give to others. Basically, what this implies is that Proverbs is using figurative language to describe how Yahweh birthed his own eternal attribute of Wisdom from Himself in creating everything. Thus, even if the text were referring to Christ this would only prove that the Creedal statements were correct in stating that Jesus was eternally begotten before all creation, begotten not made. Yet, as it stands, this text isn't referring to Christ nor is it saying that Wisdom was created from nothing. is simply a poetic description of how Yahweh used his own eternal attribute of Wisdom to Itcreate all things. Recommended Reading

http://www.tektonics.org/jesusclaims/trinitydefense.html http://www.tektonics.org/uz/verynice.html http://www.tektonics.org/gk/jwsandjesus.html

Also go to http://jude3.net/trinitytopicindex.htmand look for the specific section titled,A Dialog on the Son of God Created between Wrench in the Works (an anonymous, selfdescribed Jehovah's Witness) and Ray Goldsmith (a Christian layman).

Question 44: Many Christians quote Matthew 28:19 to show that Jesus taught that God is a Trinity. Yet this Trinitarian Baptismal formula cannot be found in any MS of the Gospel of Matthew until the fourth century. Doesn’t this therefore prove that this verse was later inserted into the text of Matthew in order to establish a biblical basis for the doctrine of the Trinity as well as for the decisions arrived at by the bishops at the Council of Nicaea? Answer:

Here is the verse that we will be examining: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," The question assumes that there are complete copies of Matthew, or copies that contain Matthew 28, which omit this verse prior to the fourth century. It further assumes that this formula is somehow unattested in the writings of the Christians prior to that time as well. In light of before this weorturn our attention the extant manuscripts (MSS) of Matthew that were written during the fourthtocentury. The MSS Evidence

It needs to be stated that we simply do not haveany extant manuscript (MS) which contains all of Matthew dating prior to the fourth century. Nor do we find any MS prior to this time that contains Matthew 28. For instance, the listing of the papyri as found in Kurt and Barbara Aland's The Text of the New Testament (2nd Edition, 1995, pp. 96-103) gives a description of the verses contained in each of the 96 papyri. In P 37 Matthew 26:52 seems to be the last verse from Matthew found in the papyri. Philip Comfort and David Barrett, in their book, The Complete Text of the Earliest New Testament Manuscripts (1999, pp. 6 & 13) mention some of the MSS of Matthew. On page 6 they present a list of the various verses from Matthew (with Matthew also ending at 26:52), and on page 13, they say that they were providing only those manuscripts which, "dated from the early second century to the beginning of the fourth (A.D. 100-300)." In fact, here is a list of Papyri from the second to fourth centuries that contain Matthew: P 64, c. 200 – Matt. 3, 5, 26 P.104/ P Oxy. (Oxyrhynchus Papyri) 4404, late 2nd Cent. – Matt. 21 P 77/ P.Oxy. 2683, 2nd-3rd Cent. – Matt 23

P 103/ P.Oxy. 4403, 2 nd- 3rd Cent. – Matt. 13-14 P 1/ P Oxy., 3rd Cent. – Matt. 1 P 101/ P Oxy. 4401, 3rd Cent. – Matt. 3-4 P 70/ P Oxy. 2384, 3rd Cent. – Matt 2-3, 11-12, 24 P 45, 3rd Cent. - Matt. 20-21, 25 P 53, 3rd Cent. - Matt. 26 P 102/ P Oxy. 4402, 3rd– 4th Cent. – Matt. 4 P 37, 3rd-4th – Matt. 26 P 71/ P Oxy. 2385, 4th Cent. – Matt 19 P 62, 4th Cent. - Matt. 11 P 86, 4thth Cent. – Matt. 5 P 35, 4 Cent.(?) – Matt. 25 P 25, late 4th Cent. – Matt. 18-19 P 19/P Oxy. 1170, 4th-5th Cent. – Matt. 10-11 P 21/P Oxy. 1227, 4th-5th Cent.- Matt. 12 (Source) Thus, we do not find any MS of Matthew which is complete or that contains chapter 28 prior to the fourth century. On what basis, then, can anyone claim that the srcinal Gospel of Matthew did not contain 28:19 when WE HAVE NO COMPLETE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW WHICH HAS CHAPTER 28 prior to the fourth century? Now someone may interject at this point and claim that since no complete MS exists of Matthew how can we therefore be sure that this Gospel did in fact contain 28:19? This leads us to our second point. The Patristic Evidence

There is plenty of evidence from the writings of the early Church Fathers, from the disciples of the Apostles and their subsequent successors, that this Trinitarian formula was being used and that it formed part of the Gospel of Matthew. In fact, this command was so well known that many writers alluded to it without naming the specific Gospel from which they were quoting What this shows is that these Christians assumed that their readers were so familiar with this formula, and already knew in which of the four Gospels this instruction could be found, that they didn‘t feel the need to specify the source. Here, we will take a look at a few examples from these early Christian writings, all of which predate the fourth century. Didache - Teaching of the Twelve Apostles

Here is some historical background regarding the Didache so that the readers can appreciate the importance of this document: Since it was discovered in a monastery in Constantinople and published by P. Bryennios in 1883, the Didache or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles has continued to be one of the most disputed of early Christian texts. It has been depicted by scholars as anything between the srcinal of the Apostolic Decree (c. 50 AD) and a late archaising fiction of the early third century. It bears no date itself, nor does it make reference to any datable external event, yet the picture of the Church which it presents could only be described as primitive, reaching

back to the very earliest stages of the Church's order and practice in a way which largely agrees with the picture presented by the NT, while at the same time posing questions for many traditional interpretations of this first period of the Church's life. Fragments of the Didache were found at Oxyrhyncus (P. Oxy 1782) from the fourth century and in coptic translation (P. Lond. Or. 9271) from 3/4th century. Traces of the use of this text, and the high regard it enjoyed, are widespread in the literature of the second and third centuries especially in Syria and Egypt. It was used by the compilator of the Didascalia (C 2/3rd) and the Liber Graduun (C 3/4th), as well as being absorbed in toto by the Apostolic Constitutions (C c. 3/4th, abbreviated as Ca) and partially by various Egyptian and Ethiopian Church Orders, after which it ceased to circulate independently. Athanasius describes it as 'appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who newly join us, and who wish for instruction in the word of goodness' [Festal Letter 39:7]. Hence a date for the Didache in its present form later than the second century must be considered unlikely, and a date before the end of the first century probable. (Jonathan Draper, Gospel Perspectives, v. 5, p. 269) He then states in a footnote (op. cit., p. 284), "A new consensus is emerging for a date c. 100 AD." (Source) This document twice alludes to the Matthean Baptismal formula, serving as an independent witness that this formula was known and in use by the early Church: Chapter 7. Concerning Baptism. And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptizeinto the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living water. But if you have no living water, baptize into other water; and if you

cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm. But if you have neither, pour out water three times upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit . But before the baptism let the baptizer fast, and the baptized, and whoever else can; but you shall order the baptized to fast one or two days before. (Roberts-Donaldson translation; source) Here is another translation of this same passage: 7:1 But concerning baptism, thus shall ye baptize. 7:2 Having first recited all these things, baptize i{n the name of the Father and of t he Son and of the Holy Spirit } in living (running) water. 7:3 But if thou hast not living water, then baptize in other water; 7:4 and if thou art not able in cold, then in warm. 7:5 But if thou hast neither, then pour water on the head thricein the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. 7:6 But before the baptism let him that baptizeth and him that is baptized fast, and any others also who are able; 7:7 and thou shalt order him that is baptized to fast a day or two before. (J.B. Lightfoot‘s

translation; source) Ignatius of Antioch (ca. AD. 107-112)

Chapter IX.-The Old Testament is Good: the New Testament is Better. … The priests indeed, and the ministers of the word, are good; but the High Priest is better, to

whom the holy of holies has been committed, and who alone has been entrusted with the secrets of God. The ministering powers of God are good. The Comforter is holy, and the

Word is holy, the Son of the Father, by whom He made all things, and exercises a providence over them all. This is the Way which leads to the Father, the Rock, the Defence, the Key, the Shepherd, the Sacrifice, the Door of knowledge, through which have entered Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, Moses and all the company of the prophets, and these pillars of the world, the apostles, and the spouse of Christ, on whose account He poured out His own blood, as her marriage portion, that He might redeem her. All these things tend towards the unity of the one and only true God. But the Gospel possesses something transcendent [above the former dispensation], viz. the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, His passion, and the resurrection itself. For those things which the prophets announced, saying, "Until He come for whom it is reserved, and He shall be the expectation of the Gentiles," have been fulfilled in the Gospel, [our Lord saying,] "Go ye and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." All then are good together, the

law, the prophets, the apostles, the whole company [of others] that have believed through them: only if we love one another. Epistle ( of Ignatius to the Philadelphians; source) Chapter II.-Unity of the Three Divine Persons. There is then one God and Father, and not two or three; One who is; and there is no other besides Him, the only true [God]. For "the Lord thy God," saith [the Scripture], "is one Lord." And again, "Hath not one God created us? Have we not all one Father? And there is also one Son, God the Word. For "the only-begotten Son," saith [the Scripture], "who is in the bosom of the Father." And again, "One Lord Jesus Christ." And in another place, "What is His name, or what His Son's name, that we may know? " And there is also one Paraclete. For "there is also," saith [the Scripture], "one Spirit," since "we have been called in one hope of our calling." And again, "We have drunk of one Spirit," with what follows. And it is manifest that all these gifts [possessed by believers] "worketh one and the self-same Spirit." There are not then either three Fathers, or three Sons, or three Paracletes, but one Father, and one Son, and one Paraclete. Wherefore also the Lord,when He sent forth the apostles to make disciples of all nations, commanded them to "baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost," not unto one [person] having three names, nor into three [persons] who became incarnate, but into three possessed of equal honour.Epistle ( of Ignatius to the Philippians; source) Irenaeus (ca. 130-200)

Chapter XVII.-The Apostles Teach that It Was Neither Christ Nor the Saviour, But the Holy Spirit, Who Did Descend Upon Jesus. The Reason for This Descent. It certainly was in the power of the apostles to declare that Christ descended upon Jesus, or that the so-called superior Saviour [came down] upon the dispensational one, or he who is from the invisible places upon him from the Demiurge; but they neither knew nor said anything of was the kind: for, that had they known it, they would that havethe also certainly stated But what really the case, did they record, [namely,] Spirit of God as a it. dove descended upon Him; this Spirit, of whom it was declared by Isaiah, "And the Spirit of God shall rest upon Him," as I have already said. And again: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me." That is the Spirit of whom the Lord declares, "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." And again, giving to the disciples the power of regeneration into God,He said to them, "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." For [God] promised, that in the last times He would pour Him [the Spirit] upon [His] servants and

handmaids, that they might prophesy; wherefore He did also descend upon the Son of God, made the Son of man, becoming accustomed in fellowship with Him to dwell in the human race, to rest with human beings, and to dwell in the workmanship of God, working the will of the Father in them, and renewing them from their old habits into the newness of Christ. (Irenaeus Against Heresies Book III; source) Tertullian (ca. 160-220)

Chapter XX.-Christ First Delivered the Faith. The Apostles Spread It; They Founded Churches as the Depositories Thereof. That Faith, Therefore, is Apostolic, Which Descended from the Apostles, Through Apostolic Churches. … Accordingly, after one of these had been struck off, He commanded the eleven others, on His departure to the Father, to " go and teach all nations, who were to be baptized into the Father, and into the Son, and into the Holy Ghost." Immediately, therefore, so did the apostles, whom this designation indicates as t"he sent." … (Tertullian The Prescription Against Heretics; source)

Chapter VI.-The Angel the Forerunner of the Holy Spirit. Meaning Contained in the Baptismal Formula. Not that in the waters we obtain the Holy Spirit; but in the water, under (the witness of) the angel, we are cleansed, and prepared for the Holy Spirit. In this case also a type has preceded; for thus was John beforehand the Lord's forerunner, "preparing His ways." Thus, too, does the angel, the witness of baptism, "make the paths straight" for the Holy Spirit, who is about sealed in (theofname the to come and uponthe us,Son, by the washing away of sins, whichFor faith, , obtains. if "in the mouth three of) witnesses Father, and the Holy Spirit

every word shall stand:" -while, through the benediction, we have the same (three) as witnesses of our faith whom we have as sureties of our salvation too-how much more does the number of the divine names suffice for the assurance of our hope likewise! Moreover, after the pledging both of the attestation of faith and the promise of salvation under "three witnesses," there is added, of necessity, mention of the Church; inasmuch as, wherever there are three, (that is, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,) there is the Church, which is a body of three. (Tertullian On Baptism; source) Chapter XIII.-Another Objection: Abraham Pleased God Without Being Baptized. Answer Thereto. Old Things Must Give Place to New, and Baptism is Now a Law. Here, then, those miscreants provoke questions. And so they say, "Baptism is not necessary for them to whom faith is sufficient; for withal, Abraham pleased God by a sacrament of no water, but of faith." But in all cases it is thelater things which have a conclusive force, and subsequent which prevail over the antecedent. Grant that, in days gone by, there was the salvation by means of bare faith, before the passion and resurrection of the Lord. But now that faith has been enlarged, and is become a faith which believes in His nativity, passion, and resurrection, there has been an amplification added w the sacrament, viz., the sealing act of baptism; the clothing, in some sense, of the faith which before was bare, and which cannot exist now without its proper law. For thelaw of baptizing has been imposed, and the formula prescribed: "Go," He saith, "teach the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." The comparison with this law of that definition, "Unless a man have been reborn of water and Spirit, he shall not enter into the

kingdom of the heavens," has tied faith to the necessity of baptism. Accordingly, all thereafter who became believers used to be baptized.Then it was, too, that Paul, when he believed, was baptized; and this is the meaning of the precept which the Lord had given him when smitten with the plague of lossof sight, saying, "Arise, and enter Damascus; there shall be demonstrated to thee what thou oughtest to do," to wit-be baptized, which was the only thing lacking to him. That point excepted, he bad sufficientlylearnt and believed "the Nazarene" to be "the Lord, the Son of God." (Ibid.; source) Victorinus (ca. 270-303)

15. "And His voice as it were the voice of many waters."] The many waters are understood to be many peoples, or the gift of baptism that He sent forth by the apostles, saying: "Go ye, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." (Victorinus Commentary on the Apocalypse of the Blessed John; source)

For more on the witness of the early Church please consultthis source. Contradictory or Conciliatory Baptismal Formulas?

Another argument used to prove that the Trinitarian formula is a later insertion is to show from the book of Acts that none of the Apostles ever baptized people into the name of the Triune God. Instead, they baptized individuals in the name of the Lord Jesus: "And Peter said to them, ‗Repent, and be baptized every one of youin the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.‘" Acts 2:38

"But when they believed Philip as he preached good news about the kingdom of Godand the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women… for it had not yet fallen on any of them, but they had only been baptizedin the name of the Lord Jesus." Acts 8:12, 16 These references are used to somehow prove that Matthew 28:19 could not have been part of the srcinal text since why would the Apostles not use this Trinitarian formula if Jesus had indeed given such an instruction? There are a couple of problems with this assertion. First, the most that the Apostles‘ practice of baptizing people in Jesus‘ name (as opposed to the Trinity) proves is that Acts and

Matthew are in contradiction. These references do very little to support the argument that Matthew didn‘t srcinally contain the baptismal formula. Lest the readers misunderstand the point we are making, we do not believe that these inspired books contradict each other. We Jesus‘ name are simply illustrating the fact shows that tothat claim that since the isApostles baptizedinsimply alone this therefore somehow Matthew 28:19 a later insertion does not follow. It may still be the case that both sets of passages are part of the srcinal documents (which the evidence that we have presented here shows that 28:19 is definitely part of the srcinal text) and that, at best, this only shows that we have contradictory accounts.

Now regarding whether these texts are contradictory, a careful analysis of them will show that this is the furthest thing from the truth. The statements can be easily harmonized with one another. The citations from the book of Acts are not giving us the formula used by the

Apostles during the actual act of baptism. Rather, they are simply indicating the authority the Apostles had to perform and proclaim the things they did. In other words, the Apostles‘

reference to "the name of the Lord Jesus" simply meant that the resurrected Christ had given them the right to proclaim the Gospel, to perform miracles, and to baptize converts into the Christian community: "The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‗Lord, even the demons are subject to usin your name!‘ And he said to them, ‗I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the

enemy; and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘" Luke 10:17 -20 "and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem." Luke 24:47 "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at that gate of the temple which is called Beautiful to ask alms of those who entered the temple. Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked for alms. And Peter directed his gaze at him, with John, and said, ‗Look at us.‘ And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from them. But Peter said, ‗I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.‘ And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and

immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. And leaping up he stood and walked and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God, and recognized him as the one who sat for alms at the Beautiful Gate of the temple; and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While he clung to Peter and John, all the people ran together to them in the portico called Solomon‘s, astounded. And when Peter saw it he addressed the people, ‗Men

of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we had made him walk? The God of Abraham and of Isaac and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses.And his name, by faith in his name, has made this man strong whom you see and know; and the faith which is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all .‘" Acts 3:1-16

"To him all the prophets bear witness that every one who believesin him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:43 The expression was the Apostles‘ way of invoking the power and authority ofhet risen Lord

to do and the things they immersion did. It had of nothing to do with or the formula being usedsay during the actual the believers intothe thewords watersspoken of baptism. More importantly, even if we were to somehow assume that Acts is referring to the formula used in the act of baptizing converts, this still wouldn‘t be a contradiction. Note once again

what the texts actually say: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them IN THE NAME OF the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit," Matthew 28:19

"And he commanded them to be baptized IN THE NAME OF Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days." Acts 10:48 According to the Holy Bible the name of God is Yahweh, which the Greek version of the inspired Hebrew Scriptures rendered as Kyrios or Lord: "God also said to Moses, ‗Say this to the people of Israel, The " LORD, the God of your

fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you": this is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.‘" Exodus 3:15 "And God said to Moses, ‗I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.‘" Exodus

6:2-3 And according to the New Testament Jesus‘ name is Yahweh or Lord: "yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist." 1

Corinthians 8:6 "Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‗Jesus be cursed!‘ and no one can say‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 12:3 "Therefore God hasNAME highly exalted himevery and bestowed on him which every name, that at knee should bow,the in name heaven and is onabove earth and THE OF Jesus under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11 What this basically means is that the name of Jesus that the believers were to be baptized into is the Divine name of God, i.e. Yahweh or Lord, which is the very same name of both the Father and the Holy Spirit: "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Thus, baptizing persons into the name of Jesus or into the name of the three Persons essentially comes out to mean the same thing, since the name of all three is Yahweh. This would also imply that it is Christ‘s authority as the sovereign Lord or Yahweh that

enables believers to do the things that they do for his immortal glory. Theological Implications

It is obvious why some would want to cast doubt upon the veracity of Matthew 28:19 since this passage is an explicit testimony to the full Deity and coequality of the three Persons of

the Godhead. An examination of the text within its immediate context shows that the Lord Jesus clearly believed and taught that God existed as three distinct and coequal Divine Persons: "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‗All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (onoma tou patros kai tou huiou kai tou hagiou pneumatos), teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.‘" Matthew 28:16-20 Here, the resurrected Christ is worshiped by his followers, claims to have received universal sovereignty, points to his sharing the one Divine name of the Father and of the Holy Spirit, and states that he is omnipresent since he promises to be with all believers to the very end of the age! Another interesting point about this text is that it repeats the definite article (Greek tou) before all three of the Divine Persons and applies the conjunction "and" (Greekkai) before the Son and Holy Spirit, which is significant in showing that they are truly distinct from one another. According to a monograph published by Granville Sharp in 1798 regarding the use of the article in the New Testament, one of his rules (specifically the sixth rule) shows that since Matthew 28:19 uses the kai-article construction before the words Father, Son, Holy Spirit, this therefore demonstrates a distinction in their Persons. This fact refutes the claims of Modalists that the three are different manifestations of a singular Person. Moreover, seeing that the first two nouns (i.e., "the Father," "the Son") definitely refer to Persons, we can safely assume that the third noun (i.e., "the Holy Spirit") also has a Person in view, a fact confirmed elsewhere by Matthew: "When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you ." Matthew 10:19-20 The Holy Spirit speaks through the Apostles, a clear indication of his Personhood and omnipresence. After all, the only way that the Spirit could be with all of the disciples simultaneously so as to assist them during their trials and tribulations is he if were able to be at more than one place at the same time! Hence, since Matthew 28:19 groups three distinct Persons together under the same Divine name we therefore have very good and strong grounds for thinking that these Persons all exist as the one God. Noted Bible expositor, the late John Gill, commented on the implications and significance the Trinitarian formula has on the doctrine of the blessed Trinity: in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;

by the authority of these three divine persons, who all appeared, and testified their approbation of the administration of this ordinance, at the baptism of Christ: and as they are to be invocated in it, so the persons baptized not only profess faith in each divine person, but

are devoted to their service, and worship, and are laid under obligation to obedience to them, Hence a confirmation of the doctrine of the Trinity, there are three persons, but one name, but one God, into which believers are baptized; and a proof of the true deity both of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; and that Christ, as the Son of God, is God; since baptism is administered equally in the name of all three, as a religious ordinance, a part of divine instituted worship, which would never be in the name of a creature. This is the first, and indeed the only, place in which the Trinity of persons is expressed in this order, and in the selfsame words… (Source) In light of the foregoing, it is not hard to see why anti-Trinitarians would want to simply do away with this text and why this happens to be one of the favorite passages used by Trinitarians in support of their position. All scriptural quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible. Related Articles

http://irr.org/wit/pdfs/Matthew-28-and-the-Trinity.pdf

Question 45: The author of Hebrews cites an OT text and applies it to Christ. The text in question is taken from Psalm 40:6 and says that Jesus spoke prophetically there regarding the body that God prepared for him in order to come as the final sacrifice (cf. Hebrews 10:5-10). The problem the of quote that the Psalm says nothing about a bodyHow being prepared, butwith speaks the is Psalmist’s ears being opened for service. can the NT books be inspired if they so blatantly distort the words of the OT scriptures? Answer:

Here is what the author of Hebrews wrote: "Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‗Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou

hast taken no pleasure. Then I said, "Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God," as it is written of me in the roll of the book.‘ When he said above, ‗Thou hast neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings‘ (these are offered according to the law), then he added, ‗Lo, I have come to do thy will.‘ He abolishes the first

in order to establish the second." Hebrews 10:5-10 When we read the particular Psalm that the author quoted we do find that there is indeed a variant reading: "Sacrifice and offering thou dost not desire; but thou hast given me anopen ear. Burnt offering and sin offering thou hast not required. Then I said, ‗Lo, I come; in the roll of the book it is written of me; I delight to do thy will, O my God; thylaw is within my heart.‘"

Psalm 40:6-8

On this basis it is assumed that the author deliberately tampered with the text to suit his theological agenda. What this question fails to consider is that the NT authors often quoted a couple of OT text types that are at variance with the standard Hebrew Masoretic text. In fact, the NT authors at times quote a more ancient form of the text than the later Masoretic version as can be seen from a comparison with the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Septuagint (LXX), the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. These two texts often agree with each other in certain readings over against those found in the later Hebrew version. One must therefore exercise caution before assuming that the NT is corrupting or quoting from an inaccurate version of the Hebrew text solely because their citations differ from those found in the Masoretic version. In this case, it seems that the author of Hebrews cited an older form of the text, one found in the Septuagint version of the OT Scriptures: Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me: whole-burntoffering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require. Thus, the Septuagint serves as a witness to an older reading of the Psalms which contained the word body as opposed to that found in certain Hebrew versions. Yet the fact of the matter is that the great majority of these variants are inconsequential, of no real significance, and can be easily reconciled. None of these variants affect any essential doctrine of the Christian faith. These references actually help illustrate this point clearly. A careful reading of these two specific variants help clarify one another, and in no way contradict the point being made by the inspired author of Hebrews. For instance, the Hebrew word for open in Psalm 40:6 comes from karah, a word that has the following meanings: Strong‘s # 03738 1) to dig, excavate, dig through a) (Qal) to dig b) (Niphal) to be dug 2) (Qal) to give a banquet or feast 3) (Qal) to get by trade, trade, buy (Source)

It is used in Psalm 22:16 in reference to the Messiah‘s hands and feet being pierced through:

"Yea, dogs are round about me; a company of evildoers encircle me; they have pierced my hands and feet –" The Psalmist‘s statement regarding his ears being opened or pierced is his way of saying that

he has enslaved himself to the perpetual service of his master out of his love for him:

"But if the slave plainly says, ‗I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,‘ then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the

doorpost; and his master shall bore his ear through with an awl; and he shall serve him for life." Exodus 21:5-6 The point being made by the Psalmist is that God isn‘t necessarily looking for rituals or

animal sacrifices. Rather, God desires that a person wholeheartedly surrender himself/herself to the service of the Lord. The Psalmist is basically stating that he will devote himself completely to the will of God, giving himself over to perpetual servitude in accomplishing God‘s purpose.

