jesus as others saw him

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Jesus as others saw Him

Examining the views of Jesus¶ contemporaries according to John¶s Gospel Pt. 1

Sam Shamoun

Sami Zaatari recently produced an article (*) where he seeks to prove from the Gospel of John that Jesus¶ contemporaries did not believe that Christ is God. He argues that the

believers such as the Baptist never say that Jesus is God, but either call him a prophet or the

Son of God, neither of which proves that Christ is God.

The use of the term God in reference to Jesus

Zaatari erroneously assumes that the only way that the Lord Jesus and his contemporaries

could ever identify Christ as God is by using this exact phrase, e.g. Jesus must say that "I am

God" or his contemporaries must call him God. The reason that this is simply erroneous is

because the Deity of Christ is not based on him having to say, "I am God." Christ¶s Divinityis based on the explicit Biblical witness that Jesus possesses all the essential qualities and

characteristics of God, as well as the NT teaching that Christ carries out specific functions

which only God can perform, i.e. Christ is the Agent of creation and redemption, the

Sustainer of the universe, happens to be eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent etc.

The second problem with Zaatari¶s fallacious reasoning is that Jesus was speaking to a

specific community and had to communicate his Deity in a manner which would be

appropriate to his target audience in order prevent any misunderstanding from taking place.

As one apologist puts it:

"It is true that in Scripture we never see Jesus say the words, µI am God.¶ But this does not

mean that Jesus did not claim to be God. In the first century, much like today, to say µI amGod¶ would be almost meaningless. Even Roman Emperors were ascribed deity or claimed

deity for themselves. What Jesus did do was claim to be a very specific God to a specific

people in a very specific way. And the way in which He made His claims was unambiguous

and unmistakable to those people.

"In making this claim, Jesus spoke idiomatically, meaning He spoke in a way that was

peculiar to His audience, first-century Jews« With this in mind we see that Jesus claimed to

be the God of the ancient Hebrews as described in the Old Testament. He made this claim

explicitly in ways that would have rightly been considered blasphemous if He were, in fact,

not God. He also made this claim in more implicit ways by exercising prerogatives that

belong solely to God himself, such as forgiving sins and accepting worship«" (Doug Powell,

Holman Quick Source Guide to Christian Apologetics [Holman Reference, Nashville, TN2006], pp. 310-311; underline emphasis ours)

In fact, for Jesus or any of his contemporaries to simply come out and say that he is God, in

those exact words, would have caused confusion since to first-century monotheistic Jews the

term "God" meant the Father who was in heaven. Thus, both Jesus and those who bore

witness to him such as the Baptist had to speak in a manner that would not convey this wrong

notion that Jesus is the same Person as the Father, since he was not, while at the same time

making sure to communicate the point that Christ is in fact fully God in nature. And it is only



when Jesus and the witnesses made it clear that they weren¶t claiming that he is the Father,and that the word "God" could also be used for someone other than the Father, that they could

come right out and say that Christ is God.

For more on this issue please read this article.

Finally, and more importantly, Zaatari is inconsistent since there are several NT passageswhere Jesus is explicitly called God:

"Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made youoverseers, to care for the church of God which he obtained with his own blood ." Acts 20:28

"They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of

the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race,according to the flesh, is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever . Amen." Romans

9:4-5

"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

"But about the Son he says, µYour throne, O God , will last for ever and ever, and

righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.¶" Hebrews 1:8

"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours in the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ « so there

will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ." 2 Peter 1:1, 11

Yet instead of accepting these verses as clear testimony to the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ,Zaatari tries to explain them away (quite unsuccessful we might add). This shows that Zaatariis not interested in truly understanding what God¶s inspired written Word has to say

concerning the Person of the Lord Jesus. He has an agenda to disprove the explicit witness to

the Deity of Christ and will do anything to make sure he accomplishes his agenda, even if this

means that he has to distort the Holy Bible and come up with weak and desperate

explanations.

R evisiting the meaning of µS/son of God¶

Zaatari also repeats the same erroneous assertion that the phrase "S/son of God" within the

Jewish context meant "a man of God, a true believer, a prophet, a messenger, and theMessiah." Zaatari¶s point is to prove that Christians are wrong for assuming that Jesus is God

simply because he is said to be the Son of God since there are others who are also called sons

of God and yet are nothing more than human beings.

There are several problems with this assertion as well, the first being that terms must bedefined by the context in which they are used, and one cannot simply assume beforehand the

meaning that s/he prefers. In fact, by telling us that the term is used for a true believer or God¶s prophets Zaatari isn¶t really saying much since he still has to explain what does the



phrase mean when used in reference to human beings and why is it even being used for themat all.(1)

And just because human beings are called sons of God this doesn¶t mean that Jesus is nothing

more than a man, or that he is God¶s Son in the same sense that the others are. More on this

shortly.

The second problem he faces is that there are places where the expression sons of God refers

to supra-human beings, to heavenly creatures such as the angels:

Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD,

and Satan also came among them. Job 1:6; cf. 2:1

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.Who determined its measurements -- surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On

what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together,and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4-7

"For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of God

resembles/is like the LORD, a God feared in the council of the holy ones, great and terrible

above all that are round about him? O LORD God of hosts,

who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness round about you?" Psalm 89:6-8;

cf. 29:1

Clearly, in these particular contexts the phrase cannot be referring to "a man of God, a true believer, a prophet, a messenger, and the Messiah."

Furthermore, one specific passage employs the term Son in reference to a Divine Being who

is coequal with God:

"Nor have I learned wisdom, Yet the knowledge of Holy Ones (qadoshim) I know. Whowent up to heaven, and cometh down? Who hath gathered the wind in his fists? Who hath

bound waters in a garment? Who established all ends of the earth? What [is] His name? and

what His SON'S name? Surely thou knowest!" Proverbs 30:3-4 Young¶s Literal Translation

Here the inspired author uses the plural qadoshim, "Holy Ones," as opposed to the singular qadosh, "Holy One." It is apparent that within the context the plural for "Holy One" is not

being used as a plural of amplitude or of fullness, denoting that God is holy in the absoluteand fullest sense, which he certainly is. Rather, the plural is used because the inspired writer

has two distinct entities in view, namely God and his Son, both of whom he considers to beabsolutely holy. Moreover, by asking who has control over the physical realm and what are

the specific names of God and his Son the author clearly believed in the incomprehensibilityand essential equality of both of them.

This is brought out by the fact that in the Hebrew Bible a name signifies the essence, nature,

characteristics and/or authority of a person, thereby indicating that the writer knew that no

person is capable of fully understanding the ways and the nature of these two Holy Ones.

This, then, presupposes an essential equality between God and his Son, since not only is the

Son capable of doing the very works which define and distinguish God from his creation, he

also has a name or essence that is unfathomable.



To put it simply, the author was aware that God has a Son who is equal to him and whoseessence is incomprehensible much like God¶s.

And according to the inspired New Testament writings Jesus is that incomprehensible Son of

God who is completely holy like his Father and capable of doing everything that God does:

"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, µY ou are my beloved

Son; with you I am well pleased .¶ « And immediately there was in their synagogue a man

with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, µWhat 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 1:9-11, 23-

24

"On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, µLet us go across to the other side.¶

And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boatswere with him. And a great storm of wind arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the

boat was already filling. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him

and said to him, µTeacher, do you not care if we perish?¶ And he awoke and rebuked the

wind, and said to the sea, µPeace! Be still!¶ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, µWhy are you afraid? Have you no faith?¶ And they were filled with

awe, and said to one another, µWho then is this, that even wind and sea obey him?¶" Mark

4:35-41

"Immediately he made his disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, to

Beth-sa'ida, while he dismissed the crowd. And after he had taken leave of them, he went up

on the mountain to pray. And when evening came, the boat was out on the sea, and he was

alone on the land. And he saw that they were making headway painfully, for the wind was

against them. And about the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the

sea. He meant to pass by them, but when they saw him walking on the sea they thought it

was a ghost, and cried out; for they all saw him, and were terrified. But immediately he spoke

to them and said, µT ake heart, I AM; have no fear .¶ And he got into the boat with them andthe wind ceased. And they were utterly astounded, for they did not understand about the

loaves, but their hearts were hardened." Mark 6:45-52

"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 11:27

" No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.

