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.

Trinity Vs. Supposed Sin of Shirk?

Continuing on with this month's topic, I need to show that God is triune and not a single deity. The best place to start is at Christ's baptism.

Matthew 3:13-17 (KJV) describes the scene this way. "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, 'I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?' And Jesus answering said unto him, 'Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.' Then he suffered him. And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.'"

Now how could God be a singular entity when the Spirit of God and Jesus were in the same place when God spoke from heaven?

Likewise, God spoke from heaven in John 12:28 (KJV). "'Father, glorify thy name.' Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.'"

But Qu'ran 4:116 says, "Allah will not forgive that partners be associated with Him; but will forgive anything less than that, to whomever He wills. Anyone who ascribes partners to Allah has strayed into far error."

Also, how could the Old Testament address God in the plural form (read Genesis chapter one) and show himself to be a triune being in the New Testament, yet the Qu'ran claims he has no partners? If God and Allah were the same being, he himself would be guilty of the sin of shirk, ascribing partners to himself.

I'll be writing more about this in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Foolish Christians believe that God and Allah are the same but I've shown here without equivocation that they aren't.