This is precisely the point that the author of Hebrews was making, namely that Jesus had a body prepared for him in order that he could come and perfectly accomplish the will of God: "For the Son of man also came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45 "Meanwhile the disciples besought him, saying, ‗Rabbi, eat.‘ But he said to them, ‗I have food to eat of which you do not know.‘ So the disciples said to one another, ‗Has any one brought him food?‘" John 4:31-34

"I can do nothing on my own authority; as I hear, I judge; and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me." John 5:30 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me;" John 6:38 Hence, whether the Septuagint retained the srcinal reading, or simply paraphrased the srcinal text, it seems clear that at some point in time the variants arose in order to explain what the inspired author was trying to say. Putting it another way, both readings refer to a person who lovingly and voluntarily hands himself over to the service of God. The verses therefore help to clarify each other and highlight the fact that the Messiah voluntarily came into the flesh in order to become a slave to his Father since this is what God desired of him.

Question 46: Paul spoke rudely of God’s Law when he wrote in Hebrews 7:18-19, 8:13 that it was

obsolete(1)and weak, thereby contradicting Psalm 19:7 which says that the Law is perfect. Isn’t Paul slandering the very Old Testament which Jesus confirmed as God’s revelation when he makes such statements? Answer:

Paul wasn‘t denying that the Law was perfect. On the contrary, Paul expressly wrote elsewhere that the Law is pure, holy and good. Paul‘s point was that the Law was made ineffective by man‘s wickedness whichprevents him from doing what the Law requires:

"as it is written: ‗None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.‘ ‗Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.‘ ‗The venom of asps is under their lips.‘ ‗Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.‘ ‗Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.‘ ‗There is no fear of God before their eyes.‘ Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God. For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Romans 3:10-20

"What then shall we say? That the law is sin?BY NO MEANS! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‗You shall not covet.‘ But sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment,

produced in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law, sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin came alive and I died. The very commandment that promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, seizing an opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it killed me.So the law is HOLY, and the commandment is HOLY and RIGHTEOUS and GOOD. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. For we know that the law is SPIRITUAL, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin." Romans 7:7-14 "Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted." 1 Timothy 1:8-11 This is why God sent his Son, the Lord Jesus, to save us from the wrath we deserve for failing to obey his holy commands: "Likewise, my brothers, you also have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead, in order that we may bear fruit for God. For while we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit… I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I

want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells mydo flesh. For I Ihave to do is right, not the ability to carryinitme, out.that For is, I doinnot the good want,the butdesire the evil I dowhat not want is but what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin." Roman 7:4-6, 15-25

"There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. For God has done what the law, WEAKENED BY THE FLESH, could not do. By sending his own Son in t he likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the

flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. To set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God,for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." Romans 8:1-8 Paul was simply repeating and reiterating what the OT itself says regarding the inability of a person to carry out the laws to God‘s satisfaction: "And the LORD said to Moses, ‗Behold, the days approach when you must die. Call Joshua and present yourselves in the tent of meeting, that I may commission him.‘ And Moses and

Joshua went and presented themselves in the tent of meeting. And the LORD appeared in the tent in a pillar of cloud. And the pillar of cloud stood over the entrance of the tent. And the LORD said to Moses, ‗Behold, you are about to lie down with your fathers.Then this people will rise and whore after the foreign gods among them in the land that they are entering, and they will forsake me and break my covenant that I have made with them. Then my

anger will be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them and hide my face from them, and they will be devoured. And many evils and troubles will come upon them, so that they will say in that day, "Have not these evils come upon us because our God is not among us?" And I will surely hide my face in that day because of all the evil that they have done, because they have turned to other gods.Now therefore write this song and teach it to the people of Israel. Put it in their mouths, that this song may be A WITNESS FOR ME AGAINST THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL. For when I have brought them into the land flowing

with milk and honey, which I swore to give to their fathers, and they have eaten and are full and grown fat, they will turn to other gods and serve them, and despise me and break my covenant. And when many evils and troubles have come upon them,this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring). For I know what they are inclined to do even today, before I have brought them into the land that I swore Israel. And the to give.‘ So Moses wrote this song the same day and taught it to the people of LORD commissioned Joshua the son of Nun and said, ‗Be strong and courageous, for you shall bring the people of Israel into the land that I swore to give them. I will be with you.‘

When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, Moses commanded the Levites who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, ‗Take this Book of the Law and put it by the side of the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God,that it may be there for A WITNESS AGAINST YOU. For I know how rebellious and stubborn you are. Behold, even today while I am yet alive with you, you have been rebellious against the LORD. How much more after my death! Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and

your officers, that I may speak these words in their ears and call heaven and earth to witness against them. For I know that after my death YOU WILL SURELY ACT CORRUPTLY AND TURN ASIDE FROM THE WAY THAT I HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And in the days to come evil will befall you, because you will do what is evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger through the work of your hands.‘" Deuteronomy 31:14-29 "Now therefore fear the LORD and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. And if it is

evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.‘ Then the people answered, ‗Far be it from us that we should forsake the LORD to serve other gods, for it is the LORD

our God who brought us and our fathers up from the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, and who did those great signs in our sight and preserved us in all the way that we went, and among all the peoples through whom we passed. And the LORD drove out before us all the peoples, the Amorites who lived in the land. Therefore we also will serve the LORD, for he is our God.‘ But Joshua said to the people, Y‗ ou ARE NOT ABLE to serve the LORD, for he is a holy God. He is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. 20If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm and consume you, after having done you good.‘ And the people said to Joshua, ‗No, but we will serve the LORD.‘ Then Joshua said to the people, You ‗ are witnesses AGAINST YOURSELVES that you have chosen the LORD, to serve him.‘ And they said, ‗We are

witnesses.‘ He said, ‗Then put away the foreign gods that are among you, and incline your heart to the LORD, the God of Israel.‘ And the people said to Joshua, ‗The LORD our God that we will serve, and his voice we will obey.‘ So Joshua made a covenant with theeople p

day, and put in place statutes and rules for them at Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God. And he took a large stone and set it up there under the terebinth that was by the sanctuary of the LORD. And Joshua said toall the people, ‗Behold, this stone shall be A WITNESS AGAINST US, for it has heard all the words of the LORD that he spoke to us. Therefore it shall be A WITNESS AGAINST YOU, lest you deal falsely with your God.‘ So Joshua sent the people away, every manto his inheritance." Joshua 24:14-28 "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?Then also you can do good who are accustomed to do evil." Jeremiah 13:23 "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it? I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.‘" Jeremiah 17:9-10 The Hebrew Bible further testifies that the Levitical priests failed to carry out their duties and actually perverted God‘s Law and corrupted his people: "Her priests have done violence to my law and have profaned my holy things. They have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they taught the difference between the unclean and the clean, and they have disregarded my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them." Ezekiel 22:26 "Hear the word of the LORD, O children of Israel, for the LORD has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land.There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away. Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The more they

increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame. They feed on the sin of my people; they are greedy for their iniquity. And it shall be like people, like priest; I will punish them for their ways and repay them for their deeds. They shall eat, but not be satisfied; they shall play the whore, but not multiply, because they have forsaken the LORD to cherish whoredom, wine, and new wine, which take away the understanding. My people inquire of a piece of wood, and their walking staff gives them oracles. For a spirit of whoredom has led them astray, and they have left their God to play the whore. They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains and burn offerings on the hills, under oak, poplar, and terebinth, because their shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the whore, and your brides commit adultery. I will not punish your daughters when they play the whore, nor your brides when they commit adultery; for the men themselves go aside with prostitutes and sacrifice with cult prostitutes, and a people without understanding shall come to ruin." Hosea 4:1-14 "And now, O priests, this command is for you. If you will not listen, if you will not take it to heart to give honor to my name, says the LORD of hosts, then I will send the curse upon you and I will curse your blessings. Indeed, I have already cursed them, because you do not lay it to heart. Behold, I will rebuke your offspring, and spread dung on your faces, the dung of your offerings, and you shall be taken away with it. So shall you know that I have sent this command to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand, says the LORD of hosts. My covenant with him was one of life and peace, and I gave them to him. It was a covenant of fear, and he feared me. He stood in awe of my name. True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts. But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the LORD of hosts,and so I make you despised and abased before all the people, inasmuch as you do not keep my ways but show partiality in your instruction.‘" Malachi 2:1-9

It is therefore quite evident that even the Hebrew Bible agrees with Paul and the NT writers that the Law couldn‘t make anyone perfect or righteous in God‘s sight due to the wickedness

and sinfulness of the people. This is precisely why God promised in the Old Testament that he was going to make a New Covenant which would be unlike the one that Israel consistently broke: "Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah,not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the LORD. But this is the

covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be‗Know my people. And no for longer one teach his neighbor each to histhe brother, saying, the LORD,‘ theyshall shalleach all know me, from the leastand of them greatest, declares the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." Jeremiah 31:31-34 The reader may be wondering at this point that since the OT itself says that Israel wasn‘t capable of carrying out God‘s Laws then what was the purpose of giving such laws to them in

the first place?

Paul gives us the answer: "Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary. Now an intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promises of God? Certainly not! For if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law.But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed. So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian," Galatians 3:19-25 He makes this same point in Romans 7 which we quoted above: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I

serve the law of sin." Roman 7:15-25 The Law was given in order to specifically show Israel, and the world, that they needed a Savior to deliver them from their wickedness and God‘s wrath since none of them were righteous enough to carry it out: "Truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. The LORD saw it, and it displeased him that there was no justice. He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no one to intercede; then his own arm brought him salvation, and his righteousness upheld him. He put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on his head; he put on garments of vengeance for clothing, and wrapped himself in zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries, repayment to his enemies; to the coastlands he will render repayment. So they shall fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun; for he will come like a rushing stream, which the wind of the LORD drives. And a Redeemer will come to to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,‘ declares the LORD. ‗And as for me, Zion, irit that is upon you, and my words this is my covenant with them,‘ says the LORD: ‗My Sp that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your

offspring, or out of the mouth of your children's offspring,‘ says the LORD, ‗from this time forth and forevermore.‘" Isaiah59:15-21; cf. 63:1-6

"You meet him who joyfully works righteousness, those who remember you in your ways. Behold, you were angry, and we sinned; in our sins we have been a long time, and shall we be saved? We have all become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like

a polluted garment. We all fade like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. There is no one who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to take hold of you; for you

have hidden your face from us, and have made us melt in the hand of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand." Isaiah 64:5-8 Once they understood that they could not satisfy God by carrying out his laws and injunctions, and were under his wrath because of it, they would be prepared to accept God‘s

provision of salvation made available by his grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: "But some men came down fro m Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‗Unless you are

circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.‘ And after Paul and

Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged ise them and to order to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‗It is necessary to circumc them to keep the law of Moses.‘ The apostles and the elders were gathered together to

consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‗Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a hcoice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the testby placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.‘" Acts 15:1 -11 "But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-- the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law." Romans 3:21-31 "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness.For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, ‗Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"‘ (that is, to bring

Christ down) or ‗"Who will descend into the abyss?"‘ (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‗The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart‘ (that is,

the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‗Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.‘ For there is no

distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‗everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.‘" Romans

10:1-13 With the foregoing in perspective, we can now more fully appreciate the point that the inspired author of Hebrews was making. Let us first examine the specific contexts of the passages raised by the questioner to see what the writer of Hebrews intended to say: "Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchiz'edek, who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, ‗You are a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz'edek.‘ On the one hand, a former commandment is set aside because of its weakness and uselessness (for the law made nothing perfect); on the other hand, a better

hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And it was not without an oath. Those who formerly became priests took their office without an oath, but this one was addressed with an oath, ‗The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, "You are a priest for ever."‘ This makes Jesus the surety of a better covenant. The former priest s were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office;but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues for ever. Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Indeed, the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect for ever." Hebrews 7:11-28 The reader should note here the author‘s appeal to the OT writings to prove his point. The

inspired writer quotesprior Psalm to show that thisHere change in priesthood had already been announced centuries to 110:4 the coming of Christ. is what that particular Psalm says: "The LORD says to my lord: ‗Sit at my right hand, till I make your enemies your footstool.‘

The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your foes! Your people will offer themselves freely on the day you lead your host upon the holy mountains. From the womb of the morning like dew your youth will come to you. The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, ‗You are a priest for ever after the order of Melchiz'edek.‘" Psalm 110:1-4

The author even refers to God‘s promise in the Old Testament that he would make a New

Covenant to establish his case: "Now the point in what we are saying is this: we have such a high priest, one who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places, in the true tent that the Lord set up, not man. For every high priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices; thus it is necessary for this priest also to have something to offer. Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‗See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.‘ But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry

that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises.For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second. For he finds fault WITH THEM when he says:

‘Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.‘ In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away." Hebrews

8:1-13 And: "And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ‗This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,’ then he adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their misdeeds no more .‘ Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way which he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water." Hebrews 10:15-22 This reiterates the claim we made earlier that the NT wasn‘t introducing anything new in its claim that the OT has been set aside. Moreover, since the OT sacrifices and priesthood could not make anything perfect due to the imperfection of the priests and the temporary and finite value of the animals being sacrificed, it isn‘t surprising that Hebrews could say that they have been replaced by something superior:

"For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. Otherwise, would they not have ceased to be offered? If the worshipers had once been cleansed, they would no longer have any

consciousness of sin. But in these sacrifices there is a reminder of sin year after year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins." Hebrews 10:1-4 The priesthood and animal sacrifices served as shadows pointing to the ultimate reality that alone could make individuals perfect in the sight of God, namely Jesus Christ‘s priesthood and his once and for all atoning sacrifice: "Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body you have prepared for me; in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. Then I said, "Lo, I have come to do your will, O God," as it is written of me in the roll of the book.‘ When he said above, ‗You have neither desired nor taken

pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings‘ (these are offered

according to the law), then he added, ‗Lo, I have come to do your will.‘He abolishes the first in order to establish the second. And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, then to wait until his enemies should be made a stool for his feet.For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified." Hebrews 10:5-14

The prophet Isaiah echoed the above statements when he mentionedby inspiration that God‘s Servant, the Messiah, would usher in salvation through his sacrificial death: "Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he hadwas no form or majesty that webyshould and noand beauty that wewith should desire him. He despised and rejected men; alook manatofhim, sorrows, acquainted grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was

afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong

his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he make many shall and bed righteous, satisfied; by righteous one, myI servant, . Therefore will divide him a to be see accounte anhis d heknowledge shall bearshall their the iniquities portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong,because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." Isaiah 53:1-12

To summarize the point being made by Hebrews, as well as the entirety of the NT: although the Law is pure, holy and perfect, it was made ineffective and obsolete due to man‘s corrupt nature, a nature which prohibits a person from carrying out its directives.

Yet God, in his infinite love and mercy, sent Christ to do for us what we could not do for ourselves, namely, live a sinless life in perfect obedience to the Law and to take the punishment we deserve for failing to carry out God‘s commands. Moreover, once a believer is saved by trusting in Christ‘s work on his/her behalf s/he is then empowered by the Holy Spirit to live a life of holiness and obedienceto God‘s Law as

explained and defined by the Lord Jesus and his followers: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:19-20 "‗If you love me, you will keepmy commandments… Whoever has my commandments and

keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him‘… Jesus answered him, ‗If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keepmy words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me." John 14:15, 21, 23-24 "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship,created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:8-10 Thus, neither the writer to the Hebrews nor the NT introduced anything novel, but simply reaffirmed the claims promises madewith by the OTone scriptures, i.e.old God replace the Old Covenant and and sacrificial system a new since the onewas hadgoing been to made obsolete as a result of man‘s depravity. The inspired NT writings are a record of the fulfilment of those promises which ChristJesus, God‘s beloved Son, brought to pass.

Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Menj/salvation_bible.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/consummation2.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/karim_abrogation.htm

Endnotes (1) This

particular article is written in response to the assertions raised by Bassam Zawadi in his rebuttal to me: http://muslim-responses.com/Obeying_the_Law/Obeying_the_Law Zawadi believes that Paul wrote Hebrews, a view shared by many Christians so we will not debate or contest that point here. Zawadi also refers to one particular Christian who tried to reconcile the statements of Hebrews with the claim of the Psalmist that the Law is perfect. He then provides his answer

to this unnamed Christian. Here, we want to respond to some of the specific points made by Zawadi. He says: God does not expect us to be perfect. The Muslim god may not expect Muslims to perfect, but the true God of the Holy Bible surely does: "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God," Deuteronomy 18:13 "You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 Moreover, the Holy Bible says that we are to love God wholeheartedly, completely, and unconditionally: "You SHALL love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Deuteronomy 6:5 Notice that the text doesn‘t say you should try to love him completely, but that you are to

love him with your entire being. This is something that no human being, apart from the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, can ever say they have done as long as they have a sinful nature. God further demands that we be holy as he is holy, something that no human can say he has achieved (with the exception of Christ of course): "For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God. You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44-45 The above examples make it abundantly clear that God demands perfect obedience and complete holiness. And, to repeat the point we made earlier, the reason why he does so is to show man that he is incapable of satisfying an infinitely holy God and therefore needs a Savior to do for him what he cannot do for himself. Zawadi denies that believers are perfect in Christ: Do you really think that you and all Christians are perfect? Of course your not perfect. Believing in Jesus' crucifixion and his dying for your sins has not made you perfect. He is contradicted by the very teaching of God‘s Word:

"For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified." Hebrews 10:14 Zawadi somehow thinks that Christians cannot be perfect because they continue to sin:

You still commit sins. You still repent to God. So if the Law is "weak and useless", (which I personally think is an offensive way to talk about God's law) because it cannot make you perfect then similarly the whole crucifixion ideology should also be "weak and useless" since it has not made you perfect as well. This is the conclusion to reach if we want to be consistent… So nothing really has changed. The crucifixion has not resulted in making sinless people or stopping the corruption of the world. It has not offered us anything that the Law hasn't. This, more than anything, exposes Zawadi‘s gross misunderstanding of theBiblical teaching.

The Holy Bible teaches that Christ came to live a perfect life for us and to die the accursed death that we deserved. The reason why Jesus did this is so that he could merit eternal life for those who trust in him, thereby sparing them from God‘s wrath: "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation… But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through

one man's trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. And the free gift is not like the result of that one man's sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. If, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men,so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. For as by the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners,so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 5:9-11, 15-21 "But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honorbecause of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one srcin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, ‗I will et ll of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.‘ And again, ‗I will put my trust in him.‘ And again, ‗Behold, I and the children God has given me.‘ Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is

not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham." Hebrews 2:9-16 "Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him," Hebrews 5:8-9 The Holy Bible further teaches that the moment a person turns from his/her sins to Christ, and puts his/her trust in him, God then credits Jesus‘ perfect life of obedience to that

individual‘s account. Once this transaction is made God no longer views that particular individual as a sinner under his wrath, but as one who has completely satisfied God‘s

righteous requirements: "He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption." 1 Corinthians 1:30 "that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin,so that IN HIM we might become the righteousness of God." 2 Corinthians 5:19-21 "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found IN HIM, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law,but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith-- that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead." Philippians 3:8-11 It is in this sense that Christ has made a believer perfect in God‘s sight.

As we mentioned previously, God then empowers the believer by his Holy Spirit to embark on a path of personal holiness, to start becoming and living out that very perfect holiness that has been credited to his account by faith in the Lord Jesus: "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin,the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brothers, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die,but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‗Abba! Father!‘ The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs--heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him." Romans 8:9-17 walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the "But I say, desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who

belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit . Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another." Galatians 5:16-21 Thus, Christ has offered us everything that the Law couldn‘t!

"Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses." Acts 13:38-39 Finally, Zawadi may not call the Law weak and useless since he says worse things than that, i.e. it has been corrupted, that it contains wicked and immortal teachings etc. (here). Zawadi also stated that: He knows we will crack and commit sins and that's why God asks us to repent. This same thing happens even in Christianity. Jesus asks you to repent to the Father. Why if your debt as has been paid already? Yet for God to simply forgive someone who repents without demanding that his justice be satisfied makes him less than completely holy and just. But praise be the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for sending his blessed Son to satisfy his infinite holiness and justice so that God can have a basis to forgive repentant sinners without having to compromise his standards of holiness and justice: as a propitiation (hilasterion) by his forbearance blood, to be he receive by faith "whom put forward . This wasGod to show God's righteousness, because in his divine had dpassed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Romans 3:25-26

"Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation (hilaskesthai) for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:17-18 "In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to bethe propitiation (hilasmon) for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10 To propitiate means to appease God, to satisfy his justice thereby taking his wrath away completely (*; *; *). What these passages are basically saying is that God can now forgive sinners because his wrath has been appeased and his justice satisfied by the life and sacrifice of his Son. Furthermore, the reason why repentance is necessary is because this is the means (along with faith) by which a person appropriates forgiveness and receives the benefits of Christ‘s life and death. In other words, it is through our repentance (as well as our faith), our acknowledging to God that we have sinned and fallen short of his righteous standard, that God forgives, and does so on the basis of the salvation wrought by the Lord Jesus.

It is precisely because of Christ‘s life and death that believers have complete confidence to

approach God boldly and the full assurance that God will indeed forgive their sins: "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." Hebrews 4:14-16 "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and t o cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1:7-10 "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation (hilasmos) for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2 Moreover, Zawadi‘s comments presuppose that Christ‘s death somehow means that

Christians are free to live immoral lives, which is not what the Holy Bible teaches. As we saw in the first section of our article, Christ came to ransom a people from their wickedness in order that they might live holy lives pleasing to him: inof thethe name Jesus "And Peter saidforgiveness to them, ‘Repent baptized every one of Christ for the of yourand sinsbe , and you will receive theyou gift HolyofSpirit.‘"

Acts 2:38 "But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago… God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless youby turning every one of you from your wickedness." Acts 3:19-21, 26

"to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith IN ME.‘ Therefore, O King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the

heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all the region of Judea, and also to the Gentiles,that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance." Acts 26:18-20 "For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possessionwho are zealous for good works ." Titus 2:11-14

es It is simply Zawadi‘s ignorance and gross misunderstanding of Biblical teaching that mak him think that repentance is somehow incompatible with Jesus‘ death for sinners. In light of what we have read throughout this article, is it any wonder that Paul could call the Gospel of Christ the power of God for salvation seeing that it is on the ba sis of Jesus‘ life and death that God grants individuals liberation from the dominion of sin and death? "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Romans 1:16 "For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God . For it is written, ‗I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the

discernment of the discerning I will thwart.‘ Where is the one whois wise? Where is the

scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." 1 Corinthians 1:18-24

Question 47: Didn’t Jesus plainly teach in his i nstructions to the young ruler that a person is saved by

observing the Law? Mark 19:18-20; Luke Paul contradicts Jesus by(Cf. saying that10:19-20; a person Matthew is saved through faith in 18:20-21) Christ (cf.Yet Romans 3:21-28; Galatians 2:16). Why, then, do Christians follow what Paul wrote instead of what Jesus taught? Answer:

If the questioner had taken the time to carefully read the context s/he would have seen that Jesus didn‘t teach thatfollowing the Law saves a person: "Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, ‗Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?‘ ‗Why do you ask me about what is good?‘ Jesus replied. ‗There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.‘ ‗Which ones?‘ the man inquired. Jesus replied, ‗"Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother," and "love your neighbor as yourself."‘ ‗All these I have kept,‘ the young man said. ‗What do I still lack?‘Jesus answered, ‗If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, FOLLOW ME.‘ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he

had great wealth. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‗I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye :16-24 of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.‘" Matthew 19 Notice something quite interesting here. After the man tells Jesus that he has carried out the commands Christ still says that this isn‘t enough since these commands didn‘t make him complete in God‘s sight. Christ expressly says that if he wanted tobe perfect he needed to

abandon everything and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. Jesus is basically demanding a devotion that is to be given solely to God. In other words, Jesus is saying that perfection doesn‘t come by observing the Law but by

following him, which presupposes that Jesus is absolutely perfect and does not need to carry out the Law for his own salvation! After all, sinners cannot be made perfect by following another sinner, but only by following someone or something that is perfect in and of itself. Notice, also, that Jesus listed six of the Ten Commandments, but not the first four. These particular commands were given to govern a person‘s relationship with others, whereas the first four govern a person‘s devotion to God. The man‘s trouble was th at he loved money

more than God, and hence his money had become an idol. The Lord was plainly telling him that he had to be willing to die to his money and give it up in order to devote himself completely to the pure worship of God, and the way to do this was to fully devote himself to Christ. What Jesus was basically implying was that following him is to fulfill the first four commands since Jesus is God! To put it another way, Christ was saying that to follow him was to follow God, to love him was to love God, to die for him was to die for God etc. And, just as Jesus told Peter, anyone who was willing to do that for Christ would be rewarded with eternal life: "Peter said to him, ‗We have left everything to follow you!‘ ‗I tell you the truth,‘ Jesus replied, ‗no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields FOR ME AND THE GOSPEL will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, in the age persecutions) -31to come, eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.‘"and Mark 10:28

This in itself shows that Jesus wasn‘t claiming that following the Law saved a person. But there is more. Jesus‘ statement regarding itbeing difficult for a rich man to enter heaven

shocked the disciples, making them wonder whether anyone could be saved. Here is how Jesus responded to their shock and dismay: "When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‗Who then can be saved?‘ Jesus looked at them and said, ‗With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.‘" Matthew 19:25-26

Man cannot save himself, since this is humanly impossible. Only God can do the impossible and save man, and does so through the Person of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is precisely why Jesus told the young ruler to follow him so that he could be perfect before God. Sadly, he loved his riches more than Jesus. Moreover, the Lord Jesus clearly says that humans are evil by nature and need to be made good in order to bear the fruit that pleases God: "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who ARE EVIL say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings

good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him." Matthew 12:33-35 "Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you ARE EVIL, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" Luke 11:13 "The world cannot hate you, but it hates mebecause I testify that what it does is evil." John 7:7 He even said to his contemporaries that none of them carried out the Law: "Has not Moses given you the law?Yet not one of you keeps the law. Why are you trying to kill me?" John 7:19 Since human beings are evil by nature they are not able to carry out the Law. They need to be first transformed in order to do what the Law requires. Again, this is a work which God alone can do since God is the only One who has the ability to change a person and make him good. Yet by failing to do the Law they come under God‘s wrath. This is why Jesus himself taught

that a person is saved by trusting in him as Savior, as the One who has come to redeem sinners by his life, death and resurrection: "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,because he will save his people from their sins." Matthew 1:21

"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for manyfor the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28 "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Mark 10:45

"One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law, who had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem, were sitting there. And the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw THEIR FAITH, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven.‘" Luke 5:17-20 "Then Jesus said to her, ‗Your sins are forgiven.‘ The other guests began to say among

themselves, ‗Who is this who even forgives sins?‘ Jesus said to the woman,YOUR ‗ FAITH has saved you (he pistis sou sesoken se); go in peace.‘" Luke 7:48-50

"As Jesus was on his way, the crowds almost crushed him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, but no one could heal her. She came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak, and immediately her bleeding stopped. ‗Who touched me?‘ Jesus asked. When they all denied it, Peter said, ‗Master, the people are crowding and pressing against you.‘ But Jesus said, ‗Someone touched me; I know that power has gone out

from me.‘ Then the woman, seeing that she could not go unnoticed, came trembling and fell

at his feet. In the presence of all the people, she told why she had touched him and how she had been instantly healed. Then he said to her, Daughter, ‗ YOUR FAITH has healed/saved you (he pistis sou sesoken se). Go in peace.‘" Luke 8:42b-48

"Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, ‗Jesus, Master, have pity on us!‘ When heaw s them, he said, ‗Go, show yourselves to the priests.‘ And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them,

when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, ‗Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?‘ Then he said to him, ‗Rise and go;your faith has made you well (lit. has saved you (he pistis sou sesoken se)).‘" Luke 17:11-19

"To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: ‗Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the

other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get." But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, God, " have mercy on me, a sinner." I tell you that this man, rather than the other,went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.‘" Luke

18:9-14 "As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, ‗Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.‘ He called out, ‗Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!‘ Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, ‗Son of David, have mercy on me!‘ Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus ied. Jesus said asked him, What do you want me to do for you?‘ ‗Lord, I want to see,‘ he repl to him, ‗Receive your sight;YOUR FAITH has healed/saved you (he pistis sou sesoken se).‘ Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people

saw it, they also praised God." Luke 18:35-43 The Greek word sesoken that is used in many of the above passages from Luke comes from sodzo, which means: Strong's 4982 1) to save, keep safe and sound, to rescue from a) one (from injury or

danger or destruction

peril)

1) to save a suffering one (from

perishing), i.e. one suffering from disease, to make well,

heal, restore to health 1) to

preserve one who is in danger of destruction, to save or rescue

b) to

save in the technical biblical sense

1) negatively a) to

deliver from the penalties of the Messianic judgment

b) to

save from the evils which obstruct the reception of the Messianic deliverance

(Source) Jesus was basically telling these specific individuals that they were being saved by their faith in him! There are more references: "He said to them, ‗This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses,the Prophets and the Psalms.‘ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, ‗This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.‘"

Luke 24:44-47 "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal li fe. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned Son ." John 3:14-18 alreadybecause he has not believed in the name of God's one and only "Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On hi m God the Father has placed his seal of approval.‘ Then they asked him, ‗What must we do to do the works God requires?‘ Jesus answered, ‗The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.‘" John 6:27-29 "Then Jesus declared, ‗I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty. But as I told you, you have seen me and still you

do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father‘s will is that everyone wh o looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day… I tell you the truth,he who believes has everlasting life.‘" John 6:35-40, 47 "On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a lo ud voice, ‗If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.‘ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since

Jesus had not yet been glorified." John 7:37-39 Finally:

"Jesus said to her, ‗I am the resurrection and the life . He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever livesand believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?‘ ‗Yes, Lord,‘ she told him, ‗I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.‘" John 11:25-27

Moreover, the other apostles besides Paul taught this same truth, that a person is saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter

"BY FAITH in the name of Jesus, this man whom you see and know was made strong. It is

Jesus‘ name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see. Now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did your

leaders. But this is how God fulfilled what he had foretold through all the prophets, saying that his Christ would suffer. Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord," Acts 3:16-19 "All the prophets testify about him that everyone who BELIEVES in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.‘ While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy

Spirit came on all who heard the message. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, ‗Can

anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.‘ So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then

they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days." Acts 10:43-48 "‗The Spirit told me to have no hesitation about going with them. These six brothers also

went with me, and we entered the man's house. He told us how he had seen an angel appear in his house and say, "Send to Joppa for Simon who is called Peter. He will bring you a message through which you and all your household will be saved." As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit came on them as he had come on us at the beginning. Then I remembered what the Lord had said: "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us,who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?‘ When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‗So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.‘"

Acts 11:12-18 "He made no distinction between us and them,for he purified their hearts BY FAITH. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." Acts 15:7-11 The Apostle John

"Yet to all who received him,to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God." John 1:12-13

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." John 20:30-31 "for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world?Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God… We accept man‘s testimony, but God‘s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son.Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to

be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life." 1 John 5:4-5, 9-13 Even John the Baptist preached this same message! "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‗Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!‘" John 1:29 "To this John replied, ‗A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. You

yourselves can testify that I said, "I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of him." The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. The one who comes from above is above all; the one who is from the earth belongs to the earth, and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no his God testimony. man the whowords has accepted it has that God is truthful. Forone the accepts one whom has sentThe speaks of God, for Godcertified gives the Spirit without limit. The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God‘s

wrath remains on him.‘" John 3:27-36

What the foregoing shows us is that both the Lord Jesus and his followers taught that individuals are saved by believing in Christ, and once they are saved they are then empowered and transformed by God to live holy and obedient lives to the Law as defined and interpreted by Christ and the NT. Before we conclude we need to once again reiterate and emphasize this point: Individuals who are transformed by God do not live in obedience to the Law for their salvation, since they have been saved by Christ, but for their personal holiness, since God saves sinners out of their wickedness in order to live holy lives pleasing to him. In the words of the blessed Apostle Paul: "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10 "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.It teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great

God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:1114 So as Christians we believe in all that Jesus and his Apostles such as Paul said and wrote, and what they taught is perfectly consistent with one another. Further Reading

http://answering-islam.org/Wales/jesus_paul.htm http://answering-islam.org/Wales/jesus_paul_more.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_only_god_good.htm http://www.christian-thinktank.com/muslix.html

Question 48: Christians often claim that God demands perfect obedience to his Law otherwise a person cannot be saved. However, passages like Ezekiel 18:21-22 prove the exact opposite, that God doesn’t expect us to follow the Law perfectly, but expects us to commit sin. Ezekiel 18 also shows that all that a person must do is confess and repent and God will forgive us. Doesn’t this prove that God doesn’t require perfect obedience or the death of his Son in order for people to be saved and forgiven? Answer:

If God doesn‘t require perfect obedience then the obvious question is why does he require repentance? In other words, why would repentance be necessary if God didn‘t expect his people to perfectly carry out his instructions? If anything, doesn‘t the need for repentance

prove that God expects man to live in perfect obedience? This brings us to our next point. The Holy Bible does demand perfect observance of the Law just as the following verses prove: "When Abram was ninety-nine years old the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‗I am God Almighty; walk before me,and be blameless,‘" Genesis 17:1 "You shall be blameless before the LORD your God," Deuteronomy 18:13 "O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?He who walks

blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;" Psalm 15:1-2

"You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect." Matthew 5:48 The Holy Bible further says that man must love God wholeheartedly, completely, and unconditionally:

"You SHALL love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." Deuteronomy 6:5 The above text doesn‘t say that a person should try to love him completely, but that s/he must

love him with his/her entire being. This is something that no human being, apart from the blessed Lord Jesus Christ, can ever say they have done. God also demands that believers be holy as he is holy, something that no human can say he has achieved (with the exception of Christ of course): "For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. You shall not defile yourselves with any swarming thing that crawls on the ground. For I am the LORD who brought you up out of the land of Egypt to be your God.You shall therefore be holy, for I am holy." Leviticus 11:44-45 The above examples make it abundantly clear that God demands perfect obedience and complete holiness. With the foregoing in mind, we can now turn to the passages in Ezekiel in order to more fully understand the point that the inspired prophet was making: "At the end of seven days the word of the LORD came to me: ‗Son of man, I have made you

a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. When I say to a wicked man, "You will SURELY die," and you do not warn him or speak out to dissuade him from his evil ways in order to save his life, that wicked man will die for his sin, and will hold you blood. Butways if you warn , hedowill diethe for wicked his sin; man butand youhe does notITURN from hisaccountable wickednessfor or his from his evil will have saved yourself.‘" Ezekiel 3:16-19

And: "But if a wicked man TURNS away from all the sins he has committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, he will surely live; he will not die. None of the offenses he has committed will be remembered against him. Because of the righteous things he has done, he will live. Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they TURN from their ways and live?… But if a wicked man TURNS away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is just and right, he will save his life. Because he considers all the offenses he has committed and TURNS away from them, he will surely live; he will not die. Yet the house of Israel says, ‗The way of the Lord is not just.‘ Are my ways unjust, O house of Israel? Is it not your

ways that are unjust? Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his REPENT! TURN AWAY from all your offenses then ways, the Sovereign sin willdeclares not be your downfall. LORD. Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed,; and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD.REPENT and live!" Ezekiel 18:21-23, 27-32

Finally:

"For every living soul belongs to me, the father as well as the son —both alike belong to me. The soul who sins is the one who will die… The soul who sins is the one who will die . The son will not share the guilt of the father, nor will the father share the guilt of the son. The righteousness of the righteous man will be credited to him, and the wickedness of the wicked will be charged against him… But if a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked man does,will he live? None of the righteous things he has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness he is guilty of and because of the sins he has committed, he will die. Yet you say, ‗The way of the Lord is not just.‘ Hear, O house of Israel: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust? If a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits sin, he will die for it; because of the sin he has committed he will die." Ezekiel 18:4, 20, 24-26

The readers can see the repeated emphasis on turning or repenting from wickedness in order to avoid death, which agrees precisely with the message of the Lord Jesus and the NT writers: "After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. ‗The time has come,‘ he said. ‗The kingdom of God is near.Repent and believe the good news!‘" Mark 1:14-15

"He told them, ‗This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.‘" Luke 24:46-47

"When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other and be baptized, every one of apostles, ‗Brothers, what shall we do?‘ Peter replied, Repent ‗ you, the name of Jesus of theinHoly Spirit.‘" ActsChrist 2:37-38for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift "When God raised up his servant, he sent him first to you to bless youby turning each of you from your wicked ways." Acts 3:26

"God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel." Acts 5:31

"When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, ‗So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life .‘" Acts 11:18

"In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead." Acts 17:30-31 "And the Lord's servant not him quarrel; instead, he instruct, must beinkind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Those whomust oppose he must gently the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 2:24-26 These references also repeat the fact that anyone who breaks God‘s commands will surely

die, and since everyone sins this means that everyone must die:

"When they sin against you—for there is no one who does not sin—and you become angry with them and give them over to the enemy, who takes them captive to his own land, far away or near;" 1 Kings 8:46 "If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?" Psalm 130:3 "Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you." Psalm 143:2 "There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins." Ecclesiastes 7:20 What this demonstrates is that God must have a basis to forgive any individual who decides to turn from his/her wickedness. Otherwise, if God merely forgives without punishing the wicked for their failure to comply with his wishes, even though he said he would do so, he would cease to be perfectly holy and just. It would also show that God doesn‘t do as he says, that he doesn‘t act upon his words, and therefore is unreliable. Ezekiel himself testifies that God‘s wrath must be appeased, that it must be completely spent

or poured out upon the wicked: "Thus says the Lord GOD: This is Jerusalem. I have set her in the center of the nations, with countries all around her. And she has rebelled against my rules by doing wickedness more than the nations, and against my statutes more than the countries all around her; for they have rejected my rules and have not walked in my statutes. Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Because you are turbulent thanand thehave nations all around you,toand in my statutes ormore obeyed my rules, notthat evenareacted according thehave rulesnot ofwalked the nations that are all around you, therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, even I, am against you. And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again. Therefore fathers shall eat their sons in your midst, and sons shall eat their fathers. And I will execute judgments on you, and any of you who survive I will scatter to all the winds. Therefore, as I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely, because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will withdraw. My eye will not spare, and I will have no pity. A third part of you shall die of pestilence and be consumed with famine in your midst; a third part shall fall by the sword all around you; and a third part I will scatter to all the winds and will unsheathe the sword after them. Thus shall my anger spend itself, and I will vent my fury upon them and satisfy myself. And they shall know that I am the LORD--that I have spoken in my jealousy-when I spend my fury upon them. Moreover, I will make you a desolation and an object of reproach among the nations all around you and in the sight of all who pass by. You shall be a reproach and a taunt, a warning and a horror, to the nations all around you,when I execute judgments on you in anger and fury, and with furious rebukes--I am the LORD, I have spoken--" Ezekiel 5:5-15; cf. 6:12, Ezekiel 7:1-19 "Therefore I will act in wrath. My eye will not spare, nor will I have pity. And though they cry in my ears with a loud voice, I will not hear them." Ezekiel 8:18 "And while they were striking, and I was left alone, I fell upon m y face, and cried, ‗Ah, Lord GOD! Will you destroy all the remnant of Israel in the outpouring of your wrath on

Jerusalem?‘ Then he said to me, ‗The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly

great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, "The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see."As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I -10 have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.‘" Ezekiel 9:8 "On account of your unclean lewdness, because I would have cleansed you and you were not cleansed from your uncleanness, you shall not be cleansed anymoretill I have satisfied my fury upon you. I am the LORD. I have spoken; it shall come to pass; I will do it. I will not go back; I will not spare; I will not relent; according to your ways and your deeds you will be judged, declares the Lord GOD." Ezekiel 24:13-14 Thus, God cannot simply forgive the wicked without demanding that they die as a consequence of their sins since this would compromise his justice and holiness. Ezekiel goes on to show us how God can forgive repentant sinners who deserve to die without having to compromise his justice. God does this through vicarious atonement! Here are the instructions that God gave concerning the restoration of the Temple and priesthood, both of which center around the need of sacrificial offerings for the forgiveness of sin: "These are the measurements of the altar in long cubits, that cubit being a cubit and a handbreadth: Its gutter is a cubit deep and a cubit wide, with a rim of one span around the edge. And this is the height of the altar: From the gutter on the ground up to the lower ledge it is two cubits high and a cubit wide, and from the smaller ledge up to the larger ledge it is four cubits high and a cubit wide. The altar hearth is four cubits high, and four horns project upward from the hearth. The altar hearth is square, twelve cubits long and twelve cubits wide. The is square, fourteen cubitsThe longsteps and of fourteen cubits rimsaid of to half upper a cubitledge and aalso gutter of a cubit all around. the altar face wide, east.‘ with Thenahe me, ‗Son of man, this is what the Sovereign LORD says:These will be the regulations for sacrificing burnt offerings and sprinkling blood upon the altar when it is built: You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the priests, who are Levites, of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign LORD. You are to take some of its blood and put it on the four horns of the altar and on the four corners of the upper ledge and all around the rim, and so purify the altar and make atonement for it. You are to take the bull for the sin offering and burn it in the designated part of the temple area outside the sanctuary. On the second day you are to offer a male goat without defect fora sin offering, and the altar is to be purified as it was purified with the bull.When you have finished purifying it, you are to offer a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. You are to offer them before the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD. For seven days you are to provide a male goat daily for a sin offering; you are also to provide a young bull and a ram from the flock, both without defect. For seven days they are to make atonement for the altar and cleanse it; thus they willburnt dedicate it. Atand thefellowship end of these days, from thealtar. eighth day on, the priests are to present your offerings offerings on the THEN I WILL ACCEPT YOU, declares the Sovereign LORD.‘" Ezekiel 43:13-27 "But the priests, who are Levites and descendants of Zadok and who faithfully carried out the duties of my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD. They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and perform my service… On the day he goes into the inner court

of the sanctuary to minister in the sanctuary, he is to offer a sin offering for himself, declares the Sovereign LORD." Ezekiel 44:15-16, 27 "It will be the duty of the prince to provide the burnt offerings, grain offerings and drink offerings at the festivals, the New Moons and the Sabbaths —at all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel. He will provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings and fellowship offerings to make atonement for the house of Israel. This is what the Sovereign LORD says: In the first month on the first day you are to take a young bull without defect and purify the sanctuary. The priest is to take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, on the four corners of the upper ledge of the altar and on the gateposts of the inner court. You are to do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who sins unintentionally or through ignorance;so you are to make atonement for the temple. In the first month on the fourteenth day you are to observe the Passover, a feast lasting seven days, during which you shall eat bread made without yeast.On that day the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering for himself and for all the people of the land. Every day during the seven days of the Feast he is to provide seven bulls and seven rams without defect as a burnt offering to the LORD, and a male goat for a sin offering. He is to provide as a grain offering an ephah for each bull and an ephah for each ram, along with a hin of oil for each ephah. During the seven days of the Feast, which begins in the seventh month on the fifteenth day, he is to make the same provision for sin offerings, burnt offerings, grain offerings and oil." Ezekiel 45:17-25 These references show that God accepts the repentant sinner on the basis of blood atonement. God basically punishes the sins of the repentant by substitutionary sacrifice, by permitting an animal to die in the place of the guilty. In this way God is able to forgive sinners while upholding the just requirements of his own Law which demands that the wicked die for their sin. This also demonstrates the thorough inadequacy of a person‘s righteousness, that such righteous acts were/are not sufficient to sustain an individual forever. After all, if such righteousness was/is adequate then there would be no need for sacrificial atonement. The fact that God prescribed sacrifices for sin conclusively shows that the righteous were/are not saved on the grounds of their personal righteousness since this couldn‘t satisfy God‘s perfect justice. These individuals were/are saved on the basis of God‘s gracious provision of

atonement, which provided a means by which God could overlook the imperfections and sins of a person who sought to live in obedience to God‘s Law.