And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,

that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gavehis only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." John3:13-16

"Jesus said to them, µTruly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but

only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he 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, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and givesthem life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will . The Father judges no one, but has given



all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father . He whodoes not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.¶" John 5:19 -23

"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« do you say of him whom the Father consecratedand sent into the world , µYou are blaspheming,¶ because I said, `I am the Son of God¶ ?"

John 10:27-30, 36

To read more concerning the interpretation and application of Proverbs 30:3-4 we

recommend this article.

To summarize what we have so far discussed, we have seen that it is not always the case thatS/son of God refers to a human servant or prophet since there are places where this

expression is used to denote heavenly beings. In one particular passage it refers to a specificDivine Person who is coequal with God in nature, with the NT identifying this particular

Divine Son as the Lord Jesus Christ, which leads us to the third problem with Zaatari¶s

statements.

Jesus Christ ± God the Son

Zaatari is constantly overlooking the fact that the NT uses the term Son of God in reference

to Jesus to communicate the point that Christ is absolute Deity, that he is God¶s unique and

eternal Son. The inspired Christian Greek Scriptures emphatically and unambiguously teach

that Jesus is the only Son of God of his kind since he is the only One who is fully God in

nature and therefore coequal with the Father in essence.

For example, the very same Gospel that Zaatari appeals to begins by proclaiming that Christ

is God and the unique Son of God, being the very One whom the Father used to bring all

creation into existence:

"In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was

truly God (kai theos een ho logos). From the very beginning the Word was with God. And

with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word. Everything that

was created received its life from him, and his life gave light to everyone« T he Word

became a human being and lived here with us. We saw his true glory, the glory of the only

Son (monogenous) of the Father . From him all the kindness and all the truth of God have

come down to us« No one has ever seen God. T he only Son, who is truly God (monogenes

theos) and is closest to the Father, has shown us what God is like." John 1:1-4, 14, 18

Contemporary English Version (CEV)

In this particular translation the words monogenes theos are rendered as "the only Son, who is

God." According to noted Evangelical NT scholar Murray J. Harris this is most likely what

John intended to communicate to his readers concerning Christ, e.g. Jesus is the only Son of

his kind who also happens to be fully God in essence. After listing several possible ways of

translating these words Harris advances the following points to support why he believes that

"the only Son, who is God," is the best translation:



"All of the above translations are possible renderings of the Greek. How then is one to decide between so many proposals? Several guidelines will help to restrict the choice.

1. As seen above « monogenes here bears its primary sense of µonly¶ (with

respect to filial status), not meaning µunique¶ or its later sense of µonly-

begotten¶ (where that means not simply µsole-born¶ or µthe only child in a

family¶ but µuniquely generated¶ or µeternally begotten¶).2. There is no reason to suppose that monogenes theos is equivalent to ho monos

theos (John 5:44, 17:3; cf. Rom. 16:27; 1 Tim. 1:17; Jude 25), especially since

in John 17:3 µIesous Christos is distinguished from ho monos alethinos theos.

By using this phrase the evangelist is not merely reaffirming Jewish

monotheism in the context of his Logos theology.

3. John did not write theos monogenes, which makes it doubtful that the popular

translation µGod the only Son¶ is the most accurate. Nor did he write ho

monogenes theos which renders difficult (although not, of course, impossible)

the translation µthe only begotten God¶ or µthe unique God,¶ for elsewhere in

the Johannine corpus when monogenes is an attributive adjective (viz., John3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9) the noun it qualifies is articular.

4. M onogenes should be treated as equivalent to (ho) monogenes huios, since (a)in four of the other eight uses of monogenes in the NT (viz., Luke 7:12; John

3:16, 18; 1 John 4:9), it functions as an attributive adjective before huios. Onthree further occasions monogenes stands alone but in each case the context

makes it clear that it means µonly son¶ (John 1:14; Heb. 11:17 RSV) or µonlychild¶ (Luke 9:38 RSV, doubtless to distinguish monogenes moi from the

preceding ho huios mou). The only occasion monogenes is not used of an

µonly son¶ is Luke 8:42, where it qualifies thugater . (b) The phrase that

qualifies monogenes or (monogenes theos), viz, ho on eis ton kolpon tou

patros, indicates that monogenes denotes not simply µthe only one¶ but µan/the

only Son.¶ (c) In its primary sense monogenes designates familial relation

(µsole-born, without siblings¶) whether or not huios or thugater is expressed«

5. If monogenes is equivalent to (ho) monogenes huios in John 1:18, the

corollary is that theos stands in epexegetic apposition to monogenes: µThe only

Son, who is theos.¶

6. The anarthrous theos is not indefinite. Since ekeinos in John 1:18 is specific,

its antecedent monogenes, further defined as theos ho on ktl., must be definite.

The absence of the article before monogenes and before theos is not without

significance, for it draws attention (in the case of monogenes) to theuniqueness of the familial status of Jesus Christ as the one and only Son of

God and (in the case of theos) to his possession of the attributes of Deity, allthat makes God God (as in John 1:1c). In any case it is John¶s custom to

reserve ho theos for the Father.

These considerations point to the aptness of translating monogenes theos as µthe only Son,

who is God¶ (cf. NAB2, M. J. Lagrange, and D. A. Fenema«)." (Harris, Jesus as God ± The

New Testament Use of Theos in Reference to Jesus [Baker Books], Chapter III ± The Only

Son, Who Is God (John 1:18), C. Translation of monogenes theos, pp. 91-92)

For more on the translation of John 1:18 please consult this article.

The Evangelist then concludes his inspired Book by making the same proclamation:



"Although Thomas the Twin was one of the twelve disciples, he wasn't with the others whenJesus appeared to them. So they told him, µWe have seen the Lord!¶ But Thomas said, µFirst,

I must see the nail scars in his hands and touch them with my finger. I must put my handwhere the spear went into his side. I won't believe unless I do this!¶ A week later the disciples

were together again. This time, Thomas was with them. Jesus came in while the doors were

still locked and stood in the middle of the group. He greeted his disciples and said to Thomas,

µPut your finger here and look at my hands! Put your hand into my side. Stop doubting andhave faith!¶ Thomas replied, µY ou are my Lord and my God!¶ Jesus said, µThomas, do you

have faith because you have seen me? The people who have faith in me without seeing me

are the ones who are really blessed!¶ Jesus worked many other miracles for his disciples, and

not all of them are written in this book. But these are written so that you will put your faith in

Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of God . If you have faith in him, you will have true life."

John 20:24-31 CEV

The first thing to note here is that Christ¶s response indicates that Thomas¶ acclamation was

not wrong, since he is indeed the disciples¶ Lord and God.

