I’m convinced people, especially Muslims, don’t reject true Christianity, what they reject is the false characterisation of Christianity they are taught or a prejudiced misconception they have formed about it. So many arguments against us come down to the one presenting the argument either, having no idea what true Christians actually believe or who God is, or worse of deliberately misrepresenting it.
Which is why the words of church fathers like Hilary of Poitiers still ring true.¹ The heretic has been quoting single detached utterances and ignoring what follows or precedes it to make the Scriptures say what they don’t actually say. And so we need to filter arguments against us, which do not follow the rules of logical reasoning, textual criticism or sound hermeneutics.
Identify the heresy, fallacy or other shortcoming associated with the arguments made against us. Then study the Scriptures in the light of the church fathers. It will be seen that no objection Muslims has ever raised was not addressed in the Patristic literature and their weak arguments rejected.
What the Quran describes of the Trinity for instance is a caricature of what it actually comprises. Nowhere does Islam reject true Trinitarianism. Islam’s god, prophet and book have NEVER understood or articulated what the Trinity constitutes or means.
The doctrine of the Trinity as properly understood, remains untouched, intact and unscathed by 1400 years of Islamic heresy and misrepresentation of it. There is no Muslim yet who recognises the Christian God, neither the two hypostasis (natures) of perfect man and perfect God as found in Christ, nor the nature of the Trinity doctrine which is always misrepresented in Islam as Tritheism. And what they cannot understand they cannot argue against.
Because when we have a firm understanding of what Christianity as based upon and of who God is in Father Son and Spirit, we come to see the truth for what it is. Truth says that there is no good argument against us, nor any sound basis for rejecting Jesus Christ who died for us or for disbelieving in our Triune God. Anything else is idolatry and paganism, supportable only by fallacious and specious reasoning and historical inaccuracy.
Footnote:
¹ Hillary of Poitiers “On the Trinity” (Book IX)
Heresy lays hold of words spoken by Christ Incarnate, appropriate to His humility as Man, and assigns them to Him in His previous state; thus they make Him deny His true Godhead. But His utterances before the Incarnation, during His life on earth, and after His return to glory, must be carefully distinguished (§§ 5, 6).
Hilary now examines the aims and achievements of Christ Incarnate, and shows that His work for men was a Divine work, accomplished by Him for us only because He was throughout both God and Man, the two natures in Him being inseparable (§§ 7-14).
After reaching this conclusion from a general survey of Christ’s life on earth, he examines in the light of it the Arian arguments from isolated words. They assert that Christ refused to be called Good or Master. He refused neither title, and yet declared that both belong to God only (§§ 15-18).
And, indeed, He could not have associated Himself more closely than He did with the Father, while yet He kept His Person distinct (§ 19).
The Father Himself bears witness to the Son; and the sin and loss of the Jews is this, that, seeing the Father’s works done by Christ, they did not see in Him the Son (§§ 20, 21).
The honour and glory of Christ is inseparable from that of God (§§ 22, 23).
The Scribe did well to confess the Divine unity, but was still outside the Kingdom because He did not believe in Christ as God (§§ 24-27).
Next, the Arian argument from the words, This is life eternal, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, is refuted by comparison with cognate passages (§§ 28-35).
For, indeed, if the Father be the only true God, the Son must also be the only true God (§ 36).
That Divine nature which is common to Father and Son is subject to no limitations, and the eternal generation can be illustrated by no analogy of created things (§ 37).
Christ took humanity, and, since the Father’s nature did not share in this, the unity was so far impaired. But humanity has been raised in Christ to God; and this could only be because His unity in the Divine nature with the Father was perfect. Otherwise the flesh which Christ took could not have entered into the Divine glory (§ 38).
There is but one glory of Father and of Son; the Son sought in the Incarnation not glory for the Word but for the flesh (§§ 39, 40).
The glory of Father and Son is one; in that unity the Son bestows, as well as receives, glory (§§ 41, 42), and this glory, common to Both, is evidence that the Divine nature also is common to Both (§ 42).
Source: www.newadvent.org/fathers/330209.htm
Paul on Christ’s Divinity
1). INTRODUCTION
Did Paul think of Jesus as God? As the leading Apostle and flagbearer of the gospel to the Gentiles its important to establish Paul’s understanding of the status of the Messiah and how he anchored it in the Hebrew Scriptures.
From even a cursory examination of his letters its seems clear that Paul certainly had a high Christology, in which Jesus received worship and devotion, that was without precedent in the Judaism of the first century. From the wider context of Paul’s undisputed letters, there are a number of indications of this high devotion to Jesus.¹
This post focuses on the main strands of the evidence. From which we can see that Paul has anchored His perception of Jesus identity in the Old Testament. Moreover Paul is reflecting and reinforcing the position of the church he is NOT as Muslim’s falsely accuse him, making anything up on the fly nor inventing a doctrine of the divinity of Christ.
2). JESUS IS THE INCARNATION OF YAHWEH
Perhaps one of the clearest indications that Paul thought Jesus was the incarnation of Yahweh comes from the fact that he used Monotheistic Old Testament passages which uniquely referred to Yahweh and applied them to the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32; 1 Corinthians. 1:31 cf. Jeremiah. 9:24; 1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13; 1 Corinthians 10:26 cf. Psalm 24:1; 2 Corinthians 10:17 cf. Jeremiah 9:24 to mention a few). 1 Corinthians 2:16, for example, alludes to Isaiah 40:13 which is in the context of some of the most explicit monotheistic statements in the entire Old Testament (cf. Isaiah 40:13-28; 43:10; 44:6, 8; 45:5).
▪︎ Romans 10:13 cf. Joel 2:32
Romans 10:13, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Joel 2:32, “Then everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh will be saved, for there will be an escape for those on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, as the Lord promised, among the survivors the Lord calls.”
Comment: The LORD reference here is to Yahweh. However, Paul takes the Lord reference in Joel 2:32 and applies it to Jesus in Romans 10:13.
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 1:31 cf. Jeremiah 9:24
1 Corinthians 1:31, “in order that, as it is written: The one who boasts must boast in the Lord.”
Jeremiah 9:24, “But the one who boasts should boast in this, that he understands and knows Me — that I am Yahweh, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration.”
Comment: The Lord in 1 Corinthians 1:31 is a reference to Jesus, while the quotation is a reference to Yahweh. (See also 2 Corinthians 10:17 where the same comparison is repeated)
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13
1 Corinthians 2:16, “For who has known the Lord’s mind, that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.”
Isaiah 40:13, “Who has directed the Spirit of the Lord, or who gave Him His counsel?
Comment: The Lord in the context of 1 Corinthians 2 is Jesus. while the Lord in Isaiah 40:13 is Yahweh.
▪︎ 1 Corinthians 10:26; cf. Psalm 24:1
1 Corinthians 10:26, “For the earth is the Lord’s, and all that is in it.”
Psalm 24:1, “The earth and everything in it, the world and its inhabitants, belong to the Lord.”
Comment: The Lord in the context of 1 Corinthians 10 is Jesus, while the Lord in Psalm 24:1 is Yahweh.
3). JESUS RECEIVES PRAYER
The early Christians prayed to Jesus for his return and for blessing and were even described as those who call upon the name of the Lord Jesus, which likely indicate that such prayer was a regular part of their devotional practices (1 Corinthians 1:2; 16:22; 2 Corinthians 12:8; Romans 10:13). 1 Corinthians 1:2 and Romans 10:13 even draw upon an Old Testament passage referring to Yahweh, which was the unique Hebrew name for God, and apply them to Jesus.
According to Paul, New Testament Christians were everywhere praying to Jesus.
“Paul. . . to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours.” (1 Corinthians 1:1–2).
It appears that Paul includes himself among those who called upon the name of Jesus. These prayers directed to Jesus were universal. And the present tense of “call” suggests that the prayers were on-going.
Again in Romans we find: “whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). What is that name if not Jesus?
The phrase, “Maranatha” (1 Corinthians 16:22), which is usually translated as the petition, “Come, O Lord.” “Maranatha” is an Aramaic expression that originated before Christians had filtered throughout the Gentile community. It seems that very early on, the Christians were crying out to Jesus, “Come, O Lord!” This was a prayer of petition.
4). JESUS RECEIVES WORSHIP
They also composed hymns describing Jesus as pre-existent and active in the themes of creation, redemption, and end-time salvation. Paul was not ashamed to include the worshipful credal-hymn found in Philippians 2:6-11. Only God was the Creator, and for Jesus to share in that action indicates that He could be uniquely viewed as sharing in God’s identity or being God Himself. Likewise, the fact that Paul thought of Jesus as pre-existent indicates that he certainly had some view of the incarnation or Jesus’ coming to earth as a human (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:8-9 with Philippians 2:6-11).
Paul had no hesitation in joining Father And Son worshipping both in spirit exactly as Jesus taught (John 4:23 and 5:23).
“For we … who worship God in the Spirit, rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
5). JESUS IS PRE-EXISTENT
As already mentioned, Paul had an understanding of Jesus being pre-existent (cf. Romans 8:3; 1 Corinthians 8:6; 10:4; 15:47; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Galatians 4:4). This would be totally consistent with the idea of Jesus being God incarnate.
Romans 8:3, “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: SENDING HIS OWN SON in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh.”
Romans 9:5, “The ancestors are theirs, and from them, BY PHYSICAL DESCENT, CAME THE MESSIAH, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.”
1 Corinthians 8:6, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, FROM WHOM ARE ALL THINGS and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, and we exist through Him.”
1 Corinthians 10:4, “And all drank the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual rock which followed them; and the rock was Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:47, “The first man is from the earth, earthy; THE SECOND MAN IS FROM HEAVEN.”
2 Corinthians 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, THAT THOUGH HE WAS RICH, YET FOR YOUR SAKE HE BECAME POOR, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”
Galatians 4:4, “But when the fullness of the time came, God SENT FORTH HIS SON, born of a woman, born under the Law.”
Comments: can you be sent, unless you came from somewhere and already existed? Can you “become poor” from a previous state of being “rich” unless you have known a previous existence?
6). JESUS IS CREATOR
Paul also described Jesus as Creator, “Yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus Christ, BY WHOM ARE ALL THINGS, and we exist through Him.” (1 Corinthians 8:6). Isaiah 44:24 says, “Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb, “I, the LORD, AM THE MAKER OF ALL THINGS, Stretching out the heavens by Myself And spreading out the earth all alone.” In this passage, the LORD [Yahweh] says that He created the earth all by Himself.
Yet, Paul says that Jesus created all things. Therefore, in this sense, Jesus must be God. It is also important to note that Paul was very familiar with this Isaiah 44:24 passage due to his knowledge of the surrounding context in Isaiah 40-44 in his numerous other allusions to Isaiah (1 Corinthians 2:16 cf. Isaiah 40:13).
See also: “FOR EVERYTHING WAS CREATED BY HIM, IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities — ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM” (Colossians 1:16 HCSB).
7). JESUS IS THE IMAGE OF GOD:
“But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. [4] In their case, the god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, WHO IS THE IMAGE OF GOD” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4)
“For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD’S GLORY IN THE FACE OF JESUS CHRIST” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
“Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, [6] who, EXISTING IN THE FORM OF GOD, DID NOT CONSIDER EQUALITY WITH GOD AS SOMETHING TO BE USED FOR HIS OWN ADVANTAGE. [7] Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, [8] He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. [9] For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, [10] so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — [11] and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:5-11).
“but our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. [21] He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, BY THE POWER THAT ENABLES HIM TO SUBJECT EVERYTHING TO HIMSELF” (Philippians 3:20-21).
“HE IS THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, the firstborn over all creation” (Colossians 1:15).
“May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself AND God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and good hope by grace” (2 Thessalonians 2:16).
“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: GOD WAS MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.” (I Timothy 3:16)
“I solemnly charge you before God AND Christ Jesus, who is going to judge the living and the dead, and because of His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).
(cf both the above verses with John 17:3 which also brackets Father and Son together inseparably: “This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, AND the One You have sent — Jesus Christ”)
“While we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. [14] He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works” (Titus 2:13-14).
“But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, [5] He saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy — through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. [6] He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3:4-6).
8). OTHER INDICATIONS
There are also a number of other strong indications that the early Christians, including Paul, viewed Jesus as God. First, these early Christians composed creedal statements in which Jesus was their object (Romans 1:3-4; 10:9-10). Second, they described their worship services as gathering in the Lord’s name (1 Corinthians 5:4). Third, they baptized new converts in Jesus’ name (Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27). Fourth, they celebrated a sacred meal which they called the “Lord’s Supper” (1 Corinthians 11:20; cf. 10:21).
There is virtually no other comparable example in all of the Jewish literature of the time period to indicate that any figure, semi-divine being, or anyone received this type of devotion other than God. Therefore, it seems wise to conclude as David Capes does, “These practices imply that early Christians worshiped Jesus and thought of him in the way that one thinks of God.” ²
9). CONCLUSIONS
If Muslims want to claim that Paul wrongly “deified” Jesus or corrupted His teaching, they must explain why neither Bible nor Quran gives support for such claims and the argument is anyway baseless when one studies core Christian doctrines. Paul and Jesus were in lockstep on every fundamental teaching, as were Paul and the rest of the Apostles. Paul’s letters as with John’s late gospel are a reflection of, as much a direction for, where the early church stood.
Make no mistake: Jesus as God incarnate was understood from the beginning and even the last of the doubting disciples represented by Thomas, having seen the crucifixion scars gave Him the rightful worship due: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28).
How Paul came to the same conclusion is another story for a future post.
Notes:
¹ Notably Paul never systematically defends his views of Jesus (Christology). As with Jesus life and works amply covered in the Gospels, Paul does not rehearse it, but takes the devotion for, and belief in, the divinity of Jesus for granted in the Churches to which he writes. Such a view of Christ was already established in the church before Paul’s letters.
² David Capes, ‘Old Testament Yahweh Texts in Paul’s Christology’.
God’s Characterisation
1). INTRODUCTION
Muslims as a whole seem to have a spiritual and intellectual blindness, (a deadly combination), in failing to grasp that the Bible describes God in ways we can relate to. I guess by having no conception of what the supposed god of Islam is like, and being forbidden from trying to imagine or liken him to anything, its impossible for them to relate to language specifically employed by God to help us relate to Him.
It’s this use of “anthropomorphic language” which Muslims frequently take literally, solely to disparage and mock the one true God. This is reflective of three failings:
i). A simplistic, lazy, if not dishonest, intellectual approach.
ii). A lack of spiritual understanding.
iii). The demonic and mocking spirit of Islam.
2). HUMAN CHARACTERISATIONS OF GOD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
We can find a wide range of examples from the Hebrew Bible, that ascribe to God human actions, attributes, and emotions. Remember, God works with us in our time frame. He has endured not only eternity, but also human history as He moves through it and through and with people to bring about His sovereign will and purpose. Should we then assume that God would not relate to us in terms familiar to our own actions? And should we not also assume that in so doing God will present aspects of Himself to us that would be paradoxical? Take for example the fact that:
□ God is all powerful (Jeremiah 32:17,27 ), yet He rests (Genesis 2:2).
□ God is in all places (Psalm 139:7-12), yet He asks Adam, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9).
□ We see that God knows all things (1 John 3:20). Yet, we see that God says, “Now I know that you fear God” (Genesis 22:12).
□ God has never made a mistake. He is as incapable of error, as was His exact likeness in Jesus on earth, who never made an error and committed no sin in thought, word, or deed (Hebrews 4:15). Yet God “regretted making man” (Genesis 6:6).
If, as the Muslim wants to assert that God does not know all future events because He says, for example, to Abraham, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me,” (Genesis 22:12), or when walking in the Garden, the preincarnate Jesus asks “Adam, where are you?”