But even these sacrifices could only provide a temporary covering of sin, which explains why they had to be offered over and over again. Yet what these sacrifices did was point to the one sacrifice that could take away sin completely, specifically the Lord Jesus‘ death on the cross:

"just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a

ransom for many." Matthew 20:28

"This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for manyfor the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:28 "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‗Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!‘" John 1:29

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his

forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished —" Romans 3:23-25 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,who gave himself as a ransom for all men—the testimony given in its proper time."1 Timothy 2:5-6 "while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:13-14 "This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:9-10 "The point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by man. Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already men who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. They serve at a sanctuarythat is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: ‗See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on themountain.‘ But the ministry Jesus has

received superiorontobetter theirspromises." as the covenant of which one, and itisisasfounded Hebrews 8:1-6 he is mediator is superior to the old "When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Hebrews 9:11-15 "The law is only a shadow of the good things t hat are coming—not the realities themselves. For thisthose reasonwho it can never, the same If sacrifices repeated endlessly year after year, make perfect draw nearby to worship. it could, would they not have stopped being offered? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt guilty for their sins. But those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins … And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Day after day every priest stands and performs his religious duties; again and again he offers the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when this priest had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his

enemies to be made his footstool, because by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." Hebrews 10:1-4, 10-14 To conclude, a careful examination of both the immediate and greater contexts of Ezekiel 18:21-22 doesn‘t refute the Christian assertion that God demands perfect obedience but rather establishes it. And since no one is able to meet this demand of God everyone must therefore turn to the risen Lord Jesus for his or her salvation since he alone has done what no one else could ever do: fulfilling all of God‘s demands and appeasing his wrath completely through

his perfect life and death, thereby procuring eternal redemption for all who would love, trust and obey him: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should makethe author of their salvation perfect through suffering. Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers… Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. For this reason

he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God,and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted,he is able to help those who are being tempted." Hebrews 2:9-11, 14-18 "Although he was a son, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him." Hebrews 5:8-9

Come risen Lord Jesus, come. We love and praise you for the great salvation that you have wrought for us: "and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father —to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen." Revelation 1:5-6 Amen indeed!

Question 49: In Galatians 3:16, Paul shows that he misunderstood the Hebrew OT. He erroneously thinks that God’s promise to Abraham that through his seed all the nations would be blessed was referring to one specific person. In reality, the word for seed in Hebrew is zera and refers to all of a man’s descendants, which in this case includes all of Abraham’s offsprings. How can Paul be trusted if he so badly distorts and misunderstands the Hebrew Bible? Answer:

Paul didn‘t misunderstand anything, but accurately exegetedthe OT texts and brought out

their true meaning. The passage that Paul was citing is Genesis 22:18. Here is the immediate context of that specific text: "And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven and said, ‗By

myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. Andyour offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.‘" Genesis 22:15-18 ESV The word for seed is zera which is singular in Hebrew. This could either be a true singular where only one person is in view, or it can be viewed as a collective singular referring either to a specific line of the descendants of a person, or to all of a person‘s sons and their

descendants after them. For example,zera in the case of Abraham could refer either to Isaac and/or his seed after him, or it could refer to all of Abraham‘s sons and their subsequent

descendants as well, i.e. Ishmaelites, Edomites, Midianites, Israelites etc. The question which we will seek to answer is whetherzera refers in this case to one specific line or to several different lines which stem from Abraham. In the first place, we need to note that Paul wasn‘t the first one to understand the Hebrew word zera to refer to a specific son, to a specific seed of Abraham‘s. The Jewish translators of

the Hebrew Bible into the Greek, known as the Septuagint (LXX), had already understood zera in this precise manner:

seed shall "And in thyGenesis all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast hearkened to my voice." 22:18 LXX kai eneuloghqhsontai en tw spermati sou panta ta eqnh ths ghs anq¢ wn uphkousas ths emhs fwnhs

Note the use of the singular seed ( spermati) as opposed to the plural here. When we examine e why the singular was used: God‘s promise to Abraham the reader will be able to se "Now the LORD said to Abram, ‗Go from your country and your kindred and your father‘s

house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse;and BY YOU all the families of the earth shall bless themselves.‘" Genesis 12:1-3 God tells Abraham that all the nations of the world would be blessed through him, with the text in Genesis 22:18 stating that this blessing would come through his seed as well. This now brings us to our second point. Although Abraham had eight sons altogether (cf. Genesis 25) the Hebrew Bible clearly states that this promised blessing was to come through the line of one specific son, that of Isaac: "And God said to Abraham, ‗As for Sar‘ai your wife, you shall not call her name Sar‘ai, but

Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover I will give you a son by her; I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.‘ Then

Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said to himself, ‗Shall a child be born to a man And who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?‘ Abraham said to God, ‗O that Ish‘mael might live in thy sight!‘ God said, ‗No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant WITH HIM as an everlasting covenant FOR HIS DESCENDANTS AFTER HIM. As for Ish‘mael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him and make him fruitful and

multiply him exceedingly; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this season next year.‘" Genesis 17:15-21 "But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing

with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, ‗Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.‘ And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, ‗Be not displeased

because of the lad and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your descendants be named. And I will make a nation of -13 the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.‘" Genesis 21:9 "And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! And behold, the LORD stood above it and said, ‗I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lieI will give to you and to your descendants; and your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and by you and your descendants shall all the families of the earth bless themselves. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever

you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done that of which I have spoken to you.‘Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, ‗Surely the LORD is in this place; and I did not know it.‘" Genesis 28:10-16

Hence, the seed that God promised would be a blessing to all the nations was Isaac and his offsprings through Jacob. In other words, God intended zera to be understood as a collective singular in connection with Isaac and his descendants after him, thereby excluding all the rest of Abraham‘s sons and their descendants.

Paul was simply reiterating the fact that Jesus, as a son of Abraham, was the fulfillment of God‘s promise to Abraham that all the nations would be bl essed through one specific line, i.e. the nation of Israel. As Jesus himself said, salvation would come from the Jews since God had sent his Son to be born as a Jew in order to redeem the world: en neither on this mountain "Jesus said to her, ‗Woman, believe me, the hour is coming wh nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we salvation is from the Jews.‘ … Many Samaritans from that city worship webecause know, for believed what in him of the woman‘s testimony, ‗He told me all that I ever did.‘ So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them; and he stayed there two days.

And many more believed because of his word. They said to the woman, ‗It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.‘" John 4:21-22, 39-42

Moreover, Paul‘s use of the Greek singular wasn‘t ruling out all the rest of the sons of Isaac,

but used it in the same way that the above OT texts used the Hebrew wordzera, as a collective singular. In other words, Paul‘s use of the singular includes not only the Lord Jesus, but also all true

believers who become children of Abraham by their faith in Christ. Note what Paul wrote in context: "Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring (spermati- singular). It does not say, ‗And to offsprings (spermasin- plural),‘ referring to many; but, referring to one, ‗And to your offspring (spermati- singular),‘ which is Christ. Galatians 3:16 "And if YOU ARE (humeis- plural) Christ‘s, then YOU ARE (este- plural) Abraham‘s offspring (sperma- singular), heirs (kleronomoi- plural) according to promise." Galatians 3:29 Paul uses the singular "offspring" both for Jesus and all believers, showing that his use of the singular wasn‘t intended to exclude all the others. This indicates that Paul was trying to show ildren, that Jesus is the that Christ stands in place of the entire group of Abraham‘s ch

collective head of those who have received the promised Abrahamic blessing by their faith in God‘s Son. This is similar to Isaac standing in place of his many descendants (i.e., the

Israelites) that sprung forth from him to become the promised seed of Abraham. Putting it in another way, once believers are united to Christ by faith they form one body with him: "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‗The two shall become one flesh.‘But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Shun

immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not knowthat your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body -- Jews or Greeks, slaves or free -- and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many… Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it." 1 Corinthians 12:13-14, 27 "He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be pre-eminent." Colossians 1:18 This then results in their becoming spiritual Israelites and therefore the singular seed, not seeds, of Abraham: "So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then those who are physically uncircumcised but keep the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and

physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal. His praise is not from men but from God." Romans 2:26-29 "But the Jerusalem above is free,and she is our mother. For it is written, ‗Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in travail; for the children of the desolate one are many more than the children of her that is married.‘Now we, brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise ." Galatians 4:26-28

"For neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. Peace and mercy be upon all who walk by this rule, upon the Israel of God." Galatians 6:15-16 As renowned Christian OT professor and scholar Walter C. Kaiser noted in reference to the use of "seed" in Genesis 3:15: "… Already in Genesis 3:15 we have come to understand that this ‗seed‘ can be a collective

noun and embrace one's whole biological progeny. At the same time, however, there is something distinctively singular and individualistic about this seed, for a certain ‗he‘ will

have it out with the Evil One in some future day (3:15), even though ‗he‘ acts only as one of the woman's descendants.Paul picked up the same theme in Galatians 3:16, insisting that the text of the OT said ‘seed’ (a collective singular noun), not ‘seeds’ (a plural noun). He was not appealing to some midrashic or rabbinic principle of interpretation, as many have recently argued, echoing the latest eddies of thought stimulated by recent discoveries from Qumran and by rabbinical studies;he was carefully observing that the divine revelation had distinctly chosen the collective singular word over the plural in order to provide for the single but inclusive concept of corporate solidarity between the one and the many. "

The Messiah the Old Testament (Kaiser,pp. [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI, 1995], 48-49; boldinemphasis ours)

Kaiser goes on to say: "The word ‗seed‘ must be understood in some exclusive way, for not all of Abraham‘s biological progeny are intended (e.g., none of Keturah‘s children or the child Hagar bore

Abraham). That is, only a portion of Abraham’s seed is marked as being the objects of this designation. This narrowing of the promise is likewise seen in the posterity of Isaac (Esau is excluded) and of Jacob (where the blessing bypassed the eldest son, Reuben, and the next oldest brothers, Simeon and Levi, but came to the fourth son, Judah) ."

(Ibid., p. 49; bold emphasis ours) Paul, therefore, did not misunderstand the Hebrew, nor did he assume that the word zera refers to only one person. Rather, Paul correctly noted that the word was referring to a specific group of descendants with Christ being the head of that line or seed. All scriptural quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV) of the Holy Bible, unless noted otherwise.

Question/Claim 50: Wives are included on a list of property with farm animals and houses in the Bible's version of the Ten Commandments. Doesn't this prove that the Bible degrades women, placing them on the level of animals and possessions, showing that they are not equal to men? Answer:

Here are the passages to which the questioner is referring: "You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Exodus 20:17 "You shall not covet your neighbor's wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor's house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor." Deuteronomy 5:21 The questioner erroneously draws the conclusion that just because a wife is put on the same list of persons and things which belong to a man, this therefore proves that she is his possession or is on the same level of animals and items. That, of course, is not what the commandment intends, since the focus here is on not coveting anything that belongs to another person. A wife is another person's spouse, so one cannot covet her since this would be adultery. The command isn‘t intended as a commentary on the value or level of women in relation to animals or houses.

Furthermore, one must read these statements in light of the overall context of the Holy Bible. If the questioner had bothered to understand such commands in light of the Pentateuch itself he/she would have found that, according to the first book of the Holy Bible, woman are created in the very image of God and have the same essential value that men have: "Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; andlet THEM rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him;male and female He created them. God blessed THEM; and God said to THEM, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.' Then God said, 'Behold, I have given YOU

every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for YOU;'" Genesis 1:26-29 "When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? Yet You have made him a little lower than God,And You crown him with glory and majesty! You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, The birds of

the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas." Psalm 8:3-8

"Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.' ... The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field,but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him . So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. The man said,This ' is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh ; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.' For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become ONE FLESH .'" Genesis 2:18, 20-24 "This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created Adam, He made him in the likeness of God. He created THEM male and female, and He blessed THEM and named THEM Adam in the day when they were created." Genesis 5:1-2 These passages establish that women, just as much as men, are the image bearers of God. Notice that the woman came out of man, showing that she is of the same essence and nature, in order to be his helper in ruling and maintaining God's physical creation, specifically the Garden of Eden. God himself said that it is not good for man to be alone, and that the two shall become one flesh, indicating the interdependency of the two sexes. This is reinforced by the fact that after Adam names all the animals the inspired author said that there was no suitable helper to be found for man amongst the animals, thus the reason for God fashioning a suitable mate from the man's side. What this shows is that women are not in the same category of animals, but are vastly superior to them, much like men are. These facts are reiterated all throughout the Holy Bible: "Now concerning the things about which you wrote, it is good for a man not to touch a woman. But because of immoralities, each man is to have his own wife, and each woman is to have her own husband. The husband must fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband. The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does; and LIKEWISE also the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does. Stop depriving one another, except BY AGREEMENT for a time,

so that you may devote yourselves to prayer, and come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control." 1 Corinthians 7:1-5 "However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman srcinates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things srcinate from God." 1 Corinthians 11:11-12 "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, might to would Himself church in all herSglory, having no spot or wrinkle or anythat suchHe thing; butpresent that she bethe holy and blameless. o husbands ought also to love their own wives AS THEIR OWN BODIES. He who loves his own wife loves himself; for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church, because we are members of His body. FOR THIS REASON A MAN

SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND SHALL BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH. This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church. Nevertheless, each individual among you also is to

love his own wife EVEN AS HIMSELF,

and the wife must see to it that she respects her

husband." Ephesians 5:25-33 "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are ALL ONE in Christ Jesus ." Galatians 3:28 The Holy Bible even warns against harshly treating one's spouse: "This is another thing you do: you cover the altar of the LORD with tears, with weeping and with groaning, because He no longer regards the offering or accepts it with favor from your hand. Yet you say, 'For what reason?' Because the LORD has been a witness between you and the wife of your youth, against whom you have dealt treacherously, though she is your companion and your wife by covenant. But not one has done so who has a remnant of the Spirit. And what did that one do while he was seeking a godly offspring? Take heed then to your spirit, and let no one deal treacherously against the wife of your youth. 'For I hate divorce,' says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'and him who covers his garment with wrong,' says the LORD of hosts. 'So take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously.'" Malachi 2:13-16 "Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them." Colossians 3:19 At the same time, man has a level of authority over the woman in the relationship without this implying that women are inferior (Cf. 1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-24). But, even here, we must be careful since it is not always the case that man holds authority over a woman. There are some relationships in which the woman actually holds authority over the male. For instance, areevery not the head of their can a function, man be the head of another man‘s wife.children Thus, not man is the head,mothers, or has a nor headship over every woman. It depends on the situation and relationship. It seems that some have the habit of making categorical fallacies, confusing authority and position with essence and nature. For instance, one can be greater in position and authority without this implying that one is superior in essence and nature, i.e. parents and children, masters and slaves, employers and employees etc. Thus, it is a categorical fallacy to assume that just because men are the head of women this therefore means that women are an inferior species, since this takes two different categories and treats them as if they were one and the same. Let us summarize the data: 1. Being both together created in the very image of God, man and woman are superior to animals. ority to rule over God‘s physical creation. This affirms 2. Male and female are given authmen. that women are co-rulers with 3. Woman srcinated from man, in order for her to be compatible with him and a comparable helper, indicating that they both have the same essence and value. 4. Male and female unite to become one flesh, demonstrating that the two need each other in order to complete each other. 5. Because of this interdependency and unity, the husband is told to treat his spouse as his own body.

6. As a result of this essential equality and unity, the woman has the same rights over her spouse‘s body that her husband has over her‘s.

What about Islam and Women?

The above quoted and discussed accusation against the Bible seems to have been designed with the desire to counter a very real problem in the Quran, a book which degrades women and relegates them to the level of animals and property. When we turn to the Quran, this is what we find about women: Your women are A TILLAGE; so come unto your

tillage as you wish, and forward for your souls; and fear God, and know that you shall meet Him. Give thou good tidings to the believers. S. 2:223 Women are a field for men to enter and plow as they see fit. Divorced women shall wait by themselves for three periods; and it is not lawful for them to hide what God has created in their wombs; if they believe in God and the Last Day. In such time their mates have better right to restore them, if they desire to set things right. Women have such honourable rights as obligations,but their men HAVE A DEGREE ABOVE THEM; God is All-mighty, All-wise. S. 2:228 Ibn Kathir commented here: that is, men have ,afulfilling degree over women as farinas , virtue, behaviour, status,over obeying orders, expenditure duties, and grace both worldly life and the Hereafter... (Tafsir Ibn Kathir, part 2, Sura Al-Baqarah, ayat 142-252, Abridged By Sheikh Muhammad Nasib Ar-Rifa'i [Al-Firdous Ltd., London 1998],

p. 204; bold emphasis ours) The Quran even permits a man to beat his wife if he fears any rebellion on her part: Men are the managers of the affairs of women for that God has preferred in bounty one of them over another, and for that they have expended of their property. Righteous women are therefore obedient, guarding the secret for God's guarding. And those you fear may be rebellious admonish; banish them to their couches,and beat them. If they then obey you, look not for any way against them; God is All-high, All-great. S. 4:34 The Islamic traditions add: Narrated Abdullah ibn AbuDhubab: Iyas ibn Abdullah ibn AbuDhubab reported the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) as saying: Do not beat Allah's handmaidens, but when Umar came to the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) and said:Women have become emboldened towards their husbands, he (the Prophet) gave permission to beat t hem. Then many women came round the family of the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) complaining against their husbands. So the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him) said: Many women have gone round Muhammad's family complaining against their husbands. They are not the best among you. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11, Number 2141)

And: Narrated Umar ibn al-Khattab: The Prophet (peace_be_upon_him) said: A man will not be asked as to why he beat his wife. (Sunan Abu Dawud, Book 11, Number 2142) Muhammad Asad, in his footnote to this passage, #45, wrote: It is evident from many authentic Traditions that the Prophet himself intensely detested the idea of beating one's wife, and said on more than one occasion, "Could any of you beat his wife as he would beat a slave, and then lie with her in the evening?" (Bukhari and Muslim). According to another Tradition, he forbade the beating of any woman with the words, "Never beat God's handmaidens" (Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i, Ibn Majah, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ibn Hibban and Hakim, on the authority of Iyas ibn 'Abd Allah; Ibn Hibban, on the authority of 'Abd Allah ibn 'Abbas; and Bayhaqi, on the authority of Umm Kulthum). When the above Qur'an-verse authorizing the beating of a refractory wife was revealed, the Prophet is reported to have said: "I wanted one thing, but God has willed another thing - and what God has willed must be best" (see Manar V, 74). With all this, he stipulated in his sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage, shortly before his death, that beating should be resorted to only if the wife "has become guilty, in an obvious manner, of immoral conduct", and that it should be done "in such a way as not to cause pain (ghayr mubarrih)"; authentic Traditions to this effect are found in Muslim, Tirmidhi, Abu Da'ud, Nasa'i and Ibn Majah. On the basis of these Traditions, all the authorities stress that this "beating", if resorted to at all, should be more or less symbolic - "with a toothbrush, or some such thing" (Tabari, quoting the views of scholars of the earliest times), or even "with a folded handkerchief" (Razi); and some of the greatest Muslim scholars (e.g., Ash-Shafi'i) are of the opinion that it is just barely permissible, and should preferably be avoided: and they justify this opinion by the Prophet's personal feelings with regard to this problem.(Source; bold and underline emphasis ours) It is obvious that the explanations of the Muslim scholars on how to carry out this beating are not supported by the text itself, and exposes the great difficulty they had with Allah's injunction to beat women whom they feared were being rebellious. It is also interesting that Muhammad showed more care and refrain than Allah himself, since the former didn't want women to be beaten whereas the latter did! Here are the comments of two other scholars regarding 4:34: Al-Baghawi said in his Tafseer (2/206): " 'because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other' means, men excel women BECAUSE THEY HAVE MORE POWERS OF REASON and religious commitment and they are in charge of affairs. And it was said that this refers to giving testimony, because Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 'And if there are not two men (available), then a man and two women' [al-Baqarah 2:282]. And it was said that it

refers to jihad, or to worship i.e., Jumu'ah and prayers in congregation, or that it refers to the fact that a man may marry four wives, but a woman is not permitted more than one husband; or the fact that divorce is in the man's hand; or that it refers to inheritance, or to diyah (blood money), or to Prophethood."