In order to better appreciate and understand the full import of this proclamation it should be

mentioned that the Lord Jesus, in the same chapter, addresses the Father as his God:

"Jesus said to her, µDo not hold me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my

brethren and say to them, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your

God.¶" John 20:17

The words "my God" as spoken by Thomas later in the same chapter must obviously mean no

less than what it means in verse 17 where Jesus identifies the Father as his own God.(2)

Hence, what the Father is to Jesus in his humanity, Jesus is to Thomas and to us as well,

namely, the Lord our God.(3)

The second point to notice is that the Evangelist immediately follows up Thomas¶ confession

by mentioning the reason why he wrote his Gospel, namely, to invite his readers to believe

that Jesus Christ is the Son of God in order that they might obtain eternal life.

The above references highlight the fact that, as far as the inspired Apostle was concerned, to

confess that Jesus is God¶s Son is to affirm that he is fully God in essence, since the

expression Son of God is being used by the Evangelist to denote that Jesus has the very

nature of God.

This is similar to Jesus¶ usage of the title "Son of Man," one that he used more often than any

other title or name. In Biblical understanding, to call someone a son of man meant that the

individual in question had the very nature of man, that s/he was a human being. Hence,

calling Jesus the Son of Man meant that had the very nature of man, being fully human to thecore (with the exception of sin).(4)

In a similar manner, to confess that Jesus is the Son of God is to believe and affirm that

Christ has the very nature of God in all its fulness.

We will have a whole lot more to say concerning John¶s use of Son of God to express the

absolute Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ in the second part of our rebuttal.



_____________________________________ ______________________________________

A Muslim apologist who shows greater understanding than his own prophet!

The fourth problem facing Zaatari is that his proposed explanation of what it means to be theS/son of God goes against his prophet¶s own understanding. Muhammad understood the

phrase in a purely biological manner, erroneously assuming that the term S/son of God meantthat God had carnal relations with a woman in order to have a child:

Yet they ascribe to God, as associates, the jinn, though He created them; and they impute toHim sons and daughters without any knowledge. Glory be to Him! High be He exalted above

what they describe! The Creator of the heavens and the earth -- how should He have a son,

seeing that He has no consort , and He created all things, and He has knowledge of

everything? S. 6:100-101

Muhammad never thought for a minute that the expression denoted a righteous servant or prophet who was close to God.

Muhammad further believed that if God did have a S/son then he would have to be

worshiped:

Say: "If (God) Most Gracious had a son, I would be the first to worship." S. 43:81 Hilali-

Khan

Thus, as far as Muhammad was concerned, S/son of God referred to someone who was morethan a man, to a divine being who is coequal with God, which explains why Muhammad said

he would worship him if such a S/son existed.

Interestingly, this is precisely what Jesus¶ true followers did in response to Christ¶s mastery

over the natural elements:

"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 disciplessaw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, µIt is a ghost!¶ and they cried out in

fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, µTake heart; I AM. Do not be afraid .¶And Peter answered him, µLord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.¶ He

said, µCome.¶ So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. Butwhen he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, µ Lord, save me.¶

Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, µO you of littlefaith, why did you doubt?¶ And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. And those in

the boat worshiped him, saying, µ T ruly you are the Son of God .¶" Matthew 14:22-33

To read a fuller explanation of Jesus¶ mastery over nature itself and how this points to his

Deity we recommend this discussion.http://answering-

islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_walks_on_sea.htm/t_blank



Muhammad also couldn¶t fathom how Jews and Christians could be God¶s children whenGod often punished them for their sins:

Say the Jews and Christians, 'We are the sons of God, and His beloved ones.' Say: 'Why then

does He chastise you for your sins? No; you are mortals, of His creating; He forgives whom

He will, and He chastises whom He will.' For to God belongs the kingdom of the heavens and

of the earth, and all that is between them; to Him is the homecoming. S. 5:18

What makes Muhammad¶s comments rather amusing is that the Holy Bible, God¶s true

Word, already provided an answer to his dilemma. It is precisely because true believers are

God¶s spiritual children that their heavenly Father therefore chastens them when they sin and

rebel:

"Be careful to follow every command I am giving you today, so that you may live andincrease 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 fortyyears, 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 notlive 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. K now then in your

heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the LORD your God disciplines you."

Deuteronomy 8:1-5

"And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: µMy son, do

not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because

the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son.¶ Endure

hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his

father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are

illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who

disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father

of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems

pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousnessand peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:5-11; cf. Proverbs 3:11-12

"Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent." Revelation 3:19

Zaatari, however, denies that the term S/on of God refers to a divine being worthy of worship

and basically disagrees with Muhammad that the only way God can have a child is through

sexual union with a woman.(5) Thus, Zaatari shows that he has greater understanding and

insight than his own prophet since Muhammad didn¶t realize that the phrase S/son of Godcould simply mean "a man of God, a true believer, a prophet, a messenger, and the Messiah."This then raises the question of why is Zaatari still a Muslim when he is considerably more

knowledgeable than Muhammad himself?

We now come to the conclusion of the first part of our rebuttal. Lord Jesus willing, we willresume our discussion in the second part.

_______________________________________________ ____________________________



Endnotes

(1) It should be stated at this point that, according to the Holy Bible, to be a son or child of God basically means that a person shares the nature or characteristics of God (albeit to a very

limited extent). For instance, Jesus calls peacemakers children of God:

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9

Since God is the God of peace,

"For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise

as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; then the God of peace will soon crushSatan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you." Romans 16:19-20 ±

15:33

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you." 2 Corinthians 13:11

"May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body

be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Thessalonians 5:23

Those who are called to be his children must also have this characteristic. Moreover, since

God is love, pure, righteous and holy, his spiritual children must also have all of these verysame qualities:

"See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we

are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are

God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he

appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And every one who thus hopes in

him purifies himself as he is pure. Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin islawlessness. You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. No one

who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him . Little children,

let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. He who commits

sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God

appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. No one born of God commits sin; for God's

nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God . By this it may be seen

who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right

is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother." 1 John 3:1-10

"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God . He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of

God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that wemight live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent

his Son to be the expiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love

one another . No man has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his

love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has

given us of his own Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as

the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him,

and he in God. So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who

abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him . 1 John 4:7-16



This is also the meaning of being made in God¶s image:

"Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, inthe futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of

God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart; they have

become callous and have given themselves up to licentiousness, greedy to practice every kind

of uncleanness. You did not so learn Christ! -- assuming that you have heard about him andwere taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus. Put off your old nature which belongs to your

former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of

your minds, and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true

righteousness and holiness. Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth

with his neighbor, for we are members one of another." Ephesians 4:17-25

"May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

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, by which he has granted to

us his precious and very great promises, that through these you may escape from the

corruption that is in the world because of passion, and become partakers of the divine

nature." 2 Peter 1:2-4

Thus, a child of God is one who is called to reflect and partake of God¶s nature to the extent

that it is possible for a finite creature to do so, whether angels or humans.

The difference with Jesus and the rest of God¶s children is that he is the only Son who is

uncreated and who completely shares the very nature of God in all its absolute fulness:

"See to it that no one makes a prey of you by philosophy and empty deceit, according to

human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the universe, and not according to

Christ. For in him all fulness of Deity dwells bodily , and you have come to fulness of life in

him, who is the head of all rule and authority." Colossians 2:8-10

(2) Jesus¶ statement in John 20:17 that God is both his Father and the Father of his followers

contradicts the Quran which goes out of its way to deny that Allah is a father or has children:

And they say, 'The All-merciful has taken unto Himself a son. You have indeed advanced

something hideous! The heavens are wellnigh rent of it and the earth split asunder, and the

mountains wellnigh fall down crashing for that they have attributed to the All-merciful a son;

and it behoves not the All-merciful to take a son. None is there in the heavens and earth but

he comes to the All-merciful as a servant; S. 19:88-93

They say: 'The All-merciful has taken to Him a son.' Glory be to Him! Nay, but they arehonoured servants. S. 21:26

This simply provides further substantiation that the God whom Jesus came to reveal is not the

same god preached and worshiped by Muhammad. Muhammad¶s deity is a false god

according to the testimony of the Lord Jesus as recorded within the inspired pages of the New

Testament.