… that such statements must mean that God is either not all knowing or not in all places, or both, since if God was in all places He would know exactly where Adam was? Or if God rests that does it mean that God is not all powerful? Of course not. Muslims are by habit and inclination there to mock ridicule and belittle God at every opportunity. To anyone who has debated with Muslims even for a short while this sad fact becomes all too obvious.
Muslims reduce the attribute of God’s omniscience by exalting the condition of man’s freedom and denying his sinful nature. Whenever man is exalted, God must be lessened. This is one of many fundamental problems in Islam. By shrouding God’s qualities and attributes in mystique and inscrutibility He must be lessened; Islam’s god is not approachable or knowable and this is just one of many reasons we do not worship the same God.
The following are various Old Testament verses that demonstrate God’s human-like manifestation to us in actions, emotions, and physique. Thus we can see that such condescension on God’s part to us will naturally result in God saying things that will require a deeper examination:
■ Human actions – changed mind, relented, remembered, rested.
□ Exodus 32:14, “So the Lord changed His mindabout the harm which He said He would do to His people.”
□ 2 Samuel 24:16, “When the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the calamity, and said to the angel who destroyed the people, “It is enough! Now relax your hand!”
□ Genesis 9:16, “When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
□ Genesis 2:2, “And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.”
■ Human emotions – sorrow, jealousy, pity, regret.
□ Genesis 6:6 “The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”
□ Exodus 20:5, “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me.”
□ Judges 2:18, “…for the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed and afflicted them.”
□ 1 Samuel 15:35, “And Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul. And the Lord regretted that He had made Saul king over Israel.”
■ Human physique – hands, face, mouth, eyes, arm.
□ Exodus 7:5, “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”
□ Numbers 6:24, “The Lord make His face shine on you, and be gracious to you.”
□ Psalm 33:6, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of His mouth all their host.”
□ Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
□ Psalm 89:10, “Thou Thyself didst crush Rahab like one who is slain; Thou didst scatter Thine enemies with Thy mighty arm.”
■ Other – Wings
□ Psalm 57:1, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in Thee; and in the shadow of Thy wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by.”
■ Other – various metaphors
□ God “is a consuming fire” “a jealous God” (Deuteronomy 4:24)
□ “The Lord God is a sun and a shield” (Psalm 84:11).
□ The Lord disciplines us “as a man who disciples his son” (Deuteronomy 8:5).
□ The Lord carries us “as a man who carries his son” (Deuteronomy 1:31).
□ As a “warrior roused from sleep” who fights on behalf of his people (Psalm 78:65-66).
□ As a “shepherd” who cares for his flock (Psalm 23:1).
□ The Lord is “like an eagle” (Deuteronomy 32:11).
□ The Lord is our “rock” (Psalm 18:2).
□ The Lord promises to be for us “a place of broad rivers and streams” (Isaiah 33:21).
3). JESUS THE DEFINITIVE HUMAN CHARACTERISATION AND ULTIMATE EXPRESSION OF GOD
In one sense ALL of the Old Testament references to the human characterisation of God are pointing to the Incarnation. Just as all prophecy in the Old Testament is. Jesus is the personification and fulfilment of every human characterisation of God in all of those OT verses mentioned. And as we shall see in the next section Jesus, adopts for Himself several metaphors which are unique to Him.
Its quite easy to miss hence why its in caps – I wonder if Muslims have ever noticed this?
“Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come AS A MAN IN HIS EXTERNAL FORM, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow — of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth — and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:7-11 HCSB)
So if externally His form was human, what about His internal form?
What does Jesus mean when He says …
“If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him AND HAVE SEEN HIM.” “Lord,” said Philip, “show us the Father, and that’s enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been among you all this time without your knowing Me, Philip? THE ONE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? DONT YOU BELIEVE THAT I AM IN THE FATHER AND THE FATHER IS IN ME? The words I speak to you I do not speak on My own. The Father who lives in Me does His works. BELIEVE ME THAT I AM IN THE FATHER AND THE FATHER IS IN ME. Otherwise, believe because of the works themselves.” (John 14:7-11 HCSB)
Muslims let me ask you? Don’t you believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus? If not why not?
As for “regrets” you need to understand the word regret in Genesis 6:6. When used of God, regret incorporates the thought of compassionate grief and an action taken. God was not showing weakness, admitting an error, or regretting a mistake. Rather, He was expressing His need to take specific, drastic action to counteract the wickedness of mankind: “Everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil” (Genesis 6:5). The fact that God did not consider His creation a mistake is proved by the world’s continued existence. We’re still here, sinful though we are. Praise the Lord for His grace: “Where sin increased, grace increased all the more” (Romans 5:20b), and “Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD” (Genesis 6:8). In short the regret is reflective of the change in God’s dealings with humanity. As Benson’s commentary puts it:
“Neither doth it speak any change of God’s mind, for with him is no variableness; but it signifies a change of his way. When God had made man upright, he rested and was refreshed, (Exodus 31:17), and his way toward him was such as showed him to be well pleased with the work of his own hands; but now that man was apostatized, he could not do otherwise than show himself displeased: so that the change was in man, and not in God.”
God has never made a mistake. He has had a purpose in everything, and outcomes are no surprise to Him, for He declares the end from the beginning: “I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure” (Isaiah 46:9-10).
Someone may think God has made a mistake in his or her own personal life. Certain experiences and conditions beyond our control make us wonder if God has maybe miscalculated. However, “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28). This takes faith to accept, but “we live by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). In everything we must understand that the things of this life are expendable and are being spent for our eternal reward according to the wisdom of Him who “is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy” (Jude 1:24). We can rejoice that our Lord God makes no mistakes in our lives but has a good and loving purpose for everything He allows.
There is no fault in our God; there are no mistakes He has made. And there is no fault in His Son; Satan was desperate to reveal even one fault in Jesus, but the devil utterly failed in his attempts (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus remained the spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:19). Pontius Pilate, declared, “I find no fault in this man” (Luke 23:4).
We live with our mistakes, big and little, petty and disastrous, and we get used to making them. But we serve an infallible, mistake-free God whose greatness cannot be fathomed. “Many, LORD my God, are the wonders you have done, the things you planned for us. None can compare with you; were I to speak and tell of your deeds, they would be too many to declare” (Psalm 40:5). It’s good to know that God’s in charge and that He who makes no mistakes can more than compensate for ours.
4). METAPHORS JESUS APPLIED TO HIMSELF
■ “I am the bread of heaven/life” (John 6:41, 6:48)
■ “I am the source of living water” (John 4:10, 13-14, 7:37-38)
■ “I am the light of the world” (John 3:19, 8:12, 9:5)
■ “I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11, 10:14) cf Isaiah 40:11.
■ “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25).
■ “I am the true vine” (John 15:1, 15:5).
A prime reason why Jesus used such metaphors, is because they allowed Him to give a complex explanation in a simple memorable phase. The above examples are also ALL key for sustaining life here on earth and in the hereafter. Without light, bread to eat and water to drink there can be no life. Without a shepherd to guide us we easily get lost, which can have fatal consequences.
So Jesus’ metaphors are foundational but they always mean more than just the sum of the words.
For example, when Jesus told His disciples that He was a vine and that they were branches, He was making more than one simple point. A vine and its branches implies an organic relationship, one that changes and grows and is fruitful. Such a metaphor tells us that the disciples’ life is not static. It also implies a sense of connectedness, even a sense of extension. In this manner, Jesus’ disciples do not do works of their own power; instead, they must receive strength and ability from the source. The metaphor also suggests an extension of appearance: the vine and its branches are one, until a branch is cut off. Disciples must share in the public reputation of Jesus.
5). ANSWERING MUSLIM OBJECTIONS
According to Muslims, the Bible portrays Jesus as manifesting human traits not befitting God. For instance Jesus:
wept (cf. John 11:35),
slept (cf. Mark 4:35),
hungered and thirsted (cf. John 4:6-7).
God doesn’t tire, doesn’t sleep, doesn’t thirst and doesn’t get hungry (cf. Psalm 50:7-13, 121:3-4; Isaiah 40:28). How then can Jesus be God?
Answer:
The above question and statements misunderstand or distort what the Bible and orthodoxy teach about the Person of the Lord Jesus.
According to the God-breathed Scriptures Jesus is the Son of God, the eternal Word who is God in nature. The Bible also teaches that the eternal Word became flesh and took on a real human nature (cf. John 1:1-3, 14; 1 John 1:1-3; Matthew 1:18-23).
Christ is both fully God and fully man, having all the attributes belonging to both Deity and humanity at the same time. Jesus is truly God in every way, and is also a real human being in every sense (with the exception of the sinful nature). The things He experienced as man did not affect the integrity of his Deity, and yet at the same time his Divine abilities and qualities were not part of his human nature. He had (and continues to have) two distinct natures, two distinct sets of attributes simultaneously without either of them fusing in, compromising or diluting the other.
Thus, since Jesus became a real human being he truly hungered and thirsted like all men. Yet since He is also truly God He is the Bread of Life and the Living Water. Paradoxical? Yes. Contradictory? No.
“Jesus answered her, ‘If 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.’ … Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I WILL GIVE HIM will never be thirsty forever. The water that I WILL GIVE HIM will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’” (John 4:10, 13-14)
“Jesus then said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave you the bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God IS HE WHO COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN and gives life to the world.’ They said to him, ‘Sir, give us this bread always.’ Jesus said to them, ‘I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. For I HAVE COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.’” (John 6:35-38)
“‘This is the bread that comes down from heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.’ The Jews then disputed among themselves, saying, ‘How can this man give us his flesh to eat?’ So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever feeds on My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I WILL RAISE HIM UP on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. Whoever feeds on my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, AND I IN HIM. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so whoever feeds on me, he also will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven, not as the fathers ate and died. WHOEVER FEEDS ON THIS BREAD WILL LIVE FOREVER.’” (John 6:50-58)
“On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘If anyone thirsts, let him come TO ME and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”’ Now this He said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.” (John 7:37-39)
And being a real human Jesus got tired and slept. Yet since he is also truly God, He is the very Rest and Comfort of all those who are weary:
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
That is why the Bible has no problem portraying the Lord Jesus as truly human and also as true Deity, as the very Sovereign Sustainer of all creation:
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and IN HIM all things hold together. And He is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,” (Colossians 1:15-22)
“For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form,” (Colossians 2:9)
“but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also He created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,” (Hebrews 1:2-3)
Now about Jesus weeping, Christ is only visibly expressing as a man what God himself feels over the plight of sin and human pain:
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, ‘I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.’” (Genesis 6:5-7)
“How often they rebelled against him in the wilderness and grieved him in the desert!” (Psalm 78:40)
Jesus is basically giving a human expression to God’s emotions, visibly revealing the very heart and deep compassions of God for the plight of fallen humanity.
6). CONCLUSIONS
Jesus became a true human being and in so doing experienced the weaknesses, limitations, and temptations that are common to humanity with one sole exception; Jesus was absolutely sinless and perfect. Thus, the statements that speak of Jesus’ human limitations do absolutely nothing to refute the clear Biblical witness that Jesus was also God. The Bible teaches that Jesus is God and man. It is not that Jesus has to either be God or man but that He is both God and man at the same time. What was true of His humanity didn’t apply to His Deity and vice-versa, i.e. as man He tired but as God his energy and power are infinite and inexhaustible.
The testimony of the Bible is clear. It states both, that Jesus is the eternal Son of God (one of the Persons of the eternal Triune God), and that this eternal Word of God, who was involved in all of creation, by whom everything was created, and who sustains all of creation to this day, Himself entered creation by becoming a human being.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without Him nothing was made that has been made. …The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1-3, 14)
So Muslims in future think twice before mocking God for “resting” or having “regrets”, because you will answer to Him for every careless word spoken. God is not mocked.
Further reading:
www.scottrswain.com/2019/11/01/god-clothed-in-metaphor-the-lord-god-is-a-sun-ps-8411/
About Paul
1). INTRODUCTION
This post is the first of a new series about the Apostle Paul, an overdue pushback against the unjustified Muslim attacks on him.
A typical Muslim claim will say: “So you believe the story of Paul or Saul who claimed God became human and died on the cross to save sinners and evil doers?”
I suggest below an illustrative not exhaustive series of questions and answers for how to address this question and others like it.
2). THE RESPONSE
(i). Were the Gospels which contain the crucifixion narrative written by Paul?
Answer: No they were not.
(ii). Who were the Apostles as recorded in the early chapters of Acts preaching about?
Answer: Christ crucified and resurrected for the forgiveness of sins.
(iii). Which of the Apostles are named as leaders at this time?
Answer: Peter and John (eg Acts 3:1, 3:11, 4:7, 4:13, 4:19).
(iv). Do we see Muslim opposition specifically to the teaching of Peter or John?
Answer: Not that I am aware of, they save their personal attacks for Paul who is not amongst the Apostles at this stage nor even yet mentioned as an opponent.
(v). Was the doctrine of the Trinity visible at that time?
Answer: Yes it is, as illustrated by Peter’s Pentecost sermon and the prayers for strength after they had been first arrested by the rulers, elders and brought before the high priest:
“When they heard this, they came under deep conviction and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles: “Brothers, what must we do?” [38] “Repent,” Peter said to them, “and be baptized, each of you, in the name of 👉 Jesus Christ 👈 for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the 👉 Holy Spirit 👈. [39] For the promise is for you and for your children, and for all who are far off, as many as the 👉 Lord our God 👈 will call.” [40] And with many other words he testified and strongly urged them, saying, “Be saved from this corrupt generation! ” [41] So those who accepted his message were baptized, and that day about 3,000 people were added to them. [42] And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to the prayers. [43] Then fear came over everyone, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. [44] Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. [45] They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as anyone had a need. [46] Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple complex, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with a joyful and humble attitude, [47] praising God and having favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to them those who were being saved” (Acts 2:37-47 HCSB).
“After they were released, they went to their own people and reported everything the chief priests and the elders had said to them. [24] When they heard this, they all raised their voices to God and said, “👉 Master 👈, You are the One who made the heaven, the earth, and the sea, and everything in them. [25] You said through the 👉 Holy Spirit 👈 by the mouth of our father David Your servant: Why did the Gentiles rage and the peoples plot futile things? [26] The kings of the earth took their stand and the rulers assembled together against 👉 the Lord 👈 and against 👉 His Messiah 👈 [29] And now, Lord, consider their threats, and grant that Your slaves may speak Your message with complete boldness, [30] while You stretch out Your hand for healing, signs, and wonders to be performed through the name of 👉 Your holy Servant Jesus 👈.” [31] When they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the 👉 Holy Spirit 👈 and began to speak 👉 God’s message 👈 with boldness” (Acts 4:23-26, 29-31 HCSB)
(vi). Who was the arch persecutor of the early church?
Answer: Saul (Paul) was.
(vii). How can Paul have invented the faith which he was formerly trying to stamp out at source?
Answer: he could not.
“Saul agreed with putting him [Stephen] to death. On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. Devout men buried Stephen and mourned deeply over him. Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.” (Acts 8:1-3 HCSB)
(viii). Paul received the gospel independently from the other Apostles, or any human source (Galatians 1:12), but when they met was Paul’s message the same as and well received by the others?
Answer: Yes it was.
According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, it was the three key figures of Peter James and Paul who met together in Jerusalem, three years after Paul’s Damascus road experience (Galatians 1:18-19). Paul states that he went to Jerusalem to visit Cephas (Peter), but the verb he used was “historeo”,¹ which means not just to visit but to investigate or research matters. Furthermore he stayed with him for 15 days (Galatians 1:18). He says that he saw none of the other apostles at that time, except James the Lord’s brother (verse 19). So when Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15 that the risen Christ appeared individually to both Peter and James, he was effectively saying “I know this because I have heard their story first hand”.