Al-Baydaawi said in his Tafseer (2/184): " 'Men are the protectors and maintainers of women' means that they are in charge of them and take care of them. He gave two reasons for that, one that is INHERENT IN THEM and one that is acquired subsequently, and said:

'because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other', because Allaah has favoured men over women by making men MORE PERFECT IN REASONING and running affairs, and has given them more strength with regard to work and acts of worship. Hence men are singled out when it comes to Prophethood, leadership, guardianship, establishing rituals, giving testimony in legal matters, the obligation to engage in jihad and pray Jumu'ah, and so on, and they are given a greater share of inheritance, and divorce is in the man's hand. ' and because they spend (to support them) from their means ' refers to what they spend with regard to marriage, such as the mahr and maintenance, etc." ... (Question #43252: The reason why the husband is regarded as superior and is given the role of qawwaam (protector and maintainer); underline and capital emphasis ours) The next passage puts women on a list of things and persons that men own, love and lust after: Decked out fair to men is the love of lusts -- WOMEN, children, heaped-up heaps of gold and silver, horses of mark, cattle and tillage. That is the enjoyment of the present life; but

God -- with Him is the fairest resort. S. 3:14 Here, again, are Ibn Kathir's comments: Allah mentions the delights that He put in this life for people , such as women and children, and He started with women,because the test with them IS MORE TEMPTING. For instance, the Sahih recorded that the Messenger said,

When one enjoys women for the purpose of having children and preserving his chastity, then he is encouraged getting married, such as, He also said, The Prophet said in another Hadith, 'Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "Nothing was more beloved to the Messenger of Allah THAN WOMEN, except horses," and in another narration, "…than horses EXCEPT WOMEN." (Source) According to the Quran, a man is equal to two women in matters of evidence and inheritance: O believers, when you contract a debt one upon another for a stated term, write it down, and let a writer write it down between you justly, and let not any writer refuse to write it down, as God has taught him; so let him write, and let the debtor dictate, and let him fear God his Lord and not diminish aught of it. And if the debtor be a fool, or weak, or unable to dictate himself, then let his guardian dictate justly. And call in to witness two witnesses, men; or if the two be not men, then one man and two women, such witnesses as you approve of, that if one of the two women errs the other will remind her ; and let the witnesses not refuse, whenever they are summoned. And be not loth to write it down, whether it be small or great, with its

term; that is more equitable in God's sight, more upright for testimony, and likelier that you will not be in doubt. Unless it be merchandise present that you give and take between you; then it shall be no fault in you if you do not write ¶ it down. And take witnesses when you are trafficking one with another. And let not either writer or witness be pressed; or if you do, that is ungodliness in you. And fear God; God teaches you, and God has knowledge of everything. S. 2:282 Here is what Ibn Kathir said regarding this verse:

this requirement is only for contracts that directly or indirectly involve money. Allah requires that two women take the place of one man as witness,because of the woman's shortcomings, as the Prophet described. Muslim recorded in his Sahih that Abu Hurayrah said that the Messenger of Allah said, ...

One eloquent woman said, "O Messenger of Allah! Why do we comprise the majority of the people of the Fire'' He said, ...

She said, "O Messenger of Allah! What is this shortcoming in mind and religion?'' He said, ... .

(Source) Another Quranic command: God charges you, concerning your children: to the male the like of the portion of two females, and if they be women above two, then for them two-thirds of what he leaves, but if she be one then to her a half; and to his parents to each one of the two the sixth of what he leaves, if he has children; but if he has no children, and his heirs are his parents, a third to his mother, or, if he has brothers, to his mother a sixth, after any bequest he may bequeath, or any debt. Your fathers and your sons -- you know not which out of them is nearer in profit to you. So God apportions; surely God is All-knowing, All-wise. S. 4:11 In relation to this passage, Ar-Razi wrote: "(The males share is that of two females). Man is more perfect than the woman IN CREATION, AND INTELLIGENCE, and in the religious sphere, such as the suitability to be a judge, and a leader in worship. Also, the testimony of the man is twice that of the woman. So that whoever is given great responsibilities must be given correspondingly great privileges. As the woman is deficient in intelligence and of great lust , if she is given much money, much corruption will be the result."

And: "The male is mentioned first in Q. 4:11 because the male is better than the female."At-tafsir ( al-kabir, commentary on 4:11; bold and capital emphasis ours) Ar-Razi also said: "His saying 'created for you' is a proof that women were created like animals and plants and other useful things , just as the Most High has said 'He created for you what is on earth' and that necessitates the woman not to be created for worship and carrying the Divine commands. We say creating the women is one of the graces bestowed upon us and charging

them with Divine commands to complete the graces bestowed upon us, not that they are charged as we men are charged. For women are not charged with many commands as we are charged, because the woman is weak, silly, in one sense she is like a child, and no commands are laid upon a child , but for the grace of Allah upon us to be complete, women had to be charged so that they may fear the torment of punishment and so follow her husband, and keep away from what is forbidden,otherwise corruption would be rampant." (Ibid., commentary on surah 30:21; bold emphasis ours) The hadiths agree with ar-Razi: Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Once Allah's Apostle went out to the Musalla (to offer the prayer) on 'Id-al-Adha or Al-Fitr prayer. Then he passed by the women and said, "O women! Give alms, as I have seen that the majority of the dwellers of Hell-fire were you (women) ." They asked, "Why is it so, O and are ungrateful your husbands. I Allah's Apostle?" He replied, "You curse have not seen anyone more deficient in frequently intelligence and religion than to you. A cautious sensible man could be led astray by some of you." The women asked, "O Allah's Apostle! What is deficient in our intelligence and religion?" He said,Is" not the evidence of two women equal to the witness of one man?" They replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her intelligence. Isn't it true that a woman can neither pray nor

fast during her menses?" The women replied in the affirmative. He said, "This is the deficiency in her religion." (Sahih al-Bukhari, Volume 1, Book 6, Number 301; see also Volume 2, Book 24, Number 541) Abu Huraira reported: THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH (may peace be upon him) SAID: A WOMAN, AN ASS AND A DOG DISRUPT THE PRAYER, but something like the back of a saddle guards against that. (Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 1034) Ibn Ishaq, the author of the earliest biography of Muhammad, wrote: 'Abdullah b. Abuand Bakr told me wasDeal told that when Mua'dhgood he gave him instructions orders andthat thenhesaid: gently andthe notapostle harshly;sent announce news and do not repel people. You are going to one of the people with scripture who will ask you about the key of heaven. Say to them it is the witness that there is no God but Allah, Who has no partner. Mua'dh went off to Yaman and did as he was ordered and a woman came to him and said, 'O companion of God's apostle, what rights has a husband over his wife?' He said, 'Woe to you, a woman can NEVER fulfil her husband's rights, so do your utmost to fulfil his claims as best as you can.' She said, 'By God, if you are the companion of God's apostle you must know what rights a husband has over his wife!' He said, 'If you were to go back and find

him with his nostrils running with pus and blood and sucked until you got rid of them you would not have fulfilled your obligation.' (Alfred Guillaume, The Life of Muhammad [Oxford University Press, Karachi, Tenth Impression 1995], p. 644; capital and underline emphasis ours) You have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they should not defile your bed and that they should not behave with open unseemliness. If they do, God allows you to put them in separate rooms AND BEAT THEM but not with severity. If they refrain from these things they have the right to their food and clothing with kindness. Lay injunctions on women kindly, FOR THEY ARE PRISONERS WITH YOU HAVING NO CONTROL OF THEIR PERSONS. You have taken them as a trust from God, and you have the enjoyment of their persons by the words of God, so understand... (Ibid., p. 651; capital emphasis ours) In responding to a question whether men and women are equal in Islam, the following Salafi site unashamedly quotes Ibn Kathir on Q. 2:282 and states: Ibn Katheer said: Two women are to take the place of one manbecause women are lacking in reason, as Muslim narrated in his Saheeh from Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "O women, give in charity and seek forgiveness a great deal, for I have seen that you form the majority of the people of Hell." A wise woman among them said, "Why is it, O Messenger of Allaah, that we are the majority of the people of Hell?" He said, "Because you curse too much, and you are ungrateful to your spouses. I have seen none lacking common sense andwoman failingasked: in religion but (at theofsame time) robbing the wisdom the wise,inbesides you." The "O Messenger Allaah, what is wrong with ourof common sense and our religion?" He said: "Your lack of common sense (can be well judged from the fact) that the evidence of two women is equal to that of one man, that is a proof of the lack of common sense, and you spend some nights (and days) in which you do not offer prayer and in the month of Ramadan (during the days) you do not observe fast, that is a failing in religion." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/336) There may be some women who are wiser than some men, but this is not the usual rule and such women are not in the majority. Sharee'ah is based on what is general and most common... The fact that women are lacking in reason does not mean that they are crazy, rather their reason is often overtaken by their emotions,and this happens to women more often than it happens to men.

No one would deny this except one who is arrogant. The same article also cites Ibn Kathir in connection with 4:34: Ibn Katheer (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: "Allaah says 'Men are the protectors and maintainers of women' meaning that the man is in charge of the woman, i.e., he is the leader and head of the household, the one who disciplines her if she goes astray .

'because Allaah has made one of them to excel the other ' i.e., because men are superior to women and are better than women. Hence Prophethood was given only to men, as was the position of khaleefah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said, 'No people shall ever prosper who appoint a woman as their ruler.' This was narrated by alBukhaari from the hadeeth of 'Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abi Bakrah from his father. The same applies to the position of qaadi (judge), etc. 'and because they spend (to support them) from their means' refers to the mahr and the spending on women's maintenance that Allaah has enjoined upon men in His Book and in the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). SO A MAN IS INHERENTLY BETTER THAN A WOMAN, and he is superior to her because he spends on her. So it is appropriate that he should be in charge of her , as Allaah says, b' ut men have a degree (of responsibility) over them' [al-Baqarah 2:228].

'Ali ibn Abi Talhah said, narrating from Ibn 'Abbaas: ' Men are the protectors and maintainers of women' means that men are the leaders of women and they should obey them in areas where Allaah has enjoined obedience. Obedience may mean treating his family kindly and protecting his wealth." (Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 1/490) They go on to write: There are other differences between the sexes, including the following:  









fourtowomen, but a woman only have one husband. A man can has marry the right issue a divorce and itcan is valid if he does so, but a woman does not have the right to issue a divorce. A man may marry a woman from among the People of the Book (Jews and Christians), but a Muslim woman may not marry anyone but a Muslim. A man may travel without his wife or any of his mahrams, but a woman may not travel unless she is accompanied by a mahram. Prayer in the mosque is obligatory for men, but not for women; a woman's prayer in her house is more beloved to Allaah. A woman may wear silk and gold, but a man must not wear them.

Everything that we have mentioned is based on the difference between men and women, because the male is not like the female. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And the male is not like the female" [Aal 'Imraan 3:36] ...

And men are different in intellectual terms, for men are known for their strength of understanding and their memory as compared to women. Women are weaker than men in memory and forget more than men do. This is well known, for most of the reputable scholars in the world are men. There are some women who are more intelligent and have better memories than some men, but this does not cancel out the general rule. Most cases are as we have described above...

Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) (Question #1105: Does Islam regard men and women as equal?; bold, capital and underline emphasis ours) Elsewhere on the site it says: Allaah has commanded the testimony of two women so as to be sure that they remember, because the mind and memory of two women takes the place of the mind and memory of one man. (See I'laam al-Muwaqqa'een, part 1, p. 75).

This does not mean that a woman does not understand or that she cannot remember things, but she is weaker than man in these aspects - usually.Scientific and specialized studies have shown that men's minds ARE MORE PERFECT THAN THOSE OF WOMEN, and reality and experience bear witness to that . The books of knowledge are the best

witness to that; the knowledge which has been transmitted by men and the ahaadeeth which have been memorized by men far outnumber those which have come via women. This has to do with gender, i.e., the gender of men IS MORE PERFECT than the gender of women... Nevertheless, there are some women who are far superior to men in their reason and insight, but they are few, and the ruling is based on the majority and the usual cases... Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com) (Question #20051: Why is the witness of one man considered to be equal to the witness of two women?; bold, underline and capital emphasis ours) Regarding the reason why Islam prohibits women leaders, this same site states: This is because positions of leadership and government require a person to join men's gatherings, which is not allowed for women according to sharee'ah because of the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): "And stay in your houses, and do not display yourselves like that of the times of ignorance." [al-Ahzaab 33:33]. These positions also require perfect wisdom, reason and alertness, and the testimony of a man has been made equal to that of two women, the reason for which Allaah has explained in the aayah (interpretation of the meaning): ". so that if one of them (two women) errs, the other can remind her." [al-Baqarah 2:282]. Imaam al-Muwaffaq Ibn Qudaamah said: "For this reason the Prophet SAWS (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) and his successors (khulafa') and those who came after them never appointed a woman to be a judge or a governor of a province, as far as we know. If it were permissible, it should have happened." Imaam al-Ghazaali said: "The position of leader (imaam) could never be given to a woman even if she possessed all the qualities of perfection and self-reliance. How could a woman take the position of leader

when she did not have the right to be a judge or a witness under most of the historical governments?" Imaam al-Baghawi said: "The scholars agreed that women are not fit to be leaders or judges, because the leader needs to go out to organize jihaad and take care of the Muslims' affairs, and the judge needs to go out to judge between people, but women are 'awrah and it is not right for them to go out. Because of their weakness, women are not able to do many things.Women are imperfect, and the positions of leaders and judge are among the most perfect of positions for which only the most perfect of men are qualified ." (Question #3285: Ruling on appointing

women to positions of high public office; bold emphasis ours)

It is the Quran and Islamic narrations, not the Holy Bible, which degrade women and place them on the level of animals and property that a man owns and enjoys. Recommended Reading:

http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Newton/women.html#sup http://www.christian-thinktank.com/femalex.html http://www.faithfreedom.org/Articles/abulkazem/Women_in_Islam.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/badawi_lies2.htm

Question 51: God warns people in Psalm 146:3 from trusting in a son of man for help. According to the NT Jesus is the Son of Man (cf. Mark 2:28). Therefore, how can Christians trust him as their Savior when the OT tells believers not to trust in such a person? Answer:

Reading the context carefully shows that this Psalm in no way refutes the Deity of the Lord Jesus, or his function as Savior. The son of man in this particular Psalm is a reference to frail, mortal humanity collectively, that persons should not put their hope in mere mortals since they all die and fade away. Here is the entire Psalm in order to prove that this is what the Psalmist meant in context: "Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being. Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help.When his breath departs he returns to his earth; on that very day his plans perish . Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever; who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free; the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.The

LORD will reign for ever, thy God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!" Psalm

146:1-10 There are other passages where the expression son of man is used in this same sense, in connection to frail, sinful, corruptible humanity: "How then can man be righteous before God? How can he who is born of woman be clean? Behold, even the moon is not bright and the stars are not clean in his sight; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!" Job 25:4-6 "When I look at thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars which thou hast established; what is man that thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that thou dost care for him? Yet thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea." Psalm 8:3-8 "I, I am he that comforts you; who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, of the son of man who is made like grass, and have forgotten the LORD, your Maker, who stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth, and fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he sets himself to destroy? And where is the fury of the oppressor?" Isaiah 51:12-13 The phrase is also used in reference to God‘s prophets, fallible mortals whom God chose to speak to and through: "And he said to me, ‗Son of man, stand upon your feet, and I will speak with you.‘ And when

he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me upon my feet; and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, ‗Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to a nation of rebels, who have rebelled against me; they and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day.‘" Ezekiel 2:1-3 "When I, Daniel, had seen the vision, I sought to understand it; and behold, there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the U'lai, and it called, Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.‘ Sohe came near where I stood; and when he came, I was frightened and fell upon my face. But he said to me, -17 ‗Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end.‘" Daniel 8:15 The foregoing helps us see the point the Psalmist was making. The Psalmist is telling believers not to trust in men for help since man is fallible and mortal by nature and cannot provide salvation. God, however, is the only One that can provide complete safety and eternal security for believers he alone and Almighty. the Psalmist encouraging believersbecause to put their hope isineternal Yahweh alone since heBasically, reigns forever, unlikeisman who dies and is no more. Yet there is one particular Son of Man mentioned in the OT whom all nations are required to serve and obey. The prophet Daniel speaks of a heavenly Son of Man, a Divine Being that takes the form of a man, who rules forever:

"I saw in the night visions, and behold,with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14

Daniel explicitly sees the figure of a man who rides on the clouds of heaven, indicating that this is actually a theophany, a visible appearance of God, since it is Yahweh who rides the clouds: "Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, thou art very great! Thou art clothed with honor and majesty, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, who hast stretched out the heavens like a tent, who hast laid the beams of thy chambers on the waters,who makest the clouds thy chariot, who ridest on the wings of the wind," Psalm 104:1-3 "An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them." Isaiah 19:1 Furthermore, the very verb used here in reference to the Son of Man being served or worshiped is also used in Daniel for the service which is to be given to God alone! "Nebuchadnez'zar said, ‗Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed'nego, who has

sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God.‘" Daniel 3:28 Therefore, we have a specific Son of Man that is a divine eternal figure who reigns forever over all creation, unlike the other son of men who are mortal and die. And what kind of Son of Man did Jesus proclaim himself to be? Is he an ordinary son of man like Daniel or Ezekiel that fades and dies? Or is he the Divine Son of Man of Daniel, the One who lives and rules forever? We will let Jesus and the NT answer that for us: "And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then HE will send out the angels, and gatherHIS elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven." Mark 13:26-27 "But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‗Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?‘ And Jesus said, ‗I am;and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.‘" Mark 14:61-62

"When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. Thenthe King will say to those at his right hand, ‗Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;‘" Matthew 25:31-34

"But he, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God,and Jesus standing at the right hand of God; and he said, ‗Behold, I see the heavens opened,and the Son of man standing at the right hand of God.‘" Acts 7:55-56 "Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so." Amen. Revelation 1:7 Basically, Jesus isn‘t merely a son of man like the others; he is actually THE DIVINE Son of

Man who lives forever: "Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, and in the midst of the lampstandsone like a son of man , clothed with a long robe and with a golden girdle round his breast; his head and his hair were white as white wool, white as snow; his eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined as in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of many waters; in his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth issued a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying, ‗Fear not, I am the first and the l ast, and the living one; I died, and behold I AM ALIVE FOR EVERMORE, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.‘" Revelation 1:12-18

Jesus isn‘t simply a mortalbeing, but the eternal Word of God who became man to procure

our redemption: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,and the Word was God. He things made himHe was notin was in themade beginning with God;Inallhim anything that was made. waswere life, and thethrough life washim, the and lightwithout of men … was the world, and the world was made through him , yet the world knew him not…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us , full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as

of the only Son from the Father." John 1:1-4, 10, 14 And because he lives forever the Lord Jesus is able to save completely all those who come to him in faith: "What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him? Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies; who is to condemn? Is it Christ Jesus, who died, yes, who was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us?" Romans 8:31-34 "who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life… Consequently he is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through him,since he always lives to make intercession for them. For

it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens. He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did this once for all when he offered up himself. Hebrews 7:16, 25-27

It is little wonder that the NT says that everyone must take Jesus as the object of their hope and salvation, with the Lord Jesus commanding the believers to trust in him even as they trust in God: "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." John 14:1-3

"For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain." Acts 28:20 "Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope," 1 Timothy 1:1

"To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you,the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27 As it stands, a proper reading of Psalm 146:3 does nothing to refute the NT witness that Jesus Christ is the risen Lord and Savior of all men. All scriptural quotations taken from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

Question 52: Christians believe that God inspired the entire Bible, and yet Paul admitted that not everything he wrote was inspired. For instance, Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7:25 that he hadn’t received any command from the Lord to write the specific instructions mentioned in that chapter, but was merely giving his own opinion. Doesn’t this passage itself disprove the Christian claim that the entire Bible is i nspired? Answer:

The Revised Standard Version (RSV) reads: "Now concerning the unmarried, I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion (gnomen) as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy." Paul clearly states what he writes in this passage is solely his opinion, which Muslims see as a denial of inspiration. A couple of comments are in order. First, the Greek word translated as "opinion" comes from the Greek word gnome. The online Thayer's Greek Dictionary defines it as: Strong's #1106: gnome AV - judgment 3, mind 2, purpose + 1096 1, advice 1, will 1, agree + 4160 + 3391 1; 9

1) the faculty of knowledge, mind, reason 2) that which is thought or known, one's mind 2a) view, judgment, opinion 2b) mind concerning what ought to be done 2b1) by one's self: resolve purpose, intention 2b2) by others: judgment, advice 2b3) decree (Source) As the lexicon demonstrates, the word may mean to give a judgment, decree, view or even an opinion. In this particular context, the word is best rendered as judgment since Paul wanted to avoid giving the believers a command that had to be carried out. Paul wanted to give advice that persons could follow if they wished but did not have to. With this in mind, it is helpful to mention that Paul was addressing the question of whether a person should get married or not in light of the crisis that the Corinthians were undergoing: "Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this." 1 Corinthians 7:26-28 Christ, while on earth, never addressed the issue of whether persons were better off staying single if there were a crisis ortribulation. But as Christ‘s spokesperson Paul could address such issues since he was given Divine to gave speakthe on disciples, matters not addressed the by the earthly Christ. After all, the Lord Jesusauthority personally specifically apostles and prophets, the right to pass on instructions that they had either received from him while he was with them or from the Holy Spirit: "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me." Matthew 10:40 "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven;whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." Matthew 16:18-19

"If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‗every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.‘ If he refuses to listen to them,tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen

even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them ." Matthew 18:15-20

"Then Jesus came to them and said, ‗All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to

me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.‘" Matthew

28:18-20 "I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." John 13:20 "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name,will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you ." John 14:26 "Remember the words I spoke to you: ‗No servant is greater than his master.‘ If they

persecuted me, they will persecute you also.If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also… When the Counselor 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 t estify, for you have been with me from the beginning." John 15:20, 26-27 "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:12-13 "Again Jesus said, ‗Peace be with you!As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.‘ And with that he breathed on them and said, ‗Receive the Holy Spirit.If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven .‘" John 20:21-23

"In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until after giving instructions through Holy to the the day he up. to heaven, apostles hewas hadtaken chosen After his suffering, he showed himself to thesethe men andSpirit gave many

convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ‗Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised,

which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.‘" Acts 1:1-5 In other words, Christ‘s followers were given authority to address issues and make

commands that would then become binding upon all true believers. An example of this can be found in Acts 15 and the Jerusalem council. There, the Apostles and elders convened to decide whether the Gentiles needed to observe the Mosaic commands, an issue never addressed by Christ while he was physically with them. Their decision was that, apart from a certain few restrictions, the Gentiles were not obligated to follow the Law of Moses: "When they finished, James spoke up: Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ‗After this I will return and rebuild