(3) The reason why Jesus¶ Father is also his God is because Christ became a human being at

his virginal conception from Mary. From that very moment on the Father began relating tohis beloved Son as his God, just as the holy and inspired prophetic Scriptures clearly attest:

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? « Upon you was I cast from my birth, and

SINCE my mother bore me you have been my God ." Psalm 22:1, 10

Jesus quotes the opening words of this Psalm, thereby indicating that it is a Messianic

prophecy:

"And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, µ E' lo-i, E' lo-i, la' ma sabach-tha' ni?¶which means, µMy God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?¶" Mark 15:34

This indicates that the Father only became Jesus¶ God when the latter became flesh at the

Incarnation, and therefore means that he wasn¶t always Jesus¶ God since the latter didn¶talways exist as a man. Moreover, since Jesus will always remain a glorified, human being by

virtue of his physical, bodily resurrection on the third day, the Father will continue to be his

God forever.

(4) Even though the title Son of Man conveys the point that Christ is fully human in nature,

Jesus used it in such a way as to demonstrate that he is a fully Divine Being who was

appearing as a man. Christ often referred to himself as the Son of Man who rides the clouds, a

direct allusion to what the prophet Daniel saw centuries earlier:

"And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Andthen 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

"But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, µAre you the Christ,

the Son of the Blessed?¶ And Jesus said, µI 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

Now compare this with what the prophet Daniel wrote:

"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 wasgiven dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should

serve/worship him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, andhis kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." Daniel 7:13-14

Here we see Daniel¶s Son of Man being worshiped by all creation as he rules over all the

nations forever. It is obvious from this that this Son of Man wasn¶t merely a human being,

but God who was appearing as a man. Thus, by identifying himself as that very same Son of

Man of Daniel Jesus was once again claiming to be God in human form, a form which he

acquired by virtue of becoming a man through his virginal conception and birth from his

blessed mother Mary.



(5) The Quran contradicts itself regarding the possibility of Allah having a son. In Q. 6:101 it

emphatically states that the Islamic deity cannot have an offspring since he has no wife or sexual partner:

Wonderful Originator of the heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has

no consort, and He (Himself) created everything, and He is the Knower of all things. Shakir

The rhetorical device used here by the author(s) rejects two things from ever possibly taking

place. First, Allah cannot have or take a son without having a wife. Second, it is impossible

for Allah to have a consort, which therefore means that he can never have a son.

The problem with this formulation is that the Quran elsewhere says that Allah can take to

himself a son if he so wishes:

Had God wished to take to Himself a son, He could have chosen whom He pleased out of those whom He doth create: but Glory be to Him! (He is above such things.) He is God, the

One, the Irresistible. S. 39:4 Y. Ali

This means that Allah can also take a wife, since Q. 6:101 says this is the only way the

Muslim god could ever acquire an offspring, and therefore Q. 6:101 is simply wrong in its

formulation.

But there is a further problem with the formulation of Q. 6:101 since the same Quran shows

that it is possible for Allah to have a son without taking a wife:

(Remember) when the angels said: "O Mary! Verily, Allah gives you the glad tidings of aWord from Him, his name will be the Messiah Jesus, the son of Mary, held in honour in this

world and in the Hereafter, and will be one of those who are near to Allah. He will speak to

the people in the cradle and in manhood, and he will be one of the righteous." She said: "Omy Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me." He said: "So (it will be)

for Allah creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: µBe!¶

and it is." S. 3:45-47

And mention in the Book Mary when she withdrew from her people to an eastern place, and

she took a veil apart from them; then We sent unto her Our Spirit that presented himself to

her a man without fault. She said, 'I take refuge in the All-merciful from thee! If thou fearest

Allah « He said, 'I am but a messenger come from thy Lord, to give thee a boy most pure.

She said, 'How shall I have a son whom no mortal has touched, neither have I been

unchaste?' He said, 'Even so thy Lord has said: "Easy is that for Me; and that We may

appoint him a sign unto men and a mercy from Us; it is a thing decreed."' S. 19:16-21

Here, Mary basically employs the very logic of Q. 6:101 and yet, instead of agreeing with

her, Allah responds by saying that it is easy for him to give her a son without her having a

husband to impregnate her. All he needs to do is simply say, "Be," and Mary will have an

offspring.

The question that Muslims such as Zaatari need to answer is if Mary can have a child without

having a husband why can¶t the all-powerful creator and sustainer of the universe have a son

without having a consort? If Allah is able to cause a virgin maiden to conceive a child



without needing a man to get her pregnant then why is Allah incapable of acquiring a sonwithout having sex with a spouse? And yet if Zaatari agrees that Allah can have a son without

needing a wife then he will pretty much be admitting that the formulation of Q. 6:101 issimply wrong.

We will let Zaatari figure out how to reconcile these gross, irreconcilable contradictions

which are found in a book claiming to be free from all discrepancies and mistakes (cf. Q.4:82)!

For more on this issue of Allah having a son and for further documentation demonstrating

that the reasoning of the Quran is logically fallacious we suggest reading the following

articles and rebuttals:

http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi030.html http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi030d1.html

http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/qi034.html http://answering-islam.org/Quran/Contra/without_consort.html

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/filial_terms.htm



Sam Shamoun

We resume our rebuttal to Muslim apologist Sami Zaatari who tries to use the Gospel of

John to prove that Jesus¶ earliest followers never said or believed that he is God!

The witness of the Baptist

Zaatari starts off his article by quoting the words of John Baptist to show that he didn¶t believe that Jesus is God, but that he is the Son of God and God¶s Lamb who takes away the

sin of the world. He mentions that Son of God doesn¶t prove Divinity since it refers to "a manof God, a true believer, a prophet, a messenger, and the Messiah."

Here is the context which will allow us to better understand what John actually meant when

he called Christ the Lamb of God and God¶s Son:

"And the Word became flesh and pitched his tent/tabernacled (eskenosen) among us, full of grace and truth; we have beheld his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father. John borewitness to him, and cried, µThis was he of whom I said, "He who comes after me ranks before

me, for he was before me."¶« And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priestsand Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, µWho are you?¶ He confessed, he did not deny, but

confessed, µI am not the Christ.¶ And they asked him, µWhat then? Are you Elijah?¶ He said,µI am not.¶ µAre you the prophet?¶ And he answered, µNo.¶ They said to him then, µWho are

you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?¶ He said,µ I am the voice of one crying 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, µThenwhy are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?¶ John

answered them, µI baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know,even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie .¶ This took

place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day he saw Jesus

coming toward him, and said, µBehold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the

world! T his is he of whom I said, "After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he wasbefore me." I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he

might be revealed to Israel.¶ And John bore witness, µI 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 ." And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son

of God .¶ The next day again John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked at

Jesus as he walked, and said, µBehold, the Lamb of God!¶" John 1:14-15, 19-36

And here is the other place in John¶s Gospel where the fourth Evangelist quotes the words of

the Baptizer:

"And they came to John, and said to him, µRabbi, he who was with you beyond the Jordan, towhom you bore witness, here he is, baptizing, and all are going to him.¶ John answered, µNo

one can receive anything except what is given him from heaven. You yourselves bear mewitness, 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, rejoicesgreatly 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 belongsto 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 3:26-36

In the above references the Baptist identifies himself with the voice of Isaiah 40 who comes

to prepare for the coming of God:

" A voice cries: µIn the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert ahighway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made

low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the

LORD shall be revealed , and all flesh shall see it together , for the mouth of the LORD has

spoken.¶« Get you up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good tidings; lift up your voice

with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good tidings, lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of

Judah, µ Behold your God!¶ Behold, the Lord GOD comes with might , and his arm rules for him; behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock

like a shepherd , he will gather the lambs in his arms, he will carry them in his bosom, and

gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:3-5, 9-11

Yet by saying that he was sent to prepare for and bear witness to Christ John is basicallytestifying that Jesus is the Lord God of Isaiah whose glory would be seen by all and who

comes to shepherd his flock under his care! In fact, Christ himself says that he is the good

Shepherd who will gather God¶s children together under one flock:



"µ 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, 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 thisfold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one

shepherd .¶ « Jesus answered them, µI 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

John further says that Jesus will baptize people in/with the Holy Spirit, a function which the

Hebrew Bible ascribes to Yahweh:

"I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses,

and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will

put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of

flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be

careful to observe my ordinances. You shall dwell in the land which I gave to your fathers;and you shall be my people, and I will be your God ." Ezekiel 36:25-28

"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

Moreover, by calling Christ the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world John was

alluding to the highly exalted Servant-King of Yahweh mentioned in Isaiah 53, the Oneidentified as the very Arm or Power of Yahweh sent to die as a sacrifice for the sins of God¶s

people:

" Behold, my Servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high.As many were astonished at him -- his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of the sons of men -- so shall he startle many nations; kings shallshut their mouths because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see, and

that which they have not heard they shall understand. Who has believed what we have heard? 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 comeliness 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 hewas 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 bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement thatmade us whole, 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; LI K E A LAMB

that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, 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 thewill of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to grief; when he makes himself an offering

for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall

prosper in his hand; he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied; by his

knowledge shall THE RIGHTEOUS ONE, MY SERVANT, MAK E MANY TO BEACCOUNTED RIGHTEOUS; AND HE SHALL BEAR THEIR INIQUITIES.

Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, 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 BOR E THE SIN OF MANY, and made intercession for the transgressors."

Isaiah 52:13-53:12

Finally, the Baptizer confesses that Jesus existed before him since he is the Son of God who

comes from above, from heaven itself, and is therefore above or greater than everyone.

To summarize John¶s witness,

y Jesus is the preexistent Son of God, the One who existed even before the Baptist.y Jesus is from above, from heaven, and therefore is above or greater than all.

y Jesus is the very human appearance, the visible manifestation, of Yahweh God

Almighty since John is the voice of Isaiah 40 who was sent to prepare the way for the

appearance of God himself. According to the statements of the Baptist, he was sent

ahead of Christ in order to prepare for his coming, which shows that Jesus is the God

who was to come as prophesied in Isaiah 40.

y Christ performs specific functions which the OT says are carried out exclusively by

Yahweh, such as baptizing in/with the Holy Spirit.

y Jesus is the Lamb of God ± a deliberate echo of Isaiah 53 ± who is sent to save the

world from its sin.

To put all of this in a nutshell so that Zaatari doesn¶t miss it: the Baptist testified and believed

that Jesus is the Divine Son of God and therefore God.

_______________________________________________ ____________________________

The testimony of the Samaritans

Zaatari also appeals to the confession of the Samaritan woman to prove that Jesus is a

prophet, something which no Bible-believing Christian disputes. However, Zaatari doesn¶t

quote all of the relevant verses and tries to brush aside certain statements that Jesus made

which only God could make:

"There came a woman of Samar'ia to draw water. Jesus said to her, µGive me a drink.¶ For his

disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him, µHow is

it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samar'ia?¶ For Jews have no dealings with

Samaritans. Jesus answered her, µIf you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to

you, "Give me a drink," you would have asked him, and he would have given you living

water .¶ The woman said to him, µSir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep;

where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the

well, and drank from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?¶ Jesus said to her, µEvery one



who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give

him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water

welling up to eternal life.¶ The woman said to him, µSir, give me this water, that I may notthirst, nor come here to draw.¶ Jesus said to her, µGo, call your husband, and come here.¶ The

woman answered him, µI have no husband.¶ Jesus said to her, µYou are right in saying, "I

have no husband"; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have is not your

husband; this you said truly.¶ The woman said to him, µSir, I perceive that you are a prophet.¶« So the woman left her water jar, and went away into the city, and said to the people,

µCome, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?¶" John 4:7-19, 25-

26, 28

The living water which Jesus gives is a reference to the Holy Spirit that he would send to his

followers:

"On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, µIf any one thirst,

let him come to me and drink. He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, "Out of his

heart shall flow rivers of living water ."¶ Now this he said about the Spirit , which 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

But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father , even the Spirit of

truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness to me; and you also are witnesses,

because you have been with me from the beginning. John 15:26-27

"Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go

away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you." John 16:7

"Jesus said to them again, µPeace 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, µ Receive the Holy Spirit .¶"

John 20:21-22

As we saw in our previous discussion concerning the Baptist¶s testimony, this ability to send

out or give the Holy Spirit is a Divine One which only Yahweh can carry out.

Moreover, after spending two days with them the Samaritans came to the conclusion that

Jesus is the Savior of the world:

"Many Samaritans from that city believed in him because of the woman's testimony, µ 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, µIt 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 4:39-42

This also concurs with the Baptist¶s statement that Christ takes the sin of the world away

since this is how Jesus saves those who believe in, namely, by sacrificing or forfeiting his

own life as an offering for sin in order to take away the wrath of God:

"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



As the fourth Evangelist put it in his first epistle:

"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 atoning

sacrifice the one who turns aside God's wrath, taking away our sins, and not for ours only

but also for the sins of the whole world ." 1 John 2:1-2

"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 loved God but that he

loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice the one who turns aside God's wrath,

taking away our sins« And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son as the

Savior of the world ." 1 John 4:9-10, 14

Jesus himself said that God had sent him into the world to save it:

"No one has ascended into heaven but he who descended from heaven, the Son of man . Andas Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up, that

whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 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

3:13-18

Thus, the Samaritans clearly believed that Jesus was more than a mere prophet since, in light

of John 3, we can safely assume that Christ would have personally told them that he is the

Son of God who came to save the world from their sins.

__________________________________________________________________________ _

Jesus ± The Prophet Like Moses

Zaatari then references John 6:10-14 to show how the crowds concluded that Jesus is a

prophet, not God. In his zeal to refute the Deity of the Lord Jesus, Zaatari doesn¶t realize how

this text proves that Muhammad IS NOT the prophet like Moses:

"Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to

Philip, µHow are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?¶ This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, µTwo hundred denarii would not

buy enough bread for each of them to get a little.¶ One of his disciples, Andrew, SimonPeter's brother, said to him, µThere is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but

what are they among so many?¶ Jesus said, µMake the people sit down.¶ Now there was muchgrass in the place; so the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 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,

µGather up the fragments left over, 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 which he had done, they said, µT his 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« Jesus answered



them, µTruly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ateyour fill of the loaves. Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which

endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.¶ Then they said to him, µWhat must we do, to be doing the works of God?¶ Jesus

answered them, µT his is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent .¶ So

they said to him, µThen 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, µTruly, truly, I say to you, it was not

Moses who gave you the bread from heaven; my Father gives you the true bread from

heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down from heaven, and gives life to the

world .¶ They said to him, µLord, give us this bread always.¶" John 6:5-14, 26-34

The first thing to note from this passage is that Jesus says that he is the Son of Man who gives

food which endures to eternal life, and that this food is the true Bread who comes down from

heaven to give life to the world. We will have more to say concerning this Bread of Life in

the next part of our discussion.

