THE HUMAN CHARACTERISATION OF GOD (REVISITED)
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/
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/