David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things that have been known for ages.‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling

them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath. Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from uswithout our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul-men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell." Acts 15:13-29 This meant that all true believers had to now accept and follow the decisions of the Jerusalem Council. To reject their authority was to reject Christ. With the foregoing in mind, we can see why Paul could make commands or give suggestions to the Churches seeing that Christ had commissioned him to be his Apostle to the Gentiles. In fact, had the questioner read Paul‘s statement in context s/he would have found the Apostle s: claiming to be inspired by the Holy Spirit to speak God‘s revelation not in words us by human1 wisdom but in words taught by "This is what we speak,spiritual , expressing truths taught in spiritual words." Corinthians 2:13 the Spirit

"In my judgment, she is happier if she stays as she is– and I think that I too have the Spirit of God." 1 Corinthians 7:40 "If anybody thinks he is a prophet or spiritually gifted, let him acknowledgethat what I AM WRITING to you is the Lord's command. If he ignores this, he himself will be i gnored." 1 Corinthians 14:37-38 "since you are demanding proofTHAT CHRIST IS SPEAKING THROUGH ME . He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you". This is whyI write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh in my use of authoritythe authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down ." 2 Corinthians 13:3, 10 "Surely youmystery have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you, that is, the made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly. In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to men in other generationsas it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets. This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 3:2-6

Noted Evangelical Scholar and NT Commentator Craig L. Blomberg best sums up the meaning of Paul‘s statements in 1 Corinthians 7:25 and 40: … Verse 25b parallels the parenthesis in verse 12. In each case, Paul cannot cite a word from the earthly Jesus but believes God is inspiring him to offer reliable counsel… ‗I think that I too have the Spirit ofGod‘ (v. 40b) does not reflect any doubt on Paul‘s part but represents

a slightly sarcastic aside to the Corinthians, who felt that only they had attained spiritual insight. (Blomberg, The NIV Application Commentary - 1 Corinthians [Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI], pp. 151, 153-4; bold emphasis ours)

Just in case some Muslims have a problem with Paul giving a suggestion instead of a clearQuranic cut command, taking this to somehow mean that he wasn‘t inspired, here are a few verses that also happen to contain "divine" suggestions and which should be just as problematic for the Muslims raising this objection: If ye divorce them before ye have touched them and ye have appointed unto them a portion, then (pay the) half of that which ye appointed, unless they (the women) agree to forgo it, or he agreeth to forgo it in whose hand is the marriage tie. To forgo is nearer to piety. And forget not kindness among yourselves. Allah is Seer of what ye do. S. 2:237 Pickthall And if ye fear that ye will not deal fairly by the orphans, marry of the women, who seem good to you, two or three or four; and if ye fear that ye cannot do justice (to so many) then one (only) or (the captives) that your right hands possess. Thus it is more likely that ye will not do injustice. Andofgive women (whom marry) gift of their portions; but if they theirunto owntheaccord remit untoye you a partfree thereof, then ye marriage are welcome to absorb it (in your wealth). S. 4:3-4 They consult thee concerning women. Say: Allah giveth you decree concerning them, and the Scripture which hath been recited unto you (giveth decree), concerning female orphans and those unto whom ye give not that which is ordained for them though ye desire to marry them, and (concerning) the weak among children, and that ye should deal justly with orphans. Whatever good ye do, lo! Allah is ever Aware of it. If a woman feareth ill treatment from her husband, or desertion, it is no sin for them twain if they make terms of peace between themselves. Peace is better. But greed hath been made present in the minds (of men). If ye do good and keep from evil, lo! Allah is ever Informed of what ye do. Ye will not be able to deal equally between (your) wives, however much ye wish (to do so). But turn not altogether away (from one), leaving her as in suspense. If ye do good and keep from evil, lo! Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. But if they separate, Allah will compensate each out of His abundance. Allah is ever All-Embracing, All-Knowing. S. 4:127-130 Pickthall cf. S. 270-271, 280; 24:60 The above texts are prescribing certain things without making them obligatory upon the believers. Thus, if such Muslim reasoning is valid then this means that not ALL of the Quran is inspired either. (Actually, none of the Quran is divinely inspired since it is not the word of the true God).

Question 53: The New Testament anticipates a Prophet to come, the one like Moses, along with the Christ and Elijah (cf. John 1:19-21, 25). Clearly these Jews were expected the Prophet like Moses prophesied in Deuteronomy 18:15-19. Doesn’t this prove that Jesus, who is the Christ, is not the Prophet but that the Prophet would be someone else who was anticipated to come, namely Muhammad? Answer:

Muslims are constantly proving our assertion that they do not bother pondering over biblical texts carefully. This is even more so in the case of John 1:19-25. After all, if the Muslims had taken the time to carefully analyze this specific passage they would have avoided raising the following problems which we are about to mention. But first, note what the reference says: "And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, ‗Who are you?‘ He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, ‗I am not the Christ.‘ And they asked him, ‗What then? Are you Elijah?‘ He said, ‗I am not.‘ ‗Are you the Prophet?‘ And he answered, ‗No.‘ So they said to him, ‗Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?‘ He said, ‗I am the voice of

one crying out in the wilderness, "Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said.‘ (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.) They asked him, ‗Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, norElijah, nor the Prophet?‘" John 1:19-25

A careful look at the foregoing demonstrates that Muslims are basing their case on the (mis)understanding ofdistinct the Jewsindiv thatiduals. three Unfortunately figures were expected come, and that Christ and the Prophet were two for them,tothe Muslims haven‘t bothered to stop to think that if the Jews were correct then Muhammad couldn‘t be that

Prophet like Moses. The reason for this is very simple: if the Prophet was to be an Ishmaelite, or a non-Israelite, then why in the world did these Jews ask a fellow Israelite, John, if he were that Prophet to come? Why did they ask John, an Israelite, if he were that Prophet if the Prophet was to be a non-Israelite, a Gentile? Hence, if the Muslims believe that the Jews were correct that the Prophet was a distinct figure from the Christ then they must also accept that they were correct in believing that the Prophet would be an Israelite. But if the Muslims concede that the Jews may have been incorrect regarding the nationality of that Prophet, then they must likewise concede the possibility that they may have been wrong for assuming that the Prophet and Christ were two different figures. The only way we can know whether these Jews were right, wrong or whether they were partially correct is to see what the rest of the Holy Scriptures say about this matter: "Philip found Nathanael and said to him, ‗We have found him of whomMoses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.‘" John 1:45

Jesus agrees with Philip: "Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. If you believed Moses, you would believe me;for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how willyou believe my words?‘" John 5:45-47

John wasn‘t the only Gospel to identify Jesus as the One announced by Moses: "And he said to them, ‗O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believeall that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?‘ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the

Scriptures the things concerning himself." Luke 24:25-27 le I was still with you, "Then he said to them, ‗These are my words that I spoke to you whi that everything written about mein the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.‘ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures," Luke 24:44-45 "To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:43 "To this day I have had the help that comes from God, and so I stand here testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophetsand Moses said would come to pass: that the Christ must suffer and that, by being the first to rise from the dead, he would proclaim light both to our people and to the Gentiles." Acts 26:22-23 The foregoing shows that whereas the Jews were correct to assume that the Prophet was an Israelite they were incorrect to think he was a separate person from the Christ. Some Muslims seek to further prove that Jesus as the Christ cannot be this Prophet since, according to John 7:40-43 and 50-52, that Prophet would not come from Galilee whereas Jesus was from Galilee. This therefore means that Jesus could not be that Prophet. Let us ponder over the passages and see if whether the Muslim claims hold any weight: "When they heard these words, some of the people said, ‗This really is the Prophet.‘ Others said, ‗This is the Christ.‘ But some said, Is ‗ the Christ to come from Galilee? Has not the

Scripture said that the Christ comes from the offspring of David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?‘ So there was a division among the peopleover him." John 7:40-43 "Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, ‗Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?‘ They replied, ‗Are you from Galilee too? Search and seethat no prophet arises from Galilee.‘" John 7:50-

52 We can see from the foregoing that Muslims have once again failed to pay careful attention to the biblical texts. Not only did these Jews erroneously assume that the Prophet wouldn‘t come from Galilee (1), but some of them also thought that the Christ couldn‘t be from there

either! Thus if these Jews were correct then not only could Jesus not be that Prophet but he couldn‘t even be the Christ! But if that is the case then both Christianity and Islam are false religions since both of them teach that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Messiah of God. Hence, those Muslims who use such arguments have only managed to undermine both religions, theirs and ours! Thankfully there is an answer which shows that the difference in opinion among the Jews whether the Christ was from Bethlehem or Galilee was a result of their confusion, not on the solid exegesis of the Hebrew Bible.

The Hebrew Scriptures demonstrate that these particular Jews who thought that Christ would come either from Bethlehem or Galilee, but not from both, were wrong. The OT prophets announced that the Messiah, even though he would come from Bethlehem, would also shine forth in Galilee: "But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined… For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the

government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor,

Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The

zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." Isaiah 9:1-2, 6-7 "But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for meone who is to be ruler in Israel, whose srcin is from of old, from ancient days." Micah 5:2 The NT shows how the birth and life of Jesus fulfills both of these predictions: "Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying, ‗Where is he whohas been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.‘ When Herod the king

heardscribes this, he troubled, all Jerusalem assembling the They chief told priests and of was the people, heand inquired of them with wherehim; the and Christ was to beall born. him, ‗In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: " And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel."‘" Matthew 2:1-6

"Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled : ‗The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.‘ From that time Jesus began to

preach, saying, ‗Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.‘" Matthew 4:12-17

Note how Matthew had no problem with Jesus the Messiah being from both places. As an eyewitness who knew Jesus and his family personally Matthew was aware that Christ was born in Bethlehem andwhere then later settled in Galilee. Hence, preceding indicates this was another time the Jews were wrong since theythewere clearly data mistaken aboutthat what the Scriptures actually said about the Messiah‘s point of srcin. Besides, the passage in Deuteronomy 18:15-19 doesn‘t say where the Prophet like Moses would come from: "The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers--it is to him you shall listen-- just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on

the day of the assembly, when you said, ‗Let me not hear again the voice of the LORD my God or see this great fire any more, lest I die.‘ And the LORD said to me, ‗They are rightn i

what they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him.‘"

As long as he was an Israelite he could have came from anywhere. Lest the readers misunderstand this point we need to further qualify what we mean here. The passage in Deuteronomy does not explicitly link the Prophet with the Messiah, nor does it tell us from what land he would come. So if we were to base our case on that passage alone, in isolation from the rest of the Holy Scriptures, then we couldn‘t definitely say or know

where that Prophet would come from. On the other hand, the Hebrew Bible does say where the Messiah would come from and the location of his ministry, i.e. Bethlehem of Judea, Galilee of the Gentiles etc., so that point we know for sure. Yet seeing that the NT documents identify the Prophet with the Messiah, with later rabbinic Jewish interpretation agreeing with this interpretation, this means that the Prophet would have to also come from Bethlehem and Galilee. Note how this works out logically:  

The Messiah would come from Bethlehem and Galilee of the gentiles. The Messiah is the Prophet like Moses.



Therefore, the Prophet like Moses would come from Bethlehem and Galilee of the gentiles. Moreover, this shows a rather inconsistent methodology or selectivity on the part of the Muslims since they quote the words of the Jews who differentiated between the Christ and the Prophet but fail to quote the following comments of the Jews: "After this Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. And a large crowd was following him, because they saw the signs that he was doing on the sick. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there he sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‗Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?‘ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip a answered him, ‗Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to get little.‘ One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, said to him, ‗There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?‘ Jesus said, ‗Have the people sit down.‘ Now there was much grass in the place. So themen sat down, about

five thousand in number. Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And er up the leftover fragments, that when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, ‗Gath nothing may be lost.‘ So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten.When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, ‘This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!’ Perceiving

then that they were about to come and take him by force to make him king, Jesus withdrew again to the mountain by himself." John 6:1-15

These Jews concluded that Jesus must have been the Prophet like Moses since he performed a similar miracle to Moses, namely the miraculous feeding of multitudes. Why do Muslims not accept this testimony of the Jews, especially when it completely agrees with Jesus‘ own

statements that he is that Prophet who was to come into the world? To conclude our discussion, we want to advise Muslims (and anyone else for that matter) that they shouldn‘t be basing their theology on rather shaky foundations, on the statements of

uninspired men or women who were confused, but on the explicit teaching of the message of the prophets of God who were communicating God‘s thoughts on this subject. And once this

approach is applied to this specific issue it will become quite obvious that Jesus is not only the Christ but also that Prophet who was to come into the world! Endnotes (1) Note,

here, that the Jews are not simply denying thatTHE Prophet of Deuteronomy 18 would come from Galilee, but thatANY Prophet would actually arise from this place. This shows just how ignorant they were of their own Scriptures since Jonah was an inspired prophet who was srcinally from Galilee: "He was the one who restored the boundaries of Israel from Lebo Hamath to the Sea of the Arabah, in accordance with the word of the LORD, the God of Israel, spoken through his servant Jonah son of Amittai,the prophet from Gath Hepher." 2 Kings 14:25 Gath-Hepher a town of Lower Galilee, about 5 miles from Nazareth, was allotted to the tribe of Zebulun: "The third lot came up for Zebulun, clan by clan: The boundary of their inheritance went as far as Sarid. Going west it ran to Maralah, touched Dabbesheth, and extended to the ravine near Jokneam. It turned east from Sarid toward the sunrise to the territory of Kisloth Tabor and went on to Daberath and up to Japhia. Then it continued eastward to Gath Hepher and Eth Kazin; it came out at Rimmon and turned toward Neah." Joshua 19:10-13 The foregoing should further caution those Muslims from uncritically basing their case on statements from uninspired individuals without checking whether such views are supported by clear passages reflecting God‘s view of the matter.

Question 54: According to the Holy Bible John the Baptist announced the coming of One greater than he (cf. Mark 1:7-8; Matthew 3:7-12; Luke 3:15-17), whom Christians believe was Jesus Christ. Yet some of the Gospels show that John wasn’t certain whether Jesus was the One he spoke of or whether this was someone else to come (cf. Matthew 11:2-3; Luke 7:18-20). On top of that John didn’t follow Jesus, which we would expec t him to do if Jesus really was the One to come. Moreover, Jesus didn’t come after John but was his contemporary. Doesn’t this evidence prove that the One whom John spoke of was another prophet who was to come aft er Jesus, namely Muhammad?

Answer:

Here is what John said according to Matthew: "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Matthew 3:11-12 In light of the foregoing we would like to address the specific objections raised against this being a prophecy of Jesus. In the first place, even though John and Jesus were contemporaries Christ did not begin proclaiming the Gospel untilafter John the Baptist‘s public ministry had already started: "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‗Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness:"Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,"‘ John appeared, baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And all the country of Judea and all Jerusalem were going out to him

and were being baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist and ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, ‗After me comes he who is mightier than I, the strap of

whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.‘In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by Johnopening in the Jordan he cameon uphim out of immediately he saw the heavens and the. And Spiritwhen descending likethea water, dove. And a

voice came from heaven, ‗You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.‘ … Now " after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‗The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.‘" Mark 1:14-15, Mark 1:1-11, 14-15

John himself said that the One to come was already standing among the people, i.e. he was already present, even though he was to come after the Baptist! "John answered them, ‗I baptize with water, BUT AMONG YOU STANDS one you do not know, EVEN HE WHO COMES AFTER ME, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.‘ These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing."

John 1:26-28 "Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. And they came to John and said to him, ‗Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness--look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him.‘ John answered, ‗A person

cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, "I am not the Christ, BUT I HAVE BEEN SENT BEFORE HIM." The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom‘s voice.Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease." John 3:25-30

Notice that John expressly says that he was sent ahead of the Christ, not Muhammad! More on this later. Thus, Christ did indeed come "after" John. Secondly, John not becoming Jesus‘ disciple somehow proves that Christ wasn‘t the One to

come is simply non sequitur and really proves nothing. John himself stated that he had come to prepare the way for Jesus and that he would decrease, i.e. fade in the background, once he arrived on the scene: "So they said to him, ‗Who are you? We need to give an answer to thosewho sent us. What do you say about yourself?‘ He said, ‗I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, -23 "Make straight the way of the Lord," as the prophet Isaiah said.‘" John 1:22 This shows that the Baptist‘s function wasn‘t to become a discipleof Christ but to prepare his

way. Besides, as we saw above from the Markan text, John was arrested shortly before Jesus began his Galilean ministry, a fact repeated in Matthew: "Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee. And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‗The land of

Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles-- the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.‘From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.‘" Matthew 4:12-17

This would make it rather difficult for John to follow Jesus around as his disciple! We now turn our attention to John doubting Jesus. The Muslims typically argue that John, being an inspired prophet who heard God‘s voice and was filled with the Holy Spirit, should not have doubted Jesus if he was actually the One that the Baptist came to prepare the way. This logic is fallacious since the Holy Bible does not make the assertion that an inspired prophet will not make mistakes or commitsins. God doesn‘t cause a prophet or apostle to become impeccable or absolutely perfect in order to be able to communicate his divine truths. Inspiration means (at least according to the Holy Bible) that God prevents a prophet or an apostle from introducing errors and mistakes into the proclamation of his inspired Truth. Nor does hearing God‘s voice or being filled with the Spirit mean that individuals would not

have doubts or experience a lapse in faith. After all, how do we explain the unbelief of the Israelites during the time of Moses who heard God‘s voice and saw firsthand all the miracles he performed for them? How do we explain Pharaoh hardening his heart when he too was privy to God‘s signs and wonders which he did through Moses?

What will we say of Jeremiah‘s backslidden state where God had to command him to repent? "O LORD, you know; remember me and visit me, and take vengeance for me on my persecutors. In your forbearance take me not away; know that for your sake I bear reproach. Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart, for I am called by your name, O LORD, God of hosts. I did not sit in the company of revelers, nor did I rejoice; I sat alone, because your hand was upon me, for you

had filled me with indignation.Why is my pain unceasing, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you be to me like a deceitful brook, like waters that fail? Therefore thus says the LORD: ‗If you return, I will restore you, and you shall stand before me. If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless, you shall be as my mouth . They shall turn

to you, but you shall not turn to them. And I will make you to this people a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you, but they shall not prevail over you, for I am with you to save you and deliver you, declares the LORD. I will deliver you out of the hand of the -21 wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.‘" Jeremiah 15:15 How would we account for the disciples abandoning and even denying their Lord, "And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, ‗You will all fall away, for it is written, "I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered." But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.‘ Peter said to him, "Even though they all fall away, I will not.‘ And Jesus said to him, ‗Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.‘ But he said emphatically, ‗If I must die with you, I will not deny you.‘ And they all said the same… And

immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, ‗The one I will kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.‘ And when he came, he went up to him at once and said, ‗Rabbi!‘

And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them, ‗Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day

after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the Scriptures be fulfilled.‘ And they all left him and fled… And as Peter was below in the

courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came, and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him and said, ‗You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.‘ But he denied it, saying, ‗I neither know nor understand what you mean.‘ And he went out into the gateway

and the rooster crowed. And the servant girl saw him and began again to say to the bystanders, ‗This man is one of them.‘ But again he denied it. And after a little while the bystanders again said to Peter, ‗Certainly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.‘ But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, ‗I do not know this man of whom you speak.‘ And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, ‗Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.‘ And he

broke down and wept." Mark 14:26-31, 43-50, 66-72 r through the When they both heard God‘s testimony about Christ and saw Jesus‘ powe miracles which both he and they performed in Christ‘s name? "And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them And he was transfigured before them, and his face up a high by themselves. shone likemountain the sun, and his clothes became white as light. And behold, there appeared to

them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, ‗Lord, it is good that we

are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.‘ He was still speaking when,behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.‘

When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, ‗Rise, and have no fear.‘ And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw

no one but Jesus only. And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, -9 ‗Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.‘" Matthew 17:1 "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by -two returned two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go… The seventy with joy, saying, ‗Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!‘ And he said to them, ‗I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to

tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.‘" Luke 10:1, 17-20 "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‗This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,‘ we ourselves heard

this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain." 2 Peter 1:16-18 Peter himself professed by a revelation from God that Jesus is the Christ, God‘s Son: "‗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.‘ Jesus replied, ‗Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but by my Father in heaven.‘" Matthew

16:15-17 How then do we answer all of this? The answer is rather simple, at least for those w ho believe in God‘s Word, the Holy Bible: Even the best of saints can be the worst of sinners and have doubts at times. (1) With the foregoing in mind, it is evident that John‘s circumstances, i.e. being imprisoned,

caused him to entertain specific doubts about Christ, doubts which Jesus sought to quench through the answers he gave to the Baptist‘s disciples:

"The disciples of John reported all these things to him. And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, ‗Are you the onewho is to come, or shall we look for another?‘ And when the men had come to him, they said, ‗John the Baptist has sent us to you, saying, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?‘ In that hour he healed

many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits, and on many who were blind he bestowed sight. And he answered them, ‗Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the

blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not

offended by me.‘" Luke 7:18-23

Jesus answers John‘s question by appealing to the supernatural miracles he performed as confirmation that he indeed is the One to come and that John should n‘t lose heart and

entertain doubts about this. Thus, Jesus himself testifies that he is that One who was to come!