The second point to notice is that Jesus¶ miraculous feeding of the multitude with little bread,

the reference to Moses and to the Israelites eating manna in the wilderness indicates that by prophet the people meant that Jesus is the One spoken of in the writings of Moses. Upon

seeing the miracle the crowds realized that Jesus is the Prophet like Moses who was prophesied to come,

"The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your

brethren -- him you shall heed -- just as you desired of the LORD your God at Horeb on the

day of the assembly, when you said, µLet 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, µThey have rightly said

all that they have spoken. I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their

brethren; and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command

him. And whoever will not give heed to my words which he shall speak in my name, I myself will require it of him." Deuteronomy 18:15-19

Since Christ performed a sign which was similar to the wonders which Moses did by the

power of God, something which the Prophet like Moses had to do:

"And there has not arisen a prophet since in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face toface, none like him for all the signs and the wonders which the LORD sent him to do in the

land of Egypt , to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, and for all the mighty

power and all the great and terrible deeds which Moses wrought in the sight of all Israel."

Deuteronomy 34:10-12

Jesus himself testified that Moses wrote about him:

"Do not think that I shall accuse you to the Father; it is Moses who accuses you, on whom

you 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 will you believe my words?" John 5:45-47

As did his followers:



"Philip found Nathan'a-el, and said to him, µWe have found him of whom Moses in the law

and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.¶ Nathan'a-el said to him,

µCan anything good come out of Nazareth?¶ Philip said to him, µCome and see.¶ Jesus saw Nathan'a-el coming to him, and said of him, µBehold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no

guile!¶ Nathan'a-el said to him, µHow do you know me?¶ Jesus answered him, µ Before Philip

called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.¶ Nathan'a-el answered him, µ Rabbi,

you are the Son of God! Y ou are the K ing of Israel!¶ Jesus answered him, µBecause I said toyou, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.¶

And he said to him, µTruly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of

God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man .¶" John 1:45-51

Thus, since Jesus, his followers, and the crowds all believed that Christ is the Prophet like

Moses who was to come, Muhammad cannot be that prophet. In fact, Muhammad is a false

prophet according to the inspired Scriptures of the living God.

Therefore, Zaatari cannot have his cake and eat it too. He cannot appeal to these passages to

prove that Jesus is just a prophet while also believing that Muhammad is the prophet like

Moses since the very verses that he is citing identify Jesus as that Prophet, not Muhammad.

As a side note, Jesus¶ statement that his followers would see the angels ascending and

descending upon him, the Son of Man, is an allusion to the following OT text:

"Jacob left Beer-sheba, and went toward Haran. And he came to a certain place, and stayed

there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under

his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 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, µI am the

LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I

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 thesouth; 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 thisland; 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, µSurely the LORD is in this place; and I did not knowit.¶ And he was afraid, and said, µHow awesome is this place! This is none other than the

house of God, and this is the gate of heaven .¶" Genesis 28:10-17

By saying that the angels would ascend and descend upon him, Christ was identifyinghimself as the very gate of heaven, the One who unites heaven and earth together. In other

words, Jesus believed that he is the gate, the ladder, which connects to heaven and that all

who want to enter there must come to him since he is the only Way to God:

"µTruly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in byanother way, that man is a thief and a robber; but he who enters by the door is the Shepherd

of the sheep. T o him the gatekeeper opens; the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his ownsheep 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, butthey 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 tothem, µTruly, 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.¶" John 10:1-10

Therefore, Islam is a false religion since it contradicts the message of the risen Lord Jesus,

who alone gives eternal life and brings people to heaven.

___________________________________________________________________ ________

The confession of Simon Peter

Zaatari then quotes Peter¶s words in chapter 6 to show that the Apostle didn¶t believe or teachthat Jesus is God:

"Jesus said to the twelve, µDo you also wish to go away?¶ Simon Peter answered him, µLord,

to whom shall we go? Y ou have the words of eternal life; and we have believed, and havecome to know, that you are the Holy One of God .¶" John 6:68-69

Yet Zaatari ignores what else Peter said in this very same Gospel:

"He said to him the third time, µSimon, son of John, do you love me?¶ Peter was grieved

because he said to him the third time, µDo you love me?¶ And he said to him, µ Lord, you

know everything ; you know that I love you.¶ Jesus said to him, µFeed my sheep.¶" John 21:17

Peter confesses that Jesus is the omniscient Lord, the very Lord who knows all things andtherefore doesn¶t need to ask questions. And since it is God alone who knows everything:

"By this we shall know that we are of the truth, and reassure our hearts before him whenever

our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything ." 1 John

3:20

Peter¶s confession is therefore a rather emphatic witness to the absolute Deity of Christ, being

similar to Thomas¶ confession which the latter had made the previous week:

"Thomas answered and said to him, µ My Lord and my God !¶ Jesus said to him, µHave you

believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.¶"

John 20:28-29

Nor is this the only place where we find Peter, along with the rest of the Apostles, affirming

that Jesus is omniscient:

"I have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer speak to you infigures but tell you plainly of the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I do not

say to you that I shall pray the Father for you; 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. ¶ His

disciples said, µAh, now you are speaking plainly, not in any figure! Now we know that you

know all things, and need none to question you; by this we believe that you came from

God .¶ Jesus answered them, µ Do you now believe?¶" John 16:25-31



Not only do they believe that Christ knows everything they also affirm that Jesus came downfrom the Father and is therefore preexistent, i.e. Jesus existed in heaven with the Father

before coming into the world.

Moreover, Peter¶s language in John 6:68-69 is reminiscent of what we read in Acts:

"Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. And aman 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, µLook at us.¶ And he fixed his attention upon them, expecting to receive something from

them. But Peter said, µI 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 when Peter saw

it he addressed the people, µMen 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 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. 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 3:1-8,14-16

Notice that Peter performs a miracle in the name of Jesus since he believes that Jesus¶ name

gives salvation and healing:

"On the morrow their rulers and elders and scribes were gathered together in Jerusalem, with

Annas the high priest and Ca'iaphas and John and Alexander, and all who were of the high- priestly family. And when they had set them in the midst, they inquired, µ By what power or

by what name did you do this?¶ Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, µRulersof the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a

cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the peopleof 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 is the stone whichwas rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. 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 4:5-12

In light of this does it really come as a surprise that Peter confessed that Jesus is the Holy and

Righteous One who is the very Author of life itself that has the words that lead to eternal life?So much for Zaatari¶s appeal to Peter.

This concludes the second part of our rebuttal. We now move to part 3.





Sam Shamoun

We now come to the final part of our refutation.

Jesus ± the Divine Son of God Incarnate

The most troubling aspect of all of this is that Zaatari doesn¶t bother addressing or interacting

with the statements that Jesus made all throughout John 6. In this very same chapter the LordJesus again made specific claims which clearly prove that he believed that he was God in the

flesh, being the Divine Son of God whom the Father sent as Saviour and Sustainer.

