Did Christ Say He Was God?

Continuing along in my examination of differences between God and Allah, Was Christ really divine? Muslims assert that he was a great prophet but not the son of God. The Quran says in sura 2:22, THE HEIFER, "He who made the earth a habitat for you, and the sky a structure, and sends water down from the sky, and brings out fruits thereby, as a sustenance for you. Therefore, do not assign rivals to Allah while you know."

In Islam, joining or assigning partners to Allah is the unforgivable sin of shirk. This is so reprehensible to them that they are commanded to deal harshly with any "disbeliever" who teaches the doctrine of the Trinity. As it says in sura 3:151, FAMILY OF IMRAN, "We will throw terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve, because they attribute to Allah partners for which He revealed no  sanction. Their lodging is the Fire. Miserable is the lodging of the evildoers."

This sura contradicts what God said to Jesus and those watching his baptism in Luke 3:22 (KJV). "And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, 'Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.'" Notice that the Holy Spirit was also present, nullifying any argument against a triune God.

Furthermore, God called Christ his beloved son when he was transfigured, showing his pre-incarnate glory. Mark 9:7 (KJV) says, "And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, 'This is my beloved Son: hear him'."

But did Jesus actually say he was God? He didn't say those exact words but it's clear from the scriptures that he knew he was divine. In John 8:58 (KJV), Jesus answered the Pharisees question about how he could have known Abraham and yet he wasn't even fifty years old. "Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'"

That wasn't a poor grammatical choice on Christ's part. He spoke the holy name of God. Exodus 3:14 (KJV) shows that's what God called himself.  "And God said unto Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM:' and he said, 'Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, "I AM hath sent me unto you."'"

Because the divinity of Christ is crucial to our salvation, I'll stress its importance in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? If Jesus were a mere prophet, he couldn't atone for the sins of all who trust in him for forgiveness of sins. But since it's through him that we obtain salvation, we must believe he's divine and therefore able to pay our debt to God.

On Saturday, I hope to post about a touching song about a father's love for his rascal son.

Jesus: Son of God or Mere Prophet

As I have shown before, Jesus is the Son of God. But Muslims believe he was merely a prophet. So who's right?

Luke 9:18 -20 shows that Christ was thee Messiah and no mere prophet. "And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, 'Whom say the people that I am?' They answering said, 'John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.' He said unto them, 'But whom say ye that I am?' Peter answering said, 'The Christ of God.'"

No true prophet would have let Peter say such a thing but Jesus, who is God, praised him for it. Matthew 16:17 (KJV)says, "And Jesus answered and said unto him, 'Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.'"

Neither would any mere prophet say what Christ said in John 8:58 (KJV). "Jesus said unto them, 'Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.'" Jesus used the sacred name of God in that seemingly awkward sentence, causing the Pharisees to pick up stones with witch to stone him for blasphemy but he escaped.

But the Qu'ran states in sura 2:135-136, "And they say, 'Be Jews or Christians, and you will be guided.' Say, 'Rather, the religion of Abraham, the Monotheist; he was not an idolater.' Say, 'We believe in Allah; and in what was revealed to us; and in what was revealed to Abraham, and Ishmael, and Isaac, and Jacob, and the Patriarchs; and in what was given to Moses and Jesus; and in what was given to the prophets—from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him (Allah) we surrender.'"

Additionally, sura 3:59 claims, "The likeness of Jesus in Allah's sight is that of Adam: He created him from dust, then to him, 'Be,' and he was."

This clashes head on with what Christ himself declared to John in Revelation 1:8 (KJV). "'I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,' saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." Now how could a created being say such a thing?

So much more could be written on this topic so I'll save it for my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? People need to know that Jesus is coequal with God and therefore is to be worshiped.