Furthermore, the very same New Testament books quoted by Muslims plainly state that John, before his momentary lapse of faith, had expressly testified that Jesus is the One that God sent him to prepare for: "As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, John answered them all, saying, ‗I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire . His winnowing fork is in his

hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.‘ … Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened,and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, ‗You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.‘" Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Notice that the subject has to do with the Christ, whether John was the Messiah, to which he responds by basically saying that he (the Christ) will come after him: "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 bore witness about him, and cried out, ‘THIS WAS HE OF WHOM I SAID, "He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me."‘)" John 1:14-15

"The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‗Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!THIS IS HE OF WHOM I SAID, "After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me." I myself did not know him,but for this purpose I‗Icsaw ame the baptizing with water, that he might revealed Israel.‘ And John Ibore witness: Spirit descend from heaven like abedove, and to it remained on him. myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me,He " on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit." And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.‘" John 1:29-34

What makes this rather amusing, in fact intriguing, is that the Quran also claims that John was sent as a forerunner to Christ! And the angels called to him, standing in the Sanctuary at worship, 'Lo, God gives thee good tidings of John, who shall confirm a Word of God, a chief, and chaste, a Prophet, righteous.' … When the angels said, 'Mary, God gives thee good tidingsof a Word from Him whose name is Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary; high honoured shall he be in this world and the next,

near stationed to God. S. 3:39 John was sent to confirm a Word from God, which the context identifies as Jesus Christ. In other words,that the John foregoing Quranic passage agreeing both the Old New an Testaments was sent to prepare theispeople for with the appearance of and the Christ, interpretation affirmed by Muslim exegetes: And the angels, namely, Gabriel, called to him, standing in the sanctuary, in the temple, at worship that (anna, means bi-anna; a variant reading has inna, implying a direct speech statement) 'God gives you good tidings (readyubashshiruka, or yubshiruka) of John, who shall confirm a Word, being, from God, namely, Jesus, that he is God's Spirit ; he is referred to as [God's] 'Word', because he was created through the word kun, 'Be'; a lord, with

a following, and one chaste, forbidden from women, and a prophet of the righteous': it is said that he never sinned and never so intended. T( afsir al-Jalalayn; source; bold emphasis ours) (And the angels) i.e. the Angel Gabriel (called to him as he stood praying in the sanctuary) in the mosque: (Allah giveth thee glad tidings of John) a son whose name is John, ((who cometh) to confirm a Word from Allah) Jesus son of Mary that he will be a word from Allah, created without a father, (lordly) who is clement when wronged, (chaste) has no desire for women, (a Prophet of the righteous) among the messengers. ( Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs; source; bold and italic emphasis ours) Al-Àwfi reported that Ibn Àbbas said, and also Al-

Hasan, Qatadah, Ìkrimah, Mujahid, Abu Ash-Sha`tha, As-Suddi, Ar-Rabi` bin Anas, AdDahhak, and several others said that theAyah… means, "Believing in Ìsa, son of Maryam." (Tafsir Ibn Kathir; source; bold and underline emphasis ours)

Moreover, the Holy Bible records how Jesus poured forth the Spirit in fulfillment of John‘s

statements about him: "Then he said to them, ‗These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you,

that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.‘ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, ‗Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and

that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, am sending the beginningoffrom Jerusalem. witnesses of these things. . But stay in the city until youAnd are behold, clothed Iwith power from promise my Fa ther uponYou youare

on high.‘" Luke 24:44-49 "In the first book, O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. To them he presented himself alive after his suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem,but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, ‗you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.‘ So when they had

come together, they asked him, ‗Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?‘ He said to them, ‗It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive powerwhen the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.‘" Acts

1:1-8 "When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance… ‗Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about the patriarch

David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he

was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.‘" Acts 2:1-4, 29-33

This outpouring of the Spirit led Jesus‘ Apostles to recall the words of the Baptist regarding Jesus‘ ministry: "But Peter began and explained it to them in order: ‗I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in

a trance I saw a vision, something like a great sheet descending, being let down from heaven by its four corners, and it came down to me. Looking at it closely, I observed animals and beasts of prey and reptiles and birds of the air. And I heard a voice saying to me, "Rise, Peter; kill and eat." But I said, "By no means, Lord; for nothing common or unclean has ever entered my mouth." But the voice answered a second time from heaven, "What God has made clean, do not call common." This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven. And behold, at that very moment three men arrived at the house in which we were, sent to me from Caesarea. And the Spirit told me to go with them, making no distinction. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man's house. And he told us how he had seen the angel stand in his house and say, "Send to Joppa and bring Simon who is called Peter; he will declare to you a message by which you will be saved, you and all your household." As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, "John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us WHEN WE BELIEVED IN THE LORD JESUS CHRIST, who was

I that I could stand in God‘s way?‘" Acts 11:4 -17

And: "And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. And he said to them, ‗Did you receive ard that there is the Holy Spirit when you believed?‘ And they said, ‗No, we have not even he a Holy Spirit.‘ And he said, ‗Into what then were you baptized?‘ They said, ‗Into John's baptism.‘ And Paul said, ‗John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe IN THE ONE WHO WAS TO COME AFTER HIM, THAT IS, JESUS.‘ On hearing this, they were baptized IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS. And when Paul had laid his hands on them,the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in

tongues and prophesying. There were about twelve men in all." Acts 19:1-7 Here, also, is what the Apostle John wrote in relation to Christ and the Baptist‘s ministry: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life [The Word who becomes the man Jesus], and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God,whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light [Jesus], that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light [Jesus]. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the

right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God." John 1:1-13 Finally, Christ will judge the nations and destroy the wicked, in fulfillment of the Baptist‘s

statements regarding the One who comes with a winnowing fork in his hand to gather his wheat into the barn and destroy the chaff with unquenchable fire: "Jesus told them another parable: ‗The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good

seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared. The owner's servants came to him and said, ‗Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your

field? Where then did the weeds come from?" "An enemy did this," he replied. The servants asked him, "Do you want us to go and pull them up?" "No," he answered, "because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn."‘" Matthew 13:24-30 Jesus went on to explain this parable: "When he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, ‗Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.‘ He answered, ‗The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man . The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the

devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire,so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out HISevil. angels, d they will weed outthe of fiery HIS kingdom everything sin and all who do Theyan will throw them into furnace, whe re therethat willcau be ses weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.

He who has ears, let him hear.‘" Matthew 13:36-43

Continuing further: "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels,and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 16:27

"Jesus said to them, ‗I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things,when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.‘" Matthew 19:28

"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put

the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‗Come, you who are blessed bymy Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for

you since the creation of the world‘… Then he will say to those on his left, Depart ‗ from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels‘… Then

they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46

"Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him… And he has given himauthority to judge because he is the Son of Man." John 5:22-23, 27

"You know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. You know what has happened throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached —how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. We are witnesses of everything he did in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They killed him by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him from the dead on the third day and caused him to be seen. He was not seen by all the people, but by witnesses whom God had already chosen —by us who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commanded us to preach to the people and to testifythat he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name." Acts 10:36-43 "In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all menby raising him from the dead." Acts 17:3031 "I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was onelike ‗ a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel Take came out ofathe temple and called in a to loud to himfor who sitting cloud, ‗ , because the time reapvoice has come, thewas your sickle nd reap harvest of on thethe earth is ripe.‘ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was

harvested." Revelation 14:14-16 "‗Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End‘… He who testifies to these things says, Yes, ‗ I am coming soon.‘ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Revelation 22:12-13, 20

Muhammad himself taught and believed that Jesus would return to judge and rule: Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, son of Mary (Jesus) will shortly descend amongst you people (Muslims)as a just ruler and will break the Cross and kill the pig and abolish the Jizya (a tax taken from the non-Muslims, who are in the protection, of the Muslim government). there will be abundance of money and no-body will accept charitable gifts. (SahihThen al-Bukhari, Volume 3, Book 34, Number 425) Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, surely (Jesus,) the son of Mary will soon descend amongst youand will judge mankind justly (as a Just Ruler); he will break the Cross and kill the pigs and there will be no Jizya (i.e. taxation taken from non Muslims). Money will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it, and a single prostration to Allah (in prayer) will be better than the whole world and whatever is in it." Abu Huraira added, "If

you wish, you can recite (this verse of the Holy Book): -- ‗And there is none Of the people of the Scriptures (Jews and Christians) but must believe in him (i.e. Jesus as an Apostle of Allah and a human being) before his death. And on the Day of Judgment He will be a witness al-Bukhari, Volume 4, Against them.‘" (4.159) (See Fateh Al Bari, Page 302 Vol 7) Sahih ( Book 55, Number 657) Obviously from a Christian perspective Muhammad‘s views prove absolutely nothing, and

only carry weight for the Muslims who believe in him. In light of the preceding can there be any doubt that John was speaking of the exalted and risen Lord Jesus? To summarize the biblical data that shows that John was speaking of Jesus, not Muhammad: 

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John clearly identified Jesus as that One whom God said was to come, for whom he was sent to prepare the way. The disciples of Jesus confirm that John came to prepare the people for the advent of Jesus the Messiah. The Quran and Islamic commentators also agree with this point, specifically that John was sent ahead of Jesus as his forerunner, not Muhammad‘s.

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Jesus baptized believers in/with the Holy Spirit, just as John said he would. This further confirms that Jesus is the One announced by the Baptist. Jesus expressly states that he will come to judge the nations with the NT claiming that he is the One who wields a winnowing fork to separate the righteous from the wicked.

The foregoing conclusively that Muhammad not thebeloved One spoken the Baptist. Rather, the Baptizer was sentshows to proclaim the comingwas of God‘s Son, of theby sovereign Lord of glory, Jesus Christ, mankind‘s only Hope and Savior.

John the Baptist was a Prophet of Whom Exactly?

According to the testimony of the Evangelists John was sent as the prophet of the Lord to prepare his way: "Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‗Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear

you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many rejoice his birth,drink, for he and willhe bewill great the sight Lord. He even is never will to take winebecause or otheroffermented beinfilled with of thethe Holy Spirit from birth. Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous —to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." Luke 1:11-17 "His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‗Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people. He has raised up a horn

of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us — to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.‘"

Luke 1:67-79 At first glance this seems to suggest that by Lord the inspired author meant God the Father, that John was the prophet of the Father of Jesus which he certainly was. However, upon closer analysis the term Lord here refers to the Lord Christ since John came to prepare his way: "You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christbut am sent ahead of him.‘" John 3:28 Furthermore, Jesus is identified as Lord in Luke‘s Gospel:

"At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, where she entered Zechariah's home and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: ‗Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why that the of baby MY LORD come tofor me? am I so favored, soon asisthe of your greeting reached mymother ears, the in my should womb leaped joy.AsBlessed shesound who has believed that what the Lord has said to her will be accomplished!‘" Luke 1:39-45

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, ws and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‗Do not be afraid. I bring you good ne of great joy that will be for all the people.Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.‘" Luke 2:8-12 Moreover, Jesus himself testified that John was the messenger spoken of in Malachi 3:1: "After John's messengers left, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: ‗What did you

go out into the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear expensive clothes and indulge in luxury are in palaces. But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet . This is the one about whom it is written: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.‘" Luke 7:24-27 Here is the text from Malachi which Jesus quoted: "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly THE LORD (Ha Adon) you are seeking will come to HIS TEMPLE; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,' says Yahweh of Hosts." Malachi 3:1

In the Old Testament the word Ha Adon is only and always used for Yahweh, which basically means that the messenger (whom Jesus identifies as John) was sent to prepare for the coming of Yahweh God to his temple. And as we have already seen from the foregoing data, Jesus is the Lord whom John came to prepare the way, and therefore shows that Jesus is Yahweh God! Putting it another way, by identifying John as the messenger of Malachi 3:1 Jesus was essentially claiming to be the very Lord that was coming to his very own temple. And since the temple belongs to Yahweh Jesus was indirectly identifying himself as Yahweh God! To help the reader follow with our logic note that:  

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The messenger whom God would send was to prepare for the appearance of Yahweh. John was that messenger according to his own testimony, as well as according to both Jesus and the NT writers. The Baptist‘s own words, along with the express statements of the New Testament itself, identify Jesus as the Person whom John came to prepare the way. This, therefore, means that Jesus is Yahweh God in human form, the Lord whom Malachi said was coming to his very own temple.

Thus, not only is Jesus the One that John spoke of, he is also the very Lord God of the OT Scriptures who was foretold to come! For more on John‘s relationship to the Lord Jesus we recommendthis article.

Endnotes (1) The

Quran testifies that certain prophets entertained doubts even after experiencing the power of God: And when Abraham said, 'My Lord, show me how Thou wilt give life to the dead,' He said, 'Why, dost thou not believe?' 'Yes,' he said, 'but that my heart may be at rest .' Said He,

'Take four birds, and twist them to thee, then set a part of them on every hill, then summon them, and they will come to thee running. And do thou know that God is All-mighty, Allwise.' S. 2:260 Pickthall They said, 'Moses, either thou wilt cast, or we shall be the first to cast.' 'No,' said Moses. 'Do you cast!' And lo, it seemed to him, by their sorcery, their ropes and their staffs were sliding; and Moses conceived a fear within him. We said unto him, 'Fear not; surely thou art the uppermost.‘ S. 20:65-68 Arberry Moreover, in many passages Muhammad is portrayed as having doubts and fears: And if thou (Muhammad) art in doubt concerning that which We reveal unto thee, then

question those who read the Scripture (that was) before thee. Verily the Truth from thy Lord hath come unto thee. So be not thou of the waverers. And be not thou of those who deny the revelations of Allah, for then wert thou of the losers. S. 10:94-95 Pickthall

Then, it may be that you will give up part of what is revealed TO YOU and your breast will become straightened by it because they say: Why has not a treasure been sent down upon

him or an angel come with him? You are only a warner; and Allah is custodian over all things. S. 11:12 Shakir And surely they had purposed to turn you away from that which We have revealed to you, that you should forge against Us other than that, and then they would certainly have taken you for a friend. And had it not been that We had already established you, you would certainly have been near to incline to them a little; In that case We would certainly have made you to taste a double (punishment) in this life and a double (punishment) after death, then you would not have found any helper against Us. S. 17:73-75 Shakir

We obviously do not believe that Muhammad was a true prophet so it matters not whether he had a lapse in faith. But this fact is relevant to those Muslims who do accept him as a messenger since it confirms thepoint that even God‘s spokespersons can experience fears and doubts. For more on Muhammad‘s fears, doubts and sins we recommend the following material:

http://answering-islam.org/Silas/mo-sinner.htm http://answering-islam.org/Gilchrist/Vol1/7b.html http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/sinless.htm http://answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/sinless_appendix.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/compromise_doubt.htm http://answering-islam.org/Responses/Osama/zawadi_s10_94.htm

Question 55: Christians make a big deal over Jesus being called God in several NT passages (cf. John 1:1, 18; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8; 2 Peter 1:1) but overlook the fact that there are other persons who are also called God like Moses (cf. Exodus 4:16, 7:1). If being called God proves that Jesus is the Almighty then wouldn’t this same logic have to be applied to Moses? Wouldn’t this prove that Moses is also the Almighty? Answer:

The problem with the question is that it isn‘t merely that Christ is called God which leads

Christians to believe that Jesus is fully God in essence. Rather, it is the way in which the NT writers use the term God for Jesus which indicates that the inspired authors truly believed and were convinced that he is the Lord God Almighty. More on this later. Moreover, when we examine the specific passages which call Moses God it will become clear that the inspired author (who happens to be Moses!) wasn‘t claiming that this blessed

and holy prophet was somehow divine in essence; nor was he using the term in the same manner that the NT writers use it in reference to Christ. Here are the OT citations, quoted within their immediate contexts, to illustrate the point:

"But Moses said to the LORD, ‗Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.‘ Then the LORD said to him, ‗Who has made man‘s mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.‘ But he said, ‗Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.‘ Then the anger of the LORD was kindled against Moses and he said, ‗Is there not Aaron, your brother, the

Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. He shall speak FOR YOU to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him. And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.‘" Exodus 4:10 -17 ESV "On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the LORD said to Moses, ‗I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.‘ But Moses said to the LORD, ‗Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?‘ And the LORD said to Moses, ‗See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell -30, 7:1-2 ESV Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.‘" Exodus 6:28

As the readers can plainly see, the above texts are calling Moses God in the sense that he is Yahweh‘s spokesperson, his agent who is given his divine authority to speak to Pharaoh on his behalf. Thus, when Moses speaks to Pharaoh it‘s as if God is speaking to him. In a similar manner, Aaron is called Moses‘ mouth in the sense of his being Moses‘ agent who speaks on behalf of his brother. This example of Aaron being Moses‘ agent shows that Moses was no

more God in essence than Aaron was actually his very own mouth! Coming to the issue of Christ the question that we will seek to answer is do the NT writers identify him as God in the same sense that Moses is called God? In other words, are the authors of the NT simply asserting that Christ is God merely in a representational sense, because he speaks on behalf of God as his Agent? The answer to this question is both yes and no. Yes, Jesus is God‘s supreme Agent who acts in perfect accord with his Father‘s will, who speaks only what his Father commands:

"For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me." John 6:38

"Jesus answered, ‗My teaching is not my own. It comes from him who sent me. If anyone

chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.‘" John 7:16-17 "So Jesus said, ‗When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be and that I do nothing on my ownbut speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone,for I always do what pleases him.‘" John 8:28-29

"For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life. So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say." John 12:49-50

And no, Jesus is not just God‘s Agent but is infinitely more than that. According to the NT, Jesus is fully God in essence and has all of the essential characteristics of Deity. For the sake of brevity we can only briefly summarize the data here. 1. Christ is the Creator and Sustainer. The Holy Bible identifies Yahweh as the Creator and Sustainer of all created things: "For the LORD is the great God, the great King above all gods. In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him. The sea is his,for he made it, and his hands formed the dry land. Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;" Psalm 95:3-6 "Know that the LORD is God.It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture." Psalm 100:3 The NT writers ascribe these roles and functions to the Lord Jesus Christ: "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… He was in the world, and thoughthe world was made through him, the world did not recognize

him." John 1:3, 10 "For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:16-17

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven… He [the Father] also says, ‗In the beginning, O Lord [th Son], you laid the foundations of the

earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. They will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment. You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be -3, 10-12 changed. But you remain the same, and your years will never end.‘" Hebrews 1:1 2. Christ shares God‘s incommunicable or unique attributes.

As we alluded to earlier, there are certain attributes, specific characteristics, which God alone has and which distinguish him from every created thing. Some of these qualities which separate God from creation include: omniscience (all-knowing), omnipotence (all-powerful), omnipresence (present everywhere) and eternality (timeless, having no beginning and no end). According to the NT, Jesus has all of these unique traits of God. - Christ is omniscient: Jesus knows what‘s in a heart of a man:

"Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, ‗Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?‘"

Matthew 9:4 Jesus knew that the first fish that Peter would catch would have a four-drachma coin in its mouth: "But so that we may not offend them, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours." Matthew 17:27 The disciples came to the conclusion that their Lord knows all things: "Now we can see that you know all things and that you do not even need to have anyone ask you questions. This makes us believe that you came from God.‘ ‗You believe at last!‘ Jesus answered." John 16:30-31 "The third time he said to him, ‗Simon son of John, do you love me?‘ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, ‗Do you love me?‘ He said,Lord, ‗ you know all things; you know that I love you.‘ Jesus said, ‗Feed my sheep.‘" John 21:17

- Christ is omnipresent: Christ is in the midst of a gathering of two or more individuals: "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matthew 18:20 Jesus further tells his followers that he is personally present (spiritually, not physically) with all believers wherever they are at till the end of the age: "and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:20 He even claims to be present with every individual Christian believer in the same sense and to the same degree as his Father is: "Jesus replied, ‗If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.My Father will love him, and WE will come to him and makeOUR home with him.‘" John 14:23

- Christ is omnipotent: Christ is so powerful that he will raise the dead, both spiritual and physically, simply by the sound of his voice: "I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hearthe voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live … Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graveswill hear HIS VOICE and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." John 5:25, 28-29

The same power which enables Christ to raise the dead and transform them is the very same power which enables him to bring everything under his perfect and complete control: "But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21 As if this weren‘t amazing enough, Chris is personally sustaining the entire created order by

his all-powerful word! "He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." Colossians 1:17 "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word…" Hebrews 1:3

And because Jesus is Almighty he can grant eternal life and guarantee that no one will ever be able to snatch away his flock: "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. 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." John 10:27-30 - Christ is eternal: The Holy Bible says that Jesus loving fellowship with God the existed Father: before creation, that he was existing in eternity in "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 …The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father , full of grace and truth." John 1:1-3, 14 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. Colossians 1:17

3. Christ is worshiped as God. The Lord Jesus expressly stated that people must give him the same exact type of honor which they render to God the Father: that all may "Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, honor the Son JUST AS they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not

honor the Father, who sent him." John 5:22-23 The reader needs to pay careful attention to the fact that Christ didn‘t tell his audience to

honor him as they would honor a prophet, teacher, or a parent. Rather, he plainly tells them to honor him just as they honor the Father.

No creature can ever demand such an honor without committing blasphemy since such reverence can only be offered to the one true God: "Jesus said to him, ‗Away from me, Satan! For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only."‘ Matthew 4:10

"As Peter entered the house, Cornelius met him and fell at his feet in reverence. But Peter made him get up. ‗Stand up,’ he said, ‘I am only a man myself.‘ Acts 10:25-26 "At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me,Do ‗ not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus.Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.‘" Revelation 19:10

"I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, ‗Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book.Worship God!‘" Revelation 22:8-9 Seeing that the NT affirms that Christ is fully God in essence, and not just God‘s Agent, it is not surprising to find the inspired Scriptures teaching that all creation (which would include Moses) worships him just as they worship his Father: "And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song: ‗You are worthy to take the

scroll andfrom to open seals, youand were slain,and andnation. with your you purchased for God everyitstribe andbecause language people Youblood have made them to bemen a ed and kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.‘ Then I look heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!‘ Then I heardevery creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:To ‗ him who sits on the throne AND TO THE LAMB be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!‘ The four living creatures said, ‗Amen,‘ and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Revelation 5:8-14 The foregoing explains why Jesus could say that seeing him was to see the Father since he wasn‘t only an Agent, but also fully God in essence. As such, he is unlike other agents since he alone is capable of perfectly revealing God since whatever God is by nature he happens to be, and whatever God does he can also do: "So Jesus said to them, ‗Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater

works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will.‘" John 5:19-21 ves not in me but in him who "And Jesus cried out and said, ‗Whoever believes in me, belie sent me. And whoever sees me sees him who sent me.‘" John 12:44-45

"Jesus answered, ‗I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except

through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.‘ Philip said, ‗Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.‘ Jesus answered: ‗Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, "Show us the Father"? Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own.Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; -11 or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.‘" John 14:6

No wonder the NT says that Jesus is greater than Moses and is deserving of greater honor: "For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself. (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) Now Moses was faithful in all God‘s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, but Christ is faithful over God‘s houseas a son. And we are his house if indeed we hold fast our confidence and our boasting in our hope." Hebrews 3:3-6 an that seeing Unlike Moses who merely spoke on God‘s behalf, Jesus is infinitely more th that he is the unique Divine Son of God who perfectly reflects and reveals the infinite God to man: "Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us byhis Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, He the is the radianby ce of glory f God andAfter the through whomofalso created theheworld. exact imprint hishe nature , and upholds universe thethe word of ohis power.

making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," Hebrews 1:1-3 With the foregoing in perspective, it is quite evident that this is simply a case of comparing apples and oranges since what the NT says regarding the Deity of Christ goes way beyond what the texts in Exodus say about Moses being God. According to the NT, Moses (in the words of John the Baptist [cf. Mark 1:7; John 1:27]) was not worthy to stoop down and untie is the straps of Jesus‘ sandals since he was a slave who only represented God whereas Christ the Divine Son who is the perfect image of his eternal Father. Recommended Reading

If the reader is interested in reading the overwhelming Biblical case for the absolute Deity of Christ and to see where Jesuslinks: claimed Divinity we recommend the articles that can be found all throughout these specific http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/index.htm http://answering-islam.org/Who/index.html http://forananswer.org/ We also encourage consulting our refutations to specific Muslim attacks on the Deity of Christ rebuttals which are posted in ourRebuttals section.