For example, Jesus identifies himself as the I AM in the context of walking on the sea:

"When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, got into a boat, and started acrossthe sea to Caper'na-um. It was now dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them. The sea rose because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four miles, they

saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near to the boat . They were frightened, but hesaid to them, µ I AM (ego eimi); do not be afraid .¶ Then they were glad to take him into the

boat, and immediately the boat was at the land to which they were going." John 6:16-21

Jesus¶ use of the I AM in this particular setting functions as a Divine self-disclosure, as a wayfor Christ to further reveal his Divine identity to his followers. Jesus¶ walking on the sea

demonstrated his control over nature, something which the OT says is a prerogative

belonging to Yahweh:

"who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea;" Job 9:8

"Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the sons of men!And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy! Some

went down to the sea in ships , doing business on the great waters; they saw the deeds of the

LORD, his wondrous works in the deep. For he commanded, and raised the stormy wind,

which lifted up the waves of the sea. They mounted up to heaven, they went down to thedepths; their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken

men, and were at their wits' end. T hen they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he

delivered them from their distress; he made the storm be still, and the waves of the sea were

hushed . Then they were glad because they had quiet, and he brought them to their desired

haven. Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wonderful works to the sons

of men!" Psalm 107:21-31

"But now thus says the LORD, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel:

µFear 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 consumeyou« You are my witnesses,¶ says the LORD, µand 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.¶" Isaiah 43:1-2, 10



Thus, Jesus was basically revealing to his disciples that he is the Divine I AM of the OT whohas complete control and mastery over the seas and the winds. As the late liberal NT scholar

Father Raymond E. Brown noted concerning Jesus¶ I AM statements in John¶s Gospel:

"The Johannine Gospel offers lucid examples of precreational christology. The opening

verses (1:1-2) of the hymn that serves as a Prologue makes clear that not only through the

Word (who is the Son; see 1:18) were all things created but also the Word existed in God¶s presence before creation. If in Gen 1:1 µIn the beginning¶ means in the beginning of creation,

in John 1:1 µIn the beginning¶ means before anything was created. That in John¶s mind the

preexistence of Jesus as God¶s Son is not merely hymnic figurative language or poetic license

is clear from 17:5 where the Johannine Jesus speaks literally and consciously of having a

glorified existence with the Father before the world began (see also 16:28; 3:13; 5:19;

8:26,58).

"A particular facet of Johannine precreational Christology appears in the use of µI am¶ by

Jesus. The corresponding Geek ego eimi can be simply a phrase of common speech,

equivalent to µIt is¶ or µI am the one.¶ However, it also has a solemn and sacral use in the OT,

the NT, Gnosticism, and pagan Greek religious writings. Of most importance for our quest is

John¶s absolute use of µI am¶ with no predicate« Thus, 8:24: µUnless you come to believethat I AM, you will die in your sins¶; 8:28: µWhen you lift up the Son of Man, then you will

know that I AM¶; 8:58: µBefore Abraham even came into existence, I AM¶: 13:19: µWhen itdoes happen, you may believe that I AM.¶" (Brown, An Introduction to New Testament

Christology [Paulist Press; Mahwah, NJ 1994], pp. 136-137)

And:

"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, µI

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, µI AM.¶ Some would tell us that the first means simply, µIt is I, i.e. someone

whom you know and not a supernatural being or ghost.¶ And they would tell us that thesecond means simply, µI am he, i.e. the one you are looking for.¶ A better solution is to

recognize a play on the expression µI AM¶ as having a twofold meaning: While it has asimpler 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 waterand 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, fn. 202; bold emphasis ours)

After mentioning the evidence that both the OT and rabbinic Jewish sources used the I AM asa Divine name, Brown then focuses on the book of Isaiah and connects that with John¶s use

of the same expression:

"There is even evidence that the use of ego eimi in the Greek of Deutero-Isaiah came to beunderstood not only as a statement of divine unicity and existence, but also as a divine name.

The Hebrew of Isa 43:25 reads, µI, I am He who blots out your transgressions.¶ The Greek translates the first part of this statement by using ego eimi twice. This can mean, µI am He, I



am He who blots out your transgressions¶: but it can also be interpreted, µI am µI AM¶ who blots out your transgressions,¶ a translation that makes ego eimi a name. Isa 51:12 is similar.

The Hebrew of Isa 52:6 states, µMy people shall know my name; in that day (they shallknow) that I am He who speaks¶; but the Greek can be read, µthat ego eimi is the one who

speaks,¶ so that µI AM¶ becomes the divine name to be known in the day of the Lord.

"Against this background the absolute use of µI AM¶ by the Johannine Jesus becomes quiteintelligible; he was speaking in the same manner in which Yahweh speaks in Deutero-

Isaiah. For instance, in John 8:28 Jesus promises that when the Son of Man is lifted up (in

return to the Father), µthen you will know ego eimi¶ ; in Isaiah 43:10 Yahweh has chosen

Israel, µthat you may know and believe me and understand ego eimi.¶ The absolute

Johannine use of µI 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, µ E go 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 µIt is I¶ issuggested by the profession of faith elicited by the disciples (Matt 14:33), µTruly you are

God¶s Son!¶ Or again, when speaking of the signs of the last days Jesus warns, µMany willcome 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: µI am the Messiah¶); and the juxtaposition of ego eimi and µmy name¶ brings us close to Johannine usage. Thus, John¶s absolute use of µI

AM,¶ rather than a creation from nothing, maybe an elaboration of an early tradition that hasleft some traces in the Synoptic Gospels as well." (Ibid., pp. 138-140; bold and underline

emphasis ours)

Jesus also went on to say that he is the Living Bread whom God sent down from heaven to

save the world and to give eternal life to all who believe in him:

"Jesus said to them, µI am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall not hunger, and hewho 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 notcast 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.¶ The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, µI am the bread which came down

from heaven.¶ They said, µIs 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 6:35-42

The reaction of Jesus¶ contemporaries shows that Christ¶s language meant that he truly believed that he was actually there in heaven with the Father even before he came down to

the earth. He repeats this point of coming down from heaven all throughout this chapter:

"So Jesus said to them, µTruly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of manand drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has

eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.¶" John 6:53-54



"But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at it, said to them, µDo you takeoffense at this? Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending where he was

before? It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail; the words that I have spoken to

you are spirit and life.¶" John 6:61-63

By stating that all who come to him will never hunger or thirst Jesus obviously believed that

he has the power to provide for and sustain all of his followers, a power which only God has.In fact, by further claiming that he will raise the dead on the last day Jesus was once again

identifying himself as God Almighty since the Hebrew Scriptures expressly teach that it is

Yahweh who gives and sustains life, as well as raises the dead:

"The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up." 1 Samuel 2:6

"Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; straight to the gravethey descend, and their form shall waste away; Sheol shall be their home. But God will

ransom my soul from the power of Sheol , for he will receive me. [Selah]" Psalm 49:14-15

"On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of fat things, a feast of

wine on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wine on the lees well refined. And he willdestroy on this mountain the covering that is cast over all peoples, the veil that is spread over

all nations. He will swallow up death for ever , 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, µLo, 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

The Quran itself agrees with the true Word of God that God, or Allah, raises the dead and

gives life:

Look, therefore, at the prints of Allah's mercy (in creation): how He quickeneth the earth after

her death. Lo! He verily is the Quickener of the Dead , and He is Able to do all things. S.

30:50 Pickthall

He is the Living (One): There is no god but He: Call upon Him, giving Him sincere devotion.

Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds! « It is He Who gives Life and Death; and when He

decides upon an affair, He says to it, "Be", and it is. S. 40:65, 68 Y. Ali

The Islamic religion further teaches that certain names or characteristics cannot be ascribed in

their definite forms to anyone besides Allah:

5. Maintaining the unity of Allaah¶s names also means that Allaah¶s names in the definite

form cannot be given to His creation unless preceded by the prefix meaning µAbd "slave of"or "servant of". Many of the Divine names in their indefinite form like and are allowable

names for men because Allaah has used some of them in their indefinite forms to refer to the

Prophet «

"A messenger has come to you from among yourselves to whom anything which

burdens you is grievous. He is full of concern for you and is full of pity ( Ra¶oof ) and full

of mercy ( Raheem)."