The context of his report in Galatians concerns the content of the Gospel. The Galatians had been embracing “a different gospel” because some had been “distorting the gospel” (Galatians 1:6-7). So Paul didn’t visit Jerusalem to discuss trivialities. In clarifying the gospel which they were preaching, it is overwhelmingly probable that Paul received this authoritative oral creed with its list of witnesses from Peter and James. And Paul did not spend two weeks with Peter if they were in disagreement. Again in Galatians 2 we have confirmation that all the Apostles were united:
“When James, Cephas [Peter], and John, recognized as pillars, acknowledged the grace that had been given to me, they gave the right hand of fellowship to me and Barnabas, agreeing that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised” (Galatians 2:9 HCSB).
3). CONCLUSIONS
The above Q&A sequence puts Muslims in a real bind. If Paul was the inventor of Christ’s redeeming death and resurrection, why were Peter John and the other Apostles preaching it and being persecuted for doing so, in the pre-Pauline earliest nascent phase of the church? Ditto with their recognition and acknowledgement of the Three persons of the Trinity.
If Paul was inspired by Satan in his “invention” of Christianity why was he arrested on the road to Damascus and having a life changing encounter with the risen Christ (the first of several such personal encounters)?
If Paul was being misled by Satan as MusIims claim, then he had no need of any such encounters. He was already doing a good job in His persecution of the church (which wasn’t Islam). What purpose does his Damascene conversion serve, unless to put him on the right road? Surely Muslims must applaud the original Saul of Acts chapter 8? Why then can’t you be honest enough to say so?
And if all this is the case, then it simply doesn’t add up that Paul could have invented what was already established doctrine, which the Jewish authorities were already trying to silence, and which he himself was trying to destroy.
And once he became an Apostle is there any evidence that supports singling out Paul as a heretic, or his message at odds with the rest of the Apostles? Not at all.
So Muslims I have yet to see any attempt to reconcile the claim that Paul invented what he was dedicated to destroying before a certain encounter took place. Now is another chance for you to do so.
Over to you Muslims for on point comments.
Footnote:
¹ Theological Dictionary of the New Testament Eerdmans 1985 (Kittel and Friedrich, editors).
What is Truth?
WHAT IS TRUTH?
1). INTRODUCTION
The Jews had handed over Jesus to the Roman governor Pontius Pilate because they wanted the Roman method of execution (crucifixion) presuming it would prove He could not have been the Messiah by reason of Deuteronomy 21:23. Pilate had seen it to be for a different reason: because of envy (Mark 15:10).
“WHAT IS TRUTH?” said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging Him” (John 18:38 HCSB)
Pilate posed this rhetorical question in mocking response to Jesus statement:
“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: TO TESTIFY TO THE TRUTH. EVERYONE WHO IS OF THE TRUTH LISTENS TO MY VOICE” (John 18:37 HCSB).
2). HOW DO WE RECOGNISE TRUTH?
It’s hard to imagine a more important question that we can face in life. Surely no free thinking person is uninterested in truth or wants to live apart from the truth. Everyone wants a sound basis for our world view. We all yearn to be told the truth and not lied to. It’s a basic human need. It satisfies our desire for recognition and self validation, for our security, for satisfaction of intellectual curiosity, and for our acceptance and self esteem. Instinctively we appreciate honesty and despise deceit and falsehood.
Our closest relationships are founded on mutual respect, trust, loyalty and faithfulness. Without honesty and truthfulness it is impossible to sustain long term relationships in any sphere of life.
Our paradigm of moral values and judicial system seek to uphold the truth in administering the rule of law. Witness testimony is validated by integrity and honesty. Deliberate dishonesty is contempt of court and an offence in its own right. Every witness takes the stand under oath to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth. In countries with a Judeo-Christian heritage, for centuries taking the witness stand under oath required placing one’s right hand upon the Holy Bible and swearing by the help of God to tell only the truth. We shall return to these emblems later.
Are there any objective tests that stand as a touchstone or yardstick for truth? Have there been any role models in history who stood on the truth and who have never been found wanting?
This Post is going to provide an answer and point the way to any truth seeking person.
3). A BASIC DEFINITION
# truth noun the quality or state of being true. “he had to accept the truth of her accusation”
synonyms: veracity, truthfulness, verity, sincerity, candour, honesty, genuineness;
that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality.
noun: the truth
“tell me the truth”
synonyms: the fact of the matter, what actually/really happened, the case, so;
a fact or belief that is accepted as true.
plural noun: truths
“the emergence of scientific truths”
synonyms: fact, verity, certainty, certitude;
4). ABSOLUTE TRUTHS
Mathematical principles are founded on absolute truth. So are the rules of logic. Scientific experiments can establish the basis for things that are so certain they are not described as “theories” but as Laws. For example the Law of Gravity and the Second Law of Thermodynamics. Nobody challenges them.
The existence of transcendent absolute laws of logic are one of the five strands of circumstantial evidence for God’s existence based upon the following syllogism (see footnote):
(a) The laws of logic exist
i. The laws of logic are conceptual laws ii. The laws of logic are transcendent iii. The laws of logic pre-existed humans
(b) All conceptual laws reflect the mind of a law giver.
(c) The best and most reasonable explanation for the kind of mind necessary for the existence of the transcendent, objective, conceptual laws of logic is a transcendent, objective, eternal Being (God).
5). OBJECTIVE MORAL REALITY
The existence of objective moral reality is a proof for the existence of God. This is an absolute truth. Subjective morality in an amoral universe is like trying to live as the blind do in a world without colours. Some may argue that the fact that different cultures and religions have differing concepts of morality is evidence against objective morality. However, this is not the case.
We may argue about the basis for what constitutes moral behaviour but there is no escaping the reality that a perfect paradigm for behaviour exists. That is God’s standard.
For example, Christianity teaches that we should love our enemies, and as much as it is possible, we should live in peace with all men. Some branches of Islam believe that one should behead their enemies. Again, for this point, which view is correct is irrelevant; but in order for anyone to have a meaningful conversation about which view (if either) is correct, one must assume that a correct view does in fact exist. This requires an objective moral standard.
In short the existence of Objective Moral Truth (the Axiological argument) is another of the five strands of circumstantial evidence for God’s existence based on the following syllogism (see footnote):
(a) There is an objective (transcendent) moral law (b) Every law has a law giver (c) Therefore, there is an objective (transcendent) moral law giver (d) The best explanation for this objective (transcendent) law giver is God
6). JESUS AND THE TRUTH
Any quest for truth will sooner or later bring us to Jesus for the claims He made for Himself His faultless teaching and His unimpeachable lifestyle.
When under false arrest Jesus is brought before Pilate. In John’s account we find the following exchange:
“You are a king then?” Pilate asked. “You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied. “I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.” “What is truth? ” said Pilate. After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging Him.” (John 18:37-38)
We can speculate what was meant by Pilate’s rhetorical question but I am inclined to regard his retort “What is truth?” was mockery, albeit mockery intended to defuse the situation. Pilate seems to be expressing the opinion that Christ is not to be taken seriously, but that’s a good thing when the charge against Christ is claiming to be the king of the Jews. From Pilate’s point of view, a “king” who, at his trial, philosophises about “truth” is no threat to Roman rule and can safely be acquitted. The irony of course is that Pilate would address the question “what is truth?” while conversing with and looking Truth itself right in the eye.
Jesus used the expression “I tell you the truth” or “Truly I tell you” on numerous occasions, some 70 times across the 4 Gospels.
This is not to be taken that whenever Jesus did not use the expression He was being less than truthful. Rather He was using a common expression of those days to emphasize the importance of what would be spoken immediately after that.
When Jesus says “I tell you the truth” the Greek word “amen” is being used. Amen can be translated as “I tell you the truth,” “verily,” and “so be it” or “let it be.”. We have difficulty translating it into English, and the reason it is so odd is because we don’t use those phrases colloquially today.
The nearest equivalent phrase in English would be “Let me be honest with you”. We don’t mean that we weren’t being honest and telling the truth before and are only now beginning to do so, but now my degree of openness is greater and I’m being more transparent than I would otherwise be in the course of conversations with acquaintances.
During the mock trials of Jesus, the contrast between the truth (righteousness) and lies (unrighteousness) was unmistakable. There stood Jesus, the Truth, being judged by those whose every action was bathed in lies. The Jewish leaders broke nearly every law designed to protect a defendant from wrongful conviction. They fervently worked to find any testimony that would incriminate Jesus, and in their frustration, they turned to false evidence brought forward by liars. But even that could not help them reach their goal. So they broke another law and forced Jesus to implicate Himself.
Once in front of Pilate, the Jewish leaders lied again. They convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but since they knew that wouldn’t be enough to coax Pilate to kill Jesus, they claimed Jesus was challenging Caesar and was breaking Roman law by encouraging the crowds to not pay taxes. Pilate quickly detected their superficial deception, and he never even addressed the charge.
Jesus the Righteous was being judged by the unrighteous. The sad fact is that the latter always persecutes the former. It’s why Cain killed Abel. The link between truth and righteousness and between falsehood and unrighteousness is demonstrated by a number of examples in the New Testament:
□ “For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” (2 Thessalonians 2:11–12).
□ “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” (Romans 1:18).
□ “who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.” (Romans 2:6–8).
□ “[love] does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Corinthians 13:5–6).
7). A FULLER DEFINITION OF TRUTH
In defining truth, it is first helpful to note what truth is not:
□ Truth is not simply whatever works. This is the philosophy of pragmatism – an ends-vs.-means-type approach. In reality, lies can appear to “work,” but they are still lies and not the truth.
□ Truth is not simply what is coherent or understandable. A group of people can get together and form a conspiracy based on a set of falsehoods where they all agree to tell the same false story, but it does not make their presentation true.
□ Truth is not what makes people feel good. Unfortunately, bad news can be true.
□ Truth is not what the majority says is true. Fifty-one percent of a group can reach a wrong conclusion.
□ Truth is not what is comprehensive. A lengthy, detailed presentation can still result in a false conclusion.
□ Truth is not defined by what is intended. Good intentions can still be wrong.
□ Truth is not HOW we know; truth is WHAT we know.
□ Truth is not simply what is believed. A lie believed is still a lie. Still less does a popular doctrine make it true, a fallacy commonly adopted by Muslims to assert Islam on the basis of its alleged popularity.
□ Truth is not what is publicly proved. A truth can be privately known (for example, the location of buried treasure).
The Greek word for “truth” is aletheia, which literally means to “un-hide” or “hiding nothing” It conveys the thought that truth is always there, always open and available for all to see, with nothing being hidden or obscured. The Hebrew word for “truth” is emeth, which means “firmness,” “constancy” and “duration.” Such a definition implies an everlasting substance and something that can be relied upon.
From a philosophical perspective, there are three simple ways to define truth:
1. Truth is that which corresponds to reality. 2. Truth is that which matches its object. 3. Truth is simply telling it like it is.
First, truth corresponds to reality or “what is.” It is real. Truth is also correspondent in nature. In other words, it matches its object and is known by its referent. For example, a teacher facing a class may say, “Now the only exit to this room is on the right.” For the class that may be facing the teacher, the exit door may be on their left, but it’s absolutely true that the door, for the professor, is on the right.
Truth also matches its object. It may be absolutely true that a certain person may need so many milligrams of a certain medication, but another person may need more or less of the same medication to produce the desired effect. This is not relative truth, but just an example of how truth must match its object. It would be wrong (and potentially dangerous) for a patient to request that their doctor give them an inappropriate amount of a particular medication, or to say that any medicine for their specific ailment will do.
In short, truth is simply telling it like it is; it is the way things really are, and any other viewpoint is wrong. A foundational principle of philosophy is being able to discern between truth and error, or as Thomas Aquinas observed, “It is the task of the philosopher to make distinctions.”
8). CHALLENGES TO TRUTH
Aquinas’ words are not very popular today. Making distinctions seems to be out of fashion in a postmodern era of relativism and pluralism. It is acceptable today to say, “This is true,” as long as it is not followed by, “and therefore that is false.” This is especially observable in matters of faith and religion where every belief system is supposed to be on equal footing where truth is concerned.
Thus when I quote Jesus words “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” (John 14.6) I am on precarious ground because of its being an exclusive and absolute statement. Exclusive and absolute claims do not sit well in today’s pluralistic world of moral relativism. But when I make the logical inference that therefore Islam and every other religion must by definition be false I am guilty of making Islamophobic statements. Well then Jesus was Islamophobic and since He never told a lie there is something wrong with the concept and definition of Islamophobia not with the teaching of Jesus or those who uphold it.
There are a number of philosophies and worldviews that challenge the concept of truth, yet, when each is critically examined it turns out to be self-defeating in nature.
The philosophy of relativism says that all truth is relative and that there is no such thing as absolute truth. But one has to ask: is the claim “all truth is relative” a relative truth or an absolute truth? If it is a relative truth, then it really is meaningless; how do we know when and where it applies? If it is an absolute truth, then absolute truth exists. Moreover, the relativist betrays his own position when he states that the position of the absolutist is wrong – why can’t those who say absolute truth exists be correct too? In essence, when the relativist says, “There is no truth,” he is asking you not to believe him, and the best thing to do is follow his advice.
Those who follow the philosophy of skepticism simply doubt all truth. But is the skeptic skeptical of skepticism; does he doubt his own truth claim? If so, then why pay attention to skepticism? If not, then we can be sure of at least one thing (in other words, absolute truth exists)—skepticism, which, ironically, becomes absolute truth in that case. The agnostic says you can’t know the truth. Yet the mindset is self-defeating because it claims to know at least one truth: that you can’t know truth.
The disciples of postmodernism simply affirm no particular truth. The patron saint of postmodernism – Nietzsche – described truth like this: “What then is truth? A mobile army of metaphors, metonyms, and anthropomorphisms … truths are illusions … coins which have lost their pictures and now matter only as metal, no longer as coins.” Ironically, although the postmodernist holds coins in his hand that are now “mere metal,” he affirms at least one absolute truth: the truth that no truth should be affirmed. Like the other worldviews, postmodernism is self-defeating and cannot stand up under its own claim.
A popular worldview is pluralism, which says that all truth claims are equally valid. Of course, this is impossible. Can two claims – one that says a woman is now pregnant and another that says she is not now pregnant – both be true at the same time? Pluralism unravels at the feet of the law of non-contradiction, which says that something cannot be both “A” and “Non-A” at the same time and in the same sense. As one philosopher quipped, anyone who believes that the law of non-contradiction is not true (and, by default, pluralism is true) should be beaten and burned until they admit that to be beaten and burned is not the same thing as to not be beaten and burned. Also, note that pluralism says that it is true and anything opposed to it is false, which is a claim that denies its own foundational tenet.
The spirit behind pluralism is an open-armed attitude of tolerance. However, pluralism confuses the idea of everyone having equal value with every truth claim being equally valid. More simply, all people may be equal, but not all truth claims are. Pluralism fails to understand the difference between opinion and truth, a distinction Mortimer Adler notes: “Pluralism is desirable and tolerable only in those areas that are matters of taste rather than matters of truth.”
9). THE OFFENSIVE NATURE OF TRUTH
When the concept of truth is maligned, it usually for one or more of the following reasons:
One common complaint against anyone claiming to have absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a stance is “narrow-minded.” However, the critic fails to understand that, by nature, truth is narrow. Is a math teacher narrow-minded for holding to the belief that 2 + 2 only equals 4?
Another objection to truth is that it is arrogant to claim that someone is right and another person is wrong. However, returning to the above example with mathematics, is it arrogant for a math teacher to insist on only one right answer to an arithmetic problem? Or is it arrogant for a locksmith to state that only one key will open a locked door?
A third charge against those holding to absolute truth in matters of faith and religion is that such a position excludes people, rather than being inclusive. But such a complaint fails to understand that truth, by nature, excludes its opposite. All answers other than 4 are excluded from the reality of what 2 + 2 truly equals.
Yet another protest against truth is that it is offensive and divisive to claim one has the truth. Instead, the critic argues, all that matters is sincerity. The problem with this position is that truth is immune to sincerity, belief, and desire. It doesn’t matter how much one sincerely believes a wrong key will fit a door; the key still won’t go in and the lock won’t be opened. Truth is also unaffected by sincerity. Someone who picks up a bottle of poison and sincerely believes it is lemonade will still suffer the unfortunate effects of the poison. Finally, truth is impervious to desire. A person may strongly desire that their car has not run out of gas, but if the gauge says the tank is empty and the car will not run any farther, then no desire in the world will miraculously cause the car to keep going.
Some will admit that absolute truth exists, but then claim such a stance is only valid in the area of science and not in matters of faith and religion. This is a philosophy called logical positivism, which was popularized by philosophers such as David Hume and A. J. Ayer. In essence, such people state that truth claims must either be (1) tautologies (for example, all bachelors are unmarried men) or (2) empirically verifiable (that is, testable via science). To the logical positivist, all talk about God is nonsense.
Those who hold to the notion that only science can make truth claims fail to recognize is that there are many realms of truth where science is impotent. For example:
□ Science cannot prove the disciplines of mathematics and logic because it presupposes them.
□ Science cannot prove metaphysical truths such as, minds other than my own do exist.
□ Science is unable to provide truth in the areas of morals and ethics. You cannot use science, for example, to prove the Nazis were evil.
□ Science is incapable of stating truths about aesthetic positions such as the beauty of a sunrise.
□ Lastly, when anyone makes the statement “science is the only source of objective truth,” they have just made a philosophical claim—which cannot be tested by science.
And there are those who say that absolute truth does not apply in the area of morality. Yet the response to the question, “Is it moral to torture and murder an innocent child?” is absolute and universal: No. Or, to make it more personal, those who espouse relative truth concerning morals always seem to want their spouse to be absolutely faithful to them.
10). WHY TRUTH MATTERS
Why is it so important to understand and embrace the concept of absolute truth in all areas of life (including faith and religion)? Simply because life has consequences for being wrong. Giving someone the wrong amount of a medication can kill them; having an investment manager make the wrong monetary decisions can impoverish a family; boarding the wrong plane will take you where you do not wish to go; and dealing with an unfaithful marriage partner can result in the destruction of a family and, potentially, disease.
As one Christian apologist put it, “The fact is, the truth matters – especially when you’re on the receiving end of a lie.” And nowhere is this more important than in the area of faith and religion. Eternity is an awfully long time to be wrong.
11). GOD AND TRUTH
Throughout the Bible God’s word speaks of Him as the truth:
“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19)
“Into Your hand I entrust my spirit; You redeem me, Lord, God of truth. I hate those who are devoted to worthless idols, but I trust in the Lord.” (Psalms 31:5-6)
“The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.” (Psalms 119:160)
All three persons of the Godhead are by definition perfect truth.
# Of The Father Jesus said:
“The One who comes from above is above all. The one who is from the earth is earthly and speaks in earthly terms. The One who comes from heaven is above all. He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony. The one who has accepted His testimony has affirmed that God is true.” (John 3:31-33)
“As He was teaching in the temple complex, Jesus cried out, “You know Me and you know where I am from. Yet I have not come on My own, but the One who sent Me is true. You don’t know Him;” (John 7:28)
“Who are You? ” they questioned. “Precisely what I’ve been telling you from the very beginning,” Jesus told them. “I have many things to say and to judge about you, but the One who sent Me is true, and what I have heard from Him — these things I tell the world.” (John 8:25-26)
# Of Himself Jesus said:
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6)
This is actually more than assertion that He is the TRUTH but by implication the exclusivity of His claim means that anything else apart from Him (including ALL other man-made means to heaven) are false.
# Then of the Holy Spirit who again Jesus clearly bracketed with Himself (John 14.18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.”) Jesus describes Him as the Spirit of Truth who will guide the disciples into all the truth which must by definition include their writing of the New Testament, including it’s prophecies:
“When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.” (John 16:13)
# Of Scripture Jesus says:
“Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17)
12) “WHAT IS TRUTH?” – CONCLUSION
The question Pontius Pilate asked centuries ago needs to be rephrased in order to be completely accurate. The Roman governor’s remark “What is truth?” overlooks the fact that many things can have the truth, but only one thing can actually be the Truth. Truth must originate from somewhere.
The stark reality is that Pilate was looking directly at the Origin of all Truth on that early morning over two thousand years ago. Not long before being arrested and brought to the governor, Jesus had made the simple statement “I am the truth” (John 14:6), which was a rather incredible statement. How could a mere man be the truth? He couldn’t be, unless He was more than a man, which is actually what He claimed to be. The fact is, Jesus’ claim was validated when He rose from the dead (Romans 1:4).
Pilate and the Jewish leaders thought they were judging Christ, when, in reality, they were the ones being judged. Moreover, the One they convicted will actually serve as their Judge one day, as He will for all who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.
Pilate evidently never came to a knowledge of the truth. Eusebius, the historian and Bishop of Caesarea, records the fact that Pilate ultimately committed suicide sometime during the reign of the emperor Caligula—a sad ending and a reminder for everyone that ignoring the truth always leads to undesired consequences.
FOOTNOTE:
□ THE FIVEFOLD CIRCUMSTANTIAL CASE FOR GOD’S EXISTENCE:
(1) THE TEMPORAL NATURE OF THE COSMOS (The Cosmological Argument)
(a) The Universe began to exist
(b) Anything that begins to exist must have a cause
(c) Therefore, the Universe must have a cause
(d) This cause must be eternal (uncaused), non-spatial, immaterial, atemporal, and personal (having the ability to willfully cause the beginning of the universe)
(e) The cause fits the description we typically assign to God
(2) THE APPEARANCE OF DESIGN (The Teleological Argument)
(a) Human artifacts (like watches) are products of intelligent design
(b) Many aspects and elements of our universe resemble human artifacts
(c) Like effects typically have like causes
(d) Therefore, it is highly probable the appearance of design in the Universe is simply the reflection of an intelligent designer
(d) Given the complexity and expansive nature of the Universe, this designer must be incredibly intelligent and powerful (God)
(3) THE EXISTENCE OF OBJECTIVE MORAL TRUTH (The Axiological Argument)
(a) There is an objective (transcendent) moral law
(b) Every law has a law giver
(c) Therefore, there is an objective (transcendent) moral law giver
(d) The best explanation for this objective (transcendent) law giver is God
(4) THE EXISTENCE OF ABSOLUTE LAWS OF LOGIC (The Transcendent Argument)
(a) The laws of logic exist
i. The laws of logic are conceptual laws ii. The laws of logic are transcendent iii. The laws of logic pre-existed humans
(b) All conceptual laws reflect the mind of a law giver
(c) The best and most reasonable explanation for the kind of mind necessary for the existence of the transcendent, objective, conceptual laws of logic is a transcendent, objective, eternal Being (God)
(5) THE UNIQUE NATURE OF OUR WORLD AND UNIVERSE (The Anthropic Argument)
(a) Our universe appears uniquely designed so:
i. Life can exist ii. This same life can examine the universe
(b) This unique design cannot be the result of random chance or unguided probabilities
(c) There is, therefore, a God who designed the universe to support human life and reveal His existence as creator of the Cosmos.
Ramadan
NO HOLIEST MONTH OF RAMADAN IN THE QURAN OR THE BIBLE
Firstly let’s challenge the Muslims to bring the Quran verse which declares Ramadan as the holiest month of the year. The Quran says that there are only four holy or prohibited (haram) months. They do NOT include the month of Ramadhan. These are the 4 months of Muharram, Rajab, Dzul Qadah, and Dzul Hijjah (Surah 9:36-37; 2:197 & 217; 5:2; 9:2-5 – see also Bukhari Volume 4, Book 54, Hadith Number 419) – during which Arabs did not fight. Or rather were not supposed to fight.
The Quran verses speaking of Ramadan say nothing about it being the holiest month, and they wrongly declare it had any history.
“O you who believe! fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard (against evil). [184] For a certain number of days; but whoever among you is sick or on a journey, then (he shall fast) a (like) number of other days; and those who are not able to do it may effect a redemption by feeding a poor man; so whoever does good spontaneously it is better for him; and that you fast is better for you if you know. [185] The month of Ramazan is that in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance to men and clear proofs of the guidance and the distinction; therefore whoever of you is present in the month, he shall fast therein, and whoever is sick or upon a journey, then (he shall fast) a (like) number of other days; Allah desires ease for you, and He does not desire for you difficulty, and (He desires) that you should complete the number and that you should exalt the greatness of Allah for His having guided you and that you may give thanks” (Surah 2:183-185 Shakir).
Turning to the Bible, the go to text which Muslims claim Jeremiah 36:9 HAS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with your pagan fast/feast! Nor does any other reference in Scripture to fasting.
The fast in Jeremiah 39:6 was NOT a DECREED on by the LORD nor the people!
“In the fifth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people of Jerusalem and all those coming in from Judah’s cities into Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord” (Jeremiah 36:9 HCSB).
Here, the fast was simply a fast by the people and NOT by the LORD, even to the people it WASN’T a decree for a COMPULSORY FAST on the ninth month is NOT forced on any Jew even after this event.
It was the ONLY fast that just happened to fall on the ninth month. This fast by coincidence fell on the ninth month, for it could fall on any other month!
Looking closely, Israel was near exile when the people observed their OWN fast by the emergence of the time! There was no special significance in this month!
Moreover, this fast changed nothing! => ISRAEL FURTHER WENT INTO EXILE!
There’s NO DECREE where YHWH commanded a fast specifically on the NINTH MONTH!
The Jews DON’T specifically fast on the ninth month because it’s NOT a decree by the LORD nor one they made up fir themselves!
If this is not so, Muslims should point to any where apart from Jeremiah 39:9 where a Jew or any Biblical figure fasted on the ninth month!
We can also observe that in Zechariah 8:18-19 tells God Himself commanded His people to fast on the 4th, 5th, 7th and 10th months and He Himself promised them there shall be blessings as a result.
“Then the word of the Lord of hosts came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘The fast of the fourth month, The fast of the fifth, The fast of the seventh, And the fast of the tenth, Shall be joy and gladness and cheerful feasts For the house of Judah. Therefore love truth and peace.’” (Zechariah 8:18-19 NKJV)
Here we see God commanding fasts Himself during certain precise months and NOWHERE does God command fast in the 9th month. Neither is there anywhere God commanded anyone to fast for 30 days and nor at specific times every day during the fast like the Muslim starve/binge gluttons are doing. Moreover these commands are for the House of Israel only.
MUSLIMS FAILED, ALLAH LIED!…
make no mistake
#ISLAM_is_FALSE
Numbers 23:19
HOW TO TURN NUMBERS 23:19 INTO THE CONDEMNATION OF ISLAM.
□ INTRODUCTION
Anyone who has debated with Muslims knows that Numbers 23:19 (but only part of the first clause, in fact only the first 5 words out of a verse containing 27 words), is probably one of their top three go to verses to try and disprove the Incarnation.
But Numbers 23:19 is not a valid argument against the Incarnation unless you’re argument is that you can’t read even a single verse properly. I mean seriously it’s a metaphor saying God is always faithful and fulfills His word and promises.
If anything it’s actually a heads up advance flyer for the divinity of Christ because Christ did everything He said He would do. Jesus is the antithesis of the Numbers 23:19 charge of human deceit and vacillation. We can express Jesus thus: “Jesus as God, is a man who told the truth, never changed His mind, who never just spoke, but always acted, who’s promises He always fulfilled”. That’s putting in the positive what the verse actually says in its original negative construction:
“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man who changes His mind. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19 HCSB)
Jesus is the ultimate personification and fulfilment of this prophecy. He did indeed fulfil the promises of the Old Testament. Jesus cleansed lepers, healed the blind, cast out demons, raised the dead to life and Himself rose again from the dead entirely in line with the OT prophetic context. When the imprisoned John the Baptist sent word asking if Jesus was the expected Messiah, Jesus replied:
“Jesus replied to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: [5] the blind see, the lame walk, those with skin diseases are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor are told the good news” (Matthew 11:4-5).
In this reply Jesus proved that He was fulfilling the promises by His actions.
In His darkest hour the night before He died, Jesus never wavered or changed His mind, He knew what the fulfilment of His destiny required. He spoke no untruth, on the contrary He both claimed and proved that He is the epitome of truth.
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6).
No Muslims, far from proving that God is not a man, Numbers 23:19 actually vindicates the Incarnation.
Note this commentary on Numbers 23:19:
“That he should lie — Break his promise made to his people for their preservation and benediction. Neither the son of man that he should repent — Change his counsels or purposes, as men change theirs, either because they are not able to execute them, or because they are better informed, or their minds are changed by some unexpected occurrence, or by their passions, none of which things have place in God. When the inspired writers speak of God’s repenting, as Jeremiah 18:8, and Amos 7:3-6, they are to be understood as speaking figuratively, and adapting their language to our apprehensions. They only mean that God changes the course of his providence toward mankind, according as He sees a change in their dispositions and actions.” (Benson)
□ NUMBERS 23:19 PROVES THE QURAN’S MANMADE ORIGINS
It may not be obvious, because Christians have been so used to playing defence with this verse, but Numbers 23:19, this verse that Muslims love to partially quote trying to disprove the Incarnation, actually rebounds on them and condems the Quran. Yes, the “changing of mind” abrogation in the Quran is a sure proof of its manmade origin.
A classic example of changing revelations to suit his circumstances, is Muhammad’s teaching on drinking. In the early days, before Muhammad gained a significant following he said that although a sin, it was alright to drink:
Surah 2:219 “They ask thee concerning wine and gambling. Say: “In them is great sin, and some profit, for men; but the sin is greater than the profit.” They ask thee how much they are to spend; Say: “What is beyond your needs.” Thus doth God Make clear to you His Signs: In order that ye may consider” (Yusuf Ali)
As his power base grew, he presented a stronger position. It was not acceptable to have had any intoxicants “close enough to prayers to fog the mind.” This surely recognises that drinking alcohol at other times wasn’t a problem.
Surah 4:43 “O ye who believe! Approach not prayers with a mind befogged, until ye can understand all that ye say” (Yusuf Ali)
But, when his position had become strongly established, Muhammad forbade the use of intoxicants entirely.
Surah 5:90 – 91: “O ye who believe! Intoxicants and gambling, (dedication of) stones, and (divination by) arrows, are an abomination,- of Satan’s handwork: eschew such (abomination), that ye may prosper. [91] “Satan’s plan is (but) to excite enmity and hatred between you, with intoxicants and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God, and from prayer: will ye not then abstain?” (Yusuf Ali)
His final revelation calls the use of intoxicants “Satan’s handiwork.” This puts him in the awkward position of having had Allah approve of “Satan’s Handiwork’ when he said that there was “some profit for men” in the use of intoxicants.
□ DOES GOD VACILLATE ON SIN?
When the Bible speaks of God repenting, there is no thought of sin. Neither is there any hint of vacillation, as if God wavers in His purpose or changes His plans in response to man’s doings. God is unchanging or immutable. His purpose has been fixed from eternity and He will establish it (Isaiah 46:10; Ephesians 1:11). He does not change His mind as man does (1 Samuel 15:29).
So how do we explain the many Old Testament references to God repenting? When Scripture speaks of God repenting, it is viewing God from man’s viewpoint (“anthropomorphism”).
From man’s viewpoint it seems as if God is changing His mind, although from God’s viewpoint, He never changes His mind and His purpose is always carried out. We refer to the sun setting, but that is only from our limited viewpoint. The actual truth is, the sun did not move; the earth revolved. But we speak from our viewpoint.
For an in depth look at what it takes to change God’s mind, this is an example of excellent teaching on the subject:
bible.org/seriespage/lesson-3-man-who-caused-god-repent-exodus-327-14-30-35-331-6-12-17
□ WHY QURANIC ABROGATION IS NOT GOD CHANGING HIS MIND
The central passage that deals with abrogation is Surah 2:106:
“None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar: Knowest thou not that Allah Hath power over all things?” (Yusuf Ali)
Not all Muslim scholars agree on what abrogation covers. Briefly here is a simplified assessment:
# Muslim scholars of old hold to the concept that some ayahs in the Quran abrogate other ayahs in the Quran, but do not all hold to the same set of abrogated and abrogating ayahs.
# Other Muslim scholars are of the opinion that the Quran may abrogate the Quran as well as the Sunnah (deed or example of Mohammad) and vice versa.
# Some Muslim scholars hold that the Quran abrogates all the previous scriptures, specifically the scriptures sent to Musa (The Torah) and Isa (Gospel), but not itself.
# Some Muslim scholars, especially of recent times do not believe in the concept of abrogation at all.
Thus we can see, as so often the case, there is no consensus amongst Islam’s scholars as to what is meant by Surah 2:106. Nevertheless, we can still draw some valid conclusions as follows:
(i). If abrogation is true, then the Quran cannot be an eternal guide because half its content has already been deemed useless by Islamic scholars.
(ii). If the Quran is an eternal guide, then abrogation is false and scholars who defend abrogation are wrong.
(iii). In either case the Quran cannot be the timeless and inspired word of God.
Some Muslims, in order to justify the Quranic doctrine of abrogation, claim that the Bible teaches something similar. They assert that the Bible contains many instructions and practices which have been abrogated, annulled, by later commandments, i.e. Sabbath observance, dietary restrictions etc.
Muslims think that they can justify the Quranic problem of abrogation if they can prove that the Bible also contains abrogation. This presents huge difficulties of which these are just 2 that stand out:
1). To begin with, appealing to the Bible does absolutely nothing to support the doctrine of Islamic abrogation for several reasons. First, if abrogation is a logical and/or theological problem then appealing to the Bible doesn’t resolve the dilemma. It would only prove that both the Holy Bible and the Quran are wrong and cannot, therefore, be revelations from God. This is a fallacy of false analogy and a red herring. Attempting to justify committing a wrong on the grounds that someone else is guilty of another wrong is clearly a red herring ― that is, a fallacy of irrelevance ― because if this form of argument were cogent, one could justify anything ― assuming that there is another wrong to point to.
2). Secondly, the Bible in any event does not teach abrogation since the Quran defines abrogation as blotting out, previous instructions:
“God blots out, and He establishes whatsoever He will; and with Him is the Essence of the Book” (Surah 13:39 Arberry).
The Bible, on the other hand, doesn’t blot out or abolish previous revelations but fulfills and consummates them, just as Jesus taught:
“Do not think that I have come to ABOLISH the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to ABOLISH them but to FULFIL them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.” (Matthew 5:17-18) [Caps for emphasis]
Jesus doesn’t abolish the Hebrew Bible, but perfectly fulfills it in his life and teachings. What Jesus was basically telling the people is that the Hebrew Bible was specifically revealed in such a way so as to find its true meaning expression and completion in the Messiah’s work and interpretation of it.
For a more thorough and complete exegesis of this passage see James Arlandson’s excellent article, ‘How Jesus Christ fulfills the Old Testament’:
www.answering-islam.org/Authors/Arlandson/fulfilled.htm
Other passages basically reiterate the above point, indicating that the Hebrew Bible had a sequential specific fulfillment in the Messiah, and that once it was fulfilled, believers were then required to apply the Messiah’s interpretation and completion of it.
“The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then, the good news of the kingdom of God has been proclaimed, and everyone is strongly urged to enter it. [17] But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter in the law to drop out” (Luke 16:16-17).
Notice that the progress from the Law and the Prophets toward the new era occurred after John had been sent to announce the Messiah’s advent. The Law and the Prophets are now subsumed and consummated in the Gospel of God’s kingdom as proclaimed in the life, ministry, death and resurrection of our all in one, Prophet, Priest and King Himself, the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:1-4).
Christ is the focal point of the Law, the very One who consummates the Law as he brings it to its completion and fulfillment.
“Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).
The Law was designed to lead us to Christ, its true fulfillment.
It is clear from the foregoing that the view of the New Testament writers is that the Hebrew Scriptures were deliberately designed by God to foreshadow Christ and his Church. The Old Testament Scriptures contained shadows, types, analogies, and copies of spiritual realities that awaited the coming of Christ. Old Testament peoples, places, events and things were deliberately designed to be copies of a far greater spiritual reality, with Christ manifesting that reality through his fulfillment of it. The New Testament Scriptures are basically the record of how Christ unveiled the spiritual reality underlying the Old Testament revelation:
“Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch. For behold, on the stone that I have set before Joshua, on a single stone with seven eyes, I will engrave its inscription, declares the LORD of hosts, and I WILL REMOVE THE INIQUITY OF THIS LAND IN A SINGLE DAY.” (Zechariah 3:8-9)
□ CONCLUSIONS
We can distinguish the orderly, sequential, progressive, revelation and fulfilment of God”s word and contrast it with the disordered Quran.
Craig Winn in his blistering broadside against Islam in “Prophet of Doom” describes the Quranic concept of “abrogation” thus:-
“A perfect book cannot by definition be disordered. Yet there is a larger problem. The second Surah contains the verse on abrogation which says: “Whenever We cancel a message or throw it into oblivion, We replace it with a better one.” (Surah 2.106) Without dismembering the entire Quran so that every line follows the revelation that immediately preceded it, the “cancel and replace” concept is futile. How is anyone to know which verses Allah “threw into oblivion?” Without context and chronology, the “cancel and replace” verse renders the entire Quran irrelevant. If one line encourages slavery and another condones it, which is to be believed? If one verse says that infidels are to be taxed to death and others order them put to death, what are Muslims to do?
The answer is obvious, but apparently not to Muslims (or those in our statehouses, media, and pulpits) who coddle Islam. A “god” who changes his mind repeatedly over a score of years and needs a verse to deal with his contradictions cannot be “God.” A religion devoted to a false spirit isn’t worth protecting, especially when it motivates men to murder.”
And again Winn hits the nail on the head …
“This brings us to one of the Quran’s biggest problems—Allah’s contradictions. Muhammad wants us to believe that the creator of the universe, is capricious and unreliable, changing his mind by canceling prior truths and obliterating his divine revelations.
In the context of God, this is senseless, and as Numbers 23:19 points out, is a mark of a capricious human mind, and not of God. But in the context of a forgetful man trying to counterfeit the written record of God to serve his own self serving agenda, it’s perfect. The religion of Islam failed in Mecca. Muhammad had to cast it into oblivion, to abrogate it, to move on with the doctrine of politics and submission. Allah replaces Ar-Rahman. Piracy replaces inheritance. Jews replace Meccans. Swords replace words. Muslims replace everybody. And Muhammad gets what he wants: money, women, and power.
The reason the “abrogation” verse is so important is that it wipes out Islam as a religion. The first ninety surahs are cast into oblivion. The prophet has a new Qiblah—and a political doctrine built upon submission and the sword. But as bad as that sounds, you don’t know the half of it yet. The last two dozen surahs are by far the worst; they contain some of the most immoral, hateful, intolerant, and violent words ever uttered by men.”
In summary we can thus easily demonstrate by using Numbers 23:19 (as a whole) as the benchmark, that the Quran is not the unchanging Word of God but a disposable, dispensible and capricious work of the man Muhammad, thus once again proving that Muhammad was a false prophet.
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Muslim deceit: “God is not a man”
Continuing the series of Posts based upon and calling out the more egregious lies of Muslim Posts.
Shehu Ahmad Rabiu posted:
REFUTING POSTS OF MUSLIMS: “✨ BIBLE SAYS THAT GOD IS NOT MAN.”
Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man…”
Hosea 11:9 “…For I am God, and not man…” Jesus is called a man many times in the Bible:
John 8:40 “…a man who has told you the truth…”
Acts 2:22 “Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know.”
Acts 17:31 “He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed”
1 Tim. 2:5 “…the man Christ Jesus.”
God is not a man, but Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was a man, therefore, Jesus was not God.”
RESPONSE:
We can examine each of the above references in turn:
□ Numbers 23:19
Note the incomplete quote, what the verse actually says, in effect is that God is not like man:
“God is not a man who lies, or a son of man WHO CHANGES HIS MIND. Does He speak and not act, or promise and not fulfill?” (Numbers 23:19 HCSB)
The whole premise of the post fails from the get go because of a deliberate partial quote which alters its meaning.
Numbers 23:19 does not rule out the possibility of God appearing as a man and/or becoming a man. It simply states that God’s essence is distinct from man, without denying the fact that God could/would eventually take on a human nature. In reality, this text simply illustrates that God is not a man by NATURE and doesn’t therefore lie or change his mind like men normally do. (Or indeed as the capricious god of Islam does with all his abrogations).
What this basically means is that if God chose to become a man then He wouldn’t be like other men … He would be completely pure and holy and above all truthful. And since God did become man in Christ we find that this is exactly the kind of person Jesus was, namely, absolutely pure and sinless:
“What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are–the Holy One of God.” (Mark 1:24)
“Simon Peter answered him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.’” (John 6:68-69)
“Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. [7] “If you know Me, you will also know My Father. From now on you do know Him and have seen Him.” (John 14:6-7)
□ Hosea 11:9
“I will not vent the full fury of My anger; I will not turn back to destroy Ephraim. For I am God and not man, the Holy One among you; I will not come in rage.” (Hosea 11:9 HCSB)
Another verse where God is contrasting His behaviour to ours. Nothing to say He cannot or will not take human form.
“For I am God and not man: “not swayed by human passions, but so tempering His wrath, as, in the midst of it, to remember mercy; so punishing the iniquity of the sinful children, as at once to make good His gracious promises which He made to their forefathers.” : “Man punishes, to destroy; God smites, to amend.” (Barnes Notes)
“God, … not man—not dealing as man would, with implacable wrath under awful provocation (Isa 55:7-9; Mal 3:6). I do not, like man, change when once I have made a covenant of everlasting love, as with Israel (Numbers 23:19). We measure God by the human standard, and hence are slow to credit fully His promises; these, however, belong to the faithful remnant, not to the obstinately impenitent.” (JFB Commentary)
□ John 8:40
Again it needs reading in context:
[38] “I SPEAK WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER; therefore, you do what you have heard from your father.” [40] But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! [42] Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, BECAUSE I CAME FROM GOD AND I AM HERE. FOR I DIDN’T COME ON MY OWN, BUT HE SENT ME.” (John 8:38, 40, 42 HCSB)
What mere man can claim to have spoken “what I have seen in the presence of the Father”? What mere man can say “I came from God … He sent Me”?
Obviously there is much more to be learned about Jesus identity than the ripped out of context John 8:40 alone says.
□ Acts 2:22
Another verse which, if Muslims could only quote verses in context we would never see from them:
[22] “Men of Israel, listen to these words: This Jesus the Nazarene was a man pointed out to you by God with miracles, wonders, and signs that God did among you through Him, just as you yourselves know. [23] THOUGH HE WAS DELIVERED UP ACCORDING TO GOD’S DETERMINED PLAN AND FOREKNOWLEDGE, you used LAWLESS PEOPLE TO NAIL HIM TO A CROSS AND KILL HIM. [24] GOD RAISED HIM UP, ending the pains of death, because it was not possible for Him to be held by it. [25] For David says of Him: I saw the Lord ever before me; because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. [26] Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover, my flesh will rest in hope, [27] because You will not leave me in Hades or allow Your Holy One to see decay. [31] Seeing this in advance, he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Messiah: He was not left in Hades, and His flesh did not experience decay. [32] “GOD HAS RESURRECTED THIS JESUS. WE ARE ALL WITNESSES OF THIS. [33] Therefore, since He has been exalted to the right hand of God and has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, He has poured out what you both see and hear. [34] For it was not David who ascended into the heavens, but he himself says: The Lord declared to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand [35] until I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ [36] “Therefore let all the house of Israel know with certainty that GOD HAS MADE THIS JESUS, WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED, BOTH LORD AND MESSIAH!” (Acts 2:22-27, 31-36 HCSB)
Oops! Epic fail! …. “you used LAWLESS PEOPLE TO NAIL HIM TO A CROSS AND KILL HIM. [24] GOD RAISED HIM UP”
… “GOD HAS RESURRECTED THIS JESUS. WE ARE ALL WITNESSES OF THIS.”
… “GOD HAS MADE THIS JESUS, WHOM YOU CRUCIFIED, BOTH LORD AND MESSIAH!”
I am not sure how many errors we find in the Quran from the above but at least 3 Muslim claims debunked that stand out:
1. The crucifixion happened, albeit unlawfully, it was all part of God’s pre ordained plan.
2. God not only resurrected Jesus, but has made Him Messiah and Lord.
3. The disciples witnessed these events.
□ Acts 17:31
Paul speaking to the men of Athens:
“For as I was passing through and observing the objects of your worship, I even found an altar on which was inscribed: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. [24] The God who made the world and everything in it — He is Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in shrines made by hands. [30] “Therefore, having overlooked the times of ignorance, God now commands all people everywhere to repent, [31] because He has set a day when He is going to judge the world in righteousness by the Man He has appointed. HE HAS PROVIDED PROOF OF THIS TO EVERYONE BY RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD.” (Acts 17:23-24, 30-31 HCSB)
Well well, what do you know? Another deceitful partial and incomplete quotation, with the second sentence omitted for obvious reasons.
Yes Jesus is the God-man who as He also said in His own words He will be coming to judge the world:
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and ALL THE ANGELS WITH HIM, THEN HE WILL SIT ON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY. [32] ALL THE NATIONS WILL BE GATHERED BEFORE HIM, and He will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on the left.” (Matthew 25:31-33 HCSB)
Muslims what mere man commands all His angels? And sits in a throne of glory judging all the nations before Him?
□ 1 Timothy 2:5
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, Christ Jesus, Himself human, [NKJV “The Man Christ Jesus] (1 Timothy 2:5 HCSB)
Again no ordinary man. Jesus uniquely lived the perfect life. He proved that He is that “no one is good except God” that alone makes Him God by leading a sinless life. He used the adjective “good” of Himself when He said here “I am the good shepherd”:
“I am the good shepherd. I know My own sheep, and they know Me, as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. I lay down My life for the sheep. But I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice. Then there will be one flock, one shepherd. This is why the Father loves Me, because I am laying down My life so I may take it up again.” (John 10:14-17 HCSB)
In overcoming death Jesus proved his claim to have the power over death and life that alone belongs to God and apart from anything else it proves that He is eternal and alive. Having been born in the flesh make no mistake He can return in the flesh and He will be seen to reappear again just as He was seen to leave. Only this time He will reappear in His heavenly glory and with the heavenly host of HIS angels. (Matthew 24.31) who will gather up His elect from every corner of earth:
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out HIS ANGELS with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” (Matthew 24:30-31 HCSB)
Jesus promised He will return to judge and rule the world in perfect justice. And He alone is uniquely qualified to be the one true Mediator between God and man, because having both a divine nature and a human nature, He sees and can judge everything with perfect justice, having the 20:20 vision of His dual nature.
In the meantime He told us to pray to Him. (John 14.14) He promised to answer prayers: “Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:13 HCSB)
Jesus told us that He is present whenever two or more are gathered in His name. (Matthew 18.20) He promised that by remembering His death and resurrection and His blood shed for us we are cleansed from all unrighteousness and can inherit eternal life.
What mere man can hear, answer and be present at every prayer gathering in His name?
The post concludes “God is not a man, but Jesus, may the mercy and blessings of God be upon him, was a man, therefore, Jesus was not God.”
Well, sorry the first clause was defeated merely by a proper reading of Numbers 23:19. Likewise Hosea 11:9. So the rest falls by default.
And when we look at other passages the Bible quite explicitly states that God will become a man, in direct contradiction of the partial Muslim claim for Numbers 23:19.
The Old Testament confirms that God will walk amongst us:
“I WILL WALK AMONG YOU AND BE YOUR GOD, AND YOU WILL BE MY PEOPLE. [13] I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you would no longer be their slaves. I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to live in freedom.” (Leviticus 26:12-13 HCSB)
Again the Old Testament develops this theme further … a child will be born who will be called MIGHTY GOD and He will rule over an everlasting kingdom:
“For a child will be born for us, a son will be given to us, and the government will be on His shoulders. He will be named Wonderful Counselor, MIGHTY GOD, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. [7] The dominion will be vast, and its prosperity will never end. He WILL REIGN ON THE THRONE OF DAVID AND OVER HIS KINGDOM, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from now on and FOREVER. The zeal of the Lord of Hosts will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7 HCSB)
Continuing this progressive revelation, the New Testament tells us the name of this God-man king:
“Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. [31] Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and YOU WILL CALL HIS NAME JESUS. [32] He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the LORD GOD WILL GIVE HIM THE THRONE OF HIS FATHER DAVID. [33] HE WILL REIGN OVER THE HOUSE OF JACOB FOREVER, AND HIS KINGDOM WILL HAVE NO END. [35] The angel replied to her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy One to be born will be called the SON OF GOD.” (Luke 1:30-33, 35 HCSB)
Thus another Muslim Post bites the dust, caught out and exposed by its own deceit. When will they learn to debate honestly?
Muslim and Pharisee Similarities
WHY THE PHARISEES WERE THE PROTO-ISLAMISTS OF JESUS DAY
1). INTRODUCTION
To begin we need an understanding of who Jesus is, according to the Gospel.
An ideal starting point for this Post is this verse from John’s gospel, one of the most profound yet understated declarations of Jesus deity:
“No one has ever seen God. The One and Only Son — the One who is at the Father’s side [KJV “who is in the bosom of the Father”] — He has revealed Him” (John 1:18 HCSB).
To grasp something of its meaning, note what some commentaries say:
“No human eyes have seen Him; but Christ had a knowledge of God which might be expressed to our apprehension by saying that He saw Him. He knew Him intimately and completely, and was therefore fitted to make a fuller manifestation of Him. (See John 5:37; John 6:46; 1 John 4:12; Exodus 33:20; John 14:9). This passage is not meant to deny that men had witnessed “manifestations” of God, as when He appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18, or Moses and the prophets (compare Numbers 12:8; Isaiah 6:1-13); but it is meant that no one has seen the essence of God, or has “fully known God.” The prophets delivered what they “heard” God speak; Jesus what he knew of God as his equal, and as understanding fully nature.
“The only-begotten Son: – See the notes at John 1:14 which states:
[Only-begotten “monogenēs” Strongs G3441 and G1096; only born that is sole: – only (begotten child). This term is never applied by John to any but Jesus Christ. It is applied by him five times to the Saviour, John 1:14, John 1:18; John 3:16, John 3:18; 1 John 4:9. It means literally an only child. Then, as an only child is especially dear to a parent, it means one that is especially beloved. Compare Genesis 22:2, Genesis 22:12, Genesis 22:16; Jeremiah 6:26; Zechariah 12:10. On both these accounts it is bestowed on the Savior.
i). As He was eminently the Son of God, sustaining a special relation to Him in His divine nature, exalted above all human beings and angels, and thus worthy to be called, by way of eminence, His only Son. Saints are called His “sons” or children, because they are born of His Spirit, or are like Him; but the Lord Jesus is exalted far above all, and deserves eminently to be called His only-begotten Son.
ii). He was especially dear to God, and therefore this appellation, implying tender affection, is bestowed upon him].
Verse 18 shows John’s sense of the meaning of that phrase, as denoting an intimate and full knowledge of God.
“In the bosom of the Father” – This expression is taken from the custom among the Orientals of reclining at their meals. See the notes at Matthew 23:6. It denotes intimacy, friendship, affection. Here it means that Jesus had a knowledge of God such as one friend has of another – knowledge of his character, designs, and nature which no other one possesses, and which renders him, therefore, qualified above all others to make him known.
“Hath declared him: – Hath fully revealed him or made him known. Compare Hebrews 1:1, Hebrews 1:4. This verse proves that Jesus had a knowledge of God above that which any of the ancient prophets had, and that the fullest revelations of his character are to be expected in the gospel. By his Word and Spirit he can enlighten and guide us, and lead us to the true knowledge of God; and there is no true and full knowledge of God which is not obtained through his Son. Compare John 14:6; 1 John 2:22-23. (Barnes Notes)
“which is in the bosom of the Father”, denotes unity of nature, and essence, in the Father and Son; their distinct personality; strong love, and affection between them; the Son’s acquaintance with his Father’s secrets; his being at that time, as the Son of God, in the bosom of his Father, when here on earth, as the son of man; and which qualified Him to make the declaration of Him:
“he hath declared him” He has clearly and fully declared His nature, perfections, purposes, promises, counsels, covenant, word, and works; His thoughts and schemes of grace; His love and favour to the sons of men; His mind and will concerning the salvation of His people: He has made, and delivered a fuller revelation of these things, than ever was yet; and to which no other revelation in the present state of things will be added. Somewhat like this the Jews ¹ say of the Messiah,
“there is none that can declare the name of His Father, and that knows Him; but this is hid from the eyes of the multitude, until He comes, “and He shall declare him” (Gill’s Exposition).
From this single verse of Scripture we can understand that Jesus, as He is revealed in the Bible, is the fullest, clearest, most enlightened, truest, and expressive picture we have of God. The post continues on the basis of this premise.
2). THE MUSLIM – CHRISTIAN DEBATE
When a Muslim and a Christian, who have been discussing whether they are worshiping the same God, look at God as represented by Jesus, He Jesus settles the matter in short order: “No,” says the Muslim, “that’s not who I am talking about.”
But that is who the Christian is talking about. As we’ve seen, John 1:18 says, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, He has made Him known.” Jesus makes known the invisible God for us to see. In John 14:8, Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” To this Jesus responded, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’” And Paul said in 2 Corinthians 4:6, “God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”
In other words, Jesus is the touchstone that settles the issue of who is worshipping the true God and who is not. (See also Luke 20:17-18). If a worshipper of God does not see in Jesus Christ the person of his or her God, he does not worship God. This is the resounding testimony of Jesus and the apostles as we see in the following texts.
▪︎ Mark 9:37, “Whoever receives Me, receives not Me but him who sent Me.” (See also Matthew 10: 40; Luke 9:48; John 13:20).
▪︎John 5:23, “Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.”
▪︎ 1 John 2:23, “No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.”
▪︎ Luke 12:9, “The one who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.”
▪︎ John 12:44-46, “The one who believes in Me believes not in Me, but in Him who sent Me. [45] And the one who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.”
▪︎ John 15:23, “Whoever hates Me hates My Father also.”
▪︎ 2 John 1:9, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.”
No Muslim will accept any of the above testimony. Given the gulf between the Bible and Quran it’s a very short debate. We do not worship the same God.
Now let’s turn the clock back 2000 years to when Jesus was on earth.
2). THE PHARISEE – JESUS FOLLOWER DEBATE
If we take this question back two thousand years and turn a Muslim-Christian question into a Pharisee-Jesus-follower question, the exact same thing emerges. Were the Pharisees worshipping the same God that the followers of Jesus were worshipping? That’s not to imply that every Pharisee was the same. For example, Nicodemus (John 3:1ff.) did not seem to be of the same spirit with most (though even he found the new birth incomprehensible at first). In asking this question, we are simply referring to the Pharisee sect in general as Jesus saw them and addressed collectively. Did these Pharisees worship the same God as the followers of Jesus?
This question is even more striking than the Muslim-Christian question, because Pharisees and followers of Jesus had the same Holy Book, the Tanach — the Old Testament. That means that they used the same name for God – Hashem or Yahweh and told the same stories about God and followed the same rituals in relating to God. Why would the question even come up about whether the Pharisees and the followers of Jesus worshipped the same God?
The answer is simple: Because Jesus brought it up.
When Jesus addressed the Jewish leaders of his day (Pharisees, lawyers, elders, Sadducees, chief priests), his resounding conclusion was they do not even know God. And, not knowing God, their lived-out religion (the kind Jesus is concerned with) is not “out of gratitude,” nor is it a “proper response to grace.”
Take this withering condemnation Jesus gives of them in John 8:
“I know you are descendants of Abraham, but you are trying to kill Me because My word is not welcome among you. [38] I SPEAK WHAT I HAVE SEEN IN THE PRESENCE OF THE FATHER; therefore, you do what you have heard from your father.” [39] “Our father is Abraham! ” they replied. “If you were Abraham’s children,” Jesus told them, “you would do what Abraham did. [40] But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do this! [41] You’re doing what your father does.” “We weren’t born of sexual immorality,” they said. “We have one Father — God.” [42] Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on My own, but He sent Me. [43] Why don’t you understand what I say? Because you cannot listen to My word. [44] YOU ARE OF YOUR FATHER THE DEVIL, AND YOU WANT TO CARRY OUT YOUR FATHER’S DESIRES. He was a murderer from the beginning and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of liars. [46] Who among you can convict Me of sin? If I tell the truth, why don’t you believe Me? [47] THE ONE WHO IS FROM GOD LISTENS TO GOD’S WORDS. THIS IS WHY YOU DON’T LISTEN, BECAUSE YOU ARE NOT FROM GOD” (John 8:37-44, 46-47 HCSB)
When Jesus asked the Jewish leaders in verse 46, “If I tell the truth, why don’t believe me?” His answer was, “The one who is from God listens to God’s words. This is why you don’t listen, because you are not from God” (or as the NKJV puts it: “He who is of God hears God’s words; therefore you do not hear, because you are not of God” (John 8:47)
This is the claim of Jesus to be the picture of God. “I am from God and I am speaking the words of God. You are not seeing or hearing God, therefore you are not of God.” Indeed Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, because I came from God and I am here. For I didn’t come on My own, but He sent Me” (John 8:42).
That is, they do not have God as their Father, but rather the devil. Jesus said, “If God were your Father, you would love me . . . . You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires” (John 8:42-44). This is the root reason why the Jewish leaders do not come to Christ. Their will is governed not by gratitude to God, giving a “proper response to grace,” but by their father’s will, and it is not the love of God. “You refuse to come to me that you may have life. . . . I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not receive me” (John 5:40-43).
They simply do not know the true God: “You have not known him” (John 8:55).
Jesus is the picture of God that the Pharisees did not recognize. The reason they didn’t is because they wanted a Messiah who would confirm their love of the praise of men for their own achievements (John 5:43-44) and reward their self righteousness. The reasons why they didn’t recognise Jesus had nothing to do with His not claiming and proving Himself, (they regarded who He was claiming equality with as blasphemy), and all to do with their inbuilt pride and preconceptions.
For more on why the Jews for the most part failed to recognise Jesus, see this Post:
□ WHY THE JEWS EXPECTED A DIFFERENT MESSIAH
4 November 2021
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=286549766808033&id=100063590342443
The follower of this self-exalting religion, just as with Islam, may sincerely be thankful to God for some of his or her outward moral purity – “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers” (Luke 18:11). But his or her confidence before God is what he or she is (regardless of who made them that way). Whether one should call this religion a “self-help moralism” is an open question. But that it is a religion that trusts in its own morality and exalts self is clear. What Jesus thought of it is also clear:
▪︎ They accused Jesus of being demonic (Matthew 12:24).
▪︎ They do not know how to understand the law (Matthew 12:2-7).
▪︎ They sought to destroy Jesus (Matthew 12:14).
▪︎ They are “an evil and adulterous generation” (Matthew 16:4).
▪︎ They break the commandments with their traditions (Matthew 15:6).
▪︎ They worship vainly and their heart is far from God (Matthew 15:8-9).
▪︎ They are not planted by the Father (Matthew 15:12).
▪︎ Their teaching is leaven to be avoided (Matthew 16:12).
▪︎ They do not bear the fruit of the kingdom and will lose it (Matthew 21:43-45).
▪︎ They are children of hell (Matthew 23:15, 33).
▪︎ They neglect the weightier matters of the law (Matthew 23:23).
▪︎ They are full of greed and self-indulgence (Matthew 23:25, 27).
▪︎ Outwardly they appear righteous, but are lawless within (Matthew 23:28).
▪︎ They were lovers of money (Luke 16:14).
3). PARALLELS BETWEEN PHARISEES AND MUSLIMS
The Pharisees and Sadducees never believed Jesus Christ to be God Almighty, they believed that Jesus Christ was a mere man. They even accused Him of having a demon to be able to perform His exorcisms (Mark 3:22).
Likewise Muslims allege the Trinity is a Satanic concept and they reject Jesus as anything more than a prophet.
Pharisees were always looking for an opportunity to trap Jesus, just as Muslims try to with His followers.
Pharisees like Muslims today were always seeking a sign from Jesus even when He had just healed a blind and mute demoniac (Matthew 12:38) and again when they asked for a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1). Instructive to all Christian apologists Jesus refused and referred them to the prophetic sign of Jonah.
□ Both Sects use deception
The Pharisees sent spies, pretending to be righteous, just as we find Muslims pretending to be Christian in order to attack us:
“So they watched Him, and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might seize on His words, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20:20).
□ Both sects demand a sign
The Pharisees wanted a simple statement from Jesus that he was the Messiah, (John 10:24), just as Muslims demand a statement from Him saying “I am God worship Me”.
Jesus reply is as good for both sects, neither will accept the evidence of His signs, because neither are “His sheep”.
“Then the Jews surrounded Him and asked, “How long are You going to keep us in suspense? If You are the Messiah, tell us plainly.” [25] “I did tell you and you don’t believe,” Jesus answered them. “The works that I do in My Father’s name testify about Me. [26] But you don’t believe because you are not My sheep” (John 10:24-26)
□ Both sects have an identity crisis about Jesus.
Because they cannot accept His true identity, MusIims like the Pharisees have an identity crisis about who He is. In both cases resulting in antagonistic view of Him. One key difference though, while the Jews recognised that Jesus was making Himself equal with God, Muslims cannot even recognise that much, or rather they dare not admit it. This schizophrenic ambivalence of Muslims towards Jesus is even carried into the Quran. Surah 4:171 bestows the divine titles of The Word (Kalimatullah) and Spirit (Ruhullah) of Allah upon Isa, and yet contradicts itself elsewhere by limiting him to mere servant and messenger (Surah 5:75; 43:59).
□ Pride a stumbling block for both sects.
Pharisees pride was a stumbling block to them just is it for Muslims. The Pharisees in Jesus’ day were experts in two things. They were diligent in following the traditions and customs and rules that they had added to the Word of God, especially in public. (Following the things the Bible actually said was somewhat optional.) And they were diligent in judging and condemning all those who did not measure up to their regulations. They exercised judgment by fear and guilt. Islam does the same.
The irony is that though they had memorized the first five books of the Bible and at least outwardly tried to present themselves as complying with all that God had commanded, they completely missed the point. Just as Muslims boasting of memorising the Quran misses the point.
The root of their problem, as we so often find in our day, was in their pride. They were relying on their own efforts and righteousness to gain acceptance from God without realizing how far short of His perfection they fell.
□ Both sects display and seek God’s approval by self righteousness
Jesus condemned Pharisees for their overt self righteous displays,
“Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. I assure you: They’ve got their reward!” (Matthew 6:5)
Likewise Muslims love to be seen and heard entering mosques to prayers. The Adhan (Azan) call to prayers let’s everyone know within miles of every mosque and its an imposition and intrusion on the peace of non Muslims. And prayers are often conducted in public spaces on roads and walkways as a demonstration.
□ In both cases this is antithetical to Jesus teaching on prayer:
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. [6] But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. [7] And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:5-7)
□ Both sects adopt iconic dress.
Pharisees adopted iconic dress styles to make themselves look distinguished as Jesus observed:
“They do everything to be observed by others: They enlarge their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels” (Matthew 23:5)
Muslims dress code adopts similar iconic marks of recognition, a beard for men a hijab for women, it gets them noticed. These are marks of superiority.
Muslims like the Pharisees, believe that if you do certain things, you become righteous (like praying facing east growing a beard, covering your face etc). This righteousness by works cannot save you, it only helps to cover up the unrighteousness in your heart.
One of the more egregious examples of frankly superstitious rituals adopted by Islam is that of “Durood Shareef” the incantation of PBUH. See Footnote ¹ for why they do it.
□ Both sects display hypocrisy
Jesus exposed the hypocrisy of the Pharisees in Matthew 23:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. [28] Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matthew 23:27-28)
Paul also called out the hypocrisy:
The Jews of Romans 2:17-24 claimed to be successful moralists. They taught morality, but did not teach themselves (verse 21). They preached against stealing, but engaged in stealing (verse 21). They opposed adultery, but committed adultery (verse 22). They denounced idolatry, but committed idolatry (verse 22). They boasted in the law, but dishonored the law (verse 23). And in all this, they caused the Gentiles to blaspheme God (verse 24).
We can observe similar hypocrisy in Islam. Whether its accusing the Bible of corruption yet appealing to to it to validate their prophet and Islamic violence, or mocking the west (synonymous with Christianity) for licentious llifestyles eg gambling wine and women, to say such things do not occur in Muslim States would be far from reality. Saudi Arabia for instance has a culture of gambling. They enjoy so much pleasure, gambling abroad and more recently at home. While gambling for money is strictly forbidden in this conservative kingdom, and officially has no casinos, equestrian and gaming centers activities such as ‘belote’ (a trick-taking card game) are massively popular in Saudi Arabia. Horse racing is a massively popular sport attracting huge gambling interest. People play belote with friends, with their families, in cafés and online. And although gambling for prize money is forbidden, casino hotels have rapidly developed and significant prize money is at stake. Expedia claims there are in excess of 2400 such establishments! Check out some here: www.expedia.co.in/Destinations-In-Saudi-Arabia-Casino-Hotel.0-0-d157-tCasinoHotel.Hotel-Filter-Destinations
Isaiah 47:10 – “For you have trusted in your wickedness; You have said, ‘No one sees me’; Your wisdom and your knowledge have warped you; And you have said in your heart, ‘I am, and there is no one else besides me.’”
Yes, Saudis commit sins and live in pleasures and lusts, yet they think that since it is all hidden and forbidden, that somehow it’s OK. But God sees them. Their cities are sinning in “secret”. This is just one example of many of the hypocrisy of Islam.
4). ISLAM ON JESUS TODAY
Just as the Pharisees sought to have Jesus killed, there is only one major religion today who would drive stakes into Jesus’ hands and feet and crucify Jesus.
If the Jesus of the Bible were alive today in a Muslim country with his message that He is the Christ the Son of the Living God He would be killed for blasphemy just as the Jews did.
Muslims according to the Quran would crucify Jesus today as a blasphemer.
They hate Jesus and mock him calling His words a lie and a blasphemy and claiming His word to be corrupted.
This “religion of peace” does this to Jesus’ followers today when they repeat Jesus’ words. They hate Jesus’ words and when His followers repeat them they throw them in prison, torture them, kill them.
Their unholy book even specifies crucifixion for repeating Jesus’ words, which contradict the words of their prophet, teaching truth and love instead of lies and hate – thus spreading mischief in the land (i.e. showing their prophet was wrong).
John 3: 13-21
[13] And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. …
[14] And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
[15] That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
[16] For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
[17] For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
[18] He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
[19] And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
[20] For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
[21] But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
5). CONCLUSIONS
This is the Jesus Muslims can’t believe in, the Son of God whom you mock and call a liar. Just as the Pharisees did before you.
The upshot of all this, and the lesson we must take from history repeating itself with Islam’s adoption of Pharisaic principles is simply this. We should always reach for the New Testament Gospel accounts to see the picture of Jesus. And they are also a true reflection of how the Spirit of opposition, the source for which is Satan, produces the same antichrist mentality in both Pharisees and Muslims.
The Gospel is the only guidance we need. It settles the matter. No other source provides a comprehensive guide to how we should and should not behave. And when we read the Gospel accounts ask the Holy Spirit to convict us of any Pharisaic spirit in us (yes we are all at risk of falling into this trap), He will make clear that Muslims and Christians are not worshipping the same God, just as Pharisees and followers of Jesus of His day were not worshipping the same God.
One thing is for sure, and this is the bottom line, we should be imitators of Christ and not the Pharisees. Christ is our only role model for life as well as our only strength and source of salvation which can secure eternal life. Amen.
Footnote
¹ PBUH as in its written short form or the full “Peace Be Upon Him” when spoken, is primarily said in connection with the prophet’s name.
Why do Muslims do it? Well check out a few Muslim blogs and you can find listed a whole range of reasons why it’s essential.
Here we have what seems to be a comprehensive list of 40 reasons. Really worth reading them all to the end. It’s quite entertaining …
1. For every Durood Shareef that you recite, ten sins are forgiven, ten good deeds are entered into your sheet of actions and ten positions are upgraded.
2. Allah showers ten blessings on the man who recites a Durood.
3. The first man who will meet Muhammed on the Day of Judgement will be that person who had recited the Durood maximum number of times in his lifetime.
4. Those who recite Durood in maximum number will be nearest and dearest to Muhammad in the next world.
5. If any one is involved in a difficulty then he must recite countless number of Durood Shareefs.
6. Reciting Durood Shareef eradicates poverty and hunger.
7. If the Sawaab (meaning: benefit also spelt as Thawaab) of the Durood Shareef is dedicated to another person, then that person will receive the Sawaab, while the Sawaab of the reciter will not be lessened.
8. Reciting excessive Durood Shareef brings purity.
9. Reciting maximum number of Durood Shareef is full compensation of all sins.
10. Any one who recites excessive Durood Shareef in this world will be safe and sound in the next world.
11. When a prayer is made to Allah it is never accepted unless praise of Allah Ta’ala and Durood Shareef on Muhammad is first of all recited.
12. Those who recite Durood quite often will see Divine Light on the dark Day of Judgement.
13. Three persons will be under the cool shade and the favours of Allah Ta’ala on the Doom’s Day. One who kept Muhammad’s Sunnah alive, one who removed difficulty of a fellow being and one who recited maximum number of Durood Shareef in his lifetime.
14. When you forget anything and your memory fails to recollect it, then recite Durood, you will remember the forgotten thing.
15. Reciting Durood in this world is rewarding in the next.
16. The reciter of 10 Duroods in the morning and 10 in the evening will receive the help of Muhammad on the Day of Judgement.
17. One who recites Durood Shareef near the shrine of Muhammad is heard by him there and then alone.
18. Any one who recites Durood is just as one who purchased a slave and freed him.
19. Muhammad said that he himself recites blessings on one who recites Durood on him.
20. Any one who wants to meet his Allah with a happy face must recite countless number of Durood Shareef.
21. Reward equivalent to a big mountain (Uhad) is given to one who recites one Durood.
22. All people will be presented to Muhammad with their habits, natures and distinct manner, so it is obligatory for a man to recite maximum number of Durood.
23. Allah is Great and Almighty to forgive all sins of the reciter during the day and night when he recites Durood Shareef.
24. If any one meets in a tragedy, he should recite Durood Shareef in countless numbers.
25. Reciting Durood is like giving something in charity.
26. Reciting maximum number of Durood kills all hardships.
27. Recite Durood Shareef in countless number on Friday, as it is presented to me (Muhammad).
28. Bad deeds of 200 years (equivalent) are obliterated if a man recites 100 Durood on Friday.
29. Anyone who recites Durood will overcome all their troubles.
30. If the name of Muhammad is mentioned and one who hears it but does not recite Durood Shareef, understand that he has forgotten the path to Paradise.
31. “I pray for all those who recite Durood on me”, said Muhammad.
32. If any one recites Durood Shareef from any place, any part of the world from any distance, it actually reaches Muhammad immediately. Allah Ta’ala has appointed several Angels who are given exclusive duty to collect all Durood Shareef and present the same before Muhammad immediately.
33. Angels of Allah shower 70 blessings on a man who recites Durood once.
34. Whenever you hear the call of prayers (Azaan) you should recite Durood.
35. Wherever you are, from any quarter of the world, you must recite Durood as it reaches Muhammad.
36. Ablution is not complete if Durood is not recited on it.
37. Muhammad said to his wife that any one who hears the name of Muhammad and does not recite Durood on him will not see the beautiful face of Muhammad on the Day of the Judgement.
38. Sayyiduna Ali (radi Allahu anhu) reports that Rasoolullah said, “The real miser is he in whose presence I am mentioned and then he fails to recite “Durood” on me”.
39. If a person recites 1,000 Durood Shareef daily, he will never die unless he himself sees his place in Heaven with his own eyes.
40. The Durood Shareef that is recited by the person is written with a Golden Pen on a Silver tablet by the Angels. The Angels then present this Durood Shareef to Sayyiduna Rasoolullah and proclaim, “O Habeeb of Allah! The son of such and such a person has presented this gift in your majestic court”.
Source:
free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9605445.0
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salawat
For more see post:
□ 40 REASONS WHY “DUROOD SHAREEF” MAKES ISLAM IDOLATROUS
29 May 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/172148884914789/
Quran Fails Basic Tests
THE QURAN FAILS BASIC TESTS OF AUTHENTICITY
1). INTRODUCTION
When Muslims say “The Quran is revealed knowledge from God”, they’re just making a claim that is unwitnessed, unheralded and uncorroborated. These supposed revelations and “prophet” do not pass even basic tests for authenticity of the sort which uphold the divine inspiration for the Bible. Consider the following:
▪︎ No record of prophetic fulfilment.
▪︎ No witness testimony.
▪︎ No miraculous healing.
▪︎ No historical support.
# There is for example not a shred of evidence for the Muslim Isa; the very name Isa is corrupt as this Post demonstrates:
□ CORRUPTION OF THE NAME JESUS IN THE QURAN 23 May 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/167701865359491/
# There is no Covenant theology in the Quran as this post shows:
□ DIVINE COVENANTS PROVE THE BIBLE AND EXPOSE THE QURAN 27 Aug 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/237362678393409/
# There is not a shred of evidence for a lost “gospel of Jesus”
# There is not a shred of evidence for an uncrucified Messiah as this post shows:
□ ISLAM’S NEMESIS: THE HERESY OF SURAH 4:157 30 Aug 2021
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=240035528126124&id=100063590342443
# The Quran is rife with errors of fact. For example it claims the Psalms (Zabur) were “given” to David, which is factually wrong on numerous grounds as this post shows:
□ HOW MANY QURAN ERRORS DO YOU NEED PROOF OF MUSLIMS? 17 Oct 2021
m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=273757028087307&id=100063590342443
Again historically awry, the Quran claims the Promised Land is Egypt, see this Post for the proof:
□ THE QURAN AND ITS ERRORS: ISRAEL’S PROMISED LAND IS EGYPT!? 1 January 2021
www.facebook.com/100063590342443/posts/326836136112729/
The claim for ‘nazil’ revelation of the Quran, comes from one source alone, the man to which it was supposedly revealed, Muhammad.
There are no outside witnesses, heralding in advance or at the time who can corroborate Muhammad’s testimony; nor are miracles provided to substantiate his claims.
In fact, the evidences for the authority of God’s revelation, which the Bible emphatically produces are completely absent in the Quran, such as:
▪︎ That the revelation of God must speak in the name of God, Yahweh not in the name of a foreign god as Allah is.
▪︎ That the message must go out from Zion as Isaiah says: “For instruction will go out of Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:3b); “Out of Zion” appears at least 17 times in the Bible. No mention of anything Islamic in the Bible, including then non existent Mecca.
▪︎ The message must conform to revelation which has gone before.
▪︎ That it must make predictions which are verifiable.
▪︎ That the revelation must be accompanied by signs and wonders in order to give it authority as having come from God.
Because all these are missing in the case of the Muhammad and the Quran, for those of us who are Christians, it is obviously the Quran and not as Muslims claim, the Bible, which turns out to be the most humanly flawed and corrupt of documents.
2). QURAN FAILS BIBLICAL STANDARDS FOR WITNESS TESTIMONY
A knockout blow against Islam is the fact it does not and cannot be substantiated by basic rules of witness testimony which the Bible enshrines.
Indeed, the Bible instructs everyone to withhold judgement unless there is sufficient corroborative evidence. We can observe this biblical principle in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. We have come to call this the principle of “the testimony of two or more witnesses.”
In Deuteronomy 13:1-5, God tells the Jews that they are not to believe someone who claims to be a prophet unless he comes with the correct knowledge of God as God had been revealed to them through the Prophet Moses, whose claim to represent God was affirmed by the miracles he performed before them and the Egyptians. (See, for example, Exodus 4:1-9.) Deuteronomy goes on to say that someone who claims to be a prophet must be right 100% of the time he prophecies – if anything he says is going to come to pass does not come to pass, he is not to be believed (Deuteronomy 18:18-22). If this principle were applied today, no one would believe a newspaper’s horoscope column, a psychic hotline “friend,” a fortune teller, Nostradamus, or anyone else whose track record is not 100%. The biblical prophet, then, should not be believed merely because he proclaims his prophetic gift, but only if that claim is substantiated by at least two witnesses: its correspondence to what God told Moses and its 100% track record.
In the very next chapter of Deuteronomy, a general principle is given affirming the two witness idea that is to govern all the civil and criminal courts of the Jews.
We read that one witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
Jesus upheld the same principle (Matthew 18:16).
Paul likewise: “This is the third time I am coming to you. Every fact must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses” (2 Corinthians 13:1)
The Quran absolutely fails these tests.
3). THE QURAN’S PLAGIARIZED SOURCES (see Footnote ¹ for a comprehensive list)
In addition to its drawing heavily from Old Testament Biblical narrative and recasting of the Patriarchs as Muslim, the Quran is a book of copied myths, fables and fairy tales.It contains a revised counterfeit of 6th century polytheism, composed of previously existing pagan beliefs, practices and fairy tales. Many of these legends are repeated many times.
# Example:
Probably the most notorious example of plagiarism is Surah 5.32. Here is the original saying from hundreds of years before the Quran:
“For this reason was man created alone, to teach thee that whosever destroys a single soul of Israel [of Israel is absent in some texts], scripture imputes (guilt) to him as though he had Destroyed a Complete World; and whosever preserves a single soul of Israel, scripture ascribes (merit) to him as though he had Preserved a Complete World [since all mankind originated from one man].”
Source: Babylonian Talmud, Mishnah Sanhedrin 37a
That’s only for starters. It gets worse.
5:32 is the most ripped-out-of-context verse of the Quran by Western commentators. Muslims (and even news organizations) often refer to this verse in order to show that Islam teaches murder is wrong and saving lives is the prescribed action for all people. President Obama notoriously gave it credence by partially quoting it in his first overseas presidential address in Cairo in 2009.
But this is absolutely not what this verse says. In fact, it says almost the exact opposite: that Muslims can kill those who are their enemies! The only way you can conclude, as Muslim apologists have, is to ignore the verses that immediately follow 5:32, as well as to ignore part of the verse itself.
Here is Surah 5:32 in its context, with all words included:
“On that account: We ordained for the Children of Israel that if any one slew a person – unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land – it would be as if he slew the whole people: and if any one saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of the whole people. Then although there came to them Our apostles with clear signs, yet, even after that, many of them continued to commit excesses in the land.”
Salient points:
(i). It explicitly states that this was a commandment to the Children of Israel, i.e. the Jews! This is not a commandment to all people, and it certainly should not be misused as if this is Allah’s command to Muhammad’s people.
(ii). Even if this were a command to the Muslims, there’s still an escape clause: “unless it be for murder or spreading mischief in the land.” If someone is “spreading mischief”, he can still be killed. Now let’s think for a moment. The would-be Times Square bomber considers Americans to be spreading mischief in Palestine and around the world (practically all Muslims I know think this, even the ones who are American citizens). Accordingly, even if this verse were to apply to someone like Faisal Shahzad, he would still be justified in his slaughter.
As if this weren’t obvious enough from the verse itself, the Quran further expounds this point in the very next verse. Surah 5:33 says:
“The punishment of those who wage war against God and His Apostle, and strive with might and main for mischief through the land is:execution, or crucifixion, or the cutting off of hands and feet from opposite sides, or exile from the land: that is their disgrace in this world, and a heavy punishment is theirs in the Hereafter.”
This verse is referring to the Muslims, not the Jews anymore, as we can tell in the shift from past tense to present tense. And here, the punishment for mischief is clearly prescribed: execution, crucifixion, mutilation, or at the least, exile. This is the command given to the Muslims. Quite clearly, it does not teach what the Muslims proclaim it teaches; in fact, it teaches almost the exact opposite.
For a supposedly divinely authored and inspired “holy” book, don’t you find it a little strange Muslims that Muhammad is pulling stuff from historic uninspired manmade sources and passing it off as “Revelatory” and “Holy”?
Muslims need to ask themselves why so much of Islamic scripture and ritual is borrowed from pre-existing sources. There is virtually nothing original in Islam and certainly nothing worthy of being labelled “Revelation.” Furthermore, something which in its original form is from non canonical gnostic, not sacred sources, cannot magically be transformed into Holy Writ. This is fallacious special pleading at its worst.
4). CONCLUSIONS
A book that is 95% unoriginal can never be a miracle. A book that plagiarized all bar 5 of the characters it contains can never be called a revelation. A book that is drawn from uninspired non Canonical sources can never be elevated to holy writ.
On these 3 basic grounds alone the Quran fails the attributes Muslims claim for it.
The Quran cannot be the Word of God.
# God does not need to copy. The Quran is mostly plagiarism.
# God’s Word is coherent progressive and sequential. The Quran is an incoherent repetitive jumble without any chronology, narrative or sequence.
# God’s Word is supported by multiple witness testimony. For a start the Bible is not one book, but a collection of 66 books written by 40 authors over a period of 1,500 years. Yet the Bible has a consistent message from beginning to end: how to restore the relationship that man had with God in the creation. The Quran is one man’s unwitnessed and uncorroborated testimony. In fact it has zero evidence base of testimony, still less multiple witnesses, because it’s written at least half a millennium after the events which it purports to correct.
# God’s Word does not need to change its tone or it’s commands. The Quran is antithetical to the Bible on all core doctrines, and its abrogations over a few years reflect the changing circumstances of its fickle human origin.
# God’s Word is self attesting through fulfilled prophecies, the testimonies of changed lives and recorded history and archaeology. The Quran has no such qualities. It is without prophecies, is not merely historically inaccurate but has schoolboy howler errors of fact and contains the scientifically impossible which again prove it’s man made origin.
# The Word of God has the highest moral paradigm (the Ten Commandments as amplified by the Sermon on the Mount). The Ten Commandments are nowhere in the Quran and were broken systematically and comprehensively by its only supposed prophet and replaced by rules which can only be described as demonic.
# The Word of God is instruction, comfort, and inspiration for sound living, peace, love and eternal life. Its both a mirror of reflection on human weakness as much as a window of revelation on God’s plan of redemption. The Quran is a manual for totalitarianism enforced by war hate and death for apostasy.
Footnote:
¹ THE QURAN’S COPIED FAIRYTALES & FABLES
Pre-Islamic Sources for material in the Quran. While the devout Muslim believes with all of his heart that the rituals and doctrines of Islam are entirely heavenly in origin and thus cannot have any earthly sources,
Middle East scholars have demonstrated beyond all doubt that every ritual and belief in Islam can be traced back to pre-Islamic Arabian culture.
In other words Muhammad did not preach anything new. Everything he taught had been believed and practiced in Arabia long before he was ever born.
Even the idea of “only one God” was borrowed from the Jews and the Christians.
# ARABIAN SOURCES
• The Quran repeats fanciful Arabian fables as if they were true. • “Arabic legends about the fabulous jinns fill its pages” (G.G. Pfander, Balance of Truth, pp. 283). • “The story of the she-camel who leapt out of a rock and became a prophet was known long before Muhammad” (Surahs 7:73-77,85; 91:14; 54:29). • The story of an entire village of people who were turned into apes because they broke the sabbath by fishing was a popular legend in Muhammad’s day (Surahs 2:65; 7:163-166). • The gushing 12 springs story found in Surah 2:60 comes from pre-Islamic legends. •In what is called the “Rip Van Winkle” story, seven men and their animals slept for 309 years in a cave and then woke up perfectly fine (Surah 18:9-26)! This legend is found in Greek and Christian fables as well as Arabian lore. • The fable of the pieces of four dead, cut-up birds getting up and flying was well known in Muhammad’s time (Surah 2:260). • It is also clear that Muhammad used such pre-Islamic literature as the Saba Moallaqat of Imra’ul Cays in his composition of Surahs 21:96; 29:31,46; 37:59; 54:1, and 93:1.
# JEWISH SOURCES
Many of the stories in the Quran come from the Jewish Talmud, the Midrash, and many apocryphal works. This was pointed out by Abraham Geiger in 1833, and further documented by another Jewish scholar, Dr. Abraham Katsh, of New York University, in 1954 (The Concise Dictionary of Islam, p. 229; Jomier, The Bible and the Quran — Henry Regency Co., Chicago, 1959, 59ff; Sell, Studies, pp. 163ff.; Guillaume, Islam, p. 13).
Here is a selection:
1. The source of Surah 3:35-37 is the fanciful book called The Protevangelion’s James the Lesser. 2. The source of Surah 87:19 is the Testament of Abraham. 3. The source of Surah 27:17-44 is the Second Targum of Esther. 4. The fantastic tale that God made a man “die for a hundred years” with no ill effects on his food, drink, or donkey was a Jewish fable (Surah 2:259ff.). 5. The idea that Moses was resurrected and other material came from the Jewish Talmud (Surahs 2:55, 56, 67). 6. The story in Surah 5:30,31 can also be found in pre-Islamic works from Pirke Rabbi Eleazer, the Targum of Jonathan ben Uzziah and the Targum of Jerusalem. 7. The tale of Abraham being delivered from Nimrod’s fire came from the Midrash Rabbah (see Surahs 21:51-71; 29:16, 17; 37:97,98). It must be also pointed out that Nimrod and Abraham did not live at the same time. Muhammad was always mixing people together in the Quran who did not live at the same time. 8. The non-biblical details of the visit of the Queen of Sheba (Saba) in Sura 27:20-44 came from the Second Targum of the Book of Esther. 9. The source of Surah 2:102 is no doubt the Midrash Yalkut (chapter 44). 10. The story found in Surah 7:171 of God lifting up Mount Sinai and holding it over the heads of the Jews as a threat to squash them if they rejected the law came from the Jewish book Abodah Sarah. 11. The story of the making of the golden calf in the wilderness, in which the image jumped out of the fire fully formed and actually mooed (Surahs 7:148; 20:88), came from Pirke Rabbi Eleazer. 12. The seven heavens and hells described in the Quran came from the Zohar and the Hagigah. 13. Muhammad utilized the Testament of Abraham to teach that a scale or balance will be used on the day of judgment to weigh good and bad deeds in order to determine whether one goes to heaven or hell (Suras 42:17; 101:6-9).
# HERETICAL “CHRISTIAN” SOURCES
One of the most documented and damaging facts about the Quran is that Muhammad used heretical “Christian” Gnostic gospels and their fables for material in the Quran.
Encyclopedia Britannica comments: “The gospel was known to him chiefly through apocryphal and heretical sources” (15:648). This has been demonstrated many times by various scholars (Richard Bell, Introduction to the Quran, pp. 163ff. See also: Bell, The Origin of Islam in Its Christian Environment, pp. 110ff, 139ff; Sell, Studies, pp. 216ff. See also Tisdall and Pfander). • For example, in Surah 3:49, the baby Isa speaks from the cradle! Later on, the Quran has Isa making clay birds come alive.
# ISA SPEAKING FROM THE CRADLE
“He shall preach to men in his cradle and in the prime of manhood, and shall lead a righteous life”. (Surah 3:46). Another reference to this is Surah 19:28-34: “O sister of Aaron! Thy father was not a wicked man nor was thy mother a harlot. Then she pointed to him. They said: How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle? He said: “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He has given me the Book and has made me a prophet. And has made me blessed wheresoever I may be, and has enjoined upon me prayer and almsgiving so long as I remain alive, And (has made me) dutiful toward her who bore me, and hath not made me arrogant, unblest. Peace on me the day I was born, and the day I die, and the day I shall be raised alive! Such was Isa, son of Mary: (this is) a statement of the truth concerning which they doubt.”
This came from the Injilu’t Tufuliyyah better known as the Arabic “Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ”. It is a 2nd century Arabic apocryphal fable from Egypt. This is the source for the referenced verse in the Quran.
Here is the similar passage from the Gospel of the Infancy of Jesus Christ: “… Jesus spake when he was in the cradle, and said to his mother: “Mary, I am Jesus the Son of God, the Word, which thou didst bring forth according to the declaration of the angel Gabriel, and My Father hath sent me for the salvation of the world.”
Comparing the two verses, it’s another obvious plagiarism of Muhammad’s. Muhammad revised what he had heard, to bring it into accord with his own beliefs and teachings.”
# ISA TURNING CLAY BIRDS INTO LIVING BIRDS
He will say: “I bring you a sign from your Lord. From clay I will make for you the likeness of a bird. I shall breath into it and, by God’s leave, it shall become a living bird.” (Surah 3:49)
Both of these events, the speaking in the cradle and the birds from clay are mentioned again in Surah 5:110:
“When Allah saith: O Isa, son of Mary! Remember My favour unto thee and unto thy mother; how I strengthened thee with the holy Spirit, so that thou spakest unto mankind in the cradle as in maturity; and how I taught thee the Scripture and Wisdom and the Torah and the Gospel; and how thou didst shape of clay as it were the likeness of a bird by My permission, and didst blow upon it and it was a bird by My permission, and thou didst heal him who was born blind and the leper by My permission; and how thou didst raise the dead by My permission; and how I restrained the Children of Israel from (harming) thee when thou camest unto them with clear proofs, and those of them who disbelieved exclaimed: This is naught else than mere magic”
This comes from “The Gospel of Thomas the Israelite” – A known and documented book of fables.
“Here is the similar passage: The child Jesus, when 5 years of age, was playing on the road by a dirty stream of running water; and having brought it all together into ditches, immediately made it pure and clean; by saying a single word. Then having moistened some earth, he made of it twelve sparrows. And it was the Sabbath day when he did these things. There were many other children playing with him. Now a Jew, seeing what Jesus did, that he was playing on the Sabbath day, went his way to (Jesus’) father Joseph. He said, “Behold, your son is at the stream of dirty water, and having taken up some mud, has made of it twelve sparrows, thus desecrating the Sabbath. On this Joseph went to the spot, and cried out, “Why did you do these things on the Sabbath day which it is not lawful to do?” Jesus then clapped his hands at the sparrows and cried aloud to them, “Go off!” So they, clucking, flew away. The Jews seeing it were astonished, and went and told their rulers what they had seen Jesus do.”
Again, note the similarities. Another Heretical Christian fable, another story circulated by the people living in the Mideast. And, another fable that made it’s way into the Quran.”
# SABEAN SOURCES
Muhammad incorporated parts of the religion of the Sabeans into Islam (Encyclopedia of Islam (ed. Eliade), pp. 303ff.; International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, pp. 1:219ff.). He adopted such pagan rituals as: ▪︎The Haj pilgrimage and worshipping at the Kaaba with all its incidental rituals. ▪︎Praying five times a day towards Mecca (Muhammad chose five of the same times the Sabeans prayed, which incidentally is an example where Muhammad overrode the Quran which nowhere mentions 5 daily prayers; it is only found in the Hadith). ▪︎Fasting for part of a day for an entire month.
# EASTERN RELIGIOUS SOURCES
Muhammad derived some of his ideas from Eastern religions such as Zoroastrianism and Hinduism. All of these things were in existence long before Muhammad was born. The Quran records the following things which are ascribed to Muhammad but in reality were previously known stories now attributed to him for the first time (Sell, Studies, pp. 219ff.). ▪︎The story of a flying trip through seven heavens. ▪︎The Houris of paradise. ▪︎Azazil and other spirits coming up from Hades. ▪︎ The “light” of Muhammad. ▪︎The bridge of Sirat. ▪︎Paradise with its wine, women, and song (from the Persians). ▪︎The king of death. ▪︎The peacock story. ▪︎ Pilgrimage is found in both Hinduism and lslam, Hajj to Mecca in Islam, while Kumbh Mela and Tirtha Yatra in Hinduism. ▪︎ Muslims performs 7 circuits around the Kaaba during Hajj which is called Tawaf. Hindus also perform one or more circuits around the centre (Garbhagriha) of a Temple (one to twenty-one, which is called as Parikrama (known in Sanscrit as pradakśiṇā). Both rituals are commonly called circumambulation. ▪︎ In the Hindu marriage rite of Saptapadi, the married couple circumnavigate the fire seven times. ▪︎ In the Islamic ritual of Tawaf, Muslim circumnavigation of the Kaaba incorporates, religious phrases repeated during the circumambulation. Some of the rituals that Muslims follow during the Hajj are the same as the rites observed by Hindus in their worship of Shiva. Note these striking similarities:
(1) Both Hindu and Muslim male devotees are required to shave their heads during their pilgrimage.
(2) And similar to their Hindu counterparts, male Muslim pilgrims are also required to dress in a garment consisting of two sheets of white cloth. This type of garment is known as Dhoti in Hinduism.
(3) Just as the worshippers of Shiva observe a rite in which they walk around their object of reverence seven times, Muslim pilgrims also walk around the Kaaba seven times.
(4) Both their objects of reverence are Black Stones. In Hinduism, the Black Stone is known as Shiva lingam.
(5) While Hindus drink water from the Ganga River as part of the sacred rites in their worship of Shiva, Muslims drink from the Well of Zamzam during the Hajj.
(6) Additionally, the Crescent moon, which is associated with the Hindu deity Shiva, is also a symbol for Islam. In the Hindu portrayal of the Shiva symbol, the crescent moon is always painted across his forehead. Moreover, in every portrayal of Shiva, there is always a depiction of a snake curled around his neck. Weirdly, in pre-Islamic times, Allah is supposed to have sent a snake to guard the treasures of the Kaaba.
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