We further recommend the following book which is a full length treatise on the Biblical evidence supporting the full Deity of Christ,"Putting Jesus In His Place: The Case For The Deity Of Christ".

Question 56: Why are Christians dishonest in the way they translate the Bible? For instance, Christendom randomly translate terms such as ‘ho theos’ and ‘ton theon’ (both of which mean "the God," the first being in the Greek nominative case with the second in the accusative) per their theological beliefs and whims. Take 2 Corinthians 4:4 for example. In that verse ‘ho theos’ is translated as ‘the god’ with a small ‘g’ to refer to Satan. In the same verse ‘ton theon’ is translated as ‘God’. And when theos is used for Jesus they will render it as ‘God.’ Isn’t this is a clear ‘pick and choose’ tactic being practiced by Christendom?(1)

Answer:

Before addressing the use of 2 Corinthians 4:4 it should first be stated that this phenomenon of using capitals or lower cases only works with the English translations of the Holy Bible since this linguistic feature doesn‘t work in the Hebrew or Greek. As one source puts it:

"One way that English Bibles mark a particular name as a designation of deity is by God god and lord capitalizing refer to the Supreme Being, do not. This the is aname. handyThus, feature ofand the Lord English language, but it does notwhereas reflect anything inherent in the biblical languages. The use of uppercase and lowercase lettering arose after biblical times. The two types of lettering do not occur in all languages. And those languages that have two types of lettering do not utilize them in the same way. The srcinal readers of the Bible could understand whether a name in a particular text referred to deity, but they did so based on context, not capitalization." (Robert M. Bowman Jr. & J. Ed Komoszewski, Putting Jesus in His Place: The Case for the Deity of Christ [Kregel Publications, Grand rapids, MI 2007], Chapter 11: Name One, pp. 129-130)

As the above authors indicated, it is the context which will help to determine whether the Hebrew or Greek words for G/god should be translated either with an upper or lower case g. If the context shows that the true God is in view then the translators will indicate this by capitalizing the letter g. If someone other than the true God is in view then the translators will note this by placing the g in lower case. To put this simply, in order to make this distinction clear God will appear with a capital "G" when referring to the true God, and with a small "g" when used of others. With the foregoing in perspective we can now begin our analysis of the text in question. In the first place, if Paul was speaking of Satan this wouldn‘t mean he was calling him god in

the same exact sense that he identified the Son as God. After all, neither Paul nor any other NT writer claims that Satan is the Creator/Sustainer/Heir of all creation, the exact imprint of God‘s essence or being, has all created beings worshiping him etc. Yet all of these things are

stated in reference to the Lord Jesus (cf. John 1:1-3, 10, 14, 18; 20:28; Romans 9:5; 1

Corinthians 8:6; Philippians 2:6-11; Colossians 1:13-22; Hebrews 1:1-6, 8-13; Revelation 5:8-14). This explains why God appears with a capital "G" when it is used in relation to Jesus since the Holy Bible emphatically teaches that Christ is neither a false god nor someone who only represents God to man. The Holy Scriptures expressly proclaim the absolute and perfect Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. Moreover, Paul plainly and unambiguously teaches that there is only one true God: "since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith." Romans 3:30 "So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many "gods" and many "lords"), yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live." 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 "There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— one Lord, one faith, one baptism;one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all." Ephesians 4:4-6 "for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God," 1 Thessalonians 1:9 "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus," 1 Timothy 2:5 Paul also stated that there is no one else who is God by nature: "Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods." Galatians 4:8

This implies that there is only One who is truly God in nature, namely Yahweh the God of all the earth: "Declare what is to be, present it— let them take counsel together. Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the distant past? Was it not I, the LORD?And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none but me.Turn to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other." Isaiah 45:21-22

The Scriptures further state that demons are not gods, which would naturally include Satan: "They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded." Deuteronomy 32:16-17

The foregoing plainly demonstrates that Paul was not suggesting that Satan is a god by nature, but that he is the false god of this age who leads people astray from the worship of the one true God. As noted Evangelical scholar and apologist Robert M. Bowman Jr. puts it: "Before leaving this question, it should be noted in passing that Satan is called "the god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4 NIV), but clearly in the sense of a false god, one who is wrongly allowed to usurp the place of the true God in the present age. That is the point of 2 Corinthians 4:4, not that Satan is a might one." (Bowman,Why You Should Believe In The Trinity [Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, MI, December 1993], Chapter 4: Will the Real Polytheists Please Stand Up?, p. 54) More on Paul‘s teaching on monotheism later.

With the foregoing in perspective, if the text is even referring to Satan then it is not calling him God in the absolute sense but "the god of this age", i.e. in the sense that he rules this current age that is characterized by sin and wickedness. The Scriptures do teach that both the world and sinners are under the Devil‘s bondage and need to be set free by the power of the Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Luke 4:5-7; John 8:34-36; 12:31; 14:30; 16:11; Galatians 1:4; Ephesians 2:2; 2 Timothy 2:26; Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8, 5:19; Revelation 2:13; 13:3). Yet Satan is still under the complete and sovereign control of the Triune God, and is only ruling because the true God has permitted it for the time being and for a greater purpose (cf. Proverbs 19:21; 20:24; 21:1, 30; Daniel 2:37-38; 4:21-22, 24-26, 34-35; Revelation 1:5; 17:14, 17; 19:16). More on Satan as the ruler of this world later. Thissince explains translators rendered with a Paul smallnor g (e.g. "god")inspired in this specific text theywhy wereBible clearly aware that neithertheos the apostle any other Bible writer ever teaches that Satan is God in the absolute sense, but is a false god who seeks to usurp the glory of the one true Triune God.

Is Satan really the God of this Age?

The foregoing takes for granted that Paul was actually referring to Satan as the God of this age which isn‘t at all certain. Needless to say, there are host of problems with this view.

A closer analysis of the passage in its immediate and overall contexts indicates that Paul actually had the true God in view, not Satan. Paul was stating that it is the one true God who blinds the minds of the unbelievers (by withholding regeneration) as a just consequence of their obstinate rebellion and sin. We quote the passage along with its surrounding context in order to see what we can glean from it: "Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God, we do not lose heart. We have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways; we refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s (tou theou) word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God (tou theou). And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled only to those who are perishing. In their casethe God of this age (ho theos to

aionos toutou) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God (tou theou). For what we preach

is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. For it is the God (ho theos) who said, ‗Let light shine out of darkness,‘ who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the gloryof God (tou theou) in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God (to theou) and not to us." 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 The first thing to note is the several usages of the nountheos to refer to the same referent, specifically the Father. Notice, also, that Paul usesho theos twice (once in the genitive case) in 2 Corinthians 4:4. We should further note that neither the words Satan nor Devil appear at all in that entire chapter or the previous one, which is what we would at least expect to find if Paul had the enemy in mind. Thus, unless we are to assume that Paul decided to change referents all of a sudden in midsentence without providing any indication that this is what he was doing, we should take these points as clear indications that the Apostle had the same exact referent in view. The burden of proof rests upon the person who believes otherwise to provide a convincing exegetical case that Paul does have two different subjects in mind even though he has given no indication that he has decided to change referents. It doesn‘t stop there. There are other reasons for seeing the Father as the God who has

blinded the mind of the unbelievers. For instance, the Scriptures teach that the Lord Jesus actively rules over this age, and the age to come: "which he accomplished Christ when he raised him the dead madeand him sit at his right hand in the heavenlyinplaces, far above all rule andfrom authority andand power dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age (aioni) but also in that which is to come; and he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for

the church, which is his body, the fulness of him who fills all in all." Ephesians 1:20-23 And that God is the King of the ages: "Now to the King ETERNAL (aionon), immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." 1 Timothy 1:17 The word for eternal, aionon, is the plural form of the same word for age ( aionos) which appears in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Since both God and Christ are said to be ruling over the ages, which would include this age, wouldn‘t it make more sense that Paul had the one true God in

view? In fact, there[LXX]) are at least two places in the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures (Septuagint and Apocrypha where a similar expression to "the God of this age" is applied to the one true God: "And they were praising the idols made with their hands and they did not praisethe God of the age (ho theos to aionos) …" Daniel 5:4 (Source)

"Hearken, O Lord, to the prayer of thy servants, according to the blessing of Aaron for thy people, and all who are on the earth will know that thou art the Lord,the God of the ages (ho theos ton aionon)." Sirach 36:17 RSV (Source) Moreover, Paul mentions that God shines his light in the heart of the believers through the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ: "For God, who said, ‗Let light shine out of darkness,‘ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Corinthians

4:6 With this in mind, are we to assume that Paul believes there are two gods, one who blinds (Satan) and another who enlightens (the Father)? Or should we take this as an indication that Paul believed that it was the same God who both darkens and illuminates? In other words, isn't Paul saying that it is the one true God who both blinds the eyes of people who refuse to believe and who also enlightens the minds of believers through the revelation of Jesus Christ? This view comports perfectly with the teaching of the Holy Bible that, as a result of a person‘s stubbornness and refusal to accept the light that has been given to him/her, God then takes away whatever ability a person may have for seeing and believing. In other words, the Holy Scriptures plainly teach that God can and will blind the eyes and harden the hearts of obstinate sinners: "I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do youthey not have knowkilled what thy the prophets, scripture says Eli'jah, how hethy pleads with God against Israel? ‗Lord, they of have demolished altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.‘ But what is God's reply to him? ‗I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Ba'al.‘ So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it sought. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written,God ‗ gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that should not see and ears that should not hear, down to this very day.‘ And David says, ‗Let their table become a snare and a trap,a pitfall and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see , and bend their backs for ever.‘" Romans

11:1-10 "When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in great numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. And some were convinced by what he said,while others disbelieved. So, as they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: ‗The Holy

Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: "Go to this people, and say, You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall indeed see but never

perceive. For this people's heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears,

and understand with their heart, and turn for me to heal them." Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.‘" Acts 28:23 -28

Paul reiterates this very point in other places when he says that God hands people over to the desires of their wicked hearts: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity,has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of

the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. Their women exchanged natural

relations for unnatural, and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct." Romans 1:18-28 "The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemnedwho did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12

Both the Old and New Testaments back Paul up on this point since the Bible as a whole teaches that God will blind the eyes and harden the hearts of unbelievers: "The LORD said to Moses, ‗When you return to Egypt, see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders I have given you the power to do. But I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go.‘" Exodus 4:21

"But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, …Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said." Exodus 7:3, 13; cf. 9:12, 35 "But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through.For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done." Deuteronomy 2:30 "For it was the LORD’s doing to harden their hearts that they should come against Israel in battle, in order that they should be devoted to destruction and should receive no mercy but be destroyed, just as the LORD commanded Moses." Joshua 11:20 "But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would have none of me.So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels." Psalm 81:11-12

"And he said, ‗Go, and say to this people: "Hear and hear,but do not understand; see and see, but do not perceive." Make the heart of this people fat, and their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.‘" Isaiah 6:9-10

"O LORD, why dost thou make us err from thy ways and harden our heart, so that we fear thee not? Return for the sake of thy servants, the tribes of thy heritage." Isaiah 63:17 "And I said to their children in the wilderness, Do not walk in the statutes of your fathers, nor observe their ordinances, nor defile yourselves with their idols. I the LORD am your God; walk in my statutes, and be careful to observe my ordinances, and hallow my sabbaths that they may be a sign between me and you, that you may know that I the LORD am your God. But the children rebelled against me; they did not walk in my statutes, and were not careful to observe my ordinances, by whose observance man shall live; they profaned my sabbaths.

Then I thought I would pour out my wrath upon them and spend my anger against them in the wilderness. But I withheld my hand, and acted for the sake of my name, that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations, in whose sight I had brought them out. Moreover I swore to them in the wilderness that I would scatter them among the nations and disperse them through the countries,because they had not executed my ordinances, but had rejected my statutes and profaned my sabbaths, and their eyes were set on their fathers' idols. Moreover I gave them statutes that were not good and ordinances by which they could not have life; and I defiled them through their very gifts in making them offer by fire all their first-born, that I might horrify them; I did it that they might know that I am the LORD." Ezekiel 20:18-26

"And he said, ‗He who has ears to hear, let him hear.‘ And when he was alone, those who

were about him with the twelve asked him concerning he said to them,is‗To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God,the butparables. for thoseAnd outside everything in parables; so that they may indeed seebut not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand; lest they should turn again,and be forgiven‘ … And he said to them, T ‗ ake heed what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. For to him who has will more be given;and from him who has not, even what he has will be taken away.‘" Mark 4:9-12, 24-25 "Jesus said, ‗For judgment I came into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may become blind.‘ Some of the Pharisees near him heard this, and they said to him, ‗Are we also blind?‘ Jesus said to them, ‗If oyu were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, "We see," your guilt remains.‘" John 9:39 -41

"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him. This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: ‗Lord, who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?‘ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere: ‗He has blinded their eyes and deadened their hearts, so they can neither see with their eyes, nor understand with their hearts, nor turn —and I would heal them.‘ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him." John

12:37-41 Furthermore, Paul provides an additional clue in 2 Corinthians that it is the true God who blinds the minds of unbelievers:

"Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:12-18 The Israelites, Paul says, were hardened and had a veil placed over their hearts which prevented them from believing. Now if someone were to ask Paul, "Who veiled their hearts thereby resulting in their being hardened against the Gospel?" His inspired answer would be that it was God who hardened their hearts: "I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah —how he appealed to God against Israel: ‗Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me‘? And what was God's answer to him? ‗I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.‘ So too, at the

present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it,but the rest were hardened, as it is written, ‗GOD gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.‘ And David says, ‗Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.‘ … I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the

Gentiles has come in." Romans 11:1-10, 25 The foregoing supports our position that the God of this age refers to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul was stating that God the Father justly blinds the minds of the unbelievers due to their persistent sinful rebellion against him who has clearly revealed his truth to them. Lest we be accused of coming up with a novel interpretation here are the comments of the late, renowned Bible expositor Adam Clarke who also believed that Paul was identifying the Father as the God of this age: I must own I feel considerable reluctance to assign the epithet ??e??, THEGod, to Satan; and were there not a rooted prejudice in favour of the common opinion, the contrary might

God of this world supreme Being is meant, who in his that byofthe judgment gave over viz. the minds the unbelieving Jewsthe to spiritual darkness, so that destruction came upon them to the uttermost. Satan, it is true, has said that the kingdoms of the world and their glory are his, and that he gives them to whomsoever he will; Matthew 4:8-9. But has God ever said so? and are we to take this assertion of theboasting devil and father of lies for truth? Certainly not. We are not willing to attribute the blinding of men's minds to God, because we sometimes forget that he is the God ofjustice, and may in judgment remove mercies from those that abuse them; but this is repeatedly attributed to him in the Bible, and the expression before us is quite a parallel to the following, Isaiah 6:9: Go be well vindicated,

and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. MAKE the HEART of this PEOPLE FAT, and MAKE their EARS HEAVY, and SHUT their EYES; LEST they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, Matthew 13:14,15; Mark 4:12; John 12:40; and particularly Romans 11:8-10: God HATH GIVEN THEM THE SPIRIT of SLUMBER, EYES that they SHOULD not SEE, and EARS that they SHOULD not HEAR; let their EYES be DARKENED, in the same circumstances of wilful rebellion and obstinate unbelief; and the great God of heaven and earth is he who judiciallyblinds their eyes; makes their hearts fat , i.e. stupid; gives them the spirit of slumber: and bows down their back, apostle means the true God by the words the god of this world.

And as to the expressionthis world, a?????t??t??, we are not to imagine that it necessarily means wicked men, or a wicked age; for it is frequently used to express the whole mundane system, and all that is called time: Whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither e?t??t?t?a????, in THIS WORLD, nor in the world to come ; Matthew 12:32. In Luke 20:34, the children, ????t??a?????t??t??,of THIS WORLD, mean simply mankind at large in their state of probation in this lower world, in opposition to their state in the world to come. The same meaning the word has in several other places, to which l need not refer; it simply implying the present state of things, governed by the Divine providence, in contradistinction from theeternal state: and it is very remarkable that, in 1 Timothy 1:17, God himself is called ßas??e??t??a?????, theKing of the WORLD; what we call King eternal; but here it evidently means him whogoverns both worlds, and rules in time and eternity. This character among the Asiatics is considered essential to God; and therefore in the very first surat of the Koran he is called [Arabic] Rubbi Alalameen, "the Lord of both worlds," an expression perfectly similar to that above. But it is needless to multiply examples; they exist in abundance. Some, and particularly the ancient fathers, have connected t??a?????t??t?? with t??ap?st??, and have read the verse:But God hath blinded the minds of the unbelievers of this world, Theophylact, and Augustine, all plead for the above meaning; and St. Augustine says that it was the opinion of almost all the ancients. (The Adam Clarke Commentary; source; bold and underline emphasis ours) This next expositor, although adopting the view that the verse refers to Satan, nevertheless admits that: The god of this world. There can be no doubt that Satan is here designated by this appellation; though some of the Fathers supposed that it means the true Gods and Clarke inclines to this opinion... (Albert Barnes' Notes on the New Testament; source)

With the foregoing in perspective, doesn‘t it seem more likely that Paul believed that it is the true God who justly blinds and hardens the minds and hearts of the wicked? And doesn‘t it

make more sense that the reason why Paul describes him as the God of this age was to communicate the fact that,came even to though this wickedness which Christ rescue uscurrent from: age is characterized by deception and "who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father," Galatians 1:4 The one true, supreme God is still in control of this age, he is still the God of it, and therefore has everything under his supreme control even the evil that men do?

"The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; he frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart to all generations." Psalm 33:10-11 "For the wrath of man shall praise You; With a remnant of wrath You will gird Yourself." Psalm 76:10 "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases." Psalm 115:3 "Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps." Psalm 135:6 "The LORD has made everything for its purpose, even the wicked for the day of trouble." Proverbs 16:4 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will," Ephesians 1:11 Satan as the Ruler of this Age

Someone may try to use Jesus‘ statements in John 12:31, 14:30 and 16:11 regarding Satan

being the ruler of this world to prove that Paul was referring to the Devil in 2 Corinthians 4:4. There are a few problems with trying to use Jesus‘ statements to support one‘s case. First, the

correct way of understanding a specific text is to interpret it in light of its own immediate context or in light of the writings of that particular writer. It is only after this has been done that a person should then see how that specific passage or statement fits in with the theology and writings of the other biblical authors. In other words, we should first interpret Paul‘s statements in light of his own writings before moving on to see how his views comport with some of the other Bible writers. Second, Jesus‘ words actually prove that Paulwas not referring to Satan since in all of these

examples the Lord never identifies the Devil as god, but rather as theruler (archon) of this world: "Now is the judgment of this world; now willthe RULER of this world (ho archon tou kosmou toutou) be cast out." John 12:31

"I will no longer talk much with you, for the RULER of this world (ho tou kosmou archon toutou) is coming. He has no claim on me," John 14:30 "Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father,

and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, becausethe RULER of this world (ho archon tou kosmou) is judged." John 16:7-11 In fact, this is precisely how Paul describes Satan, not as a god but as a ruler: "And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the ruler (ton archonta) of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience—" Ephesians 2:1-2 He also refers to the (presumably human) rulers of this age, plural, but never to the gods of this age: "Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age (ton archon tou aionos toutou), who are doomed to pass away… None of the rulers of this age (ton archon tou aionos toutou) understood this, for if they had, they

would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Corinthians 2:6, 8 Hence, these passages make it all the more unlikely that Paul was referring to Satan in 2 Corinthians 4:4. After all, if Paul wanted to make sure that his readers knew that he was referring to Satan then he could have simply used the same phrase that he uses in the above references, e.g. he could have stated that the ruler of the power of the air or the ruler of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers. At the very least, he could have qualified his statement by saying something like, "the god of this age who is the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience has blinded the mind of the unbelievers." But this is not what Paul said. Finally, John in his Gospel ascribes the function of blinding and hardening to God, not to Satan or the ruler of this world (cf. John 9:39-41; John 12:37-41). Hence, if John is going to be used to interpret Paul then these statements must also be taken into consideration, i.e. according to John it is God, not the Devil, who blinds the eyes of the unbelievers which actually provides further substantiation that Paul was referring to the true God in 2 Corinthians 4:4. Concluding Remarks

With the foregoing in mind, we need to reiterate the reason why most translations chose to render theos in 2 Corinthians 4:4 as "god," with a lower case g. The translators were convinced that this text refers to Satan and, in light of this assumption, translated theos with the lower case since they correctly reasoned that Paul could not have been identifying Satan as God in the absolute sense. They obviously had studied Paul‘s theology enough to know

that the apostle believed by nature false and/or dothat not there exist. is only one true God and that all other so-called gods are They applied similar logic to the texts which speak of God‘s agents as G/god, such as Moses,

the judges or the angels (cf. Exodus 4:16, 7:1; Psalm 82:6). Seeing that the Bible writers expressly deny that angels or men are God in nature the translators were right on the money for placing the Hebrew or Greek terms for God in the lower case.

Moreover, the translators were absolutely correct to capitalize theos in English whenever it refers to the Lord Jesus. They knew full well that the Holy Bible plainly and unambiguously teaches that Christ is God in the absolute and fullest sense of the term. Finally, we do want to repeat our position that we are not at all convinced that Paul had Satan in mind and want to emphasize the fact that the burden of proof rests squarely on any individual who thinks that he did. So far we have yet to see any convincing exegetical and/or contextual reasons to show that this is who had in view. All the evidence favors the interpretation that Paul was speaking of the true God blinding the minds of unbelievers. It is the consistent testimony of Paul‘s writings and the entirety of Holy Scripture that God is the

One who justly withholds regeneration and illumination from stiff-necked, obstinate sinners who refuse to come into the light of his truth. Endnotes (1) This particular objection was adapted from Muslim writer Ebrahim Saifuddin‘s article, The Truth about John 1:1 (*). Our rebuttal to his other claims is found inthis article.

A Series of Answers to Common Questions - By Sam Shamoun

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