But ar-Ra¶oof (the One Most Full of Pity) and ar-Raheem (the Most Merciful) can only beused to refer to men if they are preceded by µAbd as in µAbdur-Ra¶oof or µAbdur-Raheem,

since the definite form they represent a level of perfection which only belongs to God.Similarly, names like µAbdur-Rasool (slave of the messenger), µAbdun-Nabee (slave of the

Prophet), µAbdul-Husayn (slave of Husayn), etc., where people name themselves slaves to

other than Allaah are also forbidden. Based on this principle, the Prophet forbade Muslims

from referring to those put under their charge as µAbdee (my slave) or Amatee (my slave girl).(Philips, The Fundamentals of Tawheed (Islamic M onotheism) [Islamic Book Service, New

Delhi, India, Reprint Edition: 2004], 1. Chapter on the Categories of Tawheed, pp. 14-15;

underline emphasis ours)

Thus, names such as THE First and THE Last, THE Truth, THE Resurrection, THE Life, or

THE Living One cannot be attributed to any creature since these are characteristics which

properly belong only to the true God:

Allah there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting . Slumber seizes Him not, neither

sleep; to Him belongs all that is in the heavens and the earth. Who is there that shall intercede

with Him save by His leave? He knows what lies before them and what is after them, and

they comprehend not anything of His knowledge save such as He wills. His Thronecomprises the heavens and earth; the preserving of them oppresses Him not; He is the All-

high, the All-glorious. S. 2:255

Allah, there is no god but He, the Living, the Everlasting . S. 3:2; cf. 20:111

That is because Allah, He is the T ruth, and it is He Who gives life to the dead , and it is He

Who is Able to do all things. S. 22:6

He is the Living One; there is no god but He. So call upon Him, making your religion His

sincerely. Praise belongs to God, the Lord of all Being.

He is the First and the Last , the Outward and the Inward; He has knowledge of everything.

S. 57:3

And yet Jesus applied these very attributes and names to himself!

"Jesus said to her, µYour brother will rise again.¶ Martha said to him, µI know that he will rise

again in the resurrection at the last day.¶ Jesus said to her, µ I am T HE Resurrection and T HE

Life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes

in me shall never die. Do you believe this?¶ She said to him, µYes, Lord; I believe that you

are the Christ, the Son of God, he who is coming into the world.¶" John 11:23-27

"Jesus said to him, µI am the Way, and T HE T ruth, and T HE Life; no one comes to theFather, but by me.¶" John 14:6

"When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand upon me, saying,

µFear not, I am T HE First and T HE Last, and T HE Living One; I died, and behold I am

alive for evermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. Revelation 1:17-18

Now in light of all of this doesn¶t this prove that, by ascribing these very Divine titles andnames to his own Person, Jesus was making himself out to be God? Doesn¶t this conclusively



show that Jesus believed he was God when he claimed to be the Son of God who could dowhatever God does?

This now leads us to our final section.

_______________________________________________ ____________________________

The disbelievers were right ± Jesus did claim to be God!

With the foregoing in view, we can now more fully appreciate why the Jews sought to haveJesus killed for claiming to be the Son of God:

"The Jews answered him, µWe have a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has

made himself the Son of God .¶" John 19:7

They could see that Jesus used this title to express his absolute Deity, that he was making

himself God and equal with God, just as the following passage shows:

"One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him and knew

that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, µDo you want to be healed?¶ The sick

man answered him, µSir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled,

and while I am going another steps down before me.¶ Jesus said to him, µRise, take up your

pallet, and walk.¶ And at once the man was healed , and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the sabbath. So the Jews said to the man who was cured, µIt is the sabbath,

it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.¶ But he answered them, µThe man who healed mesaid to me, "Take up your pallet, and walk."¶ They asked him, µWho is the man who said to

you, "Take up your pallet, and walk"?¶ Now the man who had been healed did not know whoit was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. Afterward, Jesus found

him in the temple, and said to him, µSee, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall

you.¶ The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. And thiswas why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath. But Jesus answered

them, µ 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 sabbath but also called God his Father,

making himself equal with God ." John 5:5-18

By saying that he had the same right to work on the Sabbath day as the Father did Jesus was

essentially claiming equality with God, just as the Jews correctly understood.

And in response to the Jews¶ reaction, Jesus went on to reinforce that he was making himself

God and coequal with the Father in essence and honor:

"Jesus said to them, µTruly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he 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, 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 . The Father judges no one, but has given

all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father . He who

does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him.¶" John 5:19 -23



In light of the above, can Zaatari produce a statement from either the Holy Bible or the Quranwhere a righteous god-fearing creature ever said that s/he could only do what God does, and

can do whatever God does in the same manner that God does it? Can he provide a referencewhere one of God¶s servants such as Gabriel or Moses stated that s/he could give life as God

gives it or demand that people honor him/her in exactly the same manner that they honor

God? If not (and he cannot) then what does this say about Jesus¶ self-consciousness, his self-

awareness? Is this the language of a person who thinks that he is merely a prophet, an apostle,or a righteous slave of God?

Jesus also reiterated the point of his being the One who will resurrect the dead by the power

of his voice since he has life within himself (i.e., he is self-existent and the Source of Life),

just as the Father has:

"Truly, truly, I say to you, the hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice

of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he

has granted the Son also to have life in himself , and has given him authority to execute

judgment, because he is the Son of Man . Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming when

all who are in the tombs will hear his voice [i.e. Jesus¶ voice ] and come forth, those who

have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrectionof judgment." John 5:25-29

As we saw earlier, this is a function which both the Hebrew Bible and the Quran agree

belongs to God alone. Again, can Zaatari quote any of the true servants of God where they

expressly said that they would raise the dead from their graves by the power of their word or

voice?

Nor is this the only occasion where the Jews understood that Jesus was making himself out to

be God:

"µMy 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.¶ The Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus

answered them, µI have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of these doyou stone me?¶ The Jews answered him, µIt is not for a good work that we stone you but for

blasphemy; because you, being a man, make yourself God .¶ Jesus answered them, µIs it notwritten in your law, "I said, 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 andsent into the world, "Y ou 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 tried to arrest him, but he escaped from their hands." John 10:27-39

Here, once again, Jesus says that he gives eternal life and has the power to preserve hisfollowers forever since he is the Son who is one with the Father! He even uses the very same

language that the OT uses in contexts that affirm that Yahweh alone is God and that other gods do not exist:



"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; Iwound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand ." Deuteronomy 32:39

"µYou are my witnesses,¶ says the LORD, µand 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 mywitnesses,¶ says the LORD. µI am God, and also henceforth I am He; there is none who can

deliver from my hand ; I work and who can hinder it?¶" Isaiah 43:10-13

Is it any wonder, then, that the Jews thought that Jesus was claiming to be God when he said

he was the Son of God? And doesn¶t all of this evidence from the Gospel of John

conclusively prove that Jesus and his earliest followers such as the Baptist did teach and

believe that Christ was God by proclaiming that he is the preexistent Son of God that came

down from heaven who performs the very deeds that only God can? To those with eyes to see

and ears to hear the answer is obvious.

We therefore pray that the risen Lord and immortal Savior, Jesus Christ, grant Sami Zaatari

eyes with which to see and ears with which to hear in order to accept the true Gospel andembrace Christ as his very Lord God so as to receive eternal life and be saved from the wrath

to come. Amen.

R elated Articles

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jews_misunderstood.htm

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/q_jesus_forgives.htm

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_god_the_son.htm

http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/unique.htm

http://answering-islam.org/R

esponses/A

taie/divine_attributes.htm http://answering-islam.org/Shamoun/jesus_divine_functions_quran